Product Reviews

PDAs/Phones

Binatone Carrera X350 [Computer Shopper]
COMPANY: Binatone Carerra	PRICE: �70 inc VAT
RATING:	ISSUE: 246 DATE: Aug 08

Binatone is best known for its cordless telephones and assorted other home electronics, but the company is now branching into satellite navigation. The X350 is comfortably the least expensive standalone satnav we've seen.

The X350 feels tough and is easy to use. Its main menu has clear, large buttons. To navigate to an address, you can enter a full UK postcode or type in a city name and street. The unit searches its street database as you type, before presenting a shortlist of possible matches. The interface isn't as smooth as TomTom's, but it's quick enough and easy to get to grips with.

You can also navigate to one of several Points of Interest (POI). These are split into categories such as attractions, sights and places to eat and drink. You can't search for a POI by name, but selecting a category will list all those in the surrounding area, complete with distances. We found the database lacking. It didn't list a couple of castles we wanted to visit in the Peak District, for example.

The



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X350 is fairly slow to calculate routes, taking 49 seconds to plot a course from central London to Edinburgh. However, it was fast to recalculate when we took a wrong turning. It's also a good navigator. The navigation display is clear and shows plenty of information. A box in the top left shows a diagram of the next turning, and your current speed, estimated arrival time and distance to your destination are shown in large, clear text. The 3D map display is fairly small but very clear, and your route is clearly marked. The X350's voice prompts were easy to understand and given in plenty of time, but it doesn't string together multiple turns into one sentence, so you have to listen carefully when one turn quickly follows another.

The unit has the usual toll road warning and roadblock avoidance features, and comes with six months' free access to a speed camera database. You have to download and install a program from Binatone's website to enable the trial. While this worked under Windows XP, we had no luck under Vista. A Vista version is currently being developed, and should be available soon. The company aims to provide free speed camera updates for life by the end of summer. It's easy to upgrade to Western European maps; they cost just £40 from the hotline number on Binatone's website. Maps are sent to you on a 2GB SD card.

The X350 may not have the prettiest interface and it lacks extras such as Bluetooth, traffic information and voice recognition, but it's hard to find fault at such a low price. This is a superb no-frills satnav and a Budget Buy.

By Chris Finnamore

SPECIFICATIONS:
3½in, 320x240 display, integrated SiRFstar III receiver, Binatone Navigator 4.1 software, UK, Ireland maps, one-year RTB warranty