Product Reviews

Many GPS devices can display traffic information, but they usually require a GPRS data connection and a subscription to a traffic service. Navman's F30 comes with a TMC module that receives the same RDS-TMC traffic broadcasts as your car's FM stereo, so you can pick up traffic information without a subscription and without incurring any GPRS costs.

The F30 has a similar design to Navman's more expensive N range. Along with a touch screen, there are short-cut buttons on the right for the main menu, to navigate to the nearest petrol station or car park and to change the navigation view. These are a welcome addition, as they save navigating through menu levels. There are also buttons to change the volume level.

The F30's home screen has bold and colourful icons, which let you plot a route to your home address and a new or recent address, as well as change the system settings. You can navigate to a UK postcode or city centre, or simply type in a street name and select from a list. Typing in addresses and postcodes isn't that easy, as the software runs slowly. There is a significant delay between pressing a key and the character appearing onscreen. The delay is especially bad when

ADVERTISEMENT

you're typing in a street name, as the software is searching its internal database at the same time. The postcode screen is better than most GPS devices', as the letters and numbers are on the same screen so you don't have to flick between them.

The software's interface may run slowly, but route calculation is fairly fast. The F30 took seven seconds to plot a route from central to south London, and 20 seconds to plot a route from London to Edinburgh. The F30 warned us that our route went up the M6 toll road, but didn't mention London's Congestion Charge zone.

The F30 is a competent navigator. The navigation screen is fairly busy, as the unit displays every road name instead of just the major ones. The map updates smoothly and the software has no problem keeping up with turns, while voice prompts are loud and clear. A large button on the right of the screen switches between 2D and 3D modes, as well as the itinerary view. This shows each turn on your journey and the distance between each one. The itinerary view takes ages to appear, though, and the F30 is missing the N series' useful safety view, which shows you the bare minimum of information and is less distracting than a moving map display.

The TMC traffic receiver is built into the unit's windscreen mount. The TMC aerial has two self-adhesive pads that stick to your windscreen, and attach to the aerial with Velcro. This makes it easy to remove the aerial when you park. The traffic information is updated constantly and helps you plot a route around hold-ups.

Considering that it comes with free traffic updates, Navman's F30 is excellent value. Its software runs frustratingly slowly, however, so we'd still recommend TomTom's One Regional and pay the extra £30 for the Plus traffic service.