Navman iCN 520 Review

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1.7 stars
Average rating for this product is: 1.7 out of 5

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poons's Review of Navman iCN 520 Satellite Navigation System

7th Sep 2006

Overall Rating

3.5 stars
  • Value for money
    4 stars
Good Points

Price has dramatically dropped since it's launch, now discontinued.
Purchased one to replace my ICN 320, as it has a 3.5 inch touch screen, more features, customisable POI's, and can be software upgraded, and the unit is slim.


Bad Points

Touch screen not as sensitive as Tom-Tom devices, screen prone to glare in daylight, thumbwheel too sensitive and often causes user to highlight wrong menu item (pain), glitchy software, loss of GPS signals.


General Comments

I decided to recently purchase the Navman iCN 520, as the unit was now on sale for £169.99, which in my opinion is a bargain, compared to other units on sale for over £200.
The 520 is to replace my ICN 320. However I have found various glitches with the 520, namely; the software froze when the unit was first switched on, and displayed a syntax error when loading map information, forcing a hard reset.
It also has trouble at times holding on to GPS signals, again I found this strange as my 320 never loses a GPS signal, even in the same locations.
Searched the web for a free safety camera add-on, as is advertised, but to no avail, as one site I have found wants a subscription payment, before I can download the required software.
I am looking forward to giving the 520 a good trial soon, on a long journey, to see how accurate it directs me to my destination.

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Members' Comments onpoons's Review

  • poons Rank: Staff Sergeant on 6th Nov 2006

    Just an update to my review of the Navman iCN 520 satellite Navigation system.

    Overall, I am pleased with this device, and I've tested the unit on a long journey, with the voice guide and map direction arrows only giving me a couple of wrong turn instructions, which I ignored anyway. (Not uncommon for other brands to suffer the same).

    The 520 does what it says it does, and works well in most areas.

    Updating the Points of Interests (P.O.I) has been a breeze, and not too complicated.
    The thumbwheel control jog is still a bit of a pain to operate, but it works okay if you take your time with it. I sometimes use the stylus pen, depending on my mood.

    The internal speaker audio quality is sharp, but it sounds thin and tinny, with a little bit of white noise behind it, but attach an external speaker, and the speech quality is more natural sounding.

    It would also be nice to see an update to the software, and voice customisable packs.

    Would I still recommend the iCN 520? Of course I would, and there are many bargains to be had with this piece of kit, now that it is no longer in production.

    Finally, I think that the 520 somehow aesthetically still looks better than some of the current models on the market, but that's just my opinion.

    Poons