Sony NV-U53G Navigation Unit With Full Maps Of UK, Ireland & Northern France (Down To Paris)

 

 

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I'm not going to bang on because Mr Haddrells review really is spot on.

Just a note about the speed (sorry, 'safety') camera download, it works quite well actually. As you approach the money-machines you get a verbal - "please watch your speed" (or words to that effect) - which works just fine.

It is worth mentioning that you get the speed camera free for 12 months, which isn't bad also. A quick glance over the Sony Nav-u website confirms that add-ons are somewhat cheaper than it's navigational rivals.

I have to say I haven't had any problems with the screen not responding to my taps, but I have read that it does occur in other reviews.

I'm not a fan of TomTom and I do think Garmin equipment is brilliant. But for £130 - this is an absolute STEAL. The screen is superb and the commands clear. The fact is gives you the actual road number is brilliant. The screen is so good in fact that you can see plenty around you, not just the road immediately ahead and to the side, this gives the Sony opportunity to display any POI that is near to you.

It gets 4 stars purely because of the fact that you do not get a case or indeed an AC adaptor with it. But, you can get these for peanuts if you shop about.

If you want a SatNav that does nothing more than be a SatNav, then you really cannot go far wrong with this little belter.

Before reading this please note that as of April 2008 Sony no longer produces Sat Navs for the European market so there will be no further updates for these products.

After much consideration, and research, I decided that the Sony was exactly what I wanted - a basic system that would replace the hassle of map reading and, thus, save a marriage! I liked the screen size and the look of the wonderfully drawn maps. And, at current prices (around £100), there seemed no other option.

I ordered the goods from Amazon and they arrived quickly. I knew exactly what I would get in the box but the lack of AC adaptor didn't seem important enough not to buy this product. The unit charges via the USB port of the computer, or via the cigarette lighter socket of the car, with the cables supplied. I don't foresee myself purchasing an AC adaptor as, so far, I can't see any need for it.
The battery life of this unit is no more than an hour so if your car doesn't have a cigarette lighter socket then this sat nav is not the one for you. If you do, then there is no need to use the battery power. Most sat navs are the same though.

The screen, as with screens on all Sony products, is superb. Whether you use it day or night it won't disappoint, and it automatically changes its brightness so you don't have to. Having the large wide screen also means you can see lots of the surrounding area including nearby villages/towns etc, which are clearly labelled. You would be looking at paying at least £30 more for the equivalent screen size on other makes.

I also love the ease of operation of this device. From the moment I turned it on I knew how to use it instinctively. The on-screen buttons are big so even those with larger fingers shouldn't have a problem with using it. The menus are clear and well set out, with the major options easily accessible.
The screen includes all of the information you need to know and optionally you can include nearby Points of Interests (POI). There are plenty of POIs to choose from. My only complaint is that they are very small on screen.

The estimated time of arrival (ETA) is very accurate and you really can trust it - depending on traffic conditions that is! A few forums have raised an issue with the clock on this model. It has been known to re-set itself or show the wrong time, affecting the ETA. This happened once with mine after connecting it to the computer. However, I took it outside and as soon as it got signal the correct time was showing.

The unit will show your speed but only when you haven't programmed a route. I don't know why this is but personally I don't see the need for it. The speedometer is right in front of you! Having seen a TomTom in operation I know that they tell you when you are exceeding the speed limit, though in the course of a 40 minute journey it got the limit wrong twice!

Having previously registered with Sony for other products setting up the speed cameras was quick and easy - though I don't find their web site the most intuitive. I did however have a little help from some online forums to properly activate the `safety' cameras so I would be verbally warned. This works well though it does tend to warn you about cameras that are in nearby roads as well!
I also didn't find the software provided that brilliant. This is something Sony has failed on with other products. The main issue was the constant `connecting' sign on the unit when it's connected to the computer. I have since found out that this is normal and it will say this even when synced and not transferring information.

I found the major advantage of this unit to be the very clear voice instructions - she tells you which road number to follow i.e. A123 which is something a lot of competitors don't offer. She also gives plenty of warning to keep to the left or right etc so you know which lane to be in. This makes the journey so much more stress-free.
The maps are also very clear and don't look like a childs drawing unlike other manufacturers. So far, I have found the maps to be very accurate, including some fairly recent roads, and haven't come across any unknown roads as yet.

Signal is usually picked up within a minute - it's never taken any longer than that for me. I guess it depends on where you live though. Even when signal is lost going through a tunnel it is a matter of seconds before it's back on track having come out the other side.

As with many portable devices (cameras, ipods etc) there is no case supplied in the box. At the price I paid for the sat nav an extra £10 for a case from halfords did the trick. This is a definite must if you intend to take it around with you. Put it this way, I wouldn't leave it in the car.

Another aspect which attracted me to the Sony was the attachment. This, in my opinion, is much better than the TomTom, which is prone to falling off the windscreen (seen it happen) and cannot be attached to the dashboard unlike the Sony - unless you purchase a separate attachment. This also makes your car much less of a target for thieves who look out for suction marks on the screen.
Attachment to the dashboard is very simple and very sturdy. The Sony also clips nicely onto this attachment with ease.

I have seen many reviews talking about the unresponsive touch screen. These are true to a point - sometimes it takes two or three pushes to get it to respond. However, this is no problem especially as most of this is done prior to the journey. The TomTom I used had a similar problem.

As a Mac user I was disappointed to find out that the Sony isn't Mac compatible. Although you can work it from the box there are a number of features such as adding/removing maps and languages that do require a computer. Thankfully I also have a PC for such situations.

I I have previously mentioned I have also seen a TomTom in operation. I can see that they do have advantages. Firstly the TomTom seems to be more accurate, to within about a metre whilst driving along. The Sony seems to be about 5 metres. So when you are passing a road junction the Sony may show you as still coming up to it.
Even though the TomTom I saw was about a year or two older than the Sony I noticed that even when it was in a tunnel and without signal it carried on going. Can't see a great advantage to this but it's still clever. Only the top of the range Sony's have this ability.
I also noted that the TomTom was marginally quicker at re-routing should you take a wrong turn. Although not sluggish the Sony was noticeably slower, but not enough to ever cause a problem.

Some nice features that I'd like to mention about the Sony are:
If you select the 2D map you can search the entire pre-loaded map (close up or far away) and tell it where you want to navigate manually. So if you don't know the postcode but know where it is on the map then this is a handy feature.
Also, if you happen to particularly like the area in which you are currently at you can save your current location and it will store it for you.
Gesture commands are another nice touch. These are like a speed-dial on your phone. Simply draw a `^' on screen and it will navigate you home. Draw a `-` across the screen and it will take you to the nearest petrol station. I think this is an excellent, and safe, feature that really does work.

For those who like the celeb voices that the TomTom has to offer the Sony (as yet) will disappoint. The female voice included is currently the only one available. I'm sure this will eventually change but you have to remember Sony haven't been in the market long.

Overall I'm very happy with this unit. It does exactly what I want i.e. navigate me to where I want to get to without the stress of map reading. The few nice extras are a plus and selecting the `nice route' instead of the obvious `fast route' has taken us through some lovely places nearby which we would never have seen otherwise.

UPDATE
I felt it important to share the official response from Sony to my quiries about the mapping and camera updates. The reply stated that I should update the Firmware to ensure I had the very latest updates. The instructions were comprehensive but fundamentally flawed. The use of the AC adaptor is essential. Unfortunately Sony do not supply one, it has to be purchased separately. Not such a good buy anymore. Without the firmware update the safety camera and road data are out of date. You would think Sony could do better. I would now only give this 3 stars at best. If you are hovering on 9 points do not rely on this to keep you driving!

I purchased this item as a direct result of the Amazon reviews and I am very satisfied with the Unit albeit there are a few quirks. However on balance the good far outweigh the bad.

Bad:

1. The supporting Sony website is not intuitive to use and does not perform well. I am not at all confident that my downloads will work as intended.
2. The base map data is possibly questionable. My house is 20 years old but the map database will not recognise it. A possible explaination is that we are on a short piece of road at the end of a cul de sac that is unadopted. The mapping may only be configured to recognise public roads.
3. The screen can be touch insensitive.
4. "Safety" camera warnings are verbal "watch your speed" only. Other than the generic map symbol no other info is presented, eg the speed limit! Similary it does not appear to have an "accident blackspot" capability, ie pre registered / regular known mobile 'safety' camera sites" do not appear to feature.
5. It can take a long time to boot up and get GPS lock.
6. Speed and direction of travel are not avilable in Navigation mode. This info is only shown in free map mode.
7. The great style and slimline size come at a cost - in this case small internal battery and consequent stand alone operating life.

Good:

1. Brilliant mapping and clear graphics. Not at all the cartoon-like display often seen with other manufacturers.
2. Clear vebal instructions.
3. Road numbers / names given as part of the verbal intructions.
4. Simple and logical menu structure.
5. Absolutely brilliant vacuum gel mount. This allows you to fix the Unit to the dashboard and not the windscreen. An imortant feature if like me you have a deep dashboard and want to be able to read the display. The associated ease by which the unit fixes/unfixes to the mount is also a neat design.
6. The slimline Sony design is very smart and makes stowage very simple. It also takes no more room in a jacket pocket than the average wallet.
7. The day/night auto screen change is an excellent feature.

Would I recommend this device?

Yes if you want a navigation tool with a secondary safety camera alert capability. No if your primary need is safety camera data with a secondary navigation function. In which case buy a Road Angel (but get it quick before the thought police make it illegal). However if you want an entry level navigation Unit with a large screen, neat features, cracking design and at a steal of a price, you will not go far wrong with this Sony.

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3.0 out of 5 stars sat Nav
A bit dissappointing in the complicated set up and would have liked a mains charger with it. It would have been easier to program and learn how it operates as oppessed to sitting... Read more

Published 12 months ago by Ms Boo

5.0 out of 5 stars still working after 3 years
owned this for 3 years and it is still working.
graphics still look better than some branded shelf ones today

huge screen and grip on the dashboard is fantastic... Read more

Published 17 months ago by Dr Koh

5.0 out of 5 stars my sony sat nav-u53g

I am more than happy with my product from amazon. +whatever product i have bought from amazon always been very happy with... Read more

Published on 10 Aug 2009 by Mr. John D. Matthews

5.0 out of 5 stars Good value for the price
This is my first sat nav so in terms of comparing with other products I would not be able to. So far I am happy with the product. Read more

Published on 9 July 2009 by CS

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't bother..........
It is highly unlikely this will come with up to date maps (mine didn't) and you can't download them from Sony because they have removed online support for sat nav. Read more

Published on 21 Jun 2009 by Bad Robot

3.0 out of 5 stars Ok but flawed.
I've owned this for 13 months now and am looking for a replacement (which won't be another Sony).
Typically, after the 12 month guarantee has expired, it's broken (sound... Read more

Published on 7 Jun 2009 by B. Warnock

1.0 out of 5 stars Waste of time and money
Sony NV-U53G Navigation Unit With Full Maps Of UK, Ireland & Northern France (Down To Paris)

As my job involves driving around the country and have burnt out many sat... Read more

Published on 14 May 2009 by Thomas Gammon

4.0 out of 5 stars help please on how to get camera alerts
Was very worried at first concerning the purchase of this sat nav as my new tom tom had let me down big time and needed a sat nav quickly had also owned a garmin and was not happy... Read more

Published on 12 Jan 2009 by Mr. M. D. Watts

1.0 out of 5 stars Buy something else
I'm only giving this one star because the size & clarity of the display.
Other than that the unit is rubbish. Read more

Published on 29 Nov 2008 by M. A. Tozer

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good for this price
I agree with many of the pros and cons detailed by other people. However I think this is a very good machine indeed! Read more

Published on 21 Aug 2008 by siuhai

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