The new Navman Platinum range of GPS devices

Available from late October 2008 onwards, the Navman S-Series Platinum is a slim and sleek (at only 13.5 mm thick) brushed metal cased GPS unit, with a scrollable “glide” touchscreen, a new interface using Navteq maps and a new intelligent way of searching.

As pioneers in satellite navigation, Navman claim to work hard to exceed the expectations of consumers and we think we’ve done it with a GPS unit that combines great looks, cool technology and unbeatable features.

Navman is about much more than just telling people when to turn left and right, it’s about making it easier for people to find where they want to go, to help them get there safely and then enable them to explore more about their destination.

In a first for Navman, the Platinum range also includes clear 3D lane guidance with junction views appearing on the screen as you approach some major turn-offs, exits or intersections. This, along with the 3D landmarks, really help orientate drivers to their surroundings.

In addition to the sophisticated lane guidance, Navman believes one of the most important and useful enhancements are the premium safety alerts that have been built into the Platinum range. These alerts warn drivers as they approach school zones; highlight certain areas where they need to be more careful (for instance when there are fixed speed and red light cameras) or when approaching railway crossings or accident black spots.

The new range is not just for motorists – pedestrians can take it out of the car and carry it with them. Simply change the mode to “pedestrian” and you get directions for travelling on foot – for example, motorways, turn restrictions, one-ways and blocked passage restrictions are ignored. If a route is longer than 10 kilometres, a warning is given and the 2D city maps represent detailed outlines of buildings including railway infrastructure

Features

Intelligent way to navigate – new user interface The new scrollable menu allows you to find destinations easier using a “keyword” search – just glide your finger down the screen.

There are three modes:

Go – simply get the directions and help to make driving easier;
Find – you can search as you do online – by a variety of means – by points of interests, streets and brand names and it will search faster and more accurately; and
Explore – having hundreds of thousands of points of interest has been standard on Navman classic S-Series – but have you ever arrived somewhere and wanted to find a restaurant, bar or sports ground? The Navman S-Series Platinum Explore mode allows you to connect with True Local to look up specific points of interest or businesses online, find out more about them and then dial them up if you wish or be guided directly there.

Unlike other GPS models that ask people to search ‘backwards’ i.e. first entering ‘city/town’, then ‘suburb’, then ‘street’ and then finally, building number, the new Navman Platinum range enables people to search intuitively – type in the first part of the address “22 Davies Street” and a range of options for 22 Davies Street appear. Simply glide your finger down the screen and choose the one you want. It makes finding places faster, easier and smarter.

Petrol (efficiency mode): routes that avoid “stop-start” driving, unsealed roads and roundabouts, can help to reduce petrol consumption by giving directions that avoid braking and keep speeds constant.
Lane guidance and junction views: richer, more specific verbal lane guidance, as well as clear navigation showing the actual view when you get to the turn or exit lanes and how lanes are connected. This service will cover major cities – Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra.
Warnings – safety and speed camera, accident black spots, railway crossings: safety camera warnings have become standard in many GPS, but Navman S-Series Platinum gives alerts for changes in speeds when entering school zones; as well as warnings for railway crossings and accident black spots; along with safety and speed cameras.
3D Landmarks: see more than 100 landmarks appear in 3D that fit the dimensions of the map as you approach and drive around each landmark. You’ll find the Sydney Opera House, MCG, the Suncorp Stadium and other famous Australian spots.
World maps: other maps for Eastern Europe, Western Europe , USA, New Zealand, Canada are already contained in the box – just purchase the unlock key to wherever you’re travelling and take your Navman S-Series Platinum with you.
Map data: for the first time, the new Navman S-Series Platinum for Australia is powered by Navteq, a global leader in digital map data. The Navteq map of Australia provides over 1.1 million kilometres of roads covering 100 per cent of the population, and the most complete set of address ranges. Equipped with the largest field team of geographic analysts in Australia, Navteq uses both local knowledge and contacts to collect and verify road details in the neighborhoods. These geographic analysts capture up to 260 attributes, including one-way streets, turn restrictions and physical barriers, as well as constantly collecting and verifying new roads, housing developments, and points of interest including banks/ATMS, petrol stations, restaurants, shopping and hotel to build map data which is rich, detailed and accurate.
Pedestrian mode: specific navigation instructions for people walking around cities – there are no instructions for motorways and turning and one way instructions are ignored. Moreover pedestrian mode will warn if a route is longer than 10 km. Park in a parking station near your destination and then switch to pedestrian mode and be guided the rest of the way.
Tag locations: if you’re ever out looking at property or cars to buy, you’ll know how difficult can be to remember where and when you saw, say, the house with the white picket fence or the one with the large backyard. When you’re at a location, simply press on the pin icon at the right hand side of the screen and you can record exactly where you are, enabling you to return there later that day, that week or that year.
Spoken street names across the range: FM transmitter and receiver Link your navigation unit into the stereo of your car and listen to the guidance through your car speakers.
Bluetooth hands-free: turn your Navman Platinum into a Bluetooth handsfree kit. Use the Bluetooth connection to go online via Truelocal to do searches of over 1,000,000 listings that are all geocoded so you can navigate straight to them, no need to download and then upload from your computer.
Mileage expense: digital log book
Short cuts: to petrol and parking buttons
NavPix Downloads: download geo-tagged images from Flickr (or from Navman website) and just “go”.