Insignia GPS first impressions
UPDATE: Read my full Insignia NS-CNV10 review.
I've been spending the past few days getting to know the Best Buy Insignia NS-CNV10 GPS. This 3.5" model, like its bigger brother, sports text-to-speech, a cellular connection, Google Local search and no connection fees for the first year. The 4.3" model is pictured above, but except for the phone button (Bluetooth is found only on the NS-CNV20) it gives you a good idea of what it looks like.
The Insignia appears to utilize deCarta's Connected Navigation (CNAV) service. So far, the device has been fairly intuitive and has done a good job of navigation, recalculating quickly whenever necessary. And I love having Google Local search at my fingertips. I also like being offered multiple route options, though it sometimes takes a couple of steps to get to them.
Physically, the device is slightly larger than a Garmin nuvi, but much smaller than the bulky Dash Express, the only other GPS on the U.S. market offering built-in cellular connectivity. But the huge antenna array in the Dash seems to make a performance difference. Cellular reception with the Insignia has been spotty so far, though there seems to be some improvement following a firmware upgrade from 1.01 to 1.3.
And while the Insignia is one of the first units to hit the market with this level of connected services, in some ways it is far from state of the art. Consider the following:
- When you tap the top menu bar, it brings up the list of turn-by-turn directions. But regardless of how many turns you have already made, it shows them all, starting with your point of origin. Not very helpful if you're trying to look a few turns ahead.
- Multiple route options are slow to update too, often showing the original routes.
- Hardware-wise, the battery is rated at two hours, and there is a volume lever on the side. While it's nice to have such easy access to the volume controls, it feels a little cheap.
- You cannot view your current speed anywhere on the device.
- Satellite lock was very slow on a rainy day; I got a couple of miles down the road before it locked.
- Local search result lists give the distance to the destination, but not the direction.
- When I upgraded the firmware, all of my data (home, favorites, etc.) was lost.
- The unit doesn't automatically power on or off.
- Though the unit claims to "Auto Sort Multiple Destinations," I've seen no evidence of this. Perhaps this means something other than auto-sorted multi-destination routing.
The screenshot above is a sample from deCarta. I haven't seen traffic info yet as I'm not in an area with coverage (NAVTEQ Traffic only covers 50 metro areas), but the multiple route options look exactly like they do on the Insignia.
That's it for now; I'll have a full review posted in a few weeks.
More info: GPS Navigation at BestBuy.com
This thing is pure junk. Its the worst thing out there and you can get better for less. Tomtom has $99 GPS that is 100% better than this. If you search the reviews of all the negative things such as sound, directions, touch screen, etc … they are 100% true. I used this for about 20 minutes and went right back to best buy and returned it. No restocking fee and behind the counter were piles of insigna items returned and many of them this GPS system. They have seen majority ofthese bought returned.
I received the NS-CNV20 as a Christmas gift this year. While I don’t have experience with the smaller screened NS-CNV10, my understanding is that they’re essentially the same device, screens and Bluetooth aside.
In that context, I’d have to disagree with the previous comment, having had the (unfortunate) opportunity to use several different PNDs while traveling for work. Insignia’s device compares very favorably to the basic Garmins and TomToms of the world. The interface is a bit clunky at times (there’s a somewhat confusing lag after a button is pressed but before the screen is fully refreshed that makes it appear that you’ve accidentally made another selection on the next screen), but overall I’m more than satisfied with the usability.
The device profile is much more appealing as well, if looks matter.
Considering that this thing could conceivably be a low-cost Dash Express alternative (given cellular connectivity and Google searches), I’m encouraged. The nav software seems to be in its infancy, and I’m using 1.2 instead of the current 1.3 due to lack of an SD card reader, but the opportunity for hacks and/or continual upgrades in encouraging.
I mean, the upgrade process is, a) download firmware, b) delete old firmware on SD card, c) save new firmware on SD card. Insignia has rolled out the red carpet to any of those interested in building out additional functionality.
Glad to hear you like it. I’ve got to get back to it and finish my review.
i would agree with the second commentor. i got myself one and got one for my father for christmas. so far i have been quite pleased with it over all. i think one of my largest complaints would be that though they have an “option” to change the voice on the device there is only one voice available.(and being as that is one of my largest concerns it’s obvious i havent had many problems.)
im surprised that no one has mentioned one of the best features of this device. while the cellular connectivity is nice for traffic reporting(where available) and google searches, i have yet to read a review that mentions the google maps e-mail feature. this is one of the best features i have seen made available on a gps even trumping the onboard google search(which may or may not find what you are looking for) by allowing you to research ahead of time and e-mail the directions directly to your GPS.
i can see it being very usefull for an out of town spouse or business partner who needs directions quickly to a specific location(again, i’ve found the google search can be pretty vague, i couldnt even find “korean restaurants”) one quick call home and the at home spouse/business partner can e-mail directions directly to the device from google maps. i hope to see more features like this in the future.
deCarta’s CNAV is available in Canada, but it’s not available on INSIGNIA. DeCarta said it is upto BestBuy to “activate” this option on DeCarta’s CNAV service.
Too bad you can’t take a vacation “north” of the border with your new Insignia GPS!
Yeah, it’s unclear whether the recently announced Garmin nuLink service will work in Canada either.
I have the insignia ns-cnv10 and upgraded the firmware manually a few months ago, they are now saying you can’t update the firmware on your own. I think this is BS, another way to charge us. Anyone know of the site I can go to to upgrade my firmware on my own?
http://insigniaproducts.com/cms/files/CNAV_1.3_39879_35_prod.zip
ENJOY
Nice!
the firmware is available, but good luck getting Insignia/BestBuy support. They will not assist you over the phone on how to install the firmware.
1.Download firmware from the Insigniaproducts.com
2.Unzip the file and save it into your Mac/PC.
3.Remove SD Card from GPS (located on the side of the GPS).
4.Insert SD card into your computer. (generic SD Card Reader).
5.Delete ONLY the CNAV folder from the SD card.
6.Copy the new CNAV folder (from the new zip file) to the SD Card.
7.Insert the SD card back into the GPS.
9.Turn on GPS. The firmware updates on initial power up.
Enjoy
I just received this Insignia GPS as a gift. The instructions say to fully charge it for 3 hours before its first use. How do you do that when the DC adaptor plugs into your car battery. s there another adapto that I need to buy? I’m not planning a driving arond for 3 hours.
Thanks
just leave it plugged in the car adapter over night. It’s not going to drain the car battery and it will always be good to go. When you are driving, you can plug the plug out of the car outlet and let it run on it’s own battery while you are driving. I charge over night and drain it during the day.
I think it will be fine if you just charge it whenever you are driving.
It too bad Insignia/Best Buy don’t listen to their customer feedback.
This product would be so useful if BestBuy expanded it’s coverage into Canada using deCarta’s CNAV.
I guess I’m not having too good of luck with this. I carefully pulled it out of the cig. lighter and the head of it fell apart and when I tried to reach in and pull out the parts, I got a shock. I took it back and got another one just like the first. Hope it is better. Will let you know.