Blaupunkt TravelPilot 700 review
Blaupunkt TravelPilot 700 GPS navigation testedThe Blaupunkt TravelPilot 700 uses TeleAtlas maps, it provides route guidance in 42 countries throughout Europe, including Russia. Map updates should be available in the future on Blaupunkt's website.
Like most recent GPS navigation units this device offers several ways to display the maps: You can choose between a 2D map, a 2D map with North always at the top of the screen, a 3D map, and also the new camera-based navigation. Blaupunkt enables you to configure lots of options that the device should take into account when calculating the route. For instance, you can customize it to follow the fastest route, the shortest route, the ecological route (highest fuel efficiency) or the economic route (combination of time and fuel efficiency). There's also the adjustable My Optimum route and in case you're truly in the middle of nowhere, you can use the off road route.
Additionally, you can also configure whether you want to use toll ways, highways, ferries, tunnels and seasonal roads. Obviously, these options all have a major impact on the type of route the device will calculate for you.
Below is a photo of the 2D map:
Next is the 3D map:
And last but not least, the video navigation:
There are various ways to enter a new destination, you can enter an address with the stylus, enter GPS coordinates, pick a location on the map, or load a route from a memory card. Voice recognition can also be used, this requires some training though. The device recognized most of my commands without a problem, but sometimes it had problems recognizing the city or street properly. If the software doesn't understand your voice it will list places that sound similar, and usually you can then pick the city or street you meant. It's a nice extra, but entering the destination with the stylus is usually a lot faster, especially because there's no button on the device to quickly activate the voice recognition feature while you're driving.
Another nice feature of the device is that it allows you to browse through lists of POIs; you can use it too quickly find a place to eat, a nearby gas station, or the closest hospital. If available, the application will also list the phone number and e-mail address of the POI.
After powering the device on, the Blaupunkt TravelPilot 700 quickly finds your location and a new route is in many cases calculated in a blink of an eye. The device will guide you to your destination without a problem, it not only gives excellent on-screen navigational information but also provides very informative spoken commands. When you need to take a turn an arrow will pop up on the screen, and it will count down the distance. Additionally, on highways the unit will offer lane assist and the TMC feature will help you to avoid traffic congestions.
Video navigation tested
The regular maps work well on the TravelPilot 700, but I bet you're wondering if the video navigation works as well as advertised. After installing the unit in your car and calibrating the camera you're ready to go.
At first, the feature is pretty impressive, but afterward you start discovering it has some drawbacks. Some may argue that video navigation is safer because you don't really take your eyes off the road when you're looking at the display, but I don't think this is true. The video isn't fluent enough because the frame rate is too low and the lens of the camera distorts the image so objects look farther away than they really are.
Another disadvantage of the video navigation is that it doesn't work in poor light conditions, and contrary to what some people may expect from such an expensive GPS nav, the unit doesn't have nightvision. As with all cameras, the images are too dark too be useful when there's not enough light. Under bad weather conditions or when the sun is in front of you it may not be of much help either, as you can see on the photo below.
In optimal conditions, it should be possible to navigate this way, but to be honest I prefer the traditional 2D map because this type of map gives more information about what lies ahead of you. While I may sound a bit harsh, I did like this cool feature and I'm sure it will impress all your friends!
To get a better idea of how it works while driving you can check out the following video from Blaupunkt:
Conclusion
The Blaupunkt TravelPilot 700 is a feature-packed GPS navigation system that will get you where you want to be without a problem, and entertain you during dull moments with its multimedia, Internet, and DVB-T features. This is the first navigation system with video navigation and while this feature works reasonably well, I think it's mainly a gimmick. It will definitely impress people but once the novelty wears off you'll probably discover that it doesn't offer enough benefits over the traditional 2D or 3D maps that are provided by the device.
Blaupunkt has developed a very nice new TravelPilot flagship, and I have no problem recommending it. However, I do believe the 599EUR price tag will be a bit too steep for most people.
I give the Blaupunkt TravelPilot 700 a 8.75/10 and our Editor's Choice award.
Previous Page (3/4)Added: January 25th 2009
Product reviewed: Blaupunkt TravelPilot 700
Reviewer: Thomas De Maesschalck
Score: 8.75/10
Page: 4/4
