Standalone GPS devices

Navman S90i

Whats this - a satnav with digital camera? Genius idea, or convergence gone mad?

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Last reviewed: May 2nd

The main map view of the Navman S90i has plenty of detail but not overwhelmingly so. It's also very grey

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When we asked Navman to put up a satnav for our three-way test against the TomTom Go 920 T and Garmin nuvi 770, the Navman S90i was its obvious answer - all three products are the flagship models of their respective brands. And the home-grown Navman has some neat aces up its sleeve.

The most obvious of these, of course, is the Navman S90i’s built-in 2-megapixel digital still camera, a feature both of its rivals lack. That’s because Navman is keen to tout NavPix - a unique photo sharing site that enables Navman satnav users to see real pictures of potential destinations that have been uploaded by other members.

While we’re sceptical about the real value of some add-ons for satnavs (MP3 playback, for example), sharing pictures of places you’ve visited does make some sense. Imagine being able to match the building, street or landmark you can see through the windscreen in front of you, with photos of that location downloaded from NavPix to your Navman - it should reassure you that you’ve arrived in the right place.

Geotagging

It has other obvious benefits too - relatives can send you pictures of their new homes so you can go to visit them, and you’ll be able snap pictures of hazards like low bridges, fords, etc that you can share with other drivers.

You can, of course, view pictures on many other satnav systems - including those from TomTom and Garmin - but Navman has really made this feature its own.

Another benefit is geo-tagging. Every picture you take automatically has GPS reference information added to its metadata - enabling you and others to drive directly to that destination. Navman gives the example of tourist destinations like the Eiffel Tower or the Tower Of London - everyone knows what they look like, but geo-tagged photos will actually help you drive there. Navman is ahead of the curve in this respect.

The rest of the Navman S90i’s features are more prosaic. Like its rivals, the S90i features UK and European maps supplied by TeleAtlas, built-in Traffic Message Channel data (with a free subscription for the lifetime of the product), Points Of Interest (POI) data and Bluetooth for use with mobile phones and so on.