Where: Hanman International, 2 Jurong East Street 21, 03-157 IMM Building; tel 6564-4704; open 10am - 7pm from Monday to Saturday, closed on Sundays and public holidays
Features: Very wide 7-inch touch screen, rapid processing speed, high screen resolution, external memory support of up to 4GB, movie player, an FM transmitter and a reverse camera auto detector.
With navigation and multimedia capabilities all combined in one system, this is more than just another GPS.
Test results: Read all five test routes perfectly. Picked the shortest distance when I clicked on the shortest route option, and got me on the highway when I clicked that option on the touch screen.
Even when I deliberately made a wrong turn getting to Bollywood Veggies, it picked the nearest U-turn and urged me to get on the right track.
The good: Fuss-free map layouts. It zoomed in on the road I was on and did not show too many roads at once, making it easy while driving to know where to turn or what road to take. Even when I made a wrong turn, it quickly gave an alternate route. The voice was easy on the ears. Its rear view camera feature made parking a breeze. Plus, it was easy to install.
The bad: The size got in the way of my driving. I found the 7-inch screen too much of a distraction. It filled up my car's windscreen the wrong way and at some turns I found it tough to go past the GPS and focus on the rear view mirror.
Given its size, it was impossible to lug it around and I could not leave it visible in the car as well. I found it a pain to hide it each time I parked the car.
Verdict: Get this only if you can handle the size.
Rating: 3/5
This article was first published in The Straits Times on Sept 20, 2008.
