New Cobra GPS navigation model

Cobra used CES to introduce a new smaller, less expensive GPS unit than its current NavOne 4500. Available this March, the NavOne 2100 has a 3.5-inch screen and a retail price of about $350 (compared to the 4500's 5-inch screen and $600 price). Like the 4500, the 2100 can receive real-time traffic reports with the addition of an optional $79 receiver and subscription service. (This traffic function costs an extra $200 in the 4500.)

A neat feature in the 2100 is called "My Favorite Brands." This lets you set it up so that businesses you commonly use (a specific brand of gas station, bank, coffee shop, and so on) will be displayed on the map without being crowded by other brands. It also has a programmable button on the right side of the unit's face that lets you go directly to a function that you use a lot.

Cobra has also drawn on its expertise in radar detectors to offer a downloadable database of known red-light camera and speed zones, which can be integrated into the 2100.

The NavOne 4500 earned a Very Good rating (63 out of 100) in our portable GPS testing, but it is in the lower half of our overall ratings chart below systems by Garmin, Magellan, TomTom, and others.

For more information and ratings, read our complete guide to portable car GPS navigation systems.

-- Rik Paul