GPS Preview: Navigon 8100T GPS with 3D maps

Navigon has come out swinging this holiday season, with an all-new GPS product line and next-generation features. But the company held out one model for a just-in-time introduction, the flagship 8100T.

The 8100T joins the new budget-priced 2000S, 2200T with free real-time traffic, and full-featured, wide-screen 7200T. (See our detailed first look at the Navigon 7200T.) The 8100T builds upon the 7200T’s rich feature set with a large 4.8-inch screen, brushed metal bezel, and the introduction of three-dimensional environments. Other standard features include traffic receiver, Bluetooth connectivity, Zagat reviews and ratings, voice recognition for address entry, and next-generation reality view.

The so-called Panorama View 3D is the key element here, and it may be a feature seen on other units in the future. To transition from the common, elevated two-dimensional perspective to provide contour mapping, Navigon used data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Back in February 2000, the Space Shuttle Endeavour embarked on an 11-day mission to collect elevation data on a near-global scale. The result is, according to NASA, the most complete high-resolution digital topographic database of Earth.

For public use, rather than government or military applications, the resolution is reduced, though Navigon has worked with the data to create a convincing representation of the world around us. For the 8100T, Navigon constructed a polygon-based topographic map, then overlaid color and texture. To give it graphic relief, a "sun" light source is used to create shadows.

In a demonstration, we could see how a route could be more meaningful when elevation changes are represented. There is a big difference between a straight road line on a flat map and one flanked by hills, or even crossing mountains.

One downside from this approach is that polygons are also used to render roadways, rather than smoother, vector-type graphics. The results on the pre-production models we viewed revealed slightly softened road edges, rather than the crisper appearance found on other units.

The 8100T goes on sale mid-November with a retail price of $599. Based on retail pricing, the 8100T commands a $150 premium over the 7200T, though GPS prices tend to move down quickly. We will test the 8100T soon as it is available and report on how well this new, three-dimensional feature works in the real world.

—Jeff Bartlett

For more information on portable GPS navigation systems, see our Ratings and buying advice and watch our video guide. Discuss GPS devices in the forums. 

Comments

[L. Spann]

News agencies are reporting that GM, Ford & Chrysler need a bailout to survive. How is Toyota fairing in comparison? I can remember the days when GM, Ford & Chrysler were given an ultimatum to make more fuel-efficient cars (and they turned out some ugly boxes with wheels), there was gas rationing, and we all had to drive 55 on the highways. History has repeated itself. With the rise of SUV's/Hummer's, gas prices also rose, and the "big 3" need a bailout again. Why does the American tax payer have to bailout auto companies with poor business plans, especially those who can't seem to learn from the past? Please let me know how Toyota is fairing to allow me to send a substantiated reference to my congressperson. Tx.

[gps]

I like GPS, I like it a lot. I don’t need it, but I want it.

[Ben]

Does this Navigon 8100T show off road trails and topography? For 4 wheel drive enthusiasts, of course.