NAVIGON, a European based navigation company, launched three GPS devices in South Africa today. The devices include the entry-level 1400 with a 3.5" screen, the mid-range 3300 max with a 4.3" screen and the flagship 6300 also at 4.3".

The new range of devices look very slick with each PND (portable navigation device) loaded with industry leading features. While we only had a brief look-and-feel secession with the devices we were impressed by the build quality and the look of the maps. The maps look very clear and offer tons of information and one-click one-touch functionality without cluttering up the display, even on the smaller 1400.

NAVIGON 1400

The NAVIGON 1400 will retail at a recommended R1499. While it's the company’s most basic device it offers a number of features you would expect to see in high-end devices, such as displaying parking lots in close proximity to your destination, a handy pedestrian mode and a MyRoutes feature which customises route recommendations according to your driving habits.

NAVIGON 3300 max

The NAVIGON 3300 max sports a rather generous 4.3" widescreen display and retails at a recommended R1999. Above and beyond all the basic functionality you expect from a GPS, the 3300 max features text-to-speech navigation, a Dynamic Route Overview function that allows you to preview all POIs on your route and Real Roadsign Display which displays all road signs on screen in the same format and colour they appear on the road.

NAVIGON 6300

Beyond offering all the same features as the 1400 and 3300 max, the 6300 features a number of 3D modes and Bluetooth Hands-Free functionality. Its City View 3D indicates the shape and position of buildings in 3D, the Panorama View 3D offers a 3D view of terrain and Landmark View 3D displays well know landmarks, like the Castle of Good Hope, in 3D. It retails at a recommended R3299.

Map updates

NAVIGON are also offering a rather novel map updates service, FreshMaps. Rather than charging users per update, most companies release updates twice a year and charge hundreds of rands per update, they are offering 24 months of updates for $99. In addition, they have a promotion whereby users who purchase the 6300 receive an 80% discount on FreshMaps.

All of these devices come preloaded with maps of South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland. The NAVIGON devices will be available at HIFI Corporation and Incredible Connection stores from December 2009.