Panasonic Strada CN-GP50 review
Posted on March 14, 2008
Filed Under Take A Walk On The Live Side, You Might Not Care But We Do |
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Somehow Audiotechnews gets quite a few requests to review Sat Nav units, which has proved to be quite handy as he has recently taken over the position as tour manager.
Putting his trust in the Panasonic Strada CN-GP50 this time, and without the aid of multimap, Audiotechnews trooped off to Sommerset last week.
Multimap wouldn’t have convinced me that driving a van along narrow footpaths was the correct way to reach the venue in question. As it turns out, it was the only way, so the Strada was an absolute miracle.
The Panasonic Strada offers a comprehensive approach to in-car entertainment that encompasses the pinnacle of Panasonic’s mobile audio-visual technologies exemplified by ‘Strada Picture’ (high picture quality technology), Strada Sound (high sound quality design) and Strada Link (multi-media networking). The CN-GP50 is the first of these core units to be sold in the European market.
With its compact dimensions of 128 (W) x 84 (H) x 30 (D) mm, this slim package is designed for easy portability. Having parked the car, users can easily remove and carry the CN-GP50N, rather than leave it in the vehicle as a temptation for would-be thieves. The unit can also be used outside the vehicle or at home as a storage device for images, thanks to its built-in battery and charging adaptor offering approximately four hours of operation*.
Input of addresses is easy - the touch screen being responsive and accurate with large displays that even a sausage fingered alcoholic could operate.
Map data covers 37 European nations in total and multi-lingual Voice Guidance allows the user to choose from 19 different languages. When traveling across borders, the ability to receive guidance on routes in one’s native language helps support safe driving by avoiding the distraction of referring to maps.
Obstacles such as tall buildings or hills can often block reception of GPS data, but the GPS Assist system compensates by applying other available information. This enables a more viable representation of vehicle position on the navigation display.
Panasonic has also enhanced the convenience of map updating by enabling a USB connection as one of the media options. For greater driving comfort and convenience, the Strada system offers many feature enhancements including 3D Landmark display of major landmarks as three-dimensional icons, Lane Assistant to support smooth lane changing, and Speed Information to warn the driver when the vehicle exceeds the speed limit. The CN-GP50N also has Real-Time Traffic Information (RDS-TMC) display capability when used with a separately available receiver.
The CN-GP50N provides extensive support for Bluetooth capable mobile telephones, including not only hands-free operation, but transfer of mobile phonebooks and direct dialling of numbers listed for points of interest in the map database. The system can also display still photos stored in SD Memory Cards.
CN-GP50N has full built-in GPS antenna and fixing bracket included, however a full list of accessories is proposed such as external GPS antenna, charging adaptors, fixing bracket and TMC antenna among others.
Map Coverage (37 Countries):
• Albania • Andorra • Austria • Belgium • Bosnia-Herzegovina • Bulgaria • Croatia • Czech Republic • Denmark • Estonia • Finland • France • Germany • Great Britain • Greece • Hungary • Italy • Latvia • Liechtenstein • Lithuania • Luxembourg • Macedonia • Monaco • the Netherlands • Norway • Poland • Portugal • Republic of Ireland • Romania • San Marino • Serbia and Montenegro • Slovakia • Slovenia • Spain • Sweden • Switzerland • Vatican
19 Language Voice Guidance:
Czech • Danish • Dutch • English (UK) • English (US) • Finnish • Flemish • French • German • Greek • Hungarian • Italian • Norwegian • Polish • Portuguese • Russian • Spanish • Swedish • Turkish
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