Review: Evesham Nav-Cam 7000 sat nav device

A reasonable performer, but needs better software

Evesham’s own Nav-Cam 7000 is another Windows-based system, in a smart, compact case with a flip-up GPS receiver on the back. The front panel has a four-way navigation button with centre OK, zoom buttons, plus home screen and destination buttons.

All have a good, positive feel and are large enough to press easily, even with your driving gloves on. One omission, though, is a volume control wheel – you have to use the on-screen menus.

Thankfully, though, once you do set the volume, it’s loud enough to hear when you’re on the road. One other annoying niggle is that the slot for the stylus – which can be useful for setting up destinations – can’t be accessed when it’s in the cradle.

The system includes mp3 and photo programs, though they’re of dubious utility we feel. The routing software is Smart2go, which we’d not come across before.

It includes information on safety cameras, which you can update from the Evesham website free of charge for six months.

The on-screen buttons for setting up routes are pretty large and easy to use, and the four-way hardware navigation buttons work in the on-screen keyboards, so you don’t have to touch the screen if you don’t want to.

But postcode support doesn’t go down to street level – just five digits, so you need to enter at least a partial street name too. An additional niggle is that some options on screen are represented by small tabs right at the bottom – a little too fiddly for arm’s-length use.

Routing performance was adequate, but a little eccentric – at one stage we were directed off the North Circular onto a roundabout, then back on at the same roundabout, even though the map clearly showed we could have just driven over the flyover.

This article is part of a group test of satellite navigation systems. Others are:
Intro and Editor's choice
Blue Media BM6380GPS
Evesham Nav-Cam 7000
Garmin Street Pilot i3
Magellan Roadmate 300
Medion Go Pal PNA350
Mio 268+
Navman ICN520
Novogo A30
Tom Tom One
Viamichelin X930
Top-of-the-range options
The choice between all-in-ones or PDA add-ons
Europe's GPS constellation