Navman iCN 720 route planning

The iCN 720 has a photographic memory for places, aided by the 1.3megapixel camera mounted on the front and its NavPix software.

The idea is that you can take a quick snap of any location and the device logs its GPS coordinates. To revisit, just open the picture menu and select the image of the location to plot your course.

It's a simple way of storing favourite locations. Navman hopes to build an online community of beauty spot sharers, as you can upload images with their coordinates embedded in the file for others to download and navigate to.

Images can be downloaded to a PC using the supplied USB cable or a memory card, but were of poor quality and definitely not what you'd want to print out for posterity.

Finding locations using an address proved tricky in areas where town boundary entries had changed, with the device insisting that some towns with London postcodes were still in Essex. However, using full eight-digit postcode searches proved more effective.

One of the key selling points of satellite navigation devices is their ability to recalculate routes should the driver divert or miss a turn. We ignored every turn instruction from the iCN 720 near a busy junction and were impressed with the speed at which it recalculated.

Some sat-nav devices merely bark out an instruction to perform a U-turn and adhere to its original route, but the iCN 720 worked out the next best route within about five seconds of each wrong turn.

Spoken instructions were prompt and the screen was clear. We found it easier to use a pen to input addresses on the landscape-orientated 4in screen rather than use the small touch-sensitive keys. All the usual amenities and places of interest, such as petrol stations, can be highlighted on route.

The windscreen-mounted bracket felt rickety, and we had to tighten the screw-collar until it creaked to stop the device rattling as we drove through bumpy streets.The suction cup presses onto the screen or dash, and seemed insecure compared with the lever-locked suction pad of the Tom Tom range, but the device stayed in place as we drove over potholes.

We were a little disappointed that the iCN 720 struggled to make itself heard against the noise of traffic and rushing wind when the car window was open.

A separate traffic pack can be downloaded from the Navman website containing location information on speed cameras and live updates of traffic and accident reports for £129.

The iCN 720 is a competent GPS device and will direct you within a few feet of your destination. The NavPix feature may appeal to some, but the gimmick could soon wear off, especially at this price.

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Tom Tom One 
Verdict: No camera but with good sound and a straightforward interface, the Tom Tom One is almost everything a navigation system should be
Rating: 4/5
Price: £280