Review: Novogo A30 sat nav device

A new name in the navigation market, Novogo, like two of the other suppliers here, has produced a system based on Navigon’s software. In the A30’s case, the company has contrived to make it look bigger, with a large bezel around the screen.
There are zoom controls to the left, while below the screen there’s a menu button that takes you to the Navigon main screen – the software’s been given a brighter skin which improves it no end – a location button to show or save the current position, volume controls and a central button labelled Speak.

Pressing this repeats the voice instruction for your next turn. Pressing the volume controls makes the unit say ‘Louder’ or ‘Quieter,’ which is a useful feature.

This attention to detail makes the unit the simplest to use of the Navigon-based systems in the test.

There seemed to be a wider range of POI categories than on the Medion, though it wasn’t as extensive as we’d have liked – despite a category appearing in the list for courts, we couldn’t find Snaresbrook Crown Court, for example, which is one of the largest in the country.

In use, the button arrangement makes a surprising difference to the software, as does the much brighter colour scheme. Navigation was reliable, though some recently changed roads didn’t appear to have been included and – importantly – the sound was more audible than on the other Pocket PC-based units we tested, though not as good as on the Garmin, Magellan and Tom Tom systems.

Where you need to use the touchscreen, icons are large enough, though there is a stylus tucked away at the back.

With the addition of a TMC receiver, this would be a very good option; the A70 version includes full European mapping, but the additional cost of £120 makes it less good value.

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