 Forget the other reviews. This product is pretty good. |
| Review Date: May 8, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Mr. N. Simpson, Manchester, UK |
I am surprised by the negative feedback that some people have given this product. Perhaps they have not updated the firmware on the product, who knows.
Either way, this product is very reliable and manages to get me from A to B without a hitch.
Map updates are coming out as I type and I recon they'll cost around £40 from Sony! Expensive but I think TomTom are even pricier.
I have a TomTom and also the Sony. Both are on par with each other. In actual fact the Sony seems to keep a signal lock better (using it's built in aerial) compared with my TomTom but I might be imagining that.
The TMC does not pick up a signal with the silly wire Sony give you to begin with so expect to folk out another £80-£100 to use the car aerial. This is the same on the TomTom. If you're not prepared to buy this external aerial adapter for either product then forget the TMC option.
The postcode system works perfectly regardless of what some reviews say and I find the unit very easy to use. I've not got lost yet.
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NV-U50T
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| Review Date: March 18, 2006 |
| Reviewer: , |
| I’ve owned the NV-U50T for a couple of weeks and I am very pleased with the unit. Hope that this review is helpful and answers some of the potential questions which aren’t in the literature. What’s in the box – the sav-nav unit, the cradle which houses the TMC unit, a TMC FM ariel, a car charger (which can be used whilst in car operation), a mains charger, carry case for the unit when removed from car, a PC connectivity CD, USB/mini USB connection cable, basic manual. Useful stuff they don’t always tell you:- unit battery lasts about 4 hours, but as is always plugged into car charger that’s a little superfluous. The NV-50T comes complete with Navteq maps of UK preloaded onto its internal 512mb flash memory (note no SD removeable SD cards on these units). The UK maps fill about 188mb of the memory so there is spare capacity to add additional maps should you wish. The European DVD map disk can be purchased from Sony separately. Alternatively buy the NV-U70T which comes compete with 1mb internal memory and the European map disk.
TMC works well (no subscription required) and is primarily for use on major roads i.e. motorways dual carriageways etc and offers integrated re-routing options should your route ahead be problematic.
The unit has a single voice (which can be muted) and is a nice posh UK lady.
Connecting the unit to the PC enables the sat nav’s map to be backed up onto your PC (in the event of some unforeseen problem). I subsequently burnt the map off the PC onto CD – just to be sure. Connectivity to the PC also allows you to download software (firmware) updates to the unit from the Sony site. This is recommended as while the unit has only been out a couple of months, there are two firmware updates available already.
Navteq mapping software is very accurate, not had any problems or wrong direction, or ‘turn left into brick wall’ stuff so far. No freezing of the unit problems either, or bits falling off.
Points of Interest works well for; car parks, fuel stations, restaurants etc, but doesn’t have the location of fixed safety cameras (this is available for the TomTom’s however). Room for improvement stuff – You can only plan your route from the sat nav unit, it is not possible to plan the route from the PC and then download onto the unit (like some other units). Also, it is not possible to tell the unit to save the specific route that you have just driven (i.e. a tracker option). Only 4 digit postcode search is possible, then you have to use street name. This works well actually, and isn’t the problem I thought it was going to be. That’s about it. I assume that as the unit uses Navteq maps, it will be possible to buy updates maps in the future?
If you are considering other units, the fruits of my research pointed at the Garmin c310 streetpilot as another near contender (not sure if it offers TMC). TomToms were OK but didn’t seem to have TMC (only ‘traffic’ option which links your mobile phone GPRS through a Bluetooth connection – subscription required). Hope this ramble has helped, all-in-all I am very pleased with the unit and have no regrets. |
Overall, quite good value for money
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| Review Date: April 6, 2006 |
| Reviewer: Theo Ansong, Molesey, United Kingdom |
I've been using the Sony NV-U50T for the last month and I think its quite good. I am not able to make a direct comparison with other products as this is my first SATNAV, but from what I read it doesn't have problems of wrong routes etc.
One issue though: the carry case included is an apology!! In fact, for a sophisticated product such as comes from Sony, it is an insult. I can only describe it as a knapsack made of some dull velvety material! Anyone wishing for beter protection may purchase a suitable camera carry case from Dixons etc; which is what I did. |
Mind the Gap!
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| Review Date: July 7, 2006 |
| Reviewer: G. R. Chapman, Boston, Lincolnshire |
I have used the unit for three months and in the main it is reliable with clear visual and vocal directions.The touch screen is good with user friendly command screens and directions.
However,I chose this unit for two main reasons:
1.The Traffic Message Channel
2.Sony relability and attention to detail.
I have been disappointed in the TMC in that it doesn't always operate in all areas. e.g. In Greater London where there are bound to be traffic issues - I have yet to see it give any information until I am heading North near Stevenage on the A1 (I visit London at least once a week).
The battery,if not connected to the charging unit, runs down quickly and doesn't always last the 4hrs it states on the tin!
The maps themselves are also not up there with the best. There are some pretty outdated areas such as the A1/M62 junction, the Syston bypass in Leicester (completed almost 2 years ago!) You can find yourself 'floating'in the gap between the old and the new junctions which for an unit such as this is poor. DVD map updates will not be available to purchase until at least the end of 2006. Software updates (we are on version 3) are downloaded from the Sony website and it is always worth checking.
In summary good - but certainly not the best!!! Come on Sony keep up! |
Sony produces some good kit; unfortunately, this is not one of them.
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| Review Date: March 10, 2007 |
| Reviewer: R. Mitchell, UK |
Being a service engineer my sister gave me the Sony NV-U50T as a birthday present recently (buying decision based mainly on Sony brand loyalty) and have been using it for the last 2 weeks.
The following is a list of gripes / issues:
1) Does not support the full 7-character UK postcode (only the first 5-characters identifying the general area, then you have to choose the street or road manually)
2) Old map data. Unit informs the user that the map data is over 12 months old (suspect data is at least 2 years old) and recommends' going to Sony's web site to either purchase or download updated data. Unfortunately, there is no map update or new map data to purchase, and no indication of when or even if it will ever be updated!
3) The TMC (Traffic Monitoring) option comes free with this unit. However, first, you have to get reception, and then the warnings are a bit hit and miss (OK for motorways, but limited for normal roads).
4) POI (Points of Interest) is not updatable and in the general navigation mode, there is no advance warning, you tend to be passing the POI (petrol station) before it shows on screen. Note there is a separate POI search facility.
If my sister reads this, the present is appreciated and does take some stress out of my job.
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Wed, Nov 4, 2009
GPS Systems, Sony