Sony NV-U84 Review

The Sony has only a handful of Car GPS models but it surely is working towards bringing out newer ones to challenge the biggies in the market. Sony NV-U84 isn’t the top-end model but ranks just below it. It does just enough to catch the eye of the buyer but the high price tag is a bit unjustified considering it lacks an inbuilt traffic antenna along with no bluetooth.

Sony NV-U84 specifications :

• Dimensions : 5.9″ x 0.8″ x 3.4″
• Weight : 8.8 oz
• Display : 4.8″ LCD with 480 x 272 resolution
• Connectivity : Hi-Speed USB
• Antenna : Built-in
• Features : Inbuilt speaker, Text-to-speech, 2D/3D maps,
  Optional hands-free calling via bluetooth, built-in mic
• Maps included : USA, Canada, Puerto Rico
• Card slot : Memory Stick Duo
• Other features : JPEG support, photo viewer, touch screen
• Approx. price : $350

The first thing to be noticed about this GPS system is its huge 4.8″ display that supports touchscreen input. The bezel is quite thick and takes up considerable space taking the dimensions to the higher side. There are only a handful buttons on the device. The top of the device has the button for power/slider switch while the button has the memory card slot, headphone jack and the charging port.

Super Suction Cup system is used to mount the system in the car. The sticky suction cup is easy to install and is held securely in place by its vacuum system, so there are no worries of it falling down. Removing the thing isn’t an easy task and requires a considerable amount of force. The device can be used without the cradle but the internal battery life is just about average at around 2.5 hours on a single charge.

The display is amazing and the 4.8″ LCD touchscreen has crisp graphics and it works well in both day and night. The menu interface makes use of the large display effectively. Sony has categorized the menu in three tabs : Navigation, Application and Settings. The first and last are self-explanatory and the Application tab has extra features such as photo viewer, traffic information etc. hidden inside it.

The navigation tab shows your current location and allows you to plan your trip by entering addresses or POIs etc. The device supports gestures to accept input. Drawing circles clockwise or anti-clockwise zooms in or out of the map. It supports other gestures too that can be handy to quickly accomplish tasks. The settings tab has all the various settings dumped in a long list that makes a time taking task to find the one you need. Its best not to tinker around with that tab while driving unless you are caught in a traffic jam!

You can backup the map and voice data via USB using the NAV-U tool but its far from efficient when compared to other GPS manufacturers that offer the same feature. Data such as bookmarks and destinations can be edited too using the tool. Position Plus is an excellent feature that enhances the accuracy of the GPS. It uses accelerometer and inbuilt barometer to assist in finding the accurate location when the satellite reception is weak. This can come in great use when passing through an tunnel that would have no GPS reception but the device can still pin point your location using the Position Plus feature.

The speaker is located at the back, not a good place to put them on a car GPS system but the speaker on Sony NV-U84 makes up with its loud volume that reads out text-to-speech instructions clearly. The NV-U84 does not have traffic antenna built-in which is utterly disappointing considering the high price of the device. One needs to spend extra for the antenna as well as subscription. It is cheaper to upgrade to Sony NV-U94T that comes inbuilt with the traffic antenna and costs only $50 extra.

The device has inbuilt JPEG image viewer that uses the Memory Stick Duo card slot to store images along with other files. The device does not have hands-free bluetooth capability too. The device can announce street names on the go. The map switches to dual view when approaching an intersection to show detailed view of upcoming turn. In dual view the map shows the distance remaining to the turn. When driving on highways, the device switches to 3D mode when approaching an exit to tell the lane the driver should be in.

The performance of the device is good but startup time is slow. It takes about 5 minutes to get the satellite lock and subsequent starts takes about a minute. The reception is great even when driving through tall buildings. Punching in locations is easy via the touchscreen QWERTY keyboard. The auto-complete feature suggests name of streets, places after punching in a few characters but the results are displayed on a new screen which eats up time. Also the accuracy is spotty as it works accurately not all the time. The list of POIs is extensive and includes all the popular places. You can turn off a particular set of POIs if you do not require them or the map gets too cluttered for your liking. Recalculations works well and it is quick to realize if the route has changed and recalculates in a matter of seconds. Overall the device does a good job.

Pros :

• Great display
• Good performance
• Loud speaker
• Position Plus feature
• Inbuilt JPEG viewer

Cons :

• No inbuilt traffic viewer
• No buletooth hands-free
• Slow startup time
• Overpriced

Final Thoughts

The Sony NV-U84 is a decent offering from Sony but it does not justify the high price. The device has a big gorgeous display that displays maps perfectly. The speaker on the device is loud enough even though it is located at the back. However, the device neither has inbuilt traffic viewer nor bluetooth to justify the high price. The startup time is slow but otherwise performance is good. Position Plus feature is a big boost and should be seen in future devices as well. Auto-complete feature although good isn’t accurate often. If you aren’t concerned about live traffic conditions and want a big display, then this device fits you perfectly.

Rating : 3/5