Ok, after wading through these negative Navigon reviews, I bought the 2100 to see for myself and put it side-by-side on the dashboard with the TomTom 130-S and the Garmin Nuvi 200. Each was in the $150 range, so price is not a factor here. Each has a 3.5″ screen.

1. The voiced street names in the TomTom and Navigon beats the Garmin 200 which lacks text-to-speech in this price class.

2. Each of the three gives you one free software/map update right out of the box.

3. The Navigon fee-based updated POI’s is not as user-friendly as the TomTom, which has a web site with many free databases. Garmin has the capability to add databases too, but most of them are also fee-based.

4. The complaint of a “gray land” basemap on the Navigon is only a personal opinion of reviewers here. The gray basemap, in my opinion, is far less distracting than the multicolor eye candy of the TomTom and Garmin. It’s a map people, not a Disney cartoon.

5. Battery life is comparable in all three. 

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I had bought Navigon 7100 first and picked up the Navigon 2100 when it came with the life time free traffic information as a promotion. For a couple of weeks, I debated on which one to keep. In the end I ended up keeping 2100 and returned the 7100 model. Here are my thoughts/comparisons on both models. Depending on the weightage you assign for each of those criteria, your decision may differ (both are great models).

I primarily decided to keep the Navigon 2100 considering three factors
1) size
2) price
3) life time traffic for free as a promotion with Navigon 2100.

2100 is smaller and hence easy to carry with you when you get out of the car (something that I would do if I leave the vehicle in a public area — say shopping mall). I did not feel that it has less real estate for navigation purposes when compared to 7100 that has a 4.3″ screen (It does look nicer to have a bigger screen, but functionality is not lost or crippled with the smaller size).

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This is my first GPS unit so I cannot compare it with other brands like Garmin or Tom Tom. I got the Navigon 2100 for $100 from staples a few months ago and have not been disappointed. I was a bit hesitant after the mixed reviews here on amazon but for $100 I knew that it was not a big risk so I decided to go for it. The things that I like about it are:

1. Its looks. It is a sleek GPS with nice round edges and a compact size.
2. The voice guidance is a pleasant surprise for a unit that costs $100!
3. The reality view is just awesome! It makes sure that you take the right exit when you are on a highway.
4. The mount is pretty good for me although you have to make sure that you’re using it correctly or the unit will fall off the windshield.
5. Re-routing is pretty quick!

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After four months of using my Navigon 2100 I can only report good experiences. It has a good POI database, the route calculation has yet to fail me, and it doesn’t try to be anything but a GPS navigator. That’s right- this GPS receiver is ONLY a GPS receiver. It doesn’t try to be a music/video player, PDA, address book, calculator, or milking machine; it’s just a GPS receiver and a good one. There are several handy features, the best of which is the quick “Take Me Home” option.

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I received my Navigon 2100 two days ago from Staples for $179.00. So far it is working well. It said it would take up to 15 minutes to get the initial GPS lock. It took less than a minute (but I’m sure that can vary by location). The text-to-speech road name announcement works like a charm as well, and I don’t see how you could possibly miss a turn because it gives you warning upfront and then tells you again when it is time to turn. It allows you to choose your 3 primary POI categories and displays icons as you drive by anything in those 3 categories (restaurants, gas stations, city/state parks, etc.). I have not used it enough yet to review the accuracy of the maps, but the short trips I have taken so far have been accurate.

The device looks very slick with a nice display and shell. The only issue I have with the display is that sometimes the “keyboard” area is little difficult to use because of small letters. I imagine that could be a real issue if a person had large hands.

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I recently returned a new Magellan Maestro 3140 GPS unit that did not have traffic data as I decided that I needed the traffic feature. I was going to buy another Magellan product but on a whim I went to Staples early on Black Friday and I managed to buy a Navigon 2100T for $99. For a device with text to speech and lifetime traffic this is a great price.

I have been testing this Navigon device for the past few days to see if I want to keep it or if I will get rid of it and get the Magellan I was intending to buy. I have reduced my experiences into the following Pros and Cons. This is of course entirely subjective.

Pros

- Price - I just can’t beat $99 for text to speech and lifetime traffic!
- Reality View provides 3D images of complex interchanges - congratulations on Navigon innovating in this way - it is a really great feature.
- Audio volume is plenty loud - I can hear it very clearly
- Audio instructions are good and accurate. It states the street name and turn in advance and then also says “now turn right” at the correct moment.
UPDATE: As is common on text to speech devices, some of the streets are mis-pronounced, but the timing and accuracy of the speech instructions are very good. I rely on them with confidence.
- Screen is very bright and readable in daylight
- Quick lock on satellites
- Quick recalculation if you deviate from the calculated route.
- Plastic housing is clean and sophisticated looking
- No MP3 player, slideshow viewer, toaster etc. I hate how GPS devices are trying to be iPods these days. Let’s just get the GPS part right. Congrats to Navigon on leaving all the other crud off of this device.

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