Sony NVU-50T

The Sony NVU50T is a great personal satellite navigation system. The NVU-50T has a stylishly designed case and a user-intuitive menu system.

The NV-U50T is ready to use out of the box - no need to link the NV-U50T to a PC before you start off. The NVU50T has a 3.5-inch clear, bright colour screen and the system is operated using the touch-screen menu system. The anti-glare coating ensures the screen can be viewed in bright sunlight which has obvious benefits for avoiding eye-strain whilst driving.

The Sony comes with an in-car power adapter or the internal Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery will usually last for up to 4 hours depending on operating conditions according to Sony.

Mapping is provided for both UK and Republic of Ireland as well as parts of France. All mapping data is provided by NavTEQ.

Maps can be displayed in both 2D and 3D and voice-guided instructions are spoken. This type of navigation is becoming standard in the UK today.

One of the main benefits of the Sony NV-U50T is the traffic information system. The Sony NV-U50T can receive traffic information via an RDS-TMC receiver cradle.

Information relating to hold-up's, roadworks, accidents, congestion and so on can be considered by the NV-U50T when calculating the optimum route for the journey. An aerial cord for using the TMC module built-in to the NV-U50T is supplied. The good thing about RDS-TMC data is that it is FREE!!!

The unit comes with over 75,000 pre-installed Points of Interest covering such locations as hotels, petrol stations, restaurants etc. Locating a local amenity is no problem using the Sony NV-U50T. The NV-U50T can be connected to a PC using the USB cable and the maps and software which come pre-installed on the unit can be backed up.

The Sony NV-U50T also comes with a range of European languages installed, making the Sony NV-U50T a versatile performer.

The NV-U50T is a great performer and seriously worth considering - combining satellite navigation with real-time traffic information is clearly a good step forward in satellite navigation.