Design
The Road Angel Navigator 7000 is, to put it bluntly, a pretty ugly little GPS unit; an unremarkable 95mm by 22mm by 75mm rectangular 160 gram box with a 3.5-inch touchscreen used for all input functions. Rubber covers protect the SD card slot, reset button, USB connector and antenna socket from dust and splashes, although not particularly well. Our test unit came out of the box and from the moment we flipped the flaps up, they refused to slot comfortably back into place. It's not something that largely detracts from the Navigator's core functionality -- it's just a bit of an eyesore.
Aside from the core GPS unit itself, the Navigator 7000 also ships with a rather complicated car mounting bracket. This is a multi-part affair that takes some construction before you can stick its sucker cap to your windscreen. To be brutally honest, the Navigator's car mounting kit had us flummoxed for a while, and we began to wonder if we were dealing with an IT variation on the Lemarchand Configuration. It uses a complicated locking procedure for snapping a holding caddy onto the windscreen mounting arm itself, and despite the presence of arrows telling you to push it in certain directions, it took us a solid amount of time to get it all together. When the Road Angel is in the mounting arm, it also charges from it, although with a minimum of fiddling you can also use the USB connector for charging if you've got an in-car USB charging kit.
Features
The Road Angel 7000 has most of the same core features that many GPS vendors offer -- Sensis 2006 mapping data, with the option of other maps via the side-mounted SD card slot, trip planning (including recalculating routes on the fly) and so on. What makes the Road Angel stand out from the pack is the inclusion of lots and lots of optional road data, lumped under the "Road Sense" banner. This is a subscription service -- you get three months free when you buy the Navigator 7000, after which it'll cost you AU$9.99/month to maintain it -- which keeps a constant database of red light cameras, school safety zones and other traffic hazards. When you're entering into a zone of interest, the Road Angel will let you know -- often quite forcefully for a GPS -- so that you can adjust your driving habits -- largely your speed -- to a safe legal limit.
The Navigator brand has had Road Sense installed on plenty of previous models as well, but the other defining feature of the Navigator 7000 is the ability to update the Road Sense data via Bluetooth. This means that you can use your mobile phone to update the 7000 while on the move -- although data rates might make you think twice, depending on your mobile phone plan. As with most other GPS units, the Navigator 7000 also offers voice commands to assist your driving. We're still undecided about whether the decision to continue offering Peter Brock's voice as a safety guide is either an honour for him, or just macabre.
Performance
We tested the Road Angel in an exhaustive fashion, trying it alongside several other GPS models on a drive from Adelaide to Sydney. It was given the chance to run for several hours and in multiple different types of road conditions, which also gave us a good chance to assess its road safety features.
The Road Angel 7000 has plenty of features, and plenty of ways to toggle on or off different alert types depending on user preference. It's great to have this kind of control, but there is a downside, as it makes the Navigator 7000's interface very difficult to learn and requires some solid time tweaking to fit your personal preferences. Unlike competing GPS systems from providers such as TomTom, Navman or Garmin, the Navigator 7000 has a very solid learning curve to it, something that's not entirely desirable in a GPS system. Matters aren't helped by the Navigator 7000's icon-driven interface and somewhat slow response times to screen clicks. While you will eventually learn to remember the icons, this isn't a GPS that you can easily lend to someone else without teaching them its particular interface style.
The Road Angel performed generally well in our testing, routing the same kind of driving pattern as the other units we were concurrently testing -- hardly a surprise, given that they're all based off the same road data. Its GPS lock did go very peculiar on us for one stretch of driving, deciding that we were in fact driving about 100m to the left of our actual current position, although this was driving on a very hot day, where GPS systems often get a bit stymied. For what it's worth, the specifications for the Navigator 7000 give it an upper operating temperature of only 40 degrees, and on longer Australian summer drives it can easily exceed that in an in-car environment.
If you're prepared to learn the interface and can put up with the subscription pricing for the Road Sense application, then the Navigator 7000 comes highly recommended. If you want a simpler device that you can simply plug in and get going with, however, we'd recommend something else.
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ocky
27/10/2008, 09:25 AM
rating
3/10
Very difficult interface compared to competitor units, after one year the battery is now stuffed. Not happy
Pros: Road Sense
Cons: Interface icons - menu navigation
Rubber side covers keep bending open
Battery wont recharge after one year
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ronski53
28/06/2008, 03:58 AM
rating
1/10
Fantastic unit. The best WHEN IT WORKS.
But many faults and problems recorded, and management unwilling to fix. BET THE INVENTOR DOESN'T KNOW OF THE SLACK SERVICE provided by his factory
Pros: great features incl school zones bus lane red and speed camers
Cons: No backup service. units fail regularly. They havn't ironed the bugs out of these yet. constant problems with screens charging and updating.
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Davidl
15/04/2008, 06:26 PM
rating
4/10
I have the Navigator anf travell 40k a year - I have used garmin in holdens and fid the reroute fuction on them better Navigator takes you around the block and back where you were. Sometimes very slow 10min to aqquire satellites poor in hight rise areas requires external antenna. Serve department is poor NO responce to emails sent from their website monthly updates not free after trial period 29.95. MAP UPGRADE $245 MAY AS WELL BUY A NEW GPS AT THAT PRICE. For a unit that retailed at $1000 very poor. Display is good voice clear but cannot clear peter brock voice the guys dead an I hear his voice! I will not purchase this brand again will go for a navman or similar
Pros: Solid case Good Base No rattles
Cons: No support Expensive updates and maps No enough options on voice etc
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Ivory
14/04/2008, 02:52 PM
rating
8/10
Bought the unti about 6 months ago, so far have had no problems tried to update road sense and some how it deleted or was deleted from my system so called them and they sent me a new SD card the following day FREE OF CHARGE!
Pros: EASY TO USE, LOTS OF FEATURES ON THE SYSTEM AND I LOOKED FOR A FEW MONTHS B4 I JUST WENT OUT AND BOUGHT THIS 1.
Cons: DOESN'T ALWAYS GIVE THE CORRECT STREET BUT GOING TO WAIT TILL I UPDATE AGAIN AND SEE IF IT CHANGES THE STREETS TO THE RECENT STREET CLOSURE, AND STREET NAME CHANGES IN THE AREA.
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davval
05/02/2008, 11:02 AM
rating
2/10
Had a road angel for two years now. Had no end of problems and customer service doesnt even rate a mention.
Pros: None - only worked a handfull of times over the two years
Cons: For $1100 probably had 1/2 a dozen working uses out of it and useless support. Fix one problem arfter chasing an outcome for another to pop up. I GIVE UP have sent four emails over the last month to the customer help desk and not even a response.
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Tim
24/10/2007, 10:16 PM
rating
10/10
You can ad Memory Map Ordnance survey maps and use it off road!
Pros: I use it on my bike, in my car and on my narrowboat.
Cons: I havn't found any yet
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bowen29
02/10/2007, 03:41 PM
rating
4/10
Great when it goes. However the support team at Sentinal Geosystems should do some customer support training. Absolutely appalling! Unit is faulty and sent away. Told 3wks, its now 9wks and there is still a world wide shortage on the part. Give me my money back please. For over $900 you would expect an outstanding item and customer support to match. I'll buy Tom Tom, Garmin, anything but dodgy Road Angel.
Pros: Good with speed cameras, school zones and easy to operate.
Cons: Says keep right, when you are supposed to keep left. It's not very accurate in small towns in country QLD and slow to pick up satellites.
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louiemail
14/08/2007, 07:27 AM
rating
7/10
previously had the tomtom one which i gave to my wife, the screen and layout is smaller with the 7000 which makes it a little harder to navigate those tight multi-exited roundabouts, the camera warnings and hazards are the reason to buy the 7000.all in all a nice piece of kit
Pros: cameras, camera vans, black spots schools etc
Cons: screen a little washy in colour, no soft ware tweeks like the tomtom. no live traffic updates(accidents etc)
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alex
12/08/2007, 02:16 AM
rating
2/10
I have this unit for three months. It sacks. RoadSence is useless in ACT. Database is highly inprecise. But the most frustrating thing is alert with Speed limit Variable!!!! I have had it every 30 sec in ACT and finally switched RoadSence off. I want to sell my unit or change it for Navman.
Pros: None
Cons: Hard to operate. RoadSence database is useless in the ACT.
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Wodnee
25/07/2007, 10:33 AM
rating
3/10
I am extremely disappointed with my Navigator 7000. It's slow, clunky to respond & inaccurate. On a recent country trip it wanted to take me approx 80 klms out of my way. It is extremely frustrating to operate & has on 2 occassions now lost all of my bookmarks. Support just tell me to do a facotry reset. Useless!
Pros: Bluetooth update
Cons: Loses bookmarks, slow, poor interface, inaccurate
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