14 DAY TRIAL // Making several announcements long before launching the actual product in order to build-up public interest seems to be an increasingly common marketing technique among the manufacturers of various electronic devices, regardless of the specific CE market segment. One of the latest cases we've come across is that of Navigon's P9611, a high-end PND announced way back at CES 2007, then re-announced in September and finally shipping as we speak.
First of all, I must mention the fact that the comparison with Porsche from this article's title is not random, but it's directly related to the PND's design. Thus, the exterior of the Navigon P9611 has been created by Porsche Design, which is quite visible if we take a look at the device's casing. And since we're on the subject, it's important to note that the device comes in a pretty sleek and attractive package, as the external casing measures just around 125mm x 82 mm x 19mm, at a weight of around 250 grams.
Furthermore, the GPS module is also an advanced one, namely the 3'rd generation Antaris 4 SuperSense from u-blox. Actually, u-blox seems to be extremely excited about this partnership, since Thomas Seiler, u-blox CEO, declared that "The P9611 combines u-blox' high sensitivity, high accuracy SuperSense GPS technology with NAVIGON's cutting edge navigation know-how and Porsche Design's slick looks. This combination, added to the device's myriad of features, makes the P9611 the ideal PND for discerning users who want a reliable, long-lasting navigation device".
However, the Navigon P9611 has a lot more under the hood. Thus, the device is built-around an Intel PXA 270, 520 MHz processor, sports 64 MB RAM and 64 MB ROM, and also features a 4.3-inch 480x272 pixels (WQVGA) high-resolution touch-screen TFT LCD display. Furthermore, it comes with an SD memory card expansion slot, USB cable, car cradle and charging cable, and can also be used as a high quality audio player. The device also comes with Bluetooth, enabling hands-free communication support for Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones.
The PND supports several important viewing options, namely 2D View, 3D View, map overview, Day & Night Mode, Dynamic Route Overview. Other software features include digital maps of 37 European countries, integrated TMC (Traffic Message Channel) that informs users about traffic jams and automatically calculates alternative routes and preloaded international information that updates automatically when users cross a border, displaying country-specific information such as speed limits or permitted alcohol limits.
Unfortunately, the Navigon P9611 comes at a pretty hefty price tag, namely around 795 Euro (1,160 US dollars), which was to be expected, though, taking into account the numerous features this thing has to offer.
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