Sat nav features
- Which? video guide reveals the latest sat navs
- Some sat navs do more than just get you from A to B
- Tips on how to avoid falling victim to sat nav theft
- Find out more about the sat navs you can expect to see in shops near you in 2009
Which? video guide to the sat nav features
Watch the Which? sat nav video guide to see some of the sat nav features available.
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We have found that the features on each new generation of sat navs have consistently been more impressive than the last. Most models available on the market will get the job done, but bigger, brighter screens, more features, and voice recognition have made the latest sat navs more intuitive and easier to use.
Sat navs: the latest features
Sat navs with voice recognition software
Sat navs are increasingly fitted with voice recognition technology. All you have to do is speak the address details, and the sat navs plot the route for you. This is a useful feature for when you need to change or plan routes while on the move.
We tested a sat nav voice recognition system to see how well it functioned with numerous different accents and found it worked very well. You can find out more about sat navs with voice recognition technology in our sat nav reviews.
Sat navs with a traffic management system
Beat the traffic with sat nav traffic management
With this function, sat navs use traffic updates from local radio stations to help plot routes around congested areas. All you need to do is attach a radio antenna to receive the traffic information.
We found it to be a very clever feature on sat navs, designed to shorten your journey times.
Sat navs with lane-guidance technology
When following the voice commands on a sat nav it can often be difficult to know exactly which lane you should be in. The lane guidance feature shows you the road signs on the display as they would appear on the road itself.
This is a very handy feature on sat navs, particularly when you are travelling on unfamiliar roads.
Further improvements to sat navs
Sat navs traditionally lacked a feature warning drivers where low bridges or narrow roads are.
This is changing, as new maps from mapping company Navteq allow sat nav makers to easily incorporate this data into the latest models.
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