Aviton is not a famous name in the world of portable GPS devices, but that doesn’t mean you can’t expect much from the Aviton AZ281MA GPS unit. So, here’s a complete insight to the Aviton AZ281MA GPS unit, discussing its salient features, pros, cons and overall performance.
About the Manufacturer
Aviton isn’t as popular as the likes of Garmin and TomTom, though the company has been in the market of electronic components for over a decade now.
Aviton is a Russian company that deals with telecommunication systems, and electronic equipment manufacturing. The company also makes stepper motors, compact DC motors and high precision drives, components for automation, switching power supplies, and wide varieties of electronic components. Aviton is relatively new to the market of GPS navigation devices, but considering their extensive experience in the field of electronic items, you can expect high quality in its GPS products and good value for your money.
Salient Features
Turning the focus towards the Aviton GPS navigation device, it comes with an elegant 3.5″ inches wide screen. The device has 64MB of RAM and 1927MB (a weird figure though) of non-volatile memory called MLC.
The Aviton GPS may not be worthy enough to challenge the likes of Garmin 885T, Garmin Nuvifone and other high end GPS devices, but it comes with impressive iGo navigation software featuring 2D and 3D mapping and much more; so it is bound to catch the eyes of its potential buyers.
It also renders accurate view of streets that you navigate through. You get access to 53 maps, including maps of all 50 states of US, as well as Puerto Rico and Columbia. Moreover, you can also find a base elevation map derived from US Geological Survey.
Just like every other high quality navigator unit, the Aviton GPS unit also comes with the auto-route feature. With the help of re-route calculator, it re-calculates the new route and points back in right direction whenever you deviate from your original path. The device also gives out voice prompts apart from displaying text information on its visual display, though it lacks the “text-to-speech” converter.
Hence, the Aviton GPS can audibly announce “turn left” to alert you about the upcoming left turn, but it can’t make announcements like “turn right on 31st Avenue”, due to lack of “text-to-speech”converter in the device.
Design and Navigation
The Aviton AZ281MA GPS unit comes in a sleek, easily pocket-able design. The unit is extremely portable and you won’t feel its presence in your pocket. Its menu navigation is absolutely hassle-free.
What’s more, navigation program by Nav-N-Go is quite impressive and the device runs on Atlas III dual core processor (very much a combination of GPS chipset and an Intel clone), which ensures quick responses to all the navigational operations. You can make use of the Aviton GPS unit in pedestrian navigation and car navigation modes, as and when required, making it a versatile choice.
Package Contents and Pricing
When you open a box-piece, you’ll be happy to find a dash mount, quick-start guide, and windshield mount, apart from the DC adaptor, USB cable, a rechargeable Li-polymer battery, and of course the Aviton AZ281MA GPS unit.
The suction mount is quite adjustable, which grabs any flat part of a windshield very well, while the cradle sticks on to the end of suction mount effortlessly.
The Aviton GPS unit also has a SD card slot, which provides the much needed flexibility to expand the memory of the device. All this and more is available at a reasonable price of just $119.99 online.
Overall Performance
Looking at the pros of Aviton GPS, it is quite user-friendly, easy to use, sleek, and handy to carry around. With its voice prompts, driving becomes a snap, and its maps are also upgradeable.
Considering some of the downsides of the device, you can’t easily cancel a route in progress, and on many occasions, it doesn’t give you the best route possible.
But, with so much on the offer at a reasonable price of just $119.99, it is definitely a great deal.
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