Acer d150 satellite navigation system
May 10, 2006, 12:27

THE D150 IS Acer's first foray into the standalone satellite navigation market. And, up against established brands such as Tom Tom and Navman, the Taiwanese firm certainly has its work cut out, writes Paul Monckton.

Unlike some skinny PDA-shaped GPS devices, the d150's somewhat bootylicious form has a large rear end that, depending on the design of your car, can make dashboard placement somewhat tricky. But installation is very simple, using a level-operated suction cup and flexible mounting arm with a locking cradle.

An extra degree of freedom would have been useful and what appeared to be an extra arm section was included in the box, although there's no mention of it in the instructions and it has no obvious use. Below the 9cm touchscreen display sit six backlit control buttons and a navigation joystick.

These have a positive feel, are well spaced and large enough to operate without error. Its solid form keeps the voice announcements from sounding tinny, although they occasionally distort at the highest volume. Built-in mp3 and photo viewer programs are also included.

The Inquirer
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