We all have the same dilemma when buying games. We want top-of-the-line features, but we want to pay for entry-level prices. When it comes to GPS navigation systems, this may mean shopping for a device with a 3.5-inch screen, if you really want a spacious 4.3-inch model. Thanks to the large dips in the GPS prices across the board, but you can find a fully functional unit for the price of an entry-level model a year ago, if you are willing to take a chance on a product from a little art-known brand . How Nextar’s Q4, for example. Although this is the first phone we’ve tested from the company that proves the Q4 a well-equipped GPS device at an affordable price should be.

Dressed in a commercial context, measures the Q4 3 by 3.9 by 0.9 inches (HWD) and weighs 6.2 ounces. In the box you will find AC and DC power cord, USB cable, a stylus, a carrying case and printed hardware, software and quick start guides. The device is suction cup has a ball-and-socket locking mechanism for easy adjustment. You need the USB cable to the side of the Q4, before you put it snap into the holder, and you have to flex to remove the bracket.

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It is important to note that Q4 is not intended to compete with top-of-the-line models from the major manufacturers GPS. Found For starters, it lacks high-end features like a Bluetooth phone interface, live traffic updates and the 3D landmark views on devices like the Navigon 7200T. It does, however, a solid feature set for its price offer (although the Q4-lists for $ 230, its street price $ 100 less, almost). So we are talking $ 150 for a 4.3-inch screen with anti-reflection coating, Navteq maps for the 50 states and Puerto Rico, and a 1.6-million-entry POI (Points of Interest) database. In addition, the Q4 text-to-speech conversion, so that the device actually speaks street names. All in all not a bad deal.

From the Q4 startup screen, you can start an MP3 player or photo viewer, setup, and open the navigation program. Note, however, that all of the Q4-cards are on a 2GB SD card instead of internal memory. Consequently, in order to play music or pictures, you need either to navigate and give you to leave your own SD card, or customize your own pictures and music to the remaining 11MB is not taken from card on the attached map. Both the music player and image viewer are quite simple, but I had no problems playing MP3 files, or creating slideshows quickly during the test.

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The Q4 has a flat, simple menu system. The main menu has six entries: Destination, History, Next POI, Set as home page, save favorites and settings. If you do not make a selection within 20 seconds, the screen returns back on the map. If you decide to display a given destination from the main menu or a shortcut on the map to choose, you enter an address, POI, Cross Road or favorite. Before you tell your target Q4, although if you are on the menu, you will be prompted to enter your origin point, which can either set a city or a street near your current location. The Q4 keyboard appears on the screen for entry, but you should note that it is not QWERTY, it is alphabetical. The good news is that as you, do not give letters for your next available selection from a feature-are gray I usually seen on top-tier devices. When you enter your address, it appears on a map, and you can then set it as a starting point or at that time with the Go, Save & Go Travel and criteria set route decisions. (Since the Q4 manually can take a starting point with your current location as a starting point, you can plan a trip to a place other than your current GPS position.)

The Q4 supports the traditional 3D titles, 2D titles and 2D North prospect. There is an icon in the upper left corner that displays your current direction, the relative “North” position and the current time. Tap this icon, you cycle through three views, a nice feature that back and forth to the settings menu, eliminated in order to change the view. You can also jump right into the main menu by pressing a small icon in the lower left corner. If you are on an active route, you can choose from three views: Turn-by-turn, split card, or maneuver list. A view icon in the lower right corner you can switch between views.

Where Q4 is missed in the POI database and routing options. They receive only 1.6 million POI entries, while the V7 NAV740, our Editors’ Choice for low-cost GPS units, more than 11 million. Also, does not feature the Q4 vehicle profiles, and your routing criteria are fastest, shortest, avoiding Freeway and Tollway Avoid limited. Similarly, the lack of opportunities to avoid Q4 routes via ferries, roads U-turn, HOV lanes and other potential obstacles. And unlike in some high-end devices, you can choose not to avoid certain roads, although I have actually used this feature only once or twice to units that do offer it. After a route is calculated, there is no map, even though you see the maneuver list separately in respect of each round or take advantage of the travel simulator which can check for a preview of the route.

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The Q4 supports English, French and Spanish, but English by default in the performance of text-to-speech functions. Test tracks that Q4 produced that have other Navteq-based devices I tested matched generated. The Q4 does not support auto-zoom, but you can zoom in/out icons on the map. With an active route of Q4 shows you the distance remaining on your route and your estimated arrival time, but there is no way other travel information such as remaining travel time, or your current speed displayed. In addition to my test routes voice calls with street names have been held at appropriate intervals, and the route recalculation times were acceptable to quickly turn I missed on purpose. A special feature that I really liked was the Q4 choice between your current and next road cross street on the map display change.

While the Nextar Q4′s $ 230 list price is quite aggressive with other 4.3-inch screen, GPS devices, and if its street price (about $ 100 less) consider it is a serious business. The Q4 is easy to use, offers a large screen and text-to-speech functionality, and he succeeds again from point A to point B. What is missing? Live traffic updates and a Bluetooth phone interface, but you will find these features usually only on the high-end devices, such as the Garmin nuvi 755T.

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