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CNET editors' rating:
3.0
stars
Good
Detailed editors' rating -
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Product summary
The
good: The TeleNav Shotgun offers Internet connectivity via cellular network to provide real-time traffic data, current maps, current gas prices, and more. The GPS features a slim design, bright touch-screen, and text-to-speech functionality.
The
bad: The Shotgun was slow with route recalculations, and satellite acquisition also took some time. The TeleNav Connected Service is a bit limited at this time, and search results don't always make sense.
The
bottom
line: The TeleNav Shotgun's Internet connectivity brings dynamic content to the driver, but the functionality is a bit limited at this time, and the GPS needs to work out some performance issues before we give it co-pilot duties.
Specifications: Destination: Automotive ; Weight: 4.4 oz ; Audible assistance: Street name announcement , Navigation instructions ; See full specs
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 11/25/2008
- Updated on: 01/29/2009
- Released on: 11/10/2008
TeleNav is no stranger to the navigation market. The company has provided location-based services for GPS-enabled cell phones and smartphones for quite some time now. However, the company has never released a standalone portable navigation device (PND), until now. The TeleNav Shotgun isn't just a regular PND, either. Similar to the Dash Express, the Shotgun offers Internet connectivity via the GSM cellular network. It ships with a SIM card and uses the TeleNav Connected Service to get you connected to the wireless network so you can get the most up-to-date traffic data, current maps, and business listings all the time. Plus, you can receive software updates over the air and send addresses from your computer wirelessly to the Shotgun.
The connectivity does come with extra fees, however. The TeleNav Shotgun, which is available now, costs $299 and comes with three months of free TeleNav Connected Service. Afterward, you will need to subscribe to a Connected Service plan to continue to get dynamic content. There are several service plan options. You can purchase a two-year plan for $239, a one-year plan for $129, or go month-to-month at $11.99 per month. Even if you choose not continue with the service, you can still use the Shotgun as a regular GPS for turn-by-turn directions, as the SIM card has all the maps and an 11 million points-of-interest (POI) database.
We loved having such fresh content at our fingertips but we found the TeleNav Shotgun's search capabilities not quite up to our expectations. It didn't always provide the most current or appropriate business listings, and it doesn't quite take full advantage of the Internet connectivity. For example, unlike the Dash, you can't search for movies by show times or title, though, according to the company, these features will be added in the future. Also, the voice prompts were slightly muffled and route recalculations were slow. If TeleNav can iron out some of these kinks and continues to add more connected features, the Shotgun has the potential to be one powerful PND.
Design
Unlike the bulky Dash Express, the TeleNav Shotgun is a sleek and compact portable navigation device that shares a similar shape to many of the latest GPS like the Garmin Nuvi series. The Shotgun measures 4.9 inches wide by 3.1 inches tall by 0.7 inch deep and weighs 4.3 ounces, and also features a black, soft-touch finish that gives the casing a rubber-like feel.
On front, you get a 4.3-inch TFT touch screen with a 480x272-pixel resolution. Though not the sharpest, the display is clear and bright enough for reading maps and directions. Like most PNDs, you can choose from day and night map colors or set it to automatic, so the system will switch the colors on its own based on time of day. As far as text entry, there's an onscreen QWERTY keyboard that's slightly on the smaller side, but the TeleNav Shotgun offers predictive text so it will automatically bring up possible matches as you start to enter letters.
The Shotgun's user interface (UI) will be familiar to anyone who has used the TeleNav location-based service on their GPS-enabled cell phone or smartphone, but even if you're new to the service, the UI is intuitive and easy to use. From the Start page, you have four main choices: Drive To, Search, Maps & Traffic, and Extras. There are also two smaller icons for the Preferences menu and Volume control. Even as you get deeper into the menus, everything's clearly marked and identified, so you shouldn't have too many problems figuring out how to operate the device.
On the left side, there's a 3.5mm headphone jack and a mini USB port, and the right side has a SIM card slot and a microSD expansion slot, both of which are protected by an attached rubber cover. The power button is located on top, and there's a reset button on the back. Finally, you'll find a small LED to the left of the display, which illuminates different colors to indicate different statuses: solid red when the device is charging; solid green when it's fully charged; and blinking blue when connected to the TeleNav service. The latter gets to be very annoying and distracting, as it constantly blinks while you're driving and using the GPS. TeleNav will now ship the Shotgun with a small cover that goes over the light to make it opaque.
The TeleNav Shotgun comes packaged with a car charger, an AC adapter, a USB cable, a car mount (windshield and dash), and reference material.
Features
Obviously, the feature that makes the TeleNav Shotgun different from other current GPS (Dash Express aside) is the cellular connectivity. The Shotgun uses a GSM connection and ships with a SIM card but to be clear, you cannot swap out the included SIM for an AT&T; or a T-Mobile SIM. This is especially important since the SIM card holds the Shotgun's maps and points of interest, so if you drive out of wireless coverage or choose not to continue with the TeleNav Connected Service, you'll still be able to use the Shotgun as a regular PND.
The advantage of the TeleNav Connected Service is that with that real-time connection, you get the most up-to-date information for traffic alerts, maps, business searches, and other data like gas prices. Similar to the Dash Express, you're not limited to searching the preloaded POI categories. You can really drill down and search for specific items by entering terms in the search field. For example, let's say you're out shopping for laptops. Just type in "laptops" and the Shotgun will bring up any relevant businesses. You can search for business near your current location or another address. Once you have the search results, there are options to route to the location, save it, map it, or add it to your Favorites list. You can also search for gas station by fuel prices.
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