Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 It just didnt work September 26, 2008
The device arrived defective. It would not boot up to the Navigation page, instead it froze on the "loading" page.
When I depressed the reset switch, it would turn off then go right back to the "loading" message and hang up.
It did not respond to the ON/OFF button, hence I could not power down at all.
I returned it for a FULL REFUND hoping that they will also refund the Next Day shipping cost I paid to receive a defective GPS.
 Nextar X3B GPS with bluetooth September 14, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Nextar 3.5-Inch Touch Screen Bluetooth Ready GPS Vehicle Navigator With MP3 Player
I have had this GPS for several months and am pleased with what it has. The bluetooth works great although you don't see the map or hear the directions when you are driving while talking and it was no problem connecting to my Blackberry, just download the instructions from the Nextar website (Google it and you will find the website).
The POI is adequate but I don't see any POI on a GPS that will be complete, so that's no big deal to me. It has a USB to PC connection and claims to be able to update the map. I have registered just a couple of weeks ago to see if I can get it updated and add more to it. The GPS picks up quick at times and slow other times, but I take in to account of weather and obstacles that get in the way at times. Other reviewers have pointed out that it was slow and I wanted to be clear on that point. I have also had mine lock up once and was able to hit the reset button and start over again. The voice is loud enough, I usually keep it two bars below the highest volume.
My job is in IT and I expect alot out of the GPS but put blame where it should be and not on things the GPS can't control. The voice directions are right on the money, the calculated travel pretty close. MP3 player works but you can't do GPS and MP3 both, no biggie to me, I have my blackberry a nexter mp3 player and my cd player in the car. Battery holds a charge for a long enough time for me to check where I am going when I leave the house or hotel and I keep it on the charger in the car while driving. I usually don't have to wait because it is connected before I leave on a business trip. The touch screen works great and I just use my finger to click on things. My pictures are too big to see on the GPS but if I took the time and made them smaller I could probably get them to work. It's a GPS, not a picture frame.
There are times when I feel I have a better route than the GPS due to the time of day or stop lights, traffic etc, but directions always get me there and the reroute works great and quick on recalculating. I use this in conjunction with my Blackberry which I can get addresses from an put them in the GPS. I have had a couple of streets not be in there, but I'm sure they will be there when I get the update, hopefully. Nextar has a great trade in policy where you can upgrade to the newest GPS they have, just go to thier website. You have the SD slot, it played my MP3's, so it works. It also has a cable to connect to the computer and that works. Pretty good unit overall, but I had streets and trips on my laptop, so this is a big step up for me. Bought mine open box new for $125 and feel like I got more than my money's worth.
Laggy and Slow, stick with better brands August 31, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have used both TomTom and Garmin gps products before, but my mom purchased the Nextar system for 3.5inches to use for a trip. It was a terrible experience
The system itself is extremely laggy, and that kills the system. It takes upwards of 10 minutes (most was about 11 minutes) to acquire a satellite signal. Once it does have a signal, it will lag, and the location of your arrow will sort through multiple maps (all of them wrong, though) before finally stoping at the right one. the map will almost NEVER keep up with you. It is laggy in figuring out where you are, so early on i realized I had to look at the actual directions it gave because once the gps started talking (e.g. take a left onto ___) we would be past that destination.
So what I first tried doing was scrolling the map up - the gps would center an arrow that represented you, and you could touch and drag the screen to move the map and see whats around you. However, the system is so laggy, once you start dragging, the gps will slow down and the maps will load really slow, or sometimes the map would not move at all - instead it would repeatedly click (it clicks everytime you do an action) and then lag, and sometimes move the map, but sometimes not.
so by the end of the trip (with multiple missed roads along the way) i resorted to just reading the directions, as every other function was prettymuch useless.
Pros:
looks cool
Cons:
Incredible Lag
Very old maps
Very old/inadequate (did not even list target or shoprite) list of points-of-interest
Poor satellite connection
Verdict: chip out a little more and save yourself a buttload of pain
 Disappointed June 13, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Just used the Nextar twice. It wouldn't holde a charge. It went down while we were programming it in less than an hour. When we really needed it on our second trip it quit just as we were exiting the turnpike and froze. The unit wouldn't come back on. It was plugged in and should have been charging as we were driving but it ran completely down then stopped. When we tried to recharge it, it wouldn't turn off and wouldn't recharge with the electric charger. I was going to try another one but after reading the comments I think I'll try another brand.
It worked fine before the battery went down but then it died.
Taking a map is more dependable. April 27, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I bought this GPS system because we were making a trip from Alabama to Camp LeJeune to see our son arrive back from Iraq. The GPS worked very well when we made the transition from I85 to I20 in Atlanta but we began to have problems on the last leg of our trip. The roads can get very confusing in North Carolina so we needed the GPS to make sure we did not miss any turnoffs. The route given to us by the GPS was completely different from any we had seen on any of the online maps. Relying on our memory, we were still able to get to the motel. If we had taken the route given to us by the GPS, we would have traveled backroads and would have arrived much later to our destination. We discovered the reason for the strange directions when we were on the last major highway of our route. The GPS showed us to be off-road for at least 20 miles so I knew the GPS was giving us directions from an old map. The road must not have been built when the map used had been made. I don't know when the road was built but my son has traveled on it for the past three years.
I had already contacted Nextar for updates in February when I discovered the POI's were out of date for our city. I was told there would be an update this spring and I would be contacted by email when it was offered. Well, spring is more than half over and we still do not have any updates. I'm not too concerned about POI's but I would think an annual map update is not too much to ask.
If you rely on this system to get good directions, don't count on it. Make sure you take an atlas or a map with you and be prepared to stop and ask for directions. Better yet, spend a little more and get a GPS system from another company.
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