*** I know The Post is lenthy, but Please Read the full post. These are 2 text files I've save that I posted on another review site. This unit ultimately gets very low score from me and other consumers due to the extremely poor tech support, No plans for updates, and the fact that the unit was poorly manufactured in the first place. Quick Summary: Pros: Great Display, Easy interface. Cons: Not WAAS enabled, no map updates, constant memory errors, very poor tech support (to mention a few cons), and too expensive for the constant trouble. Part 1---- Pros: Great display. Displayed speed verses car speedometer accurate. Re-calculates routes fast. Easy interface to learn. Cons: No map updates from Sony and according to the Customer Service Reps I’ve spoken with Sony does not intent to update the road maps. Even worst, on the website Sony has a link that misleads you into believing there are updates and there are none. My town had road construction that was completed about 2 years ago. I brought my NV-U70 about 3 months ago. A friend of mine brought an IWay 350c a month after I purchased my GPS unit. His have the updated roads. Recommendation: Make sure the manufacturer has or intend to offer map updates for the unit that you buy. Sony has a potentially great GPS in the NV-U70, but if they will not offer an update for roads, it is hard to recommend their GPS units to anyone. I mean, if the road you are traveling does not exist on the unit you’re depending on to give you directions, that makes it a waste of $400 - $500. Milt B - September 4th, 2006 ------------------------------------ Part 2------ Update: In Nov 2006 the unit I purchased had a problem with the memory. I had to send it to the Sony repair center that handles this. A month or so later I received the unit back as “FIXED”. It did not work as well as it did prior to the memory problem. System bootup was much slower and the unit had trouble holding the time after being “FIXED”. NOW!, today (21 March 07). The same problem that was “FIXED”(”unable to start nav-u.exe” and the “exception error” with memory address location) is “BACK”. I called tech support, and 1. They told me that the warranty for the repair and the unit has expired so I will have to PAY “whatever” the repair will cost once the repair shop figures out what they didn’t “FIX” when it was under warranty, and 2. They said they will immediately send me and email with my job order numbers so I can send the unit back for repair. That was about 7 hours ago and they haven’t as of yet. Imagine that!!! Summation: DO NOT BUY THIS UNIT OR ANY SONY GPS DUE TO THEIR TECH SUPPORT AND WARRANTY POLICY!!! Why? 1. NO MAP UPDATES OR PLANS TO DO SO. This makes the unit PURELY USELESS in the first place. That speaks for itself. 2. REPAIR TECHS APPEARENTLY ARE NOT COMPETENT ENOUGH TO PROPERLY FIX THE UNIT. If it was a different error I would understand. A $450.00 GPS purchase should not have this problem which results in the customer having to pay for the repair shops technical incompetence. I am going to junk this thing and purchase a real GPS unit from of course any vender but Sony (after more research). DO NOT BUY THIS UNIT, READ THE FULL THREAD. “fore warned is fore armed!!!”. Milt B. - March 21st, 2007 ------------------------------------ A more reviews and information can be found on at GPS Review (dot) net. I am not afilliated with that site except as a one who made a few posts pertaining to this unit. The unit is too expensive for the type of problems it has. I recently purchased a Pharos Drive GPS 135 which was about half the price and the 135 is a far bestter and support unit that the Nav-U70 and it has map updates!
