By: John Westbury - November 2011

When it comes to thinking ahead and also about our enviroment, Uniden has done it again with the release of their latest GPS unit, the IGO500. I had the pleasure of road testing this unit recently and really put it to the test around Melbourne's CBD and Sydney's freeway areas as well as avoiding roadworks on the coast of NSW.

Sleek and stylish with a 5-inch superflat touch screen LCD display, this unit is no thicker than an iPhone with a super bright screen removing
glare for crystal clear viewing. It also switches automatically to night mode for easy glare free viewing after dark. Its' predictive keyboard text also reduces the destination search time and, if you happen to make a wrong turn in a pre-programmed destination, such as I did trying to get on to the M2 in Sydney, this unit will recalculate your directions in moments and set you in the right direction.

The Uniden IGO500 comes preloaded with ther latest Sensis Australian and even New Zealand mapping thus eliminating any worries you the driver may have about out of date or incomplete maps. It also includes a junction view feature illustrating upcoming intersections as well as advanced spoken street names. It also features a 360-degree 3D terrain software showing road elevations and land contours including overpasses and bridges, early warning system with fixed speed and red light camera warnings, school zones, railway crossings and over speed warnings.  It also has up to 1,000,000 pre-programmed points of interest including restaurants, accomadation including caravan parks and more. Used in conjunction with advanced lane guidance and signpost information, these features ensure you will receive the most accurate turn by turn instructions. The large icons, predictive text and logical menu design makes it all a quick and easy operation on the road making it a must for those wanting to get from A to B without hassles.

Aside from all these great features, I've saved the "wow" factor until last; Uniden's innovative Green Routing tool, and this is a great idea for not only economy but our enviroment! By using this fantastic feature you can calculate fuel consumption and carbon emissions across a number of route options. You can then select the journey which will end up having the smallest enviromental impact. As well, the IGO500's system is also capable of calculating the fastest, shortest or easier route from available choices.

This unit comes with a latest map guarantee and is supported by Uniden's GPS website www.naviextras.com Global mapping is also available and holiday makers can also take advantage of Rent-A-Map, a cost effective alternative to purchasing maps outright. This unit is only available at Office Works with a RRP of $195-95.

For more information: phone Uniden on 1300 366 895 or visit their website www.uniden.com.au

By: John Westbury - November 2011