Uniden iGo 43 GPS

Finally, a GPS system that doesn’t frustrate and annoy me to the point where I choose to not throw the thing in the used GPS bin!

Seriously, most GPS units that we get to see – and wee see lots – have so many minor annoyances that they just become frustrating to use.

The directions they give are wrong or not really logical, their traffic and safety warnings are misplaced, or just inane, their displays are inconsistent and fail to maintain settings …

Uniden iGo 43

But while this Uniden is not perfect, it’s a damn sight better than many other units we’ve seen, units that often cost a lot more than this one.

First of all, its mapping and display are great. Clear and concise, the display shows adjoining street names as you approach and pass them by, making for a very pleasant driving and direction experience. And it’s very quick to acquire its satellite signals too. Top marks for this.

Speed warnings are given in good time, and over-speed warnings are given in a gentle beeping, and as such, are not not obnoxious.

The touch screen is nice and responsive, and menus, options, and settings are mostly logical and easy to follow and understand without any reference to the manual. This is all good, and to be perfectly honest, this is probably the first GPS system that I’ve used that doesn’t piss me off!

And this is a GPS designed for traveling; it includes many features not found in other units, like international clothing size tables, that I can see to be useful as and when one travels.

That said, it’s not perfect, and I do have two criticisms that, while not being deal-breakers, are issues that really should be addressed by the manufacturers.

First of all, the power switch is just a simple push button on the top of the unit. Nice and easy.

Too easy: this sort of device is not the sort of device that you leave sitting in your car, as it’s an easy target for thieves. So, you turn it off, and take it with you, putting it into your backpack as you wander off. And as you’re walking down the road, don;t be surprised to hear it tell you that the GPS signal has been lost, because something in the backpack has given the switch a nudge, turning it on.

My other niggle, and this applies to every GPS unit that I’ve seen, is that the people who program them have got to be morons. Idiots. Fools of the lowest order! What school safety zones are in force at three in the morning? None of them! On weekends? None of them!

The programming effort that would permit school zone warnings to only display during a set of restricted time periods is truly trivial, yet no GPS unit does this. My guess is that the GPS programmers never actually get out on the roads and use their devices. Otherwise, this fundamental annoyance would have been fixed ages ago.

All up, a great unit, and highly recommended.