Sony NAV-U NV-U71T Personal Navigation System

Sony Electronics new nav-u NV-U71T personal navigation system is said to be ready to use right out of the box to help drivers map a destination, locate points of interest, and avoid traffic congestion. The device has an included RDS-TMC real-time traffic receiver built into a supplied cradle to notify drivers of heavy traffic areas and automatically provides an alternate route choice. You'll need a separate subscription for the service, but drivers will receive the first 90 days free of charge. After, a subscription will cost $4.95 a month after the initial trial period.

The new Gesture Command function makes frequently used commands, such as Sony’s “take me home” feature, available through simple finger movement on the 3.5 inch touch-screen. Drawing an invisible inverted “V” on the screen activates the feature.

Drivers can choose from nearly seven million points of interest — four times as many as its predecessor — and destinations from U.S. and Canadian maps pre-loaded on its 2GB Flash memory. Maps of Alaska, Canada, Hawaii and Puerto Rico also come pre-installed on the device. A powerful speaker ensures that voice prompts are clear and audible. An embedded rechargeable lithium-ion battery allows up to six hours of operation without using the supplied car power adapter.

Pre-orders for the dark metallic blue and silver NV-U71T navigation device are now being accepted at www.sonystyle.com/navu. The device is expected to be available this winter for about $500 at SonyStyle.