BIATONE X350

BINATONE CARRERA X350 GPS
Sat nav (gps) systems on ebay can be a great bargain,but please remember where you are going to be travelling,will you be travelling to the continent ? or just using the item for work or destinations within the uk and ireland..???
If the latter is your for-tay,then the BINATONE CARRERA X350 System will be right up your street.I won mine via ebay at what i thought to be a very good price of £65.91 back in january 0f this year (2008).Cosmeticaly this item is stunning looking,finished in a black surround which is rubberised for the protction side and a slight touch of graphite around the edges,all in all it is very pleasing to the eye.
The BINATONE CARRERA X350 should arrive with full operating guide,windscreen/dash mount and obviously the ciggerette charger.

FEATURES..
As stated at the begining of this review you have full acsess to the uk NAVTEC network.(no europe coverage)
The X350 is equiped with a very reasonable sized 3.5" lcd monitor,which i was very suprised with,if you search the set up menu you can adjust brightness and contrast,which make the screen/map veiwing superb.The X350 is touch screen operational and so far i have found this to work better than any other touch screen i have used.Audio aspect of the X350 exceeds that of many more expensive models on the market at present,including my former GARMIN NUVI purchased for £149 (which gave up the ghost after 5 weeks (HALFORDS SAID IT HAD WATER DAMAGE..does my car leak ???),audio on the X350 is via a very english spoken female voice and is extremely clear and understanable.On the drivers side edge of the bit of kit,there is also a sd card slot,mini usb connection for charging purposes,3.5mm headphone socket and a a TMC aerial socket that allows transmition of FM TRAFFIC WARNING SIGNALS.
PERFORMANCE...
I will say that th X350 performs far better than i expected,for the money i paid and compared to my previous Garmin Nuvi..Firstly.. I very lightly put my post code in (which is lincoln)to my destination,which was a post code in south wales.The X350 took approx 20 seconds to find the destination (A LOT FASTER THAN MY GARMIN 50-80 seconds),i followed these instructions via the rather cute female voice and watching my position on the exeptionaly clear screen and with no problems what so ever found my destination whithin 5 hrs,a journey of 257 miles.My next test excursion was from my home town in Lincoln to Inverness (Scotland)a journey of 502 miles (post code to post code.Once again the X350 turned in a top performance,i even took a stop off on the A9 at Pitlochry a diversion of only 1/2 mile...BUT THE X350 new that i had done it and warned me..then to my supprise after stoping in Pitlochry for over 2 hours the X350 asked me !!! WOULD I LIKE TO KEEP MY ORIGINAL POST CODE DESTINATION..ALL I HAD TO DO WAS PRESS YES ON THE TOUCH SCREEN...and i was away again,I FOUND MY DESTINATION including the 2 hr stop off within 11.5 hrs (tired but happy).The X350 has continued to work beyond all my expectations ever since.
SUMMARY...
A superb Sat Nav system for the UK & IRE users **NAVTEC**,Excellent 3.5" screen,mind blowing (cute) English audio and superb easily readable maps,which show your location as you travell,unbelievable memory and dont forget you can even save your journeys via your sd card.I think you will struggle to get a cheaper and better UK/IRE sat nav than the BINATONE CARRERA X350

I spent a long time browsing for a cheaper Sat Nav, as I always like a bargain rather than paying over the odds in a shop. After reading a lot of reviews both on and off ebay, I concentrated on this model as it had all the qualities I was looking for, and none of the extra gadgets that I had no need for...

Pro's:
Basic functions, which don't strain the processing power.
Good clear navigation software and mapping.
Very reasonable pricing even at "Buy It Now" options if you spend time looking.
Does what it says on the box - it gets you from A to B.
No frills approach seems to have been a good choice for Binatone, and it instantly impresses!
3.5" screen is crisp and clear to see - not cluttered, and because it has no buttons alongside, it gives you the full screen on a very compact unit - which really does fit in your pocket!
Impressive finish - looks high end quality but for a cheap price!
Very quick to react - gave me almost instant 11 fixes on GPS when first switched on - not bad for urban coverage!
Almost instant route corrections when I deliberately strayed from the suggested routes when tested out to see if it could get confused in my own area.
Fast route calculations, despite what others seem to suggest in some reviews I have read?
Quality accessories included are car charger and sucker screen mount, and USB charger lead - and highly recommended to purchase the official accessory set to get a handy soft case / spare car charger / mains charger / screen mount kit / larger carry pouch...
It allows for picture and document viewing via a (max) 2Gb SD card which you can buy easily


Cons: There aren't any if you're after a simple to use, no bells and whistles Sat Nav. - but has no Bluetooth or Mp3 as more expensive models have these days. But if you don't need them, why worry?
Official website assistance is not the best - but Google is your friend for any help anyway ;)

When I read on other reviews that users had been getting trouble with routes and coverage, it's worth remembering that you are relying on your area coverage of satellites, which can play up on ANY make or model. And postcode searches can be flawed on ANY model too - that's partly down to the mapping and partly down to postcodes covering a small area, not just one house as some seem to think! If this unit was tested back to back with top-of-the-range units, I'm pretty sure the navigation would be as good as others...

Compared with other Sat Navs offered at similar prices, this one can't be beaten. I am now looking forward to trying some much longer journeys and putting it through it's paces! Looks really nice on the dash in use too...

Highly recommended!

After many attempts to purchase a sat nav on e-bay I finally decided to purchase a new one.After reading many reviews and with price in mind i eventually chose the BINATONE CARRERA X350.Well i drove to my local ASDA store where i purchased the unit for an incredible £79.On returning to my car the saying "BOYS AND THEIR TOYS" comes to mind, i decided to try it out on the return journey home which was approx 3 miles.i opened the box and removed the smart looking unit and plugged into the cigarette lighter,switched on and the unit came to life.With an easy menu i entered my full 7 digit postcode confirmed street name and pressed navigate.Within 5 seconds i was being given my first direction by a very clear and audible female voice.Before i was half way home i was actually grinning as the X350 was giving me clear and early instruction as to my next manouvre.A glance at the screen showed clearly my position and the route i was following and the top of the screen gave me the name of the road that i was turning into next.This is a route that i use on a regular basis as it is the easiest way and to my surprise the X350 was giving out the same route.As i entered my street the calm female voice declared "YOU HAVE REACHED YOUR DESTINATION" and with a beaming smile pulled on to my drive.I have used the X350 now for two weeks and cannot find fault with it at all.Another added bonus is the speed camera locator which is built in and all local cameras are warned about not like other dearer makes which seem to miss alot of these out.On a final note might i add that two friends after seeing my X350 have been and bought one each and both say the same that this little beauty is faultless,so if its a cheap sat nav you are after you wont go wrong with this and hopefully enjoy the experience as i have.

Binatone is best known for its cordless telephones and assorted other home electronics, but the company is now branching into satellite navigation. The X350 is comfortably the least expensive standalone satnav we've seen.

The X350 feels tough and is easy to use. Its main menu has clear, large buttons. To navigate to an address, you can enter a full UK postcode or type in a city name and street. The unit searches its street database as you type, before presenting a shortlist of possible matches. The interface isn't as smooth as TomTom's, but it's quick enough and easy to get to grips with.

You can also navigate to one of several Points of Interest (POI). These are split into categories such as attractions, sights and places to eat and drink. You can't search for a POI by name, but selecting a category will list all those in the surrounding area, complete with distances. We found the database lacking. It didn't list a couple of castles we wanted to visit in the Peak District, for example.

The X350 is fairly slow to calculate routes, taking 49 seconds to plot a course from central London to Edinburgh. However, it was fast to recalculate when we took a wrong turning. It's also a good navigator. The navigation display is clear and shows plenty of information. A box in the top left shows a diagram of the next turning, and your current speed, estimated arrival time and distance to your destination are shown in large, clear text. The 3D map display is fairly small but very clear, and your route is clearly marked. The X350's voice prompts were easy to understand and given in plenty of time, but it doesn't string together multiple turns into one sentence, so you have to listen carefully when one turn quickly follows another.

The unit has the usual toll road warning and roadblock avoidance features, and comes with six months' free access to a speed camera database. You have to download and install a program from Binatone's website to enable the trial. While this worked under Windows XP, we had no luck under Vista. A Vista version is currently being developed, and should be available soon. The company aims to provide free speed camera updates for life by the end of summer. It's easy to upgrade to Western European maps; they cost just £40 from the hotline number on Binatone's website. Maps are sent to you on a 2GB SD card.

The X350 may not have the prettiest interface and it lacks extras such as Bluetooth, traffic information and voice recognition, but it's hard to find fault at such a low price. This is a superb no-frills satnav and a Budget Buy.

I decided that my paper road map was out of date as well as being very tatty so decided to buy a sat nav. Never having tried one before i thought better go for the cheapest. So reviewed many and found the Binatone X350 was under £70 for UK version and also included 6 months of speed camera data free. Very pleased with the result, good windscreen lever suction pad, easily fitted and was navigating within 30 minutes of opening the box. The visual and audible instructions are clear and concise and if you deliberately make a wrong turn the device recalculates a new route almost immediately. Two minor dislikes are the bracket covers the ON/OFF switch, although when ON you can use the standby button, and the bracket slotted fixing to the suction arm is a little sloppy. But a very good buy if you are only going to use it, like me, for holiday travelling around the UK where you set your destination and then drive.