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Telematics – an intelligent future, like it or not
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Evaluation: Navevo ProNav PN200: Truck-specific satellite navigation system
 Our impression After several false dawns, it looks as if 2010 will be the year when truck-specific navigation finally comes of age. One UK supplier hoping to win sales is Navevo, a software development specialist which has developed its own range of personal navigation devices, including the truck-friendly ProNav PN200. The company reckons it understands what drivers want from a satnav system better than some of its rivals, thanks to a panel of truck drivers who test its devices and new features. The PNN200 incorporates Navteq truck data, and providing you enter the vehicle data, it will calculate a route that takes into account truck dimensions and weights, and even finds routes suitable for hazardous loads. As well as data such as bridge heights and truck speeds, Navteq includes other warning data such as steep hills and sharp cambers. 
Navevo has supplemented this with additional local data where it can. For example, you can select 'preferred freight routes' to keep larger vehicles to motorways and A-roads, and you can find points of interest such as truckstops. For those who drive into London regularly there is data on loading bays, single/double parking pips and penalty charge hotspots. If you're hungry, it will even direct you to the nearest café where you can get a meal for under £5. When calculating a route, the system's algorithms automatically take account of the vehicle dimensions and weight, and route a vehicle round unsuitable roads. Not all satnavs do this, says Navevo, because it takes too much processing power for some. The ProNav 200 does: we checked it out it out by planning a route from Letchworth to Hitchin, which contains a low bridge height. Altering the height of the vehicle produced two different routes. Route calculations do take longer, but that has to be set against actual journey delays if you have to make a diversion because you find out too late that the road you've taken is unsuitable for the vehicle you're driving. There is a 'start new journey' function, which is useful for multi-drop and parcel deliveries, where the next drop-off or pick-up point is unknown. In the address menu, cities are displayed in terms of population size, rather than alphabetically; ProNav reckons this is more helpful to truck drivers. All satnavs, of course, display additional information such as distance to destination and current speed. The ProNav does this in a large bar on the left-hand side of the screen; people on its panel of drivers apparently said it's more visible here than when displayed as a bar across the bottom. Our verdict Everything about the ProNav display and set up is designed to be driver-friendly. It's a competitively-priced unit, packed full of additional information, that really lives up to the claim of being a truck driver's satnav. Specifications Navevo ProNav 200 Screen 4.3in colour high resolution TFT touch screen (480 x 272 pixels) Memory 64MB ROM; 64MB RAM Processor Centrality 400Mhz Operating system Windows CE 5.0 Power Rechargeable Applications Navteq UK and Ireland navigation maps on 512Mb SD card; Europe optional; hands-free voice calling; free safety camera updates for 6 months Communications Centrality Atlas III GPS receiver Integrated GSM/GPRS module; Bluetooth; SD card; hands-free calling Accessories USB cable, vehicle charger and mount, stylus; optional mains power cable
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