Looking for that familiar building? Now see it with the new portable Clarion Sat Nav units

We've seen plenty of new arrivals on the Portable Sat Nav scene but the new models from Clarion really do add a new dimension, and the prices are extremely attractive for such well spec'd units.

Clarion's latest portable navigation units are the first to map buildings, landmarks and elevation changes in 3D. Combined with comprehensive lane information and turn-by-turn voice prompts (text to speech), they claim to deliver the clearest, most convenient route advice yet.

The MAP780 (Europe) and MAP680 (UK & Ireland) use two separate high-performance programmes to draw buildings in the foreground and background.  Buildings close to the driver appear see-through as you approach them, so as not to obstruct the view of the next junction, whilst buildings further away are textured and solid, making them lifelike and easily recognisable as reference points while driving.

Both PND's (industry lingo for Portable Navigation Devices) utilise digital elevation model data to draw height and depth features, with hills and mountains rendered in 3D, racing game style, while you drive, to create the most realistic view at all levels of zoom.  Elevation information is also applied to the road network for rendering of shadows, to display roads and bridges at their correct height for a greater clarity of route guidance. The only problem is that you might just forget that you're not actually playing Gran Turismo!

Clarion has also incorporated comprehensive lane information, claimed to be a first in PNDs, with all lanes available rendered in 3D and the one needed highlighted, for a more intuitive navigation experience.

In another claimed first for the Japanese car electronics specialist, thanks to Bluetooth technology, Clarion's latest portable navigation devices also display SMS (text) messages on-screen, as well as giving seamless touch-screen access to a paired phone or PDA. Audio streaming (A2DP) and MP3/WMA playback is also possible via a built-in music player.

Enhanced entertainment features on the 2008 PND units also include a movie player, allowing users to download up to 4GB of MP4 video via MMC or SD card, whilst a digital photo album allows the user to upload pictures via SD card or the built-in USB port.

The MAP780 and MAP680 are priced at £269 and £229 respectively, and are available via Clarion appointed dealers across the UK.  For more information, call Clarion (GB) Ltd., on 01793 870400, or visit www.clarion.co.uk.

Incidentally, if you're looking for a really nice case to protect your new Clarion Sat Nav, we can recommend the Case Logic GPSP2. We've tested it. Its hard inner shell offers great protection, and the MAP780 or MAP680 fit perfectly even with the rear bracket fitted. The GPSP2 case retails for £19.95.