GPS Gophers Visi-O Lite: Reviewed

It's a basic GPS car navigation device but the affordable Visi-O Lite will still get you where you wish to go.

The first thing that you would notice about the Gophers Visi-O Lite GPS car navigation unit is its large 5in touchscreen.

The large touchscreen made it easy to use the device - it was a breeze to type using both thumbs.

The icons are also large and you can't help but notice how closely they resemble Apple icons.

The Visi-O Lite, which runs on Microsoft Windows CE 6.0 operating system, has 2GB memory for ­storing maps and multimedia files. There is also an SD/MMC slot for expanding storage capacity.

The GPS unit comes bundled with an in-car USB charger, A/C charger, mounting unit and USB cable.

The Visi-O Lite uses Powermap Z9 navigation software and has maps for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

The device takes about 30 seconds to get a satellite lock which is reasonably fast.

Before using the device for navigation, it's best to set the routing option - Shortest Distance, Toll Preferred or Toll Avoided. I chose to go with the Shortest Distance.

There are several ways to search for your destination. You can search by road name, POI (point of interest), and longitude and latitude co-ordinates.

At the moment you can't search by house numbers but Gophers plans to introduce this feature for Kuala Lumpur and Selangor by year end.

EASY ACCESS: The Visi-O Lite's ports are on the right side.

The GPS also displays popular places, bridges and flyovers on the map, which make it easy to find your destination.

In any case, it's not a problem if you take a wrong turn because the navigation system will find an alternate route in just a matter of seconds.

I got lost in Subang Jaya once and the GPS was really quick to get me back on track. The voice ­navigation is available in six languages - English, Malay, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien and Thai.

Minor drawbacks

The device uses a resistive touchscreen which isn't great for using your fingers to navigate. The GPS does come with a stylus, but it's a hassle to take it out and use it.

Also, the virtual Qwerty keyboard isn't easy to use and it's very easy to hit the wrong letter. It's especially frustrating when you are in a hurry.

The keyboard is also a little quirky as it doesn't have the "/" symbol and you have to use a comma instead. For instance, if you are searching for SS7/6, you will have to input SS7,3. Oddly enough, it will appear correctly on the screen as SS7/3.

This is expected to be fixed in a future software update.

In terms of battery life, the GPS lasts about about three hours on a full charge. The battery can be recharged via the car charger or AC adaptor.

Conclusion

The Gophers Visi-O Lite GPS car navigation unit is an easy to use device that's affordable.

At only RM598, the device has all the important features you need as well as a media player.

Overall, the Gophers Visi-O Lite is a decent basic GPS car navigation device.

Pros: Easy to use; 5in screen; clear voice navigation; affordable.

Cons: Quirky virtual keyboard.

VISI-O LITE
(Gophers)
GPS car navigation unit
GPS chipset: SiRF Atlas V 500MHz
Display: 5in touchscreen
Memory: 64MB
Storage: 2GB
Battery: Lithium polymer
Operating System: Windows CE 6.0
Other features: Digital speedometer, e-book reader, media player
Dimensions (W x D x H): 139 x 90 x 17mm
Weight: 240g
Price: RM598