In his annual speech...
In his annual speech to journalists in Japan, the firm"s President, Takeo Fukui, announced the hi-tech "posture control" systems that help Asimo keep its balance will soon be fitted to the company"s cars and motorcycles to improve safety, performance and ride comfort. The technology is likely to be introduced on Honda"s sporting and luxury models first, probably from 2008. But vehicles across the range - including cars such as the Civic and Jazz - are also expected to benefit.
Cheap as chips? Well...
Cheap as chips? Well sat-nav units are getting close, as a booming market means that prices are dropping constantly. At only ÷£129, the Maestro 3100 is the latest entry-level unit from Magellan. In fact, it’s so new that this is a pre-production model – and we’re the first magazine to get our hands on it.
Our set picked up a satellite signal in seconds and was ready to use in only two minutes. To see how well our unit worked, we programmed in a set route with a number of points of interest along the way.
The 3.5-inch touchscreen worked a treat, and although our sample unit could only deal with six-digit postcode entries, a spokesman for Magellan confirmed that the final production version will boast a full seven-digit search function when it arrives in stores at the end of this month.
The audio warnings were clear, but we weren’t as keen on the alerts. When approaching a junction, the system warned of its proximity, but then didn’t audibly confirm we were on the correct route until we were making the turn. Although this proved a little confusing, the maker has told us that the glitch will be ironed out
before the unit hits the shelves.
Magellan Maestro 3100 sat-nav, price: ÷£129, rating: 4/5, buy from:
www.magellangps.com