An ultra-versatile, ultra-portable nav device — what could be nicer?

Sporting a beautiful 7" TFT screen with touchscreen controls, 20 gigabytes of built-in memory (10GB dedicated to pre-installed navigation software), and connections for both satellite radio and external video, Clarion's N.I.C.E. navigation system raises the bar on what an in-car navigation device can do. No other portable nav device offers a larger screen, more memory, or more versatility in a single package.

An all-in-one device

The N.I.C.E. system — Clarion's clever acronym for Navigation In-Car Entertainment — is really four different components housed in a slim, tablet-style chassis:

• portable GPS navigation
• portable digital music player/photo viewer with 10GB of memory
• video display for an optional rearview camera, DVD player, or game system
• SIRIUS Satellite Radio controller for the optional Clarion NAVSIR tuner

Nice, but who needs it?

If portable GPS guidance is your sole concern, the N.I.C.E. is probably more device than you need. Its relatively large size makes the unit impractical for use in cars that have limited windshield and/or dash space. The windshield mounting system, while secure and easy to use, also makes transporting the unit from car to car, or car to house, a bit more burdensome than it need be.

Clarion designed the N.I.C.E. for someone who's looking for an all-in-one navigation/video/music device that does not require a complex, lengthy, or permanent installation. RV, SUV, and truck owners will appreciate the large, bright screen, which provides an excellent display for maps, directions, and images from a rearview camera. If you travel a lot, you'll get serious mileage out of the 10 gigs of digital music storage and SIRIUS compatibility, while vacationers can connect a DVD player and watch a movie (in the car or in the beach house) using the VIDEO mode.

The bottom line — if you're looking for the latest and greatest in mobile entertainment, you'll find a lot to like in the N.I.C.E.

Out of the box

The N.I.C.E. comes with most of the accessories you'll need, as well as an impressive array of inputs and outputs located on the rear of the unit.

Included accessories

• suction-cup mounting bracket
• remote control
• a padded carrying case
• cigarette lighter power adapter
• AC power adapter
• RCA audio/video-to-minijack cord
• rearview camera input cable

Inputs and outputs

• USB (1.1) — for connecting a memory stick or portable USB drive with MP3 or JPEG files (Note: you cannot use this port to transfer files onto the hard drive, only to play/view files.) Cable not included.
• Mini high-speed USB (2.0) — for downloading updated maps and transferring music and photo files from your computer to the unit's internal hard drive Cable not included.
• power input
• an A/V input — for connecting a DVD player or video game system
• a video input — for connecting a rearview camera
• EXT. I/O — for connecting the Clarion SIRIUS tuner

Music download

The first thing I did with the N.I.C.E. (after finding a USB 2.0 cable, which really ought to be included) was download 1.5MB of MP3 files from my iTunes library onto the internal hard drive. Sitting at my desk, it was easy to access the USB 2.0 input on the rear of the N.I.C.E. However, once I had mounted the unit on the windshield of my 2000 F-150, it was difficult at times to connect the various cables to the rear of the unit. Because of the design of the rear panel, I had to detach the unit from my windshield each time I connected or removed a portable 64MB USB flash drive I used to transfer MP3 files, which was annoying.

In-car installation

Clarion provides a suction-cup mounting bracket for attaching the N.I.C.E. to your vehicle's windshield. Unlike other portable mounts, the heavy-duty suction cup and adjustable arm are both very sturdy and easy to use, which is crucial when you consider that the main unit weighs several pounds. The only bummer is that you have to attach the bracket to the back of the unit with 4 screws. This is great for keeping the screen stationary as you drive, but it's a pain when you need to take the N.I.C.E. out of your car. Instead of being able to pop out the main unit, you have to detach the bracket and take the whole thing with you. Not only do you have to undo any adjustments you've made to the mounting arm in order to fit the unit in the handy padded carrying case, but you have to re-mount the bracket every time you bring the system back into your car. Hopefully the next version will allow you to detach the unit from the mounting bracket instead.

The mounting arm is extremely sturdy, but since the main unit is secured to the mount with screws, you cannot quickly detach it.

The owner's manual cautions you not to mount the unit where it will block your view of the road, but this can be challenging. It was surprisingly difficult to find a place on my F-150's substantial windshield that kept the unit in reach of the driver's seat without obstructing at least some of my view of the road. I wound up sticking it in the center of the windshield as close to the top of the dash as I could. Most of the time, the unit's 7" screen was not a problem — my truck rides pretty high and I generally have an excellent view of the road. But you might have a hard time mounting this in a smaller vehicle without creating a dangerous blindspot in your forward field of vision. Surprisingly, the N.I.C.E. fit perfectly on the wide, sloping dash of the tiny Chevy Aveo I rented to drive up to a friend's wedding in Cape Cod, so you'll really have to judge this on a vehicle-by-vehicle basis.

Navigation

After plugging in the DC power adapter to the cigarette lighter, I powered up the unit and pulled up the navigation screen. Clarion has done an excellent job with the user interface on N.I.C.E., locating buttons for each of the four functions (NAVI, SIRIUS, VIDEO, MUSIC) across the bottom of the unit. A power button and IR sensor are the only other features on the face. Very clean and simple.

You access the majority of controls needed to operate the system by touching the screen. A row of six touchscreen function buttons appears across the bottom of every screen, their function changing according to which mode the unit is in. Once you're familiar with the process, intuitive icons make it easy to identify the button you need at a glance — a magnifying glass with a "+" sign signifies the button for enlarging the map in Navi mode, for example. In the SIRIUS, VIDEO, and MUSIC modes, buttons also appear across the top of the screen that let you change MP3 folders, SIRIUS presets, or go to full-screen mode for viewing pictures or video. Unfortunately, a loud confirmation beep sounds everytime you touch a button either onscreen or via remote, and there appears to be no way to turn this off.

The N.I.C.E. is not the fastest GPS unit I've ever used — it typically took a good 3-4 minutes for the unit to recognize my location at start-up. This was partly my own fault, as I kept forgetting to fold out the built-in antenna located on the back of the unit. But even when I remembered about the antenna, the unit still lagged a bit in resolving the GPS signal. (You can purchase an optional external GPS antenna if you have persistent problems with receiving the GPS signal.)

The onscreen keyboard narrows down your search by graying out invalid letters as you type.

Programming a destination, on the other hand, is fast and intuitive. You can input a specific address by state, postal code, city name, or street name; choose one from your Address Book; use the built-in database of two million points of interest (POI); or simply point to where you want to go on the map. A handy Previous Destination menu stores a list of your last 15 destinations. Scrolling through long lists of states, cities, and streets is alleviated by helpful "page up" and "page down" buttons that move through 4 entries at a time. I found the on-screen keyboard especially helpful and easy to use — letters and numbers are grayed out as you type, leaving valid characters in green. This helps eliminate typing errors as the computer automatically narrows your search based on the possible results.

Navigating in the 2-D map mode.

I put the navigation mode to the test on a recent trip from Virginia to Cape Cod, and the N.I.C.E. performed admirably. Of the 3 different map views available, I liked the traditional 2-D view best to track my progress. However, I found that the 2-D/3-D split screen view, which lets you zoom out on the 3-D view in the left pane while the right pane maintains an up-close 2-D view, was particularly helpful at busy interchanges on the New Jersey Turnpike and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, where your exit can sneak up on you quickly. The re-route function worked well — when I missed my turn for the Williamsburg Bridge in downtown Manhattan, the unit quickly recalculated the route and had me back on Delancey Street, and on my way to the bridge, in 3 turns.

One of the best features of the N.I.C.E. is the ability to listen to music while using the navigation mode. Once you've set your route in the navigation mode, you can click on the SIRIUS or MUSIC icon and a top menu appears with controls. I didn't have the SIRIUS tuner, but I did take advantage of the 10GB of internal memory to store a bunch of MP3s for listening on the road. You can listen through the unit's internal speaker, run a line to your stereo's auxiliary input, or use the built-in FM transmitter to listen over your car's speakers. I used the FM transmitter, and while the sound was not CD-quality, it was good enough to groove to. The navigation voice guidance pauses the music to update the directions, so you don't have to worry about missing a turn while listening to some tunes.

The N.I.C.E. also provides easy access to two million points of interest (POI), and I had no problem finding gas stations and restaurants on my trip up north. It even found a small, local park called Sugar Hollow, that's tucked into the Shenandoah National Park on the east side of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It's the kind of place that locals know about, but that most tourists to the Park wouldn't find.

As with most GPS navigation units, the N.I.C.E. won't let you access a POI in the midst of route guidance. Instead, you have to cancel the current route, go into the menu and create a route for the POI (gas station, national park, hotel, or what have you) you want to visit, and then resume the previous route guidance afterwards. The unit remembers your original destination and quickly calculates the route from your stopping point, but it's not as easy as it should be to stop for food or a tank of gas on the way to your ultimate destination. For some reason, most GPS computers have a hard time working a pit stop into the overall route. I can only hope this is another quirk that future models will remedy.

My wishlist for the next version of the N.I.C.E. includes these four fixes:

1. Make it easier to make connections on the rear of the unit, especially when it's mounted.
2. Make the unit detachable from the suction cup car mount without having to remove screws.
3. Make the confirmation tone associated with pressing a button defeatable.
4. Increase the internal processor speed for faster location ID and route (re)calculation.

Music menu.

The Verdict

Based on my experiences using the navigation and music functions, I can say that the N.I.C.E. is by far the most impressive portable navigation device I've used. If you can install it comfortably and safely on your windshield, you will revel in the glow of the bright, crisp 7" screen. The well-designed menus, intelligent and easy-to-use navigation, and sturdy mounting system are what you'd expect in a high-end navigation unit. But the 10GB of internal memory for music and photo file storage, along with SIRIUS and video capability, make the N.I.C.E. a true standout.