Uniden TRAX 430 GPS unit

At just $299.95, Uniden's TRAX 430 in-car GPS navigation unit provides good value for money. It offers the latest Australian maps, camera alerts, text-to-speech navigation, 3D landmarks, but Bluetooth and traffic capabilities are notable omissions.

Like most of Uniden's portable GPS range, the TRAX 430 isn’t going to win any awards for its looks, with a plain two-tone black and grey colour scheme. On the right, an AC power connection and mini-USB port are present, while an SD card slot is located on the left. Annoyingly, the Uniden TRAX430 doesn't charge via USB, and there is no AC adapter included in the sales package. Unlike the top-of-the-range Uniden TRAX 436 the TRAX 430 doesn’t include a microphone or a socket to connect an external antenna, though the flip up antenna should be enough to provide a solid GPS signal, even if it does add extra bulk to the design.

The Uniden TRAX 430's user interface is a mixed bag. The navigation menu is simple enough, with four large buttons that provide access to Find, Manage, Route and Settings menus. The map screen is a different story: although it's not too difficult to grasp, it is a little busy, with plenty of buttons and icons making it feel cluttered. Thankfully, the 4.3in touch screen is responsive, making the buttons on the map screen easy to press, and it's also easy to view in sunlight.

Navigating to an address on the Uniden TRAX 430 is a five-step process that guides you through the selection of country, state, city, street name and house number. Once you've narrowed down your search, you can also navigate to a city centre, street midpoint or an intersection. Unlike many other units, address input takes place on a single screen. Conveniently, the TRAX 430's on-screen keyboard eliminates letters that do not correspond to possible addresses, narrowing the potential search results.

Uniden has included a fair number of features considering the price point, though Bluetooth is not among them. For the same price as the TRAX 430, Uniden offers the TRAX 353, which has a smaller screen but offers most of the same features and adds Bluetooth connectivity.

Text-to-speech, 3D landmarks and terrain, fixed speed and red-light camera alerts, and multipoint route planning are all included on the TRAX 430. Not all of these features are inspiring though: the 3D landmarks make the map screen more cluttered in our opinion, though the elevated views of particular roads that come with the 3D terrain is an excellent feature and does aid navigation.

The 3D terrain views are especially useful when identifying highway and freeway entrance and exit ramps, and overlapping roads. More importantly, the Uniden TRAX 430's text-to-speech voice is clear and loud, and pronounces most street names with few issues. Maps of both Australia and New Zealand are included on the unit.

The TRAX 430 uses a NemeriX GPS receiver and performance is adequate. Using the unit in the city did result in a loss of signal at times, most likely due to the tall buildings and the lack of a clear view of the sky. However, the start-up time is reasonable, with the TRAX 430 taking around 30 seconds to find and maintain a signal.

Unfortunately, the TRAX 430 doesn't support the SUNA Traffic Channel — its not available even as an optional extra.