TomTom Via 53 An easy to use and functional sat nav with decent connectivity

OUR VERDICT

Easy to use with a decent touchscreen and connectivity options, the TomTom Via 53 doesn't disappoint for the price.

FOR

• Easy to use
• Excellent mapping
• Live traffic updates
• Hands-free calling and text messaging
• Voice control

AGAINST

• Only around an hour of battery life
• Slow to boot up
• Chunky design

The essential review

This is TechRadar’s review summary that gives you all the key information you need if you’re looking for quick buying advice in 30 seconds – our full, in-depth review follows.

TomTom's Via 53 sits in the mid-range category of sat navs, offering a host of connectivity options via a Bluetooth connection with your smartphone.

This means you can get live traffic updates, enabling you to adjust your route depending on the traffic ahead, while you can also take advantage of hands-free calls and have your text messages read out.

The mapping is very good, while the clean user interface, voice control and a 5-inch touchscreen that requires light gestures makes it a breeze to use. 

The design might be a little subdued, and the one-hour battery life disappointing, but those issues aside the Via 53 well is a well-specced and connected sat nav that comes at a good price.

Who's it for and should I buy it?

If you like the idea of a connected sat nav but don't want to break the bank on a premium model with built-in data connection, the Via 53 could be for you.

Thanks to Wi-Fi connectivity for computer-free updates and Bluetooth connection to your smartphone, you get pretty much all the benefits of a far pricier model, but without the cost – just don't forget to bring your smartphone. 

TomTom Via 53 price

• Current price: £179.99

Connected and hands-free

• 5-inch display
• Siri and Google Now compatible
• Hands-free calling

Aside from a 5-inch display, what else does the TomTom Via 53 have to offer? You get lifetime maps for starters, meaning your Via 53 won't get caught out when the road layout changes, with Wi-Fi connectivity enabling you to update your device without the need to connect to a computer. And those maps cover 45 European countries, so even when you're abroad, the Via 53 will take into account any road layout changes to plot the best route for you.

While the Via 53 doesn't have its own data connection built-in like the pricier TomTom Go models, it can connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth, and once you've downloaded the MyDrive app this opens up a wealth of options. There are live traffic notifications for a start, while the MyDrive app lets you plan routes in advance via the desktop interface and send these to the Via 53. There are also speed camera updates, although this service is only free for the first three months – it'll cost you £19.99 a year after that. 

You shouldn't have to worry about the Via 53 eating into your smartphone's data allowance each month either, as TomTom reckons you should only use up around 7MB of data a month if you use it every day for an hour.

The Via 53 sports voice activation control, while it's also compatible with Siri and Google Now using the device's built-in microphone, so you can still get access to your smart assistant should you not be able to live without it on your drive. You can make hands-free calls, and get the Via 53 to read out incoming text messages, avoiding any distractions and illegal glances at your phone.

Clean and functional design

• Capacitive touchscreen
• Only needs light gestures to control
• Reversible mount

The TomTom Via 53's 5-inch display is a good balance between offering a decent amount of real estate and not being so large that it dominates your dash.

Compared to your smartphone the resolution isn't going to win any prizes at a modest 480 x 272 pixels, although you're only going to be looking at maps on this screen, not binge-watching Netflix. And we didn't have any problems with the brightness – even in bright sunlight we could see the display clearly.

Another plus is that, unlike the more affordable Via 52, the Via 53 uses capacitive rather than resistive touchscreen control. This means that rather than having to apply tangible pressure to the screen to interact with the sat nav, lighter swipes and gestures are the order of the day, much like on your smartphone. 

If you were expecting something nice and slim, you're going to be disappointed

While the overall design is pretty clean, the TomTom Via 53 is quite bulbous – if you were expecting something nice and slim you're going to be disappointed. With the exception of the front screen, the exterior is made from plastic, while a reversible mount, allows you to mount it on your dash or windscreen.

It's easy to swap the mount around, but the suction cup wouldn't stick to our textured dash, so we had to resort to the less-preferable screen option, and on a couple of occasions there was a loud clang as the Via 53 came away from the screen while we were driving – you really need to jam it on.

On the road

• Easy to use
• Voice control has limited phrases
• Poor battery life

The TomTom Via 53 is slow to boot up at first, but once it's on it performs very well. The user interface is clean and clearly marked, making it easy to get started, and to read when you're on the move. As we've found on other TomTom models, the neat right-hand bar that displays cameras and petrol stations works well, leaving the mapping nicely clutter-free.

The mapping is certainly one of the Via 53's strong points – it's polished and finds places reliably, while there are a number of route-planning options available; we opted for the quickest option most of the time, but if you're constantly looking at your average mpg reading there's a handy Eco mode (although in most cases this seemed to also select the quickest option).

Connecting to the MyDrive app is nice and straightforward, with the live traffic information coming in really handy on a couple of trips we took. 

When using voice control you're restricted to limited phrases that the Via 53 offers up at each step, but don't let that put you off – it works very well, and saves you having to play around with the screen as you're driving. To activate this mode you just need to say 'Hello TomTom'.

Perhaps our only major gripe with the Via 53 is the poor battery life of around an hour – if you need to use it for any longer you'll have to plug the unnecessarily long lead into the cigarette lighter or USB socket of your car.

Even H2 Wireless Headphones review

OUR VERDICT

The Even H2 are wireless headphones that stand out in a crowded market thanks to its EarPrint technology, which tailors sound to your hearing abilities. We liked the H2 for its exciting, punchy sound but audiophiles will wish for a more neutral tonal balance. For most, the H2 will sound great but some fit and finish issues prevent us from a wholehearted recommendation.

FOR

• Unique tailored audio
• Punchy, exciting sound
• Long battery life

AGAINST

• Cheap-feeling buttons
• Better with EarPrint disabled
• Noisy Bluetooth connection
• 
  

The headphone market is one of the most crowded in tech. Just about everyone has wireless headphones nowadays so companies are increasingly trying to stand out by supporting additional features like active noise cancelling, aptX HD support, and “smart” listening experiences via mobile apps. 

While the Even H2 doesn’t support any of the above features, what makes it stand out is its unique EarPrint technology. What EarPrint does is it provides listeners with a short listening test to see exactly what frequences need to be boosted in order to achieve “better” sound. 

After spending several weeks with the Even H2, we came away impressed by the company’s 2nd headphone offering for its long battery life and unique listening experience. However, some fit and finish issues and a dubious “better” sounding experience keep us from recommending these headphones for everyone. 

That said, if you suffer from hearing loss or just want to try something different, the  $230 (£200, about AU$308) Even H2 are worth considering. 

Design

The design of the Even H2 are refined and mature with its real walnut wood, metal, and leather construction. The headband and ear pads are made of PU leather, which make for a comfortable listening experience but there is quite a bit of clamping force, which may be uncomfortable during long listening sessions. The headphone forks and band are made of smooth metal and the ear cups are made of real walnut wood.

With that in mind, the H2 feel like a premium headphone, which is impressive for such a young company. However, fit and finish leave something to be desired. 

The real walnut is a nice touch, however the port cutouts for the microUSB and 3.5mm headphone jack ports are a bit rough. Worst of all, though, the buttons feel cheap and make a hollow clicky sound when pressed. Plus, it’s easy to mix them up since the play/pause button isn’t textured. 

In addition to the three playback buttons, there’s an “EarPrint” button, which toggles your customized EQ and doubles as a power button - but we’ll cover more about the EarPrint technology in the Performance section below. 

The headphones fold up nicely to fit in the included case for travel. Also included in the box is a nice braided microUSB cable for charging and a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable in case you run out of battery. 

Performance

As it's the marquee feature, let’s start off by talking about Even's EarPrint feature. 

When you first pair and set up the Even H2, you are given what’s basically a hearing test. I recommend doing the test in a quiet room. The onboard voice talks you through every step clearly and it’s nice having a friendly voice walk you through the test and features of the headphone. However, her bubbly nature can get annoying, especially when she says “Yes! Connected!” each time you fire up the headphones. 

After your EarPrint test, you’re given a visual representation of how good your hearing is for various frequencies. The app gives you a nice explanation about what each frequence represents, like the human voice or windchimes. You can take the EarPrint test as many times as you’d like and switch between different EarPrints in different listening environments, which is a nice addition. 

In terms of sound quality, the Even H2 are an exciting sounding headphone with loads of bass. While the H2 sound relatively neutral with EarPrint turned off, the headphone cranks the bass response even when our EarPrint noted that our ears’ could pick up bass frequencies at “soft” volumes. 

While the EarPrint equalization made music sound exciting, it added too much bass for our liking, especially in jazz and classical recordings. Additionally, the headphones have a noisy Bluetooth connection which is especially noticeable when music is off or playing softly, like with Bill Evans’ solo piano tracks. 

While we wished for a more neutral presentation, we can see why many love the sound quality of the Even H2: Music sounds bright and exciting for mainstream music. However, your listening experience will largely depend on how good your hearing is. A good way to test if you’ll like the H2 is by going on Even’s website and taking the EarPrint test using a web browser. The company also offers a 30-day money back guarantee if you want to try them out yourself. 

Verdict

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The Even H2 offers a unique listening experience in that it tailors sound to your hearing abilities thanks to its EarPrint feature. We liked the H2 for its easy-to-use hearing test and mobile app, but overall, the headphone lacks refinement for us to recommend. The fit and finish is good but the cheap plastic buttons and rough wood tooling let it down. Additionally, the EarPrint equalization makes music sound exciting but adds too much bass. Plus, the noisy Bluetooth connection is quite distracting for listeners who listen at low volume. 

In the end, the Even H2 fill a very unique niche.- listeners with hearing loss or those who simply want a tailored listening experience will enjoy the H2 but they’re just not polished enough to go against established players. 

$230 (£200, about AU$308) is a lot to spend on a pair of headphones, especially when you can get one of our favorite noise cancelling headphones, the Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2, for less money. However, we hope Even keeps working on refining its headphones as the EarPrint technology is very compelling.