GPS Lineup
nüvi® 350
nüvis are Garmin’s sleekest, most popular line of navigators. Designed for life in the 21st century, the nüvis do far more than just help you get from A to B. The first model we looked at in the nüvi lineup is the 350, a popular and deceptively small navigator that’s slim enough to fit easily into a shirt pocket. Despite its diminutive size, the nüvi 350 is a powerful and intuitive navigation tool full of useful features and data to help streamline your busy life. The nüvi 350 comes preloaded with maps of North America, featuring easy to use, turn-by-turn, voice-prompted directions. It speaks street names automatically, and quickly recalculates the directions should you stray from the suggested path. This little unit also packs a detailed travel guide, MP3 player, JPEG picture viewer, and currency converter.
MSRP: $535.70
nüvi® 360
The next step up in the nüvi family is the nüvi 360, which has everything the 350 offers, plus Bluetooth Wireless Technology for easy, hands-free calling. This means you can wirelessly pair the nüvi 360 with your compatible Bluetooth-enabled cell phone to send and receive calls through your nüvi using its built-in microphone and speaker. Not only can you answer calls using the 360’s touch-screen keypad, you also have easy access to your personalized phonebook and call history logs. Need to find a restaurant, hotel, or gas station? In one streamlined motion you can quickly search the points-of-interest database in the nüvi’s travel guide, find the attraction you need, get on-the-fly directions, and have your nüvi 360 dial your cell phone so you can make a reservation.
MSRP: $642.84
StreetPilot® c580
The StreetPilot c580 offers all the rich data features of a nüvi 680 in a more competitively priced package. The c580 looks like a small television, but weighs only nine-ounces, and has a suction cup mount so it’s easy to share between people and vehicles. It offers weather, traffic, and other local information services through MSN Direct, has Bluetooth for hands-free calling, and turn-by-turn voice-prompted navigation based on preloaded City Navigator® NT street maps. Along with an MP3 player, it also features a fingertip touch-screen interface for easy use on the go.
MSRP: $749.99
z_mo® 550
The z_mo 550 is another rugged hybrid GPS device that’ll work in your car, but with features aimed at hardcore motorcyclists. The zūmo is durable and intuitive, whether you’re on two or four wheels. The waterproof design endures greater vibrations and the fuel-resistant plastic construction resists all the elements. The touch-screen interface features larger buttons for use with gloved hands and a motorcycle console that provides trip information, including a fuel gauge, in addition to the standard voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions and massive points of interest database. The z_mo comes with both a motorcycle mount with universal hardware and an automotive suction cup mount for car use, plus it has a rechargeable, removable lithium-ion battery for use on foot. If your two-wheeled adventures veer into motocrossing, the z_mo 550 can also be loaded with additional electronic maps for off-road navigation.
MSRP: $1076.91
nüvi® 680
The top of the nüvi line is Garmin’s new nüvi 680, which offers all the features of the 360 (Bluetooth Wireless Technology, MP3 player, audio book player, language translator, travel guide, currency converter, world travel clock) but with a wider touch screen display and tons of rich, offline data at your fingertips via MSN Direct. With the nüvi 680, you can get up-to-the-minute traffic reports on delays in your path, like accidents and road construction, and it can route you around the hold ups. Get weather forecasts for where you are or at your destination. It can also tell you where to find the cheapest gallon of gas, how far away it is, and how to get there. It can even find movie times and listings at area theaters. I know what you’re thinking, but no, it can not tie your shoes for you.
MSRP: $964.27
Quest® 2
This small, fully-featured “hybrid” GPS unit is perfect for folks living in or out of the fast lane. About the size of an open flip phone, the Quest 2 is extremely rugged and waterproof, perfect for use in the great outdoors or on your daily commute. The Quest 2 is preloaded with maps of North America, provides turn-by-turn voice-prompted navigation, automatic detour recalculation, and millions of roadside points of interest. But this unit really shines off-road, especially loaded with optional MapSource® cartography including U.S.Topo (topographic) and BlueChart® for more outdoor adventures. The Quest 2 has a rechargeable lithium ion battery that provides up to 20 hours of use for those times when the nearest electrical outlet is miles and miles away.
MSRP: $749.99
GPSMAP® 496
For those folks that are on the fly, literally, Garmin offers the crème-de-la-crème of electronic navigators – the GPSMAP 496. This all-in-one aviation device is designed primarily with pilots in mind, but it’s a must-have for the technophiles among us. Rugged and completely waterproof, this combination aviation-automotive-marine GPS unit is faster, more powerful, and more informative than any other portable handheld on the market today. Featuring a full complement of aviation data, and XM WX Satellite Weather™ that conveys every ounce of meteorological data imaginable through real-time radar, the GPSMAP 496 is also Garmin’s first aviation handheld to include pre-loaded City Navigator NT maps for driving. On the road, the 496 serves as a premium in-car navigation system with automatic route calculation to any destination and turn-by-turn voice-prompted directions, plus a massive points-of-interest database. The 496 is also compatible with Garmin’s BlueChart G2 sonar technology for complete situational awareness when traveling by water.
MSRP: $2995.00
For all the latest devices, find your own way to garmin.com.
