Garmin is introducing its first multi-use nüvi portable navigation device (PND) dedicated to walking, cycling, driving and boating in one unit. The nüvi 500 series comes equipped with the ability to accept different types of mapping including TOPO or outdoor navigation andBlue Chart cartography for marine usage.
The new waterproof nüvi 500 series include Hotfix(TM), detailed NavTeq mapping, millions of points of interest (POIs), traffic avoidance compatibility and the “Where am I?” safety feature. At any time, with a single tap of the car icon, drivers can display their exact latitude and longitude coordinates, the nearest address and intersection, and the closest hospitals, police stations, fuel stations and recovery service telephone number.
With Garmin Connect Photos, users can choose from millions of geo-located images provided by Google’s Panoramio to photo-navigate on land or water.
The Garmin Nüvi 500 transitions between walking, biking, driving or boating mode with one single touch.
Walking and outdoor pursuits
The nüvi 500 models display shaded digital elevation mapping on the 3.5″ water-proof touchscreen. This series comes standard with a compass page, track log and a removable, rechargeable battery for extended outdoor use.
The integrated Wherigo(TM) and Geocaching player allows the family to enjoy the great outdoors with the downloadable ‘adventures and treasure hunts’ available online. Optional TOPO mapping will give additional detailed maps.
Wherigo is a toolset for creating and playing GPS-enabled adventures in the real world. The GPS technology is used to guide you to physical locations and interact with virtual objects and characters.
Geocaching is an entertaining adventure game where individuals and organizations set up caches all over the world and share the locations of these caches on the internet. GPS users can then use the location coordinates to find the caches. Once found, the visitor may be provided with a wide variety of rewards, all a visitor has to do is ensure that if rewarded, they leave a gift for the next person who finds the cache.
Cycling
Where the nüvi 500 series stands out is in its ability to fit comfortably on a scooter or bicycle. Its user interface is easy to control and, with directions via Bluetooth. If the weather turns and the rain comes down, its waterproof body ensures that the turn-by-turn directions get you to your destination using the most direct route and in the quickest time.
Driving
The nüvi 500 series interface greets you with two simple questions: “Where To?” and “View Maps.” It’s packed with millions of POIs and features digital elevation maps that show you shaded terrain contours at higher zoom levels.
Boating
When loaded with optional BlueChart(R) g2 Vision marine cartography, the Garmin nüvi 500 provides detailed chart-specific information, spot soundings, inter tidal zones, wrecks, port plans, restricted areas.
Price: $499
Link to this post:
