CeBIT 2007: Garmin announce six new Satnavs

Nüvi 200, nüvi 250 and nüvi 270, nüvi 600, nüvi 650 and nüvi 660FM announced

15 March 2007 11:46 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Garmin has flooded the satnav market today with the announcement of six new models. The company has broken the offering into two distinct offerings - an entry level and pro range of satnavs.

At the top end of the announcements are the new range of widescreen navigators; the nüvi 600, nüvi 650 and nüvi 660FM that all offer a 4.3-inch screen.

A first for Satnav devices, the nüvi 660FM comes with an integrated FM transmitter to enable users to transmit directions and Bluetooth phone calls through an existing car stereo as well as play MP3s. It also comes with an integrated traffic receiver that makes it possible to avoid traffic congestion and Bluetooth Wireless Technology capability that allows hands-free mobile phone calls.

The nüvi 600 and nüvi 650 are also new additions, however the nüvi 600 is only available in Europe and has preloaded maps of various regions throughout Europe.

The nüvi 650 is available in North America and Europe and has preloaded mapping of over 30 countries in Europe or North America (United States, Canada and Puerto Rico).

The 660FM will be priced at €599/£399. The nüvi 600 has a suggested retail price of €399/£269; the nüvi 650 is €499.

At the entry level end, the company has launched the nüvi 200, nüvi 250 and nüvi 270 which cost £169.00, £199.99 and £269.99 respectively will come with regional, European or International mapping which includes Europe and North America.

About the size of a deck of cards, the nüvi’s focal point is its 3.5-inch touchscreen. The unit’s only button is an on/off slider bar, which may be locked in either position to avoid being turned on or off accidentally. The nüvi also has a SD card slot for expandable memory and to add additional features.

The models will feature a built-in picture viewer, calculator, currency converter, unit converter and world clock with optional packages such as the language and travel guides offer bilingual dictionaries and restaurant reviews also available.

For additional security, Garmin has included the Garmin Lock, an innovative theft prevention system that disables the unit from performing any functions until the user takes the unit to a personally selected location or types in a specific 4-digit code.

Apart from the European versions, Garmin will also offer the nüvi 200-series products with regional specific coverage for the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Brazil.

The nüvi 270 contains international mapping which includes more than 30 European countries, North America, Canada, and Puerto Rico. The regional coverage for Europe includes UK/Ireland, Nordics, Belgium/Netherlands/Luxembourg, France, Italy/Greece, Spain/Portugal, and Germany/Switzerland/Austria/Czech Republic.