New Garmin GPS System Nuvi 260

Garmin recently announced the Garmin GPS Nuvi 260, a sleek, simple-to-use, and value-priced personal navigation device (PND) that speaks street names.

Like other products in the nüvi 200-series lineup, the nüvi 260 offers budget savvy consumers the benefit of a premium in-dash system at a fraction of the cost. In addition to features offered by other members of the nüvi 200 family, the nüvi 260 automatically calls out street names (saying “turn right on Main Street” instead of “turn right in 200 feet.”). This feature lets drivers keep their eyes on the road letting drivers keep their eyes on the road while navigating through busy traffic and tricky roadways. The ability to "call out" street names is a true killer feature for a GPS device. You no longer will rely on your so called co-pilot.

The nüvi 260 incorporates an internal GPS antenna that makes it thinner and even easier to mount in a car. The intuitive “Where To?” and “View Map” welcome screen allows users to quickly find a specific street address or establishment’s name, or search for a destination by category. Turn-by-turn, voice-prompted directions then guide the driver to their destination. If they miss a turn along the route, the nüvi automatically recalculates a route and gets them back on track, pronouncing the names of the streets along the way. The nüvi 260 includes preloaded detailed mapping of the entire United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico – with approximately six million points of interest (like hotels, restaurants, ATMs, gas stations, and more).

The pocket-sized nüvi 260 also includes a built-in picture viewer, calculator, currency converter, unit converter and world clock. These new navigators are also compatible with Garmin’s line of rich content such as the Garmin Travel Guide™ and Garmin SaversGuide®. For additional security, Garmin has included the Garmin Lock™, an innovative patent pending theft prevention system that disables the unit from performing any functions until the user types in a specific 4-digit PIN or takes the unit to a predetermined secure location. Garmin has also added the ability for customers to augment the preloaded maps with custom points of interest (POI’s) from third parties such as school zones and safety cameras.

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

The nüvi 260 is expected to be available in August 2007 at an MSRP of $499.99.