Sure,
Garmin's new nüvi 500 series can get you from point A to point G on paved and well-lit highways, but that's not the (whole) point here. Instead, these rugged (and waterproof) navigators are geared up to take to the trails, waterways and sidewalks with one-touch transitions between driving, bicycling, boating and walking modes. The 500 includes road maps and topographic maps for the lower 48 US states, Hawaii and Puerto Rico, while the 550 touts comprehensive street map coverage of the US and Canada. Both devices boast a 3.5-inch touchscreen, a removable, rechargeable battery, Garmin's "Where Am I?" feature and geocaching support to boot. As for USers, you'll find the 500 and 550 on sale in Q3 for $499.99, while those across the pond will see the nüvi 550 land this September for £299.
[Via
GPSTracklog, thanks Rich]
posted Jul 22nd 2008 10:42AM
You know those articles you read where people blindly follow GPS and end up in a river....this would help them navigate out of water ;-).
Beat me to it. Oh well. But seriously Engadget, no quips about all those GPS-led misadventures?
Could be useful, but honestly for boats (anything larger than 26') I wouldn't use anything that isn't solely geared toward just boating. My boat has a real nice raytheon setup that has radar, GPS and a chart plotter all in one interconnected system. You need a lot more than just "driving directions" with a marine GPS system. Like up-to-date waterway depths, especially when using the intercoastal waterways. Then you have things like navigating through fog where having the radar overlayed on the chart-plotter really helps. Even having it track previous trips on the screen helps you backtrack in poor visibility.
I don't think that these are intended for the marine audience. Rather, I think this is what Garmin's using as a replacement for their Zumo 550 model.
They discontinued those recently and Best Buy's been clearanceing them for about half-price (sucks because no store in my state has any left).
Looking at Garmin's product page, though, these are really sucky replacements if I'm correct: no XM, no Bluetooth, no spoken street names, no MP3 player... Sure, their list price is half what the Zumo550 was, but Bluetooth headset compatibility at the very least is a must-have for motorcycle use.
it is not just boating that you need waterproofing. this is also vital for motorcyclists.
There are paper maps to boot covering the waterways of the Great White North but I have yet to find a comprehensive gps unit or add on that gives me this information. I took interest in this article because this device sounded like it had potential but then found out it was just street coverage. My 16' alumacraft is a wee bit to small for MadMike's setup of awesomeness.
You don't need it in a boat like that - that would be overkill.
But, BOAT US/West Marine has some handheld units where you can probably purchase the maps for from NavTeq. Problem is, the hardware is cheap - but its the damn maps that will kill you. $140 USD for a single region.
if only Michael had this when he drove into that lake
So, what is the difference between these two? Just the preloaded maps?
I just purchased a garmin76Cx hand held unit for my 18' boat it works great. i bought the unit for $250 and the Blue Chart software for $100. It is all I need to be able to navigate both the ocean and the Gulf down here in Key West. And I can load driving maps on it too.
This series comes standard with a compass page, track log and a removable, rechargeable battery for extended outdoor use.
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Well done on the removable battery, Garmin! Would be great to see this on your ENTIRE range.
Garmin 76Cx hand held seems a to be a better option.I will try that one
http://www.pricestealer.com/deals/10/GPS/