Garmin nüvi navigators get refreshed, countless new models for 2012

It's time for Garmin to refresh its lineup and flood the market with a slew of dash-mounted GPS devices. In total there are six new series of navigators, with countless models scattered amongst them. The "essential" nüvi 30, 40 and 50 (top left) lines come in three sizes: 3.5-inch, 4.3-inch, and 5-inch sizes (we're sure you can guess which is which), and cover all the basics including a lifetime's worth of free map updates. Stepping up a notch to the "advanced" 2405 (top right) and 2505 series (4.3-inch and 5-inch lines respectively) nets you Garmin's Guidance 2.0 system. The software includes niceties like 3D traffic updates (for free, of course) and photoReal junction view for finding the right lane at off ramps. Last is the "prestige" line -- the nüvi 3400 series -- ultra-thin, 4-inch devices that looks more like a phone than a navigator. The 3400s turn in the frustrating resistive screen for a capacitive panel and upgrade to Guidance 3.0. The 3.0 edition sports all the same features as its lower numbered sibling, but adds pinch-to-zoom, lane guidance and text-to-speech for incoming SMS messages. Not overwhelmed enough yet? Check out the PR after the break.

[Thanks, Devin]

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Garmin® Rolls Out 2012 Line of nüvi® Personal Navigation Devices
Posted August 24, 2011 | 09:00 AM in Automotive/Mobile | Permalink

OLATHE, Kan./August 24, 2011/Business Wire - Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced the 2012 line of nüvis, featuring a tiered series of personal navigation devices (PNDs) to meet the lifestyle and budget of each customer and make choosing the right navigation device easier than ever before. New to the 2012 line are the advanced Guidance 2.0 and 3.0 navigation engines for a faster, more intuitive user interface and enhanced features that result in Garmin's most capable navigators yet.
"Whether you're a recent graduate headed off to college, a busy parent running the kids around town, or someone looking for the best in electronics, the tiered structure of the 2012 nuvi line makes it easy to pick the features and price point that are right for you," said Dan Bartel, Garmin's vice president of worldwide sales. "The Guidance 2.0 and 3.0 navigation engines bring features and capabilities that do far more than just get you from A to B. They make everyday driving easier and provide time- and fuel-saving benefits that only a dedicated device can offer."

Choosing the best nüvi for any given lifestyle has never been easier as the 2012 models are categorized as Essential, Advanced and Prestige, with more details for each at www.garmin.com/move.

Essential: The nüvi 30/40/50 series is the perfect starting point for any journey, providing GPS navigation at its simplest with accurate turn-by-turn directions and spoken street names. These entry-level PNDs are budget-friendly and easy to use, making them a great solution for first-time drivers, students away at college, or as an extra navigator for the other family car.

Advanced: The nüvi 2405 and 2505 series offer sophisticated features at an affordable price, an ideal choice for the multi-tasking parent or the professional with a cross town commute. Advanced models come with Guidance 2.0, a new navigation engine with a faster, more intuitive user interface to enhance the speed and accuracy of searches and routing. Guidance 2.0 provides faster routing and map displays, more intuitive destination searches and the ability to see and select businesses on the map, eliminating the need to page through menus. Select models even offer voice-activated navigation for hands-free operation.

With Guidance 2.0, complex interchanges and exits are simplified using photoReal™ junction view, which realistically displays road signs and junctions along the route with photographic detail to clearly mark the correct lane to be in for interchanges and exits. Garmin's exclusive junction view database now includes nearly 60,000 junction views in the U.S. and Canada, 25 times more than in previous nüvi models.

Also part of Guidance 2.0 is 3D Traffic, providing a whole new experience that includes more than just live traffic data. As part of the world's most extensive traffic avoidance system, 3D Traffic checks traffic conditions 2 billion times per month using a multidimensional feed of real-time traffic data from quality sources including other Garmin nüvi owners, cellphone users, radio feeds, news stations, historical traffic data and fixed traffic sensors on major roads. With trafficTrends™, the nüvi automatically learns patterns for traffic flow and predicts where traffic will be. All of this data is sent to the nüvi to provide timely and accurate updates to keep you moving instead of sitting in traffic wasting time and fuel.

Prestige: The nüvi 3400 series, Garmin's premium line of PNDs, features Guidance 3.0 and the award-winning design of the popular nüvi 3700 series that reinvented the look and feel of personal navigation. At less than 9mm it's the thinnest navigator in the world. The design features pinch-to-zoom touchscreen interaction and automatic dual-screen orientation. With the most robust features available on any device, this product series is perfect for people who want top of the line electronics.

Guidance 3.0 is Garmin's most innovative navigation engine and includes all of the features of Guidance 2.0 plus more. Guidance 3.0 adds myTrends™, the ability for the nüvi to automatically remember frequent favorite route destinations and predict the destination without the user needing to activate a route. Also included on select models is Safe Texting, a text reader feature that allows the driver to receive and hear texts without taking their eyes off the road. And photoReal junction view is enhanced with Guidance 3.0 with Bird's Eye junction view, which highlights the proper lanes on complex junctions with overhead perspective.

3D Traffic is also improved in Guidance 3.0 using information from the HD Radio™ Broadcasting System to provide faster updates and more detailed coverage of side streets and other secondary roads in major cities. With Digital 3D traffic (available in the U.S. only) users will receive traffic updates every 30 seconds, up to 10 times faster than traditional traffic receivers, giving drivers the most real-time depiction of the traffic situation along the route.

The 2012 nüvi product line is expected to be available in October 2011. For more information about individual models, features and pricing, visit www.garmin.com/move.

Since its inception in 1989, Garmin has delivered 88 million GPS enabled devices – far more than any other navigation provider. Garmin's market breadth in the GPS industry is second to none, having developed innovative products and established a leadership position in each of the markets it serves, including automotive, aviation, marine, fitness, outdoor recreation, tracking, and wireless applications. Learn more about Garmin's products at Garmin.blogs.com or at http://twitter.com/garmin.

About Garmin International Inc.
Garmin International Inc. is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation. Since 1989, this group of companies has designed, manufactured, marketed and sold navigation, communication and information devices and applications – most of which are enabled by GPS technology. Garmin's products serve automotive, mobile, wireless, outdoor recreation, marine, aviation, and OEM applications. Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit Garmin's virtual pressroom at www.garmin.com/pressroom or contact the Media Relations department at 913-397-8200. Garmin and nüvi are registered trademarks, and photoReal and myTrends are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.
All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Notice on forward-looking statements:
This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. All statements regarding the company's future product introductions are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on management's current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 25, 2010, filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 0-31983). A copy of such Form 10-K is available at www.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/finReports.html. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.