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Garmin's CES leaks confirmed, please try to act surprised
It wouldn't be a CES without a little leakage, and there hasn't been any shortage this year. Garmin's lineup of prize winning thoroughbreds sneaked out last night, and rather than close the barn doors the company has flung them wide open, confirming all four things: Voice Studio: As expected, this app will let you record your own navigation voiceover, meaning you can do fun things like say "right" when they should go left, and "turn around" when they should keep going straight. Garmin not only confirmed it, but you can download it right now! Happy pranking. Zumo 665: This motorcycle-friendly navigation unit is also confirmed, as is its XM radio compatibility and A2DP wireless for streaming tunes and directions right into your lid. At a $999 MSRP, though, we'd almost rather get lost. ecoRoute HD: The ecoRoute HD will indeed be launching in March of this year, retailing for $149, and providing the Greenpeace subscribing backseat driver we all crave. Approach G3: Finally, the links-specific GPS from Garmin has also been confirmed, shipping with a database of 12,000 course maps and not relying on any subscriptions or fees for use. More money for lessons, then.
Garmin's CES lineup leaked: golf, cars, and do-it-yourself navigation voices
We've just gotten the inside line on Garmin's CES spread, and let's just start this intel off on the right foot: it looks like we aren't going to see a Nuvifone II at the show this year. Here's what we've got in the pipe: Garmin Voice Studio: This might be the coolest announcement, but if you've got friends with compatible devices, it's going to get old real quick. Basically, it's a PC-based app that lets you record your own nav instructions (which we're guessing is going to result in some extraordinarily NC17-rated Nuvis). The company is saying it'll take about 20 minutes to complete a set of commands -- and naturally, it won't do text-to-speech for reading street names and the like. It won't work on the Nuvi 3xx and 6xx series, but otherwise, you should be good to go. Zumo 665: Have a rider in the family? The 665 is Garmin's latest motorcycle-centric nav unit, which appears to be little more than a 660 with the XM weather, radio (with A2DP out), and traffic on board. It's got a slightly newer firmware build than the current 660 that adds additional map layouts and data fields; and don't worry, 660 owners -- you'll get it in the Spring. ecoRoute HD: The long-discussed ecoRoute cable will be confirmed (again) at $149.99, this time for a launch somewhere between the first and second quarter of the year. Approach G3: This looks to be a downmarket version of the G5 for high-tech golfers looking for a little assistance on the green; MSRP comes in at $349 (compared to $449 for its big brother). And as far as we can tell, that's it. Start warming up your best navigation voices, folks. Update: It's official.
