Two Show New Removable In-Car Navigation
By Amy Gilroy -- TWICE, 8/9/2004
NEW YORK — Two new in-car navigation systems in the popular transportable and portable segments are debuting from Garmin and Navman.
Garmin will ship a new combination in-car/portable navigation system called the Quest, which offers a new form factor and a new low price of $599.
The Quest is about the size of a TV remote and features a 256-color backlit TFT display and turn-by-turn, voice-prompted directions with dynamic rerouting. The Quest has a built-in United States base map, but it ships with CDs for detailed maps of the U.S.
Garmin said the product is unique in that other products in its Street Navigator line were designed as portable GPS devices that can be used in vehicles. The Quest, said a spokesman, is designed as an in-car device that can also function as a portable.
Other features include 115MB of internal memory, waterproof case and rechargeable lithium ion batteries with 20 hours of use at a time. Shipping for the Quest is expected in August.
Navman's new unit, the iCN635, is transportable between vehicles. It replaces the iCN630 with updated navigation software that now offers “on-approach notification settings,” selectable sounds and a multi-destination routing tool for planning trips with several stops. Other new features are a “nearest point of interest” search utility and a preloaded North America map base for freeways and select primary roads. The 635 offers turn-by-turn directions, voice prompts and rerouting. It has a 3.8-inch TFT display with a 3D map option, and has 128MB of flash memory and 64MB of internal RAM. It also has a SecureDigital slot. It is expected to ship in September at $749.95.
