New Nav Ships From Magellan, Navman

By Amy Gilroy On Oct 24 2005 - 6:00am

Thales Navgiation is shipping its first Magellan portable navigation unit to include internal batteries so that it can double as a handheld, as a well as an in-car device.

The new RoadMate 800 is also the first Magellan “multimedia” navigation device. It has 20GB of internal memory and allots more than 4.5 GB to multimedia, including the ability to store music and photos. When the navigation feature is not in use, drivers can listen to music and create playlists or view photos and slideshows from SD or MMC cards or the hard drive.

The unit has a 3.5-inch screen and claims up to 1.5 hours of battery life. Other features include preloaded maps, voice prompted turn-by-turn directions, and volume booster that automatically increases the volume of the unit when speed exceeds 45 mph. The map color changes automatically for better visibility at night.

The 800 also has a SmartDetour feature, which automatically offers the option to choose an alternative route around traffic when the car stops (indicating a possible traffic jam).

The RoadMate 800 ships with car accessories at a suggested retail price of $999.

Separately, Navman announced it is shipping two new portable navigation models in addition to the iCN 320 introduced last month (see TWICE, Sept. 26). Navman's newest models include a high-end unit with built-in maps and new quick access front-panel buttons to locate the nearest gas station or parking garage. Called the iCN 550, it has an estimated street price of $699.95. This is joined by the new iCN 520 with downloadable maps at $499.95.