Richfield, Minn. — Best Buy will offer two house-brand portable GPS devices under its Insignia brand for the first time.
On Oct. 19, the company will begin selling two high-end portable navigation devices (PNDs), some of the industry’s first to include built-in cellular modems and a local Google search. The devices will carry no service fees for the first year, said a Best Buy spokeswoman.
The new units include a 4.3-inch Insignia NS-CNV20 at $499 and a 3.5-inch Insignia NS-CNV10 at $399. Their integrated modems allow real-time traffic and live Google local searches plus access to Google Maps to look up a route on a home PC and forward the information to the PND.
Currently, only Dash Navigation has shipped at PND with a built-in cellular modem and live-search capability in the U.S., rendering Best Buy a cutting-edge player in the high-end or midlevel PND market.
The 4.3-inch Insignia PND will also include Bluetooth. Both models will be in most, if not all, Best Buy locations and online at www.bestbuy.com, said a spokeswoman.
