Skokie, Ill.—Rand McNally added its name to the roster of new companies offering portable GPS devices.
Rand McNally plans to launch on Sept. 22 a $499.99 device that will ship bundled with a printed road atlas.
Called the GPS Navigator, it is expected to be the first of a line of GPS products from the 150-year old map company. It will be offered through retailers starting in October, and through RandMcNally.com and Amazon.com in September.
Features for the unit include pre-loaded maps of the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and a slim case which Rand McNally claims is a full inch thinner than many GPS devices. It also has a 3.5 inch color touch screen and built-in MP3 player. Also included are routes for 26 road trips.
Other recent entries into portable GPS include Uniden, Polaroid, Audiovox and Roadmax.