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Garmin introduces the versatile nüvi 500 sat-nav for “Rugged Navigation”

22 July, 2008

Nuvi500 Today we announce our first ever multi-use sat-nav for walking, cycling, scootering, driving and boating, coming in one rugged and easy-to-use unit.

The nüvi 500 series comes equipped with the latest Garmin technology including NavTeq mapping data and also the ability to accept different types of mapping including TOPO for outdoor navigation and Blue Chart cartography for marine usage.

Clive Taylor, Garmin’s Director of Product said that "The nüvi 500 series is a true chameleon in the gadget world, it extends the use of GPS across the range, from walking to cycling to driving to boating. It’s ideal for individuals or families who want to go and explore the great outdoors in every way they can. With the built-in compass and integrated Wherigo™ and Geocaching player the sat-nav’s use is extended beyond just navigating: Users can enjoy the fun of the many family treasure hunts and adventures available online."

The waterproof nüvi combines the latest Garmin navigation technology including Hotfix™, detailed NavTeq mapping, millions of points of interest (POIs) and traffic avoidance compatibility, for the times when sitting in a traffic jam is not an option.

In addition, the nüvi 500 series comes standard with Garmin’s popular “Where am I?” safety feature. At any time, with a single tap of the car icon, you can display exact latitude and longitude coordinates, the nearest address and intersection, and the closest hospitals, police stations, fuel stations and recovery service telephone number.  In addition, with Garmin Connect Photos, users can choose from millions of geo-located images provided by Google’s Panoramio to photo-navigate on land or water.

With just one touch, the nüvi 500 transitions between walking, biking, driving or boating mode! 

The nüvi 550 will be available in the UK in September at a RRP of £299.  In the meantime you can see the new sat-nav for yourself on Stand N118 at the British International Motor Show in London from the 23rd of July to the 3rd of August.  Find out more at www.britishmotorshow.co.uk.