A long last: a waterproof GPS from Garmin that will allow you to take it boating, camping, hiking, and driving without changing devices.
A couple of newly released Garmin models (Nuvi 500 and 550), designed solely for the North American markets have us Aussies feeling just a tad jealous. And as far as we know so far - there's nothing quite like this on the market as yet.
Instead of needing to purchase multiple GPS units for different functions (annoying and expensive), the new Garmin unit(s) have combined all the necessary map data in one device.
It’s like one of those sweet gadgets from the Batman tool belt – but only less cool.
Outdoorsy types will be able to take full advantage of the device's dual operating functions, as switching between off-road and on-road maps is just a matter of point and click.
A separate SD card handles all the extra off-road data and adventurous hikers will feel even more confident to ditch their compasses with built-in topographic maps and customisable POI indicators.
The Nuvi 500/550 will also allow you to navigate to Geotagged photos, giving wannabe Indiana Jones types (and particularly those who enjoy using Google maps) an even better excuse to leave the car and trail off into the great unknown.
Land and Water equipped
You can even leave the land if you fancy; the Nuvi 500/550 are equipped to handle Marine maps as well. And don’t be worried about getting the device a little wet, as the unit is fully waterproof.
Coolest geek feature: The digital elevation maps, which show you shaded terrain contours at higher zoom levels.
The units retail for $499 in the US, and further specs are available online at the official Garmin website. With a price that good, we can’t wait until Garmin releases this handy gizmo downunder.
