Hasta La Gadget!

GPS recalls haven’t been nearly as common as some other battery-related recalls in recent years, but Garmin has now been hit with a fairly big one — it’s voluntarily recalling some 1.25 million nuvi units due to an overheating issue that could pose a fire hazard. The recall affects certain nuvi 200W, 250W, 260W, and 7xx models that use batteries from an unnamed third-party supplier and a specific PCB design, which Garmin says can “in rare circumstances, increase the possibility of overheating.” While there’s still been no reports of significant damage or injuries, Garmin is nonetheless advising anyone with an affected unit to stop using it immediately and return it for service — hit up the link below to check if your nuvi is included in the recall.

Garmin recalls 1.25 million navigation units due to potential fire hazard originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Garmin has announced that the Nuvi 1690 is now available in Canada, and gets network access for Garmin’s Nulink service from Rogers Communications. With it, the Nuvi 1690 provides direct links to online information, including Google local search, traffic, weather, movie times, flight status, white pages, and safety camera locations. Canadians can even get the same online features when they cross the border into the U.S.

The Canadian version of the Nuvi 1690 comes with maps for all of North America and is available immediately for $429.99 (Canadian). Buyers will get one year of Nuvilink service for free; after than, a subscription will cost $65.00 (Canadian) per year. U.S. roaming costs $9.99 (Canadian) per month, which is almost twice as much as the Canadian service.

For the most part, standalone navigators have retained their same form factor for the better part of the last five years. Each one looked like the other, with the main differentiators being a fold-out or integrated antenna and a big or small display. With intense competition coming from the smartphone space (yeah, we’re looking at you, Google), the bigwigs at TomTom and Garmin are obviously thinking of ways to innovate and keep their consumer PNDs relevant. We aren’t exactly convinced that shaping said navigators like said smartphones is the best answer, but you won’t find us kvetching about the sleek lines and slim nature of the nüvi 3790T. Announced back in April alongside the 3760T and 3750 models, the king of the 3700 series packs a 4.3-inch WVGA multitouch display and a frame that’s just 9mm thick; what you’re left with is the most stunning personal NAV system on the planet, and we’ve had the opportunity to test one out before it hits US shelves in July. Care to see if this beaut is worth $449? Head on past the break for our two pennies (and a video overview, too!).

Continue reading Garmin nuvi 3790T review

Garmin nuvi 3790T review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Jun 2010 11:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The holy matrimony between smartphone and personal navigation device just keeps getting stronger, scorning dedicated GPS units like forgotten flings and leaving navigation-free handsets wandering lost and alone. Garmin-Asus has been flirting with the perfect bond with its Nuvifone series for some time now, but rather tragically from a branding perspective its strongest attempt yet comes without the nuvi moniker. It’s the T-Mobile Garminfone, and its Android underpinnings go a long way toward making the best mix of PND and smartphone to date.

Continue reading Garmin-Asus Garminfone review

Garmin-Asus Garminfone review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 May 2010 11:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile and Garmin-Asus have just gotten down to the nitty gritty with us on the long anticipated Garminfone: the phone ships in June for $199 on a two year contract. Just to show they’re serious, they also let us play with the phone, which is running a speedy, heavily custom Garmin UI on top of Android. Check out some hands-on shots below, and stand by for more coverage of the handset as we get to cuddle up with it during some long, geotagged walks on the beach.

T-Mobile shipping the Garminfone for $199 in June, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 May 2010 17:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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