Garmin Nuvi: Touch-Screen GPS with Camera, Wi-Fi
Posted in: camera, gps, Media Players, Today's Chili
Garmin’s new Nuvi 295W is kind of like a GPS iPod Touch. With a camera.
Coming on like a phone-less Nuviphone, the 3.5-inch touch-screen 295W comes loaded with Wi-Fi, a 3MP camera, photo-viewer and MP3-player. There is also a web-browser and an email client. And of course, there is GPS, and maps are supplied for the US and Canada.
The combo is a pretty compelling one. If you think about the iPod Touch, it loses most of its functionality as soon as you get it outside. The 295W still can’t connect to the internet away from a Wi-Fi hot-spot, but it does have GPS and built-in maps to serve directions when off the grid. And the camera is genius, especially as it will geo-tag your photos.
There are downsides, though. First, no Apple App Store. Second, despite the $280 price-tag, you’ll need to bring your own memory (SD-card). And third, the battery life is a paltry four hours. Reduce that figure for real-world use and you have a GPS unit that won’t even last you a walking-tour of a city. A shame, to be sure. We also expect Apple to at least add a camera to the iPod Touch this September. Put GPS in there too and this little Garmin will be dead. Available now.
Nuvi 295W [Garmin via GPS Tracklog. Thanks, Rich!]
See Also:
- Who Dares Call Garmin's Nuviphone an iPhone-Killer?
- Garmin Shows Android Nuvi-Phone and its Ugly Sister
- Garmin, Asus Introduce Second Nuviphone
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