Garmin Nüvi 310 Review Roundup

Last Updated
- Added review by CNET ( 14th November, 2006)

The Garmin Nüvi 310 is a small GPS that enables you to do different things such as; translating, tour guide, entertaining, and of course navigating. The key features include; automatic routing, 2D or 3D map perspective, touch screen interface, customized points of interest (POIs), language guide, savers guide and travel guide. Other features include; high-sensitivity WAAS-capable GPS receiver by SiRF, 320 x 240 pixels TFT display, built-in lithium ion battery, preloaded European maps and bluetooth.

+ REVIEWS:

CNET reviews the Garmin Nuvi 310, they rated the phone 6.5/10 and write:
“The Nuvi 310 picks up the excellent SiRFstar III GPS chipset, in line with most other models on the market. Maps feature text-to-speech technology that pronounces street names instead of simply reading out a direction…The Nuvi 310 excels in its ease of use; no set-up whatsoever is required…The good: Simple, Quick route calculation, Travel kit. The bad:Poor route choice, Slow commands, Expensive.”

+ PRESS RELEASE:

Travel Stress-Free and “Hands-Free” with the Garmin® nüvi™

HANNOVER, Germany/March 8, 2006/PR Newswire — Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq: GRMN), today announced a new feature for its all-in-one Personal Travel Assistant™. The nüvi 310 and nüvi 360 will incorporate Bluetooth Wireless Technology, as well as a GPS navigator, MP3 player, audio book player, language translator, travel guide, currency converter, world travel clock, and much more. The nüvi 310 and 360 were announced at CeBIT, Europe’s premier electronics trade show in Hannover, Germany, from March 9-15, 2006.

The nüvi’s Bluetooth Wireless Technology capabilities and integrated microphone and speaker provide for hands-free mobile phone calls. This easy-to-use calling feature lets users dial phone numbers through nüvi’s touchscreen keypad. In addition, users may look-up and dial numbers from their personalized phone book or from the phone’s call history log that shows calls received, calls dialed and calls missed. If a user does not know the phone number of their destination, they can easily find and dial it from nüvi’s points of interest database – such as hotels, restaurants, and gas stations and attractions.

“The nüvi is quickly becoming a ‘must-have’ among travelers because it combines numerous technologies and makes it possible to streamline the number of devices carried when traveling,” said Gary Kelley, vice president of marketing for Garmin International. “The integration of Bluetooth Wireless Technology with nüvi is yet another feature that sets it apart from other GPS units on today’s market.”

Nüvi is an all-in-one portable GPS navigator, traveler’s reference, and digital entertainment system. It provides three-dimensional automatic routing with turn-by-turn voice-prompted directions that speak street names* — making it easy to find your way anywhere. In addition, when combining nüvi with the optional FM RDS-TMC traffic receiver, a driver is notified of upcoming accidents, road construction, or other incidents. When traffic delays are looming, nüvi automatically suggests and calculates alternative routes.

After arriving at a destination, nüvi’s optional Garmin Language Guide™ and Garmin Travel Guide™ helps travelers feel like a native. The Garmin Language Guide contains five bilingual dictionaries and a multilingual word bank and phrase bank that support nine languages and dialects. The Garmin Travel Guide for Europe features information from Marco Polo and allows users to call up thousand of restaurant tips and display explanatory text and image information about tourist sights. The Garmin Travel Guide for the U.S. will be available in the second quarter of 2006.

For added security, Garmin has developed a theft prevention system for nüvi. The Garmin Lock™ disables the nüvi from performing any functions until the user types in a specific 4-digit PIN or takes the unit to a predetermined secure location code. If the user does not know the PIN or secure location, the nüvi will be inoperative.

In Europe, customers can purchase one of nine regional map coverage areas (nüvi 310), or opt for full European mapping (nüvi 360). The North American version (nüvi 360) includes preloaded maps of the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. All map data is provided by NAVTEQ™ – a world leader in premium-quality mapping.

Nüvi is expected to be available in June, and is sold with a suction cup mount and 12-volt adapter, AC power cable, PC/USB cable, owner’s manual and quick reference guide. The Garmin Travel Guide and Garmin Language Guide are sold separately. Additional information is available at www.garmin.com.

*Text-to-speech functionality is available only on the nüvi 360.

About Garmin International Inc.
Garmin International Inc. is a member of the Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq: GRMN) group of companies, which designs and manufactures navigation, communication and information devices - most of which are enabled by GPS technology. Garmin is a leader in the general aviation and consumer GPS markets and its products serve aviation, marine, outdoor recreation, automotive, wireless and OEM applications. Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in the Cayman Islands, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit Garmin’s virtual pressroom at www.garmin.com/pressroom or contact the Media Relations department at 913-397-8200. Garmin is a registered trademark, and nüvi, Personal Travel Assistant, Garmin Lock, Garmin Language Guide, and Garmin Travel Guide are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries. Anticipated product availability dates are based on management’s current expectations and are not guaranteed.

All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Notice on forward-looking statements:
This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. All statements regarding the company’s future product introductions and expected product availability dates are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on management’s current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005 filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 0-31983). A copy of Garmin’s Form 10-K can be downloaded at www.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/finReports.html. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.