Garmin GPSMap 640, GPSMap 620: Automotive And Marine Navigation Combined
Garmin has just announced the GPSMap 640 and GPSMap 620, the first two GPS navigators in its 600 series. This time around Garmin has taken the popular nuvi line and basically mashed it together with the features of the company’s popular marine navigation lineup to come up with an all-in-one automotive and marine GPS device.
The flagship GPSMap 640 has an IPX7 waterproof 5.2-inch, 800 x 480 pixel display, comes preloaded with street maps of North America and global shaded relief mapping, and US coastal BlueChart g2 marine charts. The 640 also comes with a BlueChart g2 Vision option that provides 3D “above water” views as well as 3D underwater views that accurately display contours on the bottom. Plus g2 Vision suggests the best route to a given destination much like a vehicular PND.
One of the cool things about the GPSMap 640 is that it comes with a marine mount and a car mount, and is able to detect which mount its placed in, automatically switching to that mode. On the road the 640 provides voice-guided turn-by-turn directions, POI search and custom POIs and even proximity alerts.
The GPSMap 620 is extremely similar to the 640, but its geared for international users and thus places optional street maps and marine charts on an SD card.
It’s no surprise that with such features packed into one device you’ll pay dearly. The GPSMap 620 has an MSRP of $999.99, while the GPSMap 640 will go for $1199.99. The full release is after the jump.
Garmin(R) Announces the GPSMAP(R) 600 Series: Touchscreen, Rugged and Ready for Land or Sea
OLATHE, Kan. –(Business Wire)– Oct 03, 2008 Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced the GPSMAP 640 - an ultra portable and rugged touchscreen navigator that comes preloaded with a comprehensive set of street maps and marine charts. Garmin also introduced the GPSMAP 620, which shares the same intuitive interface and is designed for markets outside the United States.
“Blending the best aspects of our popular portable marine units with the intuitive user interface of our automotive flagship line of nüvi® navigators, the GPSMAP 600 series is the perfect tool in the boat and on the road,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales.
Portable and powerful, the GPSMAP 600 series features a high-sensitivity GPS receiver and boasts an intuitive, waterproof (IPX7) super-bright 5.2″ WVGA touchscreen display (800 x 480 pixels) that reacts as users tap or drag through intuitive menus and options. The GPSMAP 640 comes preloaded with comprehensive street maps of North America and worldwide shaded relief mapping in addition to detailed U.S. coastal BlueChart® g2TM charts. When placed in its included marine mount, these new portables will automatically start up in marine mode, presenting chart features such as shaded depth contours, port plans, wrecks, restricted areas and more.
With optional BlueChart g2 VisionTM technology, the GPSMAP 640 provides a true 3-D “mariner’s eye view,” for a navigation perspective above the waterline, and a “fish eye view” for an underwater 3D bathymetric contour perspective. Mariners will also benefit from the auto guidance technology the g2 Vision data card enables that suggests the best navigational route. In addition, photo references give detailed aerial views of points of interest (POI) such as ports, marinas, waterways and landmarks.
When boaters are ready to pack up and hit the road, the GPSMAP 640 effortlessly snaps off its marine mount and, when placed in the automotive mount, quickly transitions into a robust automotive navigator. On the road, this device gives voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions, advising you to “Turn right on Main Street.” In planning a route, users can search for a local bait shop or the best resorts around town and the GPSMAP will lead the way. With the GPSMAP 640, users can also create custom POIs and set up proximity alerts for the ultimate in driver awareness.
Additionally, with the GXM 40 antenna (sold separately), the GPSMAP 640 can graphically display XM WX Satellite WeatherTM data directly on the unit’s display. More than 20 different types of weather attributes - information such as NEXRAD, wind speeds, visibility, severe weather storm tracks and more - deliver location-specific data, in chart-overlay form, directly to the device. With the GXM 40, motorists and mariners also have the option of receiving nearly 200 channels of commercial-free music, news, sports talk and entertainment with XM Satellite Radio. To steer clear of traffic backups, XM NavTraffic is also available to motorists with the GXM 40 antenna.
For international boaters, Garmin is also offering the GPSMAP 620 which provides a worldwide basemap with shaded relief. The GPSMAP 620 supports optional street map and marine chart data through an SD card slot.
The GPSMAP 620 has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $999.99 and the GPSMAP 640 has an MSRP of $1199.99. For more information and availability, visit www.garmin.com.
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