Garmin has announced the nuvi 1490TV GPS navigator, geared for the European market. The 5-inch GPS includes all the usual PND features including pre-loaded European maps, free traffic updates, safety camera warnings, Bluetooth compatibility, 2 million POIs, Garmin’s “Where I Am?” feature that plots your location in respect to hospitals, police stations and other safety-oriented institutions. The nuvi 1490TV also includes voice-guided, turn-by-turn directions with spoken street names and automatic re-routing in case of a missed turn.
The most important feature in the case of the nuvi 1490TV, however, is the inclusion of a DVB-T mobile TV receiver. With the DVB-T receiver, the nuvi 1490TV can receive freeview digital TV and radio content from over 14 countries around Europe. In the UK alone it can pick up over 50 digital TV channels including the BBC and SKY. As an added safety precaution, the mobile TV feature only works when the vehicle isn’t in motion.
Coming in early April 2010, the Garmin nuvi 1490T will cost the equivalent of US$420.
