Garmin nüvi® 1690 and nüLink!sm Connect Drivers with Relevant Online Information

Garmin the global leader in satellite navigation announced today the nüvi 1690, a portable navigation device (PND) with built-in wireless module that lets customers tap into Garmin nüLink! Service that includes valuable navigation online features like Google™ local search, traffic, safety cameras, weather, fuel prices, flight status, white page telephone listings and Ciao!™, Garmin’s exclusive location-based social networking system that allows customers the option of sharing their whereabouts with friends and family so they can navigate directly to them wherever they are.

The European version of the nüvi 1690 comes with one year of free Garmin nüLink! Service that may be accessed almost anywhere customers may roam in Europe*. The nüvi 1690 is the first online PND to include cross Europe roaming and a significant period of online service included in the purchase price of the device.

 “The 1690 takes navigation to a whole new level, breaking the boundaries between the services the web offers and navigation in car.  ,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “Our customers want and need accurate, up-to-the-minute information that they can access quickly and without hassles.  And best of all, the nüvi 1690 includes one year of Garmin nüLink! out-of-the-box, eliminating any hesitation that customers might have about paying for online services.”

The nüvi 1690 with nüLink! has the most comprehensive set of POI search capabilities offered by any PND thanks to the implementation of Google local search and white page telephone listings. Google’s local search brings online points of interest (POIs) to customers’ fingertips and lets them search for destinations by name or key words just like they are accustomed to doing on their personal computer. In addition, Garmin has created a “quick search” feature that lets users search via categories like food, lodging and fuel, rather than typing a word or phrase into the search box. Detailed search results are displayed for many POIs including a location description, business address, phone number and popularity rating. Customers can also use the nüLink!’s white page telephone listing feature to search for a person’s street address by their name.
 
In addition to the local search capabilities, Garmin nüLink! offers a plethora of valuable online services such as instant traffic information, constantly up to date safety cameras, fuel prices, flight status and weather data. These comprehensive services are currently available for many European countries and help take the stress out of travelling. For an example of services by country, see the chart below. 

Garmin nüLink! services are currently available for Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Content varies by country and coverage area, and is subject to change. Additional nüLink information is available at www.garmin.com/nulink.

The nüvi 1690 is also Garmin’s first mobile navigation device to transform traditional social networking into location-enabled social networking. Through Ciao!, customers have the option of sharing their whereabouts with friends and family. Ciao! users will see their friends’ location on a map and then be able to navigate to that location. Ciao!, is a patent-pending social network application that links multiple location-centric social networks onto one application, Ciao! currently aggregates information from GyPSii and uLocate’s Buddy Beacon social network services. Ciao! is expandable and additional social network partners are expected in the future.

The nüvi 1690 comes standard with ecoRoute™, an innovative application that helps customers stretch their dollars and conserve fuel by creating routes that are optimized for using less fuel. When a user selects the “less fuel” option, the nüvi will determine an efficient route based on fuel consumption rates, estimated driving speeds and vehicle acceleration data.  Customers can then develop better driving habits by reviewing the results of ecoRoute’s Fuel Report and Mileage Report. When used in combination with nüLink!’s fuel prices, customers can not only optimize their routes but also can choose their refuelling locations in order to minimize the cost of vehicle operation.

Customers can also opt to use the nüvi 1690’s preloaded POI database to search for a location and then receive turn-by-turn, voice prompted directions to the destination. The nüvi 1690 includes lane assist with junction view so drivers will see a realistic presentation of road signs and junctions along the route, as well as arrows that indicate the proper lane for navigation. These features make it easy to navigate unfamiliar intersections and exits because the nüvi guides drivers to the correct lane for an approaching turn or exit.

The nüvi 1690 also has Bluetooth® Wireless Technology that makes it possible to receive and place phone calls directly from the nüvi. It can be paired with over 200 Bluetooth enabled phones, and a driver can retrieve and dial numbers using a supported phone’s contact list, the phone’s call history log, or the nüvi’s preloaded points of interest database. 

The European version of the nüvi 1690 has preloaded maps for Eastern and Western Europe, and is expected to be available in the fourth quarter of 2009. In Europe, one year of Garmin nüLink! is free and after that, the subscription renewal price for data services is €79/year. Garmin nüLink! content varies by country and coverage area. Additional nüLink information is available at www.garmin.com/nulink. For more information on the nüvi 1690, visit www.garmin.co.uk/1690.

* list services without intercountry roaming