Automotive Traveler Shops For Portable Navs

It seems a new portable navigation device comes out about every other week, and with prices varying from less than $100 to over $800, it can be pretty difficult to decide which unit is right for you. What makes a premium priced high-end PND better than a mid-level model? Well, the guys over Automotive Traveler decided to look into just that and give you the skinny on five different PNDs ranging from $350 to $750. Get to know the "cool factors" for each, and see which unit fits your budget and fulfills your gadget needs.

Source: Automotive Traveler

B&W and the Jaguar XF Make Sweet Music Together

By: Richard Truesdell

With the introduction and the first opportunity to get behind the wheel of a brand new car, there are high expectations, and no where is this more evident than the introduction of the all-new Jaguar XF luxury sports sedan. But beyond its striking good looks on the outside – a total departure from all Jaguars that came before it – it’s on the inside where the new cat really sparkles. While some of this is due in part to the exceptional design of the interior and the high quality of the wood, leather, and metal used throughout, a good deal of the attraction is the 440-watt Bowers & Wilkins premium audio system.

Garmin Nüvifone: A Traveler's Dream Come True

In the aftermath of CES came what I thought was a breakthrough product. I’m on the road 20 weeks a year and typically test drive more than 40 cars annually. I have tried to configure various mobile phone devices with an easy-to-use GPS package, but quite frankly, none have all the functionality of a standalone PND (portable navigation device). That is until now as Garmin has introduced the Nüvifone, which it claims is the first 3.5G smartphone to include full navigation, Internet browsing and messaging in an all-in-one format with a PDA-style form factor.

Unlike trying to run GPS software on your phone, this is much more like a PND with phone functionality. You put it in its dock and the GPS is activated. Through the navigational menu hands-free calling is enabled. It includes a Google local search functions so if you want to search for the nearest Starbucks, just search for “coffee shops” and it will provide a Web-based rating of local merchants and can navigate you there quickly. As I typically make four to six trips to Europe each year, I really appreciate the fact that the Nüvifone includes preloaded maps of North America and Europe and announces the street names for upcoming turns.

--Richard Truesdell
Editorial Director of Automotive Traveler, an online-only automotive travel lifestyle publication.

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