Ah, I thought one of the key selling points for portable navigations units was their cheap price? Now Garmin is launching their new Nuvi 880, and it goes for right around $1K. Yeah, still cheaper than the factory built-in units, but even so...
So Here's what you're paying for:
Text-to-speech
Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) capability (screen control)
Bluetooth wireless technology (pair with phone or headset)
FM transmitter
Picture navigation: routing to a geocoded point in JPEG files
Included traffic receiver via MSN Direct receiver for North America
Last position: The unit automatically marks your position when you remove it from the windshield mount, so you can navigate with the Nüvi on foot and find your way back to your vehicle
Location and Text messages
Instant on
Web drop: create favorites in a PC browser and send to Nuvi via USB (.gps files)
Route planning with via points
USB 2.0, high-speed connectivity and mass storage
SD card slot
MCX connector (external antenna)
Digital Elevation Maps (DEM)
Embedded Linux (OS)
Replaceable battery, high-capacity Lithium-ion (up to 5 hours use)
Full story here ...
opfreak says:
06:51 AM, 06/19/08
still 50% the cost of most built in units.
And with a portable unit you have a choice.
you can buy the 1000 dollar gadget. or the 150 dollar version.
rsholland says:
07:15 AM, 06/19/08
I fully expect factory in-dash to drop their prices. They have to in order to compete. Heck, Suzuki is even making NAV standard on the their '09 $16K SX4!
http://66.160.188.111/straightline/4698
So as prices of factory units drop, and portable units rise in price, the appeal of portables start to drop.
estreka says:
08:41 AM, 06/19/08
I'm sure I'll be able to snag one off eBay for a couple hundred bucks.
blueguydotcom says:
08:53 AM, 06/19/08
that's only 800 too much.
desmolicious says:
02:15 PM, 06/19/08
Garmin's prices are stupid. I wonder how long they can keep on selling just based on name. So much stuff on this new unit is just showroom fluff, while the actual navigation bits are dumbed down for the average consumer.
Bottom line, can this get me to where I want to go any better than a Garmin 660 (for arguments sake)?
No. But it does cost $650 more.
p.s what is amazing about Garmin is that while all other electronics are getting higher featured and cheaper as time progresses, Garmin actually charges more and more!
drinkduff77 says:
08:51 PM, 06/19/08
This is probably just the MSRP folks, settle down. The MSRP for the 650 is $750 but you can get it for $266 at amazon right now. The 670 lists for $1099.99 and sells for $362. Let's see what this thing actually sells for a few months after it is released.
blueguydotcom says:
11:10 PM, 06/19/08
Garmin's prices are stupid. I wonder how long they can keep on selling just based on name. So much stuff on this new unit is just showroom fluff, while the actual navigation bits are dumbed down for the average consumer.
Not much longer. The entire portable GPS market is turning into the portable calculator market. There will always be some highend models but overall, the basics are becoming generic purchases. Many don't recall that the first pocket calculators were $400 devices.
The best bet for the two big map providers - sell users a device for next to nothing and then put them on a non-refundable update plan ($35 for 1 year, $60 for two, %85 for 3, $100 for 4, etc...). They can create a recurring revenue stream as the profit generated by the generic devices is evaporating.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/28/tomtom-profits-drop-83-due-to-price-cuts/
also, the spread of GPS into phones is hurting the standalone market. Why would someone with a Blackberry or other PDA phone use a navi when google maps mobile does the same thing, plus it's integrated with the phone? iPhone 2 has gps built-in too.
GPS chip, software, etc is cheap. I managed a project with handhelds that use TeleAtlas (Navteq is the other map provider) and a built-in GPS chip. Really the whole thing is pretty simple and cheap to produce.
steve_ says:
02:31 PM, 06/20/08
Sounds like the map update business is being hurt a little by the hackers - you can get lots of (illegal) updates on a BitTorrent now.
ateixeira says:
01:52 PM, 06/24/08
I got my Nuvi 200W for $199 delivered, with no tax, even. It's even a widescreen model.
Ignore the list price, it means nothing. Even brand new these will probably sell for $750, then quickly drop from there.
smortensen says:
06:19 PM, 06/29/08
I actually have the Nuvi 850 which basically is the 880 without stupid MSN Direct and bluetooth and that crap, and the voice recognition works well (as long as the passenger will shut the hell up) but the button to press to make it listen won't fit 'round my GTIs steering wheel very well as it's a bit too small, but there is a little plastic handle thingy by the ciggy lighter plug that holds it quite nicely.
the price of it is a (still high) $799, but with a 10% off coupon and a few free gift cards from a Best Buy grand opening and the HD-DVD player fifty dollar card and so on, I actually got it for a couple hundred less and feel it was totally worth it.
You can knock garmin for a lot of things (like the insanely high price) but their units are about as good as it gets in terms of usability and all that. Plus their windshield mount is fantastic.
You won't find 'em for cheaper for a while though as they've got that price pretty well locked at 800 (for the 850) for the time being.