Hawt Gadgets

The new feature in portable vehicle gps units is the widescreen display. The “W” models are the widescreen units. The larger horizontal screen makes it easier to enter destinations on the touchscreen keypad. The wider screen also lets more information be displayed.

The Garmin nüvi 285WT has a 4.3-inch widescreen touch display. The screen display is bright enough to view map details, driving directions, and even photos. Garmin units are preloaded with detailed 2D and 3D City Navigator NT street maps, with over 6 million points of interest. This unit has voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions with spoken street names. It also features Bluetooth wireless technology with a built-in microphone and speaker for hands-free calling.

This model, the 285WT, includes an additional component. The “T” refers to the traffic receiver. The traffic receiver provides traffic data from NAVTEQ Traffic, a real-time traffic services provider with no monthly fees or maintenance costs.

- Edwin, HawtGadgets.com

The Garmin nüvi 360 is a portable GPS unit. This is one of the lowest priced units where you can get portability, 2D and 3D maps, voice directions, Bluetooth capability, and optional traffic update capabilities.

At 3.87 x 2.91 x 0.87 inches and 5.1 ounces, the Garmin nüvi 360 is highly portable. The 2.8 X 2.1 inch touch-screen is large enough to clearly display map information. Garmin’s GPS devices come preloaded with the latest maps and over 6 million points of interest. The unit has built-in Bluetooth, letting it act as a hands-free unit when paired with a Bluetooth enabled cellphone.

Garmin nüvi 360 GPS Navigator is a compact and versatile unit. It can also function as an MP3 player, an audiobook player, a JPEG picture viewer, a world clock with time zones, a currency converter, and more. The unit’s USB port can be used for updating or loading new data. You can also add data using the unit’s SD memory card expansion slot.

- Edwin, HawtGadgets.com

Garmin’s nüvi 700 series brings two exciting new features — multi-destination routing and, “Where am I?/Where’s my car?” — to its popular pocket-sized GPS navigator lineup. As with all nüvis, you get Garmin reliability, the fast satellite lock of an integrated high-sensitivity receiver, a slim, pocket-sized design with a gorgeous display, an easy, intuitive interface, and detailed NAVTEQ maps for the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico with more than 6 million name-searchable points of interest. All of the 700-series navigators also feature a rich array of features including spoken directions in real street names, MP3 player and photo viewer, and an FM transmitter that will play voice prompts, MP3s, audio books, and more, directly through your vehicle’s stereo system.The nüvi 760 and 770 add integrated traffic receivers and Bluetooth capability for hands-free calling. The nüvi 770 adds maps for Europe. The nüvi 780 adds enhanced MSN direct content capability.

- Edwin, HawtGadgets.com