Garmin nuvi 500 – crossover rumors

UPDATE: Read my hands-on Garmin nuvi 500 review.

File under rumors… A French website is reporting that Garmin is about to unveil what has become known as a "crossover" unit, that is, one that you can use on the trail or on the road (and perhaps on water as well). The nuvi 500 is thought to be based on the nuvi 2×5 series platform, albeit with a ruggedized, waterproof exterior.

So we may have multiple new backcountry handhelds to look forward to from Garmin — the nuvi 500, as well as the forthcoming Garmin Oregon series. And a recently announced rebate on the Rino 520HCx and Rino 530 HCx may even foretell a new handheld with tracking capabilities.

Look for news of these new models to be formally released early next month at Outdoor Retailer.

Via GpsPasSion.