Garmin nuvi 2400 series unveiled

UPDATE: Amazon now has most of the 2400 series available for pre-order. Here are the links: Garmin nüvi 2450, nüvi 2450LM, nüvi 2460LT and the nüvi 2460LMT.

UPDATE 2: Read my hands on review of the nuvi 2460LT. I’ve also posted pages for the Garmin nuvi 2450, nuvi 2450LM, and the nuvi 2460LMT.

No surprise here, since we’ve been talking about it for a couple of months now, but the Garmin nuvi 2400 series was officially unveiled today. Basically, this is the still unavailable 4.3”  2300 series expanded to have a 5” screen. Four models were announced, the nuvi 2450, 2450LM, 2460LT and 2460LMT. The LM/LT/LMT designations refer to lifetime map updates and/or traffic. The 2460LT and 2460LMT will add Bluetooth and voice commands to the 2450 models’ feature set. MSRPs are $249.99 to $349.99, with availability slated for the first quarter of 2011.

Here’s the full news release:

OLATHE, Kan./January 4, 2011/Business Wire — Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, announced today the nüvi 2400 series of personal navigation devices, featuring a large five-inch display and a new range of optional features like voice-activated navigation, lifetime traffic and map updates, and advanced route planning and calculation with Garmin’s nüRoute technology.  The nüvi 2400 series will be showcased in the Garmin booth (South Hall #35831) at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.

“The nüvi 2400 series offers drivers some of the most sophisticated and sought-after features available on the market today,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales.  “The large five-inch diagonal display is easy on the eyes, and options like voice activation, traffic alerts, and enhanced route calculation make traveling across town or cross-country easier than ever.  And never before have these features been available at such an economical price.”

The nüvi 2400 series is comprised of four models: the nüvi 2460LMT, nüvi 2460LT, nüvi 2450LM, and the nüvi 2450.  Models featuring voice activated navigation let users control nüvi by voice, so they can keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. Simply wake up nüvi with a customizable voice command and begin speaking menu options that are displayed on the screen.  Bluetooth connectivity lets users make and receive phone calls when paired with a compatible Bluetooth-enabled phone.  Lifetime traffic-enabled models help notify drivers of traffic delays and road construction and suggest detours around them.  Units featuring lifetime map updates let users download the most up-to-date maps and points of interest up to four times a year.

	nüvi 2450	nüvi 2450LM	nüvi 2460LT	nüvi 2460LMT
Detailed mapping coverage	U.S., Canada and Mexico	U.S., Canada and Mexico with lifetime map updates	U.S., Canada and Mexico	U.S., Canada and Mexico with lifetime map updates
Traffic	Compatible	Compatible	Lifetime traffic included	Lifetime traffic included
Hands-free calling	No	No	Yes	Yes
Voice activated navigation	No	No	Yes	Yes

All models feature nüRoute with trafficTrends™ and myTrends™ predictive routing.  With trafficTrends, nüvi automatically learns traffic flow trends to improve route calculation and better predict the estimated time of arrival based on time of day and day of week.  With myTrends, nüvi will, over time, begin to anticipate a route to favorite destinations as soon as the device is powered up.

The nüvi 2400 series lets consumers customize their unit in new ways as well.  Users can give a one- to five-star rating to any point of interest.  When the unit is connected to a myGarmin account, they can submit their ratings and receive an updated community database of ratings from other users.  Owners can also customize their device’s main menu to display their most-used icons for quick navigation.

Priced from $249.99 to $349.99, the nüvi 2400 family is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2011.  Visitwww.garmin.com for more information and pricing.

Since its inception in 1989, Garmin has delivered 72 million GPS enabled devices – far more than any other navigation provider.  Garmin’s market breadth in the GPS industry is second to none, having developed innovative products and established a leadership position in each of the markets it serves, including automotive, aviation, marine, fitness, outdoor recreation, tracking, and wireless applications.