Garmin nuvi 3550LM and 3590LMT: Super-thin with a 5" screen

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UPDATE: I’ve added links to the product pages for the new models (see below).

Torn between the super-thin Garmin nuvi 3400 series and the 5" 25×5 models? Well fret no more, as Garmin has announced the nuvi 3550LM and 3590LMT, bringing these two popular form factors together. Don’t expect a lot of new features though; this release is all about size and style.

The 3550LM will include lifetime map updates, while the 3590LMT will add Bluetooth, HD Traffic, voice-activated navigation and Smartphone Link support. If you’re ready to plunk down your hard-earned cash, you won’t have to wait long, as both models are expected to be available come February at MSRPs of $369.99 and $399.99 respectively.

Here’s the full news release:

Garmin® Debuts New Top Tier GPS Navigator at CES

OLATHE, Kan./January 9, 2012/Business Wire — Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced the nüvi® 3500 series, the company’s newest flagship personal navigation devices (PNDs) and the company’s first GPS navigators that combine the ultra-thin form factor with a large, 5-inch glass display. The 3500 series is part of the Prestige line of 2012 nüvis and includes the most premium features available on any device such as the Guidance 3.0 navigation engine, Digital 3D Traffic and compatibility with Garmin’s newest Android™ application, Smartphone Link. The nüvi 3500 series will be showcased in the Garmin booth (South Hall #38512) at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.

“The nüvi 3500 series rounds out Garmin’s 2012 line up of PNDs as the most full-featured, top tier navigators,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “This series offers it all, from the thin and stylish form factor and large display to the most premium capabilities like Digital 3D Traffic and Smartphone Link compatibility. What’s more, all of these features are included with the purchase of the device, so customers don’t have to worry about any additional costs, fees or subscriptions.”

As part of the Prestige line of nüvi models, these PNDs feature the Guidance 3.0 navigation engine, which provides a faster, more intuitive user interface to enhance the speed and accuracy of searches and routing. Lane assist with photoReal junction view realistically displays road signs and junctions along the route with photographic detail to clearly mark the correct lane to be in for interchanges and exits. Garmin’s exclusive junction view database includes nearly 60,000 junction views in the U.S. and Canada, 25 times more than in previous nüvi models. Guidance 3.0 also includes myTrends™, the ability for the nüvi to automatically remember frequent favorite route destinations and predict the destination without the user needing to activate a route.

To keep drivers moving instead of sitting in traffic wasting time and fuel, the nuvi 3590LMT offers subscription-free Digital 3D Traffic, which uses information from the HD Radio™ Broadcasting System to provide faster updates and more detailed coverage of side streets and other secondary roads in major cities. With Digital 3D traffic (available in the U.S. only) users will receive traffic updates as often as every 30 seconds, up to 10 times faster than traditional traffic receivers, giving drivers the most real-time depiction of the traffic situation along the route. As part of the world’s most extensive traffic avoidance system, Digital 3D Traffic checks traffic conditions 2 billion times per month using a multidimensional feed of real-time traffic data from quality sources including other Garmin nüvi owners, cellphone users, radio feeds, news stations, historical traffic data and fixed traffic sensors on major roads. With trafficTrends™, the nüvi automatically learns patterns for traffic flow and predicts where traffic will be.

The nüvi 3590LMT is also compatible with Garmin Smartphone Link, an Android app that provides live services to the PND. Smartphone Link creates a seamless navigation experience between the nüvi and an Android smartphone allowing them to communicate and share data. Among other functionalities, the app lets nüvi users add live services such as traffic information, traffic camera images, weather and fuel prices to their navigation device, utilizing the smartphone’s mobile data plan.

The nüvi 3500 series includes the 3550LM with free lifetime map[3] updates ($369.99) and the Bluetooth enabled nüvi 3590LMT with free lifetime digital 3D traffic updates[4] from the HD Radio System, voice-activated navigation, free lifetime map updates, and Smartphone Link support ($399.99).

The new nüvi 3500 series is expected to be available in February 2012. For more information about individual models, features and pricing, visit http://www.garmin.com/move.

The nüvi 3500 series is the latest solution from Garmin’s consumer automotive segment, the leading worldwide provider of portable navigation devices for automobiles and motorcycles. From turn-by-turn navigation and fast and accurate search capability to traffic avoidance and lane guidance, Garmin’s user-friendly PND solutions have innovative features that provide time- and fuel-saving benefits to meet the demands of everyday driving.

Since its inception in 1989, Garmin has delivered 91 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. Learn more about Garmin’s products at Garmin.blogs.com or at http://twitter.com/garmin. 

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