Garmin discontinues nuvi x85 series

Rich Owings — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:59:51 +0000

Garmin has discontinued their nuvi x85 series, the only current models with MSN Direct service, which is scheduled to end on January 1, 2012. Most units will be retired by then, or people will have lost interest in the service, but I have to wonder how many were sold to unsuspecting buyers over the holidays. As I write this, the nuvi 285WT is still the number 11 bestseller in electronics at Amazon, currently discounted to $134.99. Amazon has a small notice buried deep in their nuvi x85 pages, but I’m sure there are other online merchants who haven’t even done that:

Notice: MSN Direct service will be available only until January 1, 2012. Activate a subscription between November 19, 2009, and March 31, 2010, and receive 9 months of MSN Direct service for free.

Hopefully, not too many people got burned by this. I recognize that it makes business sense, but waiting until after the holiday season to officially discontinue them, combined with less than obvious disclosure, still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Via

MSN Direct to end January 1, 2012

Rich Owings — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:37:12 +0000

MSN Direct has announced that they will cease operations on January 1, 2012. This will effect owners of Garmin nuvi x8x units, although with plenty of lead time, I doubt that it will be a huge issue for them. Garmin however, may have trouble marketing any backlog of these units they have on hand. You can read all the gory details here.

Via gpsreview.net.

GPS Tracklog » MSN Direct

Garmin discontinues nuvi x85 series

MSN Direct to end January 1, 2012