At the most recent CES, Garmin introduced its newest line of navigation devices, the 2017 Garmin Drive product line which includes the Garmin Drive 51/61, Garmin DriveSmart 51/61, Garmin DriveAssist 51/61, and Garmin DriveLuxe 51/61. These personal navigation devices are focused heavily on drivers who are more interested in connected features and live services than actual navigation features, unfortunately, and the press release doesn’t actually have all that much information about the navigation features. There might be more once the devices are released, but at the moment, it’s a little slim. However, for the casual driver who is looking for a good alternative to phone navigation, these devices are probably right up your alley.

In addition to basic maps and navigation, all four of the 2017 Drive devices feature a handful of driver alerts including warnings for upcoming sharp curves, railroad or animal crossings, one-way alerts, red light cameras (where applicable), and speed cameras. The devices also all feature Garmin’s signature Read Directions, which uses easily recognizable landmarks, buildings, and traffic lights when giving directions to provide for ease of navigation. The devices also are capable of connecting with a Connect IQ compatible Garmin smartwatch to provide navigation to the driver’s wrist. I’m not sure how useful that’s really going to be, but it’s kind of nice to see connectivity between Garmin devices at the least. read more

As a girl, I can say with authority that GPS units, from a style perspective, are pretty boring looking. They’re often all gray or black and the user interface, while functional, has a distinct lack of fun colors like pink. So, if you’re looking for something neat to do for your mom (or any woman in your life) then why not download a fun pink car to show her the way?

Here are some free Garmin vehicles you can download for Mother’s Day: read more

Garmin announced a new GPS device late last week which combines a dedicated navigation system with a dash cam and advanced alerts to make the first unit designed to protect users in the case of an accident. Dash cams have become more and more popular in recent years, providing an unbiased eyewitness of events along with date and time.

The nuviCam LMTHD boasts a continuously recording dash cam device on the back and a driver-facing display with Garmin navigation favorites including Active Lane Guidance, Up Head to provide upcoming services and POIs, Garmin Real directions, photoReal Junction View, Bird’s Eye Junction View, preloaded Foursquare data and various speed limit and school zone warnings. read more

The Garmin 2015 Nuvi Essential Series is the first budget-friendly line that supports a backup camera

Garmin announced the details of its 2015 Nuvi Essentials series at the International Consumer Electronics Show going on this week. This year’s entry-level devices include several features that have never been available to the lower-end markets before, along with other Garmin essentials like lane assist, junction view, street name, speed limit, arrival time estimates, Up Ahead (to show nearby services) and more.

The new features that normally only are available to the more expensive devices include Garmin Real Directions, which provides actual landmarks, buildings and stop lights as references for easy-to-follow directions; millions of preloaded POIs from Foursquare along with the ability to search new and popular destinations, and the most talked-about feature, support for backup cameras like the BC 30 backup camera, which is available for $169.99. read more