GPS devices are becoming very common for not only automotive use, but for those needing directions when walking or riding a bike. Garmin is one of the biggest names in GPS navigation and the company announced several new GPS models at CeBIT 2009 in Germany today.

The new models are in the nuvi 1200 and 1300 families and all offer thin profiles with the ability to give directions when driving or walking. One new feature of all the devices is optional CityXplorer maps that are available for select tourist destinations around the globe.

The Nuviphone M20 from Garmin and Asus will be out later in the year, but it won’t be the first collaboration to arrive. The first will be the Nuviphone G60 and here are the details and specs.

The device will feature a 3.5″ touchscreen display, HSDPA/3G connectivity, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, Built-in accelerometer, Pre-loaded maps of your region, 3 megapixel camera with geo-tagging ability, and the Ciao! location-based social tool

Watches today do more than watches could do in the past. I have seen watches that have cell phones built-in and watches that connect to the Internet. Garmin is a brand closely associated with GPS devices, but the company has a wider range of products and has introduced a new watch.

It would be easy to assume that the new watch offers GPS capability, but it doesn’t. The watch monitors data from your workouts and saves it for wireless transmission to your computer for analysis. The watch is compatible with any ANT+ fitness device like heart rate monitors, foot pods, or home and gym equipment.

I used to ride a bike frequently, when I was like 12 and couldn’t drive. Since then I try and not get out in the Texas heat on a bicycle with moronic rednecks flying by seeing how close to you they can get with their giant cow trailer pulling mirrors. I do know several people who like cycling though.

For those of you who are really into cycling Garmin has announced that its Team Garmin Edition Edge 705 is now available. The cycling computer comes in orange representing the uniform color of the Garmin-Chipotle cycling team.

It really sucks when you get lost and it’s even worse if you happen to have a wife or significant other in the car at the time to tell you that you should have stopped for directions. The easy way to avoid this is to get a navigation unit, but for some the thought of cluttering up their car with a navigation unit is unbearable. Kenwood’s new products that feature built-in navigation in-dash may be just the ticket.

Garmin and Kenwood announced today that they were extending their relationship. Gamin will be the exclusive navigation supplier for Kenwood’s new 2008 line of in-dash automotive electronics. Garmin and Kenwood also say that they will work together on advertising for the new Kenwood products featuring Garmin navigation.

Garmin has a new exercise gadget debuting at CES this year called the Forerunner 405, designed for runners to aid in training and track routes. The new 405 is also a little more stylish than previous models with similar functionality, keeping the size to a minimum so the gadget doesn’t look like such a gaudy chunk of electronics on your wrist.

The Forerunner 405 is GPS enabled and allows outdoor runners to keep track of their speed, distance, heart rate and location through the watch. This model also features a cool new bezel around the display that lets users navigate and change settings on the watch by simply tapping it and sliding their finger around the metal circle.

Garmin is showcasing at CES the new flagship for its popular line of nüvi GPS devices. This model is known as the Garmin nüvi 880 and it is set to price at around $1,070.

The Garmin nüvi 880 has a long list of features to make even the most picky GPS users happy. To start off, advanced speech recognition technology, communicated to the 880 through a push-to-talk wireless remote, lets you activate a variety of voice commands which correspond to most common tasks on the unit. The Garmin nüvi 880 also draws upon the MSN Direct network to provide a variety of on-demand information points, including traffic, fuel prices, movie listings and news/stocks.

Sure it’s nice to be able to get the same functionality of your electronic gadgets into a smaller package, but smaller isn’t always better for everything. Having a pocket-sized GPS mounted to your dash can sometimes be like an eye chart test for finding destinations and points of interesting while driving your vehicle in traffic. Due to this Garmin is debuting a larger line of GPS units with a big 5.2-inch touch screen, and is packing it with features.

The big screen makes viewing and interacting with the touchscreen easier at arms length, and since they had the extra room they threw in quite a few extra tools. For starters you still get the voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions, but it will also save up to 10 routes, keep track of where you have been, find points of interest as well as school zones and safety cams, shows terrain info and you can even have a little vehicle icon instead of the generic arrow representing your car. A couple of other pretty nifty features include an external video input which lets you have video connected to the GPS, such as a back-up camera on your big rig and an FM transmitter so you can listen to the MP3′s loaded on the device through the car’s FM stereo, not to mention the loaded games and audio books owners can take advantage of.

Garmin unveiled today two new integrated personal training systems for recreational and advanced cyclists. The more interesting of these is the Edge 705, priced at around $550 and expected to be available in December.

The Garmin Edge 705 wlll let users monitor, in some cases wirelessly, GPS position, power, heart rate, speed, cadence, altitude and gradient on the same 2.2-inch color display. Street navigation is available, cyclists can share data wirelessly and data collected by the Edge 705 can be shared online with others through the Garmin Connect Web site.

Garmin unveiled today an advanced fitness watch which wirelessly synchs with other devices, including PCs, to collect and store fitness data. The Garmin Forerunner 50 is expected this October in several price ranges, with $200 being the highest as it includes several fitness monitoring accessories.

The Garmin Forerunner 50 interfaces with fitness monitoring accessories, including a heart rate monitor and foot pod that monitors speed and distance, to wirelessly collect data related to one’s workout. This data can then automatically be wirelessly synched with a nearby PC via a USB stick which connects to the computer. This stick is designed to communicate with the Forerunner 50 without wires when in close proximity.

Garmin has released the nuvi 260 as another addition to their 200 series lineup and an upgrade from the nuvi 250 released a couple months ago. The major addition to the pocket-size 260 model is that it will actually speak the upcoming street names instead of just providing an upcoming distance.

Many GPS devices, including Garmin’s, give audible turn-by-turn directions but will announce a turn coming with a right or left direction in a specified distance. The nuvi 260 will not only give you the upcoming turn but will also give you the street name that you will be turning on, and I’m sure pronunciations may vary. According to Garmin this feature will make the turn-by-turn directional navigation even easier to use since users can focus more on the road and less at trying to see the street names on the device.

The …

Garmin introduced today two new widescreen GPS navigators to its nuvi line. The nuvi 200W and nuvi 250W are expected to be available in July and priced at around $500 and $550 respectively.

Both nuvis sport a 4.3-inch color touchscreen display which is viewable in the sunlight. They have a new design with a thinner GPS antenna to make it easier to mount in a car. Turn-by-turn voice directions guide you along to your destination and the nuvi can automatically recalculate your route if you get lost.

Other interesting features include a built-in picture viewer, unit converter, a theft prevention system and custom points-of-interest. The nuvi 200W includes preloaded mapping of the contiguous United States (lower 48), Hawaii and Puerto Rico while the nuvi 250W has preloaded mapping of the entire United States (including Alaska and Hawaii), Canada and Puerto Rico.

Garmin nuvi 200W …

These Garmin RINO GPS handhelds are really some pretty cool gadgets. Not only is the RINO 530HCx a powerful GPS device, but it also acts as a two way radio.

You really need two of these devices to take full advantage of all the features, and with two of them the parties can communicate up to 14 miles away and see not only their own position but the position of others you know also who are also using a RINO product. This communication combined with locating is a great feature for safety on hunting trips, skiing outings or really any outdoor activities or jobs where you might be temporarily separated.

The RINO 530HCx model also has a seven channel weather receiver with the ability to catch weather alerts, and has a built-in compass and barometer (altimeter). A microSD card slot loads …

Garmin recently announced the release of the nuvi 200 series GPS devices, offering a less expensive option for in-dash navigation systems with the nuvi 200, 250 and 270.

The nuvi 200 series works similar to most GPS devices, offering the ability to find destinations by address, business name or even by category, then offering voice-prompted turn by turn directions that automatically recalculate your route if you venture off the designated route.

The design of the GPS device has a built-in antenna and a slim design not much larger than a deck of playing cards, and comes ready to go out of the box with maps pre-loaded. The price conscious nuvi 200 also comes with the Garmin Travel Kit of handy applications and the Garmin
Travel Guide and SaversGuide content. This series of navigation systems also has some added security allowing the owner to lock the device, which can …

The GPSMAP 5212 is the flagship model in Garmin’s new GPSMAP 5000 Series of multifunction displays designed for marine use.

The 5212 features a large, waterproof 12.1-inch diagonal XGA touchscreen display (1024 x 768 pixels). Navigating the 5212 is accomplished through “virtual buttons” that change depending on the function and therefore eliminates the need for “hard” buttons, a valuable space saver on smaller helms.

The GPSMAP 5212 comes pre-loaded with detailed U.S. coastal charts – including Alaska, Hawaii and the Bahamas. The optional BlueChart g2 Vision SD data card provides high-resolution aerial reference photos to aid you in navigating harbors and channels or locating marinas, fuel stops or restaurants.

All of the 5000 series units employ the capabilities of the Garmin Marine Network, a system that combines GPS, radar, sonar, XM WX Satellite Weather, and other data.

The GPSMAP 5212 has a suggested …