Hong Kong Witnesses First Aston Martin One-77 Crash

2013 Volkswagen CC Gets Sporty R-Line Trim

Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix Weather Forecast
Sarrazin Gains Final Seat For Toyota Racing At Le Mans

Indy 500 Carb Day Practice To Franchitti; Dixon Takes IZOD Pit...

Volkswagen Golf R Cabrio Patent Photos Revealed
2013 Cadillac XTS Configurator Launched

BMW Zagato Coupe Unveiled At Villa d'Este

New Firestone Indy Lights Formula For 2014

Garmin's Big News Is...Updated GPS Units

Richard Read

Reporter BIO

Richard Read is a car writer, covering marketing, technology, social media, and other auto industry topics for High Gear Media. With a background in... More

LATEST ARTICLE
Natalie Wood's Mercedes-Benz 300SL Heads To Amelia Island
Movie buffs traveling to this year's Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance will be in for a pleasant... Read More

#9LEADERBOARD RANK
2434ARTICLES CONTRIBUTED
342COMMENTS POSTED

3,351 views Aug 25, 2011

Follow Richard

Add to circle

null

Enlarge Photo

Late last week, Garmin rolled out a teaser campaign for something to be unveiled on August 24th. Assuming that Garmin is a forward-thinking manufacturer of high-tech gadgets, we imagined that the company might roll out an Android app (finally) or perhaps a telematics service to compete with OnStar FMV.

Well, the news is out: what Garmin had been so eager to announce is...some updated version of its nüvi standalone GPS devices.

If we sound underwhelmed, it's only because we are.

Don't get us wrong: the new models are nice. There are six new lines to choose from, and they're very pretty as standalones go. And of course, we're happy to see the roll-out of Garmin Guidance 2.0 and 3.0, which contain several nifty features for travelers.

Our problem is that Garmin's "big announcement" comes the very same week that a new technology study was released, confirming what that we've suspected for some time: that the standalone GPS device is dying. Between the growing number of in-dash telematics systems available from automakers and the increasing ubiquity of smartphones, the standalone GPS seems comparatively limited -- almost quaint.

When standalones first arrived on the market, they were big news, of course, and everyone had to have one. Several years down the line, though, we're a bit more sophisticated. Most drivers understand that they don't need a GPS for their workday commute; now, they want devices that offer more functionality for daily use. Smartphone owners have access to an abundance of clever apps, and even in-dash systems offer a range of features that GPS units can't match.

But maybe we're a shade to jaded and pessimistic this Thursday morning. (Having a major hurricane looming over the country can do that to you.) Are you excited about these new gadgets? Or are you feeling a little feh? Drop us an email, leave a comment, or post your thoughts to our Facebook page.

[Garmin, h/t Joel]