Garmin has announced the nuvi 750, nuvi 760 and the nuvi 770 -- blending the features and functionality of higher-end nuvis with the form factor of the popular 200 series.

According to Dan Bartel, Garmin's vice president of worldwide sales, the 700 series allows users to truly enjoy the best of both worlds in personal navigation.

“Whether you’re exploring an unfamiliar city or looking for a new restaurant in your neighborhood, this line of nuvis is the perfect combination of power and portability. And with the nuvi 760 and nuvi 770, you can locate a restaurant, find its number, call in reservations and then hide the nuvi away in a pocket or purse,” he said in a statement.

Garmin explains that the nuvi 700 series provides answers to drivers’ most common questions: "Where am I?" and "Where's my car?" With a single tap of the screen, drivers can at any time, display their exact latitude and longitude coordinates, the nearest address and intersection, and the closest hospitals, police stations and gas stations. The nuvis in the 700 series automatically mark the position in which the drivers were last removed from the windshield mount. This help drivers find their car in an unfamiliar spot or crowded parking lot.

Since each nuvi in the 700 series has a built-in FM transmitter, users can wirelessly transmit turn-by-turn directions and street names, MP3s and audio books through their vehicle’s stereo. The 760 and 770 offer Bluetooth wireless technology for hands-free calling when paired with compatible phones.

The 760 and 770 boasts Garmin's FM traffic receiver, which helps drivers avoid gridlock and adjust routes accordingly. The traffic service is available in a large number of major metropolitan areas, and includes a free three-month trial subscription. Garmin informs that each model in the 700 series displays speed limits for many interstates and highways.

Thanks to Bluetooth compatibility and touchscreen technology, the nuvi 760 and nuvi 770 make reaching and enjoying a destination easier than ever. Users can simply tap nuvi’s screen to find and dial phone numbers (specifically supported phones can even access their history log of received, missed and dialed calls) or nuvi's points of interest database (hotels, restaurants, stores and more).

Garmin’s 700 series boasts a bright, sunlight-readable 4.3-inch color touchscreen display (480x272 pixels). The nuvi 700 series has evolved from the design of the popular 200 series and incorporates a high-sensitivity internal GPS antenna that makes it thinner and easier to mount in a car.

Garmin further explains that the nuvi 750 and nuvi 760 come preloaded with highly detailed City Navigator NT road maps for the entire United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The nuvi 770 also provides detailed mapping of Europe.

Additionally, the nuvi 750, nuvi 760 and nuvi 770 feature extras such as a built-in picture viewer, calculator, currency converter, unit converter and world clock. Owners can also purchase Travel Guide and SaversGuide databases. Garmin has included Garmin Lock, an innovative patent pending theft prevention system that disables the unit from performing any functions until the user types in a specific 4-digit PIN or takes the unit to a predetermined secure location.

Moreover, Garmin has added the ability for customers to augment the preloaded maps with custom points of interest from third parties such as school zones and safety cameras.

Garmin International (News - Alert) is a member of the Garmin Ltd. group of companies which designs, manufactures, markets, and sells navigation, communication and information devices and applications -- most of which are enabled by GPS technology.

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Anuradha Shukla is a contributing editor for TMCnet, covering call centers, CRM and information technology. To see more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

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