Garmin and BMW recently announced a partnership where Garmin will customize sat nav systems for BMW 1 and 3 series based on the nuvi 360.

The portable GPS navigation system will have custom logos, pre-installed BMW dealer database and a special dock on the car’s instrument panel which means no clutter:

…includes a customized mounting bracket that allows owners to mount the nüvi directly to the interior trim on the instrument panel, rather than to the windshield via a suction cup mount like traditional Garmin portable navigation systems… The special bracket is powered by BMW’s onboard network and eliminates the need for exposed power cables. The mount charges the nüvi’s built-in battery so that the device may also be used outside of the car when navigating a city as a pedestrian.

The popular nuvi 360 model also features bluetooth, pronounces street names, and plays MP3s. Nuvi 360 currently sells for $322.

Colorado 300 is the base model of the new Colorado mapping handheld GPS series from Garmin and it includes worldwide basemap with shaded relief unlike the 400 models (400i, 400t, and 400c) which include specialized maps. However Colorado 300 supports SD cards so you can take any kind of map with you including street maps, topographic maps, coastal charts or inland lake data.

New on the Colorado series is the wireless sharing of waypoints, tracks, routes and geocaches with other users, and of course the new ‘rock’n roller’ input wheel which allows for one hand control of the GPS device for most functions.

Here are the specs for Colorado 300:

• Display: 240 x 400 pixels, transflective color TFT
• Weight: 7.3 oz (206.9 g) with batteries
• Battery: 2 AA or 2 NiMH batteries
• Battery life: 15 hours
• Waterproof: yes (IPX7)
• Basemap: yes
• Ability to add maps: yes
• Built-in memory: 384 MB
• Accepts data cards: SD card (not included)
• Waypoints/favorites/locations: 1000
• Routes: 50
• Track log: 10,000 points, 20 saved tracks
• Preloaded maps: no

Garmin introduced the nüvi 260W, a widescreen personal navigation device (PND) that speaks street names during CES 2008.

In addition to features offered by other members of the nüvi 200 family, the nüvi 260W automatically calls out street names. This feature lets drivers keep their eyes on the road while navigating through busy traffic and tricky roadways. The nüvi 260W also sports a sunlight-readable 4.3-inch touchscreen display.

The nüvi 260 series incorporates an internal GPS antenna that makes it thinner and even easier to mount in a car. The intuitive “Where To?” and “View Map” welcome screen allows users to quickly find a specific street address or establishment’s name, or search for a destination by category. Turn-by-turn, voice-prompted directions then guide the driver to their destination. If they miss a turn along the route, the nüvi automatically recalculates a route and gets them back on track, pronouncing the names of the streets along the way. The nüvi 260W includes preloaded detailed mapping of the entire United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico – with over six million points of interest.

The pocket-sized nüvi 260W also includes a built-in picture viewer, calculator, currency converter, unit converter and world clock. These new navigators are also compatible with Garmin’s line of rich content such as the Garmin Travel Guide and Garmin Language Guide. For additional security, Garmin has included the 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.

Garmin has also added the ability for customers to add custom points of interest (POI’s) from third parties such as school zones and safety cameras.

Garmin today announced a new wider version of the Nuvi 260, called Nuvi 260W. Nuvi 260W will have very similar features to the older 260 such as the text-to-speech, but will have a screen that measures 4.3″.The rest of the features for 260W are same as the 200 series such as turn-by-turn, voice-prompted directions, preloaded maps of U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico and over 6 million POIs.

Other not-so-important features include picture viewer, calculator, currency converter, unit converter and world clock. In the box you’ll find the vehicle suction cup mount, car charger, dashboard disk, and the user manual.

The new ‘budget’ 260W will cost about $400. But keep in mind the MSRP from Garmin is usually very high; specially if you wait 2 - 3 months you can probably get it for $100 cheaper.

Garmin today announced a GPS watch that actually is the size of a watch. Called Forerunner 405 this GPS watch is really not that bad looking meaning you can almost wear all day every day - something impossible to do with the older 305 and 205.

Expected to cost about $300, the Forerunner 405 can track your speed, distance, heart rate and location. The new user interface is a touch bezel on the face of the watch which makes navigating the menus easier. The bezel responds to tapping, holding or running a finger along it.

Like previous models Forerunner 405 also features the Virtual Partner whose pace you can adjust as you wish - which may defeat the purpose of a challenge for some people.

The watch itself does not come with a heart rate monitor but supports it, in addition to an optional speed/cadence bike sensor which can help cyclists monitor their pedaling cadence and wheel speed.

The Skinny: Garmin’s Mobile PC, a software suite that provides Garmin’s GPS capabilities on your laptop with any GPS receiver. It’s available by itself for $59, but if you want a more integrated approach, you can buy it with the Garmin GPS 20x sensor (USB dongle) for $99. Both will be available in April. Both versions will give you free access to Garmin’s online service that feeds you weather, flight status and hotel rates.
The Catch: Using a laptop as a GPS only won’t get you killed if you have a passenger, or have something secure in your car to mount it with.