Garmin has announced the release of heads-up display (HUD) that connects to your Windows Phone via Bluetooth. The HUD unit will project navigation information on to your windshield. This will help increase safety and reduce driver distraction when using your Windows Phone as a navigational tool. By projecting the navigational information in the driver's line of sight, it keeps their eyes more on the road.
The Garmin HUD is compatible with any Bluetooth enabled smartphone running Garmin Streetpilot or NAVIGON apps. HUD displays turn arrows, distance to the next turn, current speed, and the estimated time of arrival. Additional display options include alerts for when drivers exceed the speed limit, traffic delays and safety camera locations.
When you combine the heads-up display of the Garmin HUD with the spoken turn-by-turn directions from StreetPilot or NAVIGON and you had a pretty decent navigation setup. The HUD's car power cable will have a USB port that will let you piggy-back charge your Windows Phone to boot.
While there's no hard date on release, the Garmin HUD carries a MSRP of $129.99. We're trying to get our hands on a unit to review and as we learn more about the Garmin HUD, we'll pass it on. The full presser follows.
A New Way to View Directions in the Car: Garmin® Introduces Its First Portable Head-up Display (HUD)
OLATHE, Kan./July 8, 2013/Business Wire — Garmin® International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced HUD[1], the company’s first portable head-up display for smartphone navigation apps[2]. HUD is an innovative new way of viewing navigation information in the car, projecting crisp and bright directions onto a transparent film on the windshield or an attached reflector lens. By providing comprehensive road guidance at a glance and right within the driver’s line of sight, HUD can help increase safety and reduce driver distraction. HUD receives navigation information from a Bluetooth-enabled smartphone running a Garmin StreetPilot1 or NAVIGON app.
“HUD redefines the navigation experience by allowing drivers to find their way without taking their eyes off the road,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of worldwide sales. “Head-up displays currently have their place in select high-end cars, but HUD makes this technology available as an aftermarket accessory for any vehicle, at an affordable price.”
HUD offers more navigation details than other portable head-up displays, yet presents them in a simplified way that doesn’t divert the driver’s attention from the road. The directions are easy to follow and allow drivers to navigate even the most challenging interchanges and traffic situations with ease. HUD displays turn arrows, distance to the next turn, current speed and speed limit, as well as estimated time of arrival. It even lets drivers know what lane to be in for the next maneuver and alerts them when they exceed the speed limit2. HUD also warns users of potential traffic delays and upcoming safety camera locations[3]. The crisp display automatically adjusts the brightness level so projections are clearly visible in direct sunlight or at night.
Complementing the visual display, spoken turn-by-turn directions are provided simultaneously by a compatible Garmin or Navigon app1, either through the smartphone speaker or a Bluetooth-connected car stereo. Music streamed to the car stereo from the smartphone will automatically fade out for turn-by-turn voice prompts. HUD also continues to display navigation information while taking incoming calls.
HUD is easy to set up. Users can choose between displaying navigation information on their windshield, with the included, transparent film, or on to the included reflector lens that attaches directly to HUD. The device pairs wirelessly with a compatible Bluetooth®-enabled iPhone, Android™ phone or Windows® Phone 8. An integrated USB port on the vehicle power/adapter cable makes it easy to charge the smartphone while driving.
HUD has an MSRP of $129.99 and will be available this summer. Garmin StreetPilot and NAVIGON apps1, starting at $29.99 for a regional map (NAVIGON U.S. Central, East or West), provide premium turn-by-turn navigation for smartphones, including onboard maps, lane guidance, speed limit warnings2, real-time traffic2, and many other features.
HUD is the latest from Garmin’s consumer automotive segment, the leading worldwide provider of mobile navigation solutions for automobiles, motorcycles and trucks. Garmin’s user-friendly personal navigation devices and apps have innovative features that provide time- and fuel-saving benefits to meet the demands of everyday driving.
About Garmin International Inc. Garmin International Inc. is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation. Since 1989, this group of companies has designed, manufactured, marketed and sold navigation, communication and information devices and applications – most of which are enabled by GPS technology. Garmin’s products serve automotive, mobile, wireless, outdoor recreation, marine, aviation, and OEM applications. A component of the S&P 500 index, Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit Garmin's virtual pressroom at https://www.windowscentral.com/e?link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kqzyfj.com%2Fclick-100048247-12469246-1452185283000%3Fsid%3DUUwpUdUnU17007%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.garmin.com%252Fpressroom&token=EbZwapkM or contact the Media Relations department at 913-397-8200. Garmin is a registered trademark of Garmin Ltd.
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Notice on Forward-Looking Statements: This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. Such statements are based on management’s current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 29, 2012, filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 0-31983). A copy of such Form 10-K is available at https://www.windowscentral.com/e?link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kqzyfj.com%2Fclick-100048247-12469246-1452185283000%3Fsid%3DUUwpUdUnU17007%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.garmin.com%252Fen-US%252Fcompany%252Finvestors&token=Y1XSL6MI No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
