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Seems llike I can't escape the rash of sat nav devices being unleashed at this year's CeBIT so here's a round up of two of the sector's more prominent companies.

First up is Garmin which has unveiled the Nuvi 205 and 205W, 255 and 255W (above) and 900T.

Addressing the first four is rather straightforward since the 'W' simply stands for widescreen and means you have a choice of a 3.5in or 4.3in widescreen display while all now support text to speech functionality meaning road names and areas can be spoken rather than the usual generic directions. Landscape topology is in there too along with Traffic Management and access to MSN Direct for fuel prices and news.

As for the flagship 900T this breaks from the pack by bringing Mobile TV playback via its integrated DVB-H receiver (the official standard for Europe) over a 4.3in widescreen display. Bluetooth is in there too for hands-free calling while Audible and MP3 audio codecs are compatible along with a range of touch-based games, all of which makes the simple idea of driving and directions seem rather old hat.

The new units are coming in July with European-wide mapping. Pricing will be revealed closer to the time.

As for Navigon, it has also been busy showing its love for all things shiny with the 8110 (above, left) and 2100 Max and 2120 Max (above, right). Both have been subject to spiffy makeovers which will likely attract and repel in equal measure with the high-end 81110 also capable of 3D topology, Bluetooth, TMC and pan European mapping. A rip-roaring 533MHz processor is also the fastest I've heard of in a GPS unit so it should right royally rip along.

The Maxes are less interesting with the 'Max' name simply referring to the jump to a (you guessed it) 4.3in widescreen display. Bluetooth, TMC and pan-Euro mapping is in there too but without the topological hijinks. Pricing for this pair is extremely competitive at $299 and $329 respectively while the 8110 is a heftier €449.

April is the target month for the trio.

No more sat nav please, post TomTom's IQ Routes it's all getting rather boring...

Link:
Garmin
Navigon

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