The GPS Navigator
If there’s a single product we’ve been asked about more than anything else recently, it’s the GPS navigator. So it’s a nice coincidence that Garmin has just announced its all-new motorcycle navigator, the $1599 zūmo 550.
According to the company, this is the first fully featured, no-compromises GPS navigator designed exclusively for motorcyclists with glove-friendly, left-handed controls.
Specific features include Bluetooth wireless technology, which allows users to place hands-free mobile phonecalls when paired with a compatible phone that has Bluetooth wireless technology. Incoming calls are answered by simply tapping the zūmo’s screen and speaking through the helmet mike or optional external
mike. You can also make a call from zūmo’s huge points of interest database, which includes hotels, restaurants, shops and much more.
You’ll also wirelessly receive navigation audio prompts when using a compatible helmet. By connecting to the wired stereo audio jack, you can listen to MP3s. The zūmo 550 comes pre-loaded with highly detailed City Navigator Australia maps on internal memory.
Zūmo boasts a 3.5-inch (diagonal) high-bright, sunlight-readable touchscreen display, encased in a waterproof (IEC 529 IPX-7 standards) housing made of plastics that resist damage from fuel splashes and UV light. In addition to the touchscreen, zūmo has four dedicated left-handed buttons for quick input. Zūmo is equipped with a high-sensitivity GPS receiver, which acquires and maintains a GPS signal even in heavy foliage or “urban canyons” created by city skyscrapers. The navigator also features solid-state memory, which reduces the effects of vibration, shock, cold and heat and displays and redraws maps faster.
The zūmo is secured to the motorcycle with a locking mount that has waterproof power and data cable connections and is able to withstand the severe vibration environment commonly experienced in motorcycle riding. A rechargeable user-removable lithium-ion battery (three-hour typical use) is integrated into zūmo for trip planning or use on foot.
We can’t list all the features here but a neat one is that you can personalise zūmo to match your bike’s colour scheme and attitude with custom caps. Take a look at www.gme.net.au for more details.