PRODUCTS: Get on Track with Garmin's New GPS Navigator

Knowing the directions to your destination on a road trip might not stop fights about driving with your significant other, but it could reduce them. Helping curtail couple skirmishes on highways across the United States and Europe, Garmin introduced the StreetPilot 2660, a plug-and-play portable automotive Global Positioning System (GPS) navigator that features pre-loaded, detailed maps.

The StreetPilot 2660 has a high-resolution color touch screen with voice-prompted turn-by-turn navigation and a wireless infrared remote control, which allows easy operation of the unit from a distance. The unit has dead reckoning capabilities, which means that you can receive navigation guidance even when GPS signals are obscured. To use this feature, a Garmin authorized installer has to connect a special dead reckoning cable to your vehicle's speedometer and backup lights. After the wire's installed, your StreetPilot will acknowledge your turns as well as your distance traveled when GPS reception is unavailable. You can unplug the dead reckoning cable from the vehicle adapter if you want to use the device in another vehicle. The StreetPilot 2660 has some other cool features too: You can enter a series of destinations, and the product will automatically sort them to provide an efficient route; you can specify areas and road segments you want to avoid; you can limit searches for gas stations and restaurants to upcoming points near a route; and you can adjust preferences for major, medium, and minor road categories. The StreetPilot 2660 will be available in July 2004 and will cost $1749.98.