By Patrick Avenell

SYDNEY, NSW: Navman has today announced the release of three new models in its MY Series range of high-end GPS devices. At the launch event in Sydney today, marketing manager Wendy Hammond highlighted a raft of new features that had been added to improve the functionality of the dedicated personal navigation device.

With the GPS category as a whole experiencing a downturn in average sales prices and the looming threat of the smartphone app section, Navman has moved to introduce dedication PND features that can demonstrably improve the driving experience for users.

New features in the MY Series include:

-My Drive, which tracks and records each driver’s unique patterns, such as always being 10km/h below the speed limit, in order to better predict times of arrival.
– Spoken Safety Alerts replacing tones and chimes so that users know the difference between entering a school zone and the presence of a speed camera.
– 25 pre-loaded Lonely Planet scenic tours, including points of interests, for major Australian cities.
– Four Wheel Drive tracks and points of interest.
– A Capture Button to record and store routes.
– Driver fatigue warning every two hours.
– Mandarin and Cantonese language options.
– 2-year map and warranty guarantee.

Hammond said this range was Navman’s best to date. The planning and development of these new units began with driver research. The key findings from this centred on what frustrated drivers the most. This research revealed that 58 per cent were frustrated by traffic; 40 per cent by arguments about directions and 20 per cent by getting lost.

The three new models in this range, all due for release in mid-August, are the MY60T (4.7-inch touchscreen, RRP $329), the MY65T (4.7-inch touchscreen, RRP $379) and the MY75T (5-inch touchscreen, RRP $479).