Although most of us immediately associate the word GPS with driving and voice instructions, the truth of the matter is that the range of Personal Navigation Devices that use the satellite system in order to provide important positioning information is much, much wider. And even if the market for rugged, handheld navigators is quite crowded, it would seem that there's always room for more, since Magellan, a very well-known manufacturer of GPS-related devices, has just announced a new line of such products, dubbed Triton, which incorporates 6 handhelds designed to fit every user's needs and budget.

The new Triton line brings about some very interesting innovations in this field. Thus, the handhelds provide full-color, touch-screen controls and the ability to record and attach audio to waypoint files. Moreover, the top-range model (namely, the Triton 2000) also comes packed with a built-in 2MB pixel camera, digital compass, SD card slot, speaker/microphone, barometer and built-in LED flashlight. However, the rest of the models are less-impressive, since, as the price lowers, the same happens to the provided features. Thus, the entry-level model, Triton 200, lacks almost all of the aforementioned extras, although the overall design and the provided maps are pretty much the same.

Nevertheless, all the handhelds in the Triton series share some important elements, and one such element is represented by the National Geographic topographic maps available for all the models. This might actually be described as the "beginning of a beautiful friendship", since the alliance with Magellan marks the first time that National Geographic maps will be made available on a handheld GPS device.

Additionally, Triton is the first Magellan handheld GPS to feature a new free map and content management application, VantagePoint, which enables users to upgrade and share information to and from their Magellan units. VantagePoint will allow Triton users to download additional maps onto their devices, as well as upload stored treks, waypoints and other recorded media.

The new Triton handhelds will hit North America in September and Europe in October and will be available in the 130 - 500 US dollars price range, thus providing a certain purchase option for all the targeted market segments.

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