Sony Adds Four New Models to nav-u Family of PNDs

Sony is really on a roll lately, whether we're talking about the Japanese, European or US markets. You've been able to see earlier today the company's latest and thinnest HDTV, but now it's time to talk about something entirely different, namely Sony's PNDs, since the CE manufacturer has just announced the release of four new devices of this type on the US market, namely the NV-U94T, NV-U84, NV-U74T and NV-U44, all of them included in the company's nav-u series of navigation products.

First of all, we'll talk about the flagship version (NV-U94T), since this particular model offers the most extra-features (it all goes downhill from there). Thus, this PND has a 4.8 inch, 16:9 aspect ratio display and packs a Bluetooth module, which helps it double as a handsfree car phone.

In addition to the entertainment features (MP3 and non-DRM AAC music files and MPEG-4 video files from Memory Stick PRO Duo media), it also includes the super suction cup mounting system, dual view 3D junction guide and the POSITION plus technology.

The POSITION plus solution is something we should really take a closer look at. According to Sony, we're talking about a "hardware-based solution that consists of an acceleration sensor, a pressure sensor and a gyro sensor that together can calculate the vehicle's current position based on the last known GPS location. The result is a more consistent and accurate position that helps provide interruption-free guidance under the most difficult of GPS reception conditions."

Despite their differences, the new products from Sony also share a couple of common features, as for example the revised search algorithm for quicker POI searches. They also come with Quick Link, a new search feature that enables a true "one touch" search for one's favorite POIs. Moreover, since they both offer RDS-TMC real-time traffic functionality, the NV-U74T and NV-U94T devices can notify drivers in available coverage areas of up-to-date traffic conditions.

Since we've seen what the top-range model has to offer, we'll go quickly over the other versions as well. Thus, the NV-U84 model, which sells for about $350, offers drivers a large 4.8 inch, 16:9 aspect ratio display plus super suction cup, dual view text to speech, photo viewer and gesture command. The NV-U74T also sports a 4.3-inch, 16:9 aspect ratio display and is accompanied by a super suction cup. It provides dual view, text to speech, Bluetooth handsfree, real-time traffic, photo viewer, and gesture command features.

Last, but certainly not least, the new NV-U44 model has a 3.5 inch, 4:3 aspect ratio display and a sleek, compact stylish design. It too offers dual view, text to speech, photo viewer and gesture command, but it's also pretty affordable, selling for around $250.

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