14 DAY TRIAL // Garmin International Inc., a division of Garmin Ltd., today launched the Z?mo at the same time with the motorcycling's premier racing event, the MotoGP U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California. Therefore, you can imagine that Garmin's zumo is designed to fulfill the demands of motorcyclists coming with a glove-friendly design featuring left-handed controls and oversized touchscreen buttons on a high-bright display, Bluetooth "hands-free-to-helmet" wireless technology capability, and a rugged, dependable locking mount.
"The Garmin z?mo is designed by motorcyclists for motorcyclists, so it naturally includes hardware and software features that make the device stand out from any other navigator on the market," said Gary Kelley, Garmin's vice president of marketing. "Garmin has long been known as a pioneer in satellite navigation in aircraft, boats, cars, so we're proud to be able to offer a unit that stands up to the demands of motorcyclists and a motorcycle's demanding environment."
Z?mo sports a 3.5-inch bright, sunlight readable touchscreen display, encased in a waterproof showcase made of plastics that resist damage from fuel splashes and UV light, and other four dedicated left-handed buttons for quick input.
As you expected, the Z?mo 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 and solid state memory, which mitigates the effects of vibration, shock, cold, heat - and displays and redraws maps faster.
Z?mo comes pre-loaded with full North American data, and includes millions of points of interest, including hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and many others. Full and partial European map versions are also available.
"Riders can personalize z?mo to match their particular bike's color scheme and attitude with custom caps. Silver and black caps come standard with the unit, and others are available on the Garmin website. Owners can also customize z?mo's opening splashscreen to depict a one-of-a-kind photo with the help of the unit's jpeg picture viewer. And because even the most dedicated rider sometimes travels by car, z?mo comes with an automotive mount and speaker - making the unit ideal for virtually any type of road trip. Z?mo is also equipped with Garmin Lock, an anti-theft system that disables the unit until the owner types in a specific 4-digit PIN or takes the unit to a predetermined secure location," said the company.
Z?mo will be available in October. The manufacturer didn't mention the suggested street price.