GARMIN HEAD-UP DISPLAY (HUD) IS NOW A REALITY

[jolly green giant]

Check out the new technology from Garmin, a head-up display for in car navigation which retails for only $149/ £129.
Yes guys, its already available for sale and at that price it must be worth it:

https://buy.garmin.com/en-GB/GB/mobile/mobileaccessories/head-up-display-hud-/prod134348.html

It works through a smartphone's navigation app connected via bluetooth to the HUD - brilliant. It projects the info onto a transparent film on your windshield or an attached reflector lens.

Hopefully a motorcycle version will become available soon.

Nonetheless this will certainly irk some Tomtom followers. And yes, I own a Garmin Zumo 660.

[jackyork]

Having been a Garmin user for over 20 years at sea from Indian Ocean to closer to home, up mountains and on the road, I always recommended them as the best and most intuitive to use. This all changed since 2011  when returning from tour all Garmin UK was in turmoil with software and update problems due to the expansion of Europe and Americans' lack of understanding of things European.

Months of negotiations followed during which my trusty old 'Nuvi 250 'was finally restored by a wonderful operative called Artur at Garmin UK but even the replacement ,voice activated unit proved no match for the TomTom I bought while arguing with them.
Due to a mishap, I had to use TomTom through Europe and once the differences were mastered, I have to say it was more functional than the once mighty Garmin.
The Nuvi 250 (with memory chip) still remains without equal but this is claimed by my my wife, for whom it was originally bought.
The 1460 which was to replace the 250 was unstable and a victim of the 'Computer Children' with their pictures of foaming pints of beer where 'pub' used to suffice.
This resulted in a protracted row with Garmin who exchanged the 1460 for the voice activated one. It is a wonderful piece of kit but like Adobe Photoshop, you need to go to night school to learn how to use it. Also, since the surgery on my mouth, voice activation and I don't exactly get on.
So....Garmin have, in my opinion,  fallen from the top slot, by losing the plot, Navman seemed pretty inferior to me but  the guy who had it liked the BIG screen and TomTom Goes!

Lastly, head up display is fine for highly trained pilots of jets and helicopter gunships; what training do you think Joe Public will engage in before setting off down the road with a display between him and the road ahead where you or I might be ? Like most of us, I suppose, I like to think I am above average but if I've got a fly on my visor it drives me nuts, let alone 'Blanche' (I call her Blanche) telling me to " Make a U turn when possible".

Jk

[jolly green giant]

Jack, I hear you.

I suppose it depends on where you place your gps. Mine is on a mount which sits on top of the Varadero's instrument panel shroud. As such it is in the same place where an HUD should be but the gps  is taking up valuable viewing space. With a HUD this part of the screen would at least reamain clear. As for the info displayed requiring the brains of a fighter pilot, I don't agree with you here. The HUD displays the info as relayed from your smartphone's navigation app which could be a TomTom app. The HUD is just an offset mirror that displays info you put in it on a screen.

[Two Plugs]

I would put my money on a TomTom anytime...

Garmin takes head-up display a little to serious:  Battery of the SatNav exploded after being exposed to the sun:

[jackyork]

Bl###y H##l !! There are lots of warnings about lithium ion batteries and their correct usage and treatment, are we sure this was just the sun ?

JK

[jolly green giant]

Was the gps a TomTom by any chance, or a smartphone? During my latest foray in Sicily I had my smartphone connected to a 12V socket and after a while I saw a warning on the smartphone saying the battrey was overheating. So I unplugged it from the socket and all was well again.

Never had an overheating gps on the bike as I have it connected directly to the battery through a relay and not through a 12V socket.

[Two Plugs]

I guess it could be a smartphone, Brian. There are also recordings of smartphones exploding in the pockets of someones pants! 
Outch!

[SB]

I guess it could be a smartphone, Brian. There are also recordings of smartphones exploding in the pockets of someones pants! 
Outch!

A phone that explodes in your pocket was not a "smart" phone 

[Mikeadero]

 

[Two Plugs]

Not a smart choice either... 

[kjetil]

Well, perhaps it was a head-up display I should have installed on my Garmin Zumo 660, but I installed a new screen instead.
I also make a little "How To"- video in case it might be helpful to someone.

http://youtu.be/bdgm3ix3N_c

Please enjoy... ;-)

kjetil

[Jack Sawdayee]

Thank you kjetil very useful for me

[jolly green giant]

Impressive tutorial kjetil, and the music was both appropriate and enjoyable.

I also bought a 660 four years ago but also bought a screen protector so I haven't come across this problem. In fact I would recommend to anyone buying a new gps or a smartphone to consider fitting a screen protector to the device.