The electronics giant is set to roll out its first GPS receiver for the U.S., featuring a slew of enticing multimedia features.
Panasonic will soon begin driving its line of Strada GPS navigators into the U.S. with the CN-NVD905U, which integrates several entertainment capabilities along with the standard GPS fare. The Strada features a 30GB hard drive, along with a DVD player that supports DVD-R/RW disks. The navigator also features iPod Video connectivity. Panasonic claims that even passengers sitting in the back seats will be able to enjoy movies on the Strada's 7-inch LCD display. The GPS receiver doesn't forget about music lovers, and plays CDs in MP3 or WMA formats. The Strada will also play Sirius and XM satellite radio programs through your car's speakers, but you'll need to buy a tuner, an antenna and a subscription for the service.
The Panasonic Strada has the standard features we expect from a GPS navigator, including turn by turn directions in English, Spanish and French, as well as maps of the US, Canada and Puerto Rico, powered by NAVTEQ. The Strada also offers details maps of 86 U.S. cities. The navigator has touch screen interface, and includes a built-in points-of-interest database with more than 12 million restaurants, ATMs, hotels, historic landmarks, gas stations, hospitals and airports. The CN-NVD905U features real-time traffic updates as an option, but it uses Sirius Traffic, so you'll need to invest in the necessary accessories. The Strada also has Bluetooth support, so you can make hands-free calls while on the road.
Unlike portable GPS receivers that sit on your dashboard, the Strada is built into your car and requires the space of a standard Double-Din car audio system, or 180 by 100 mm. According to Panasonic, the Strada CN-NVD905U will be available in May and should retail for $1800.
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