Need some directions? Try getting them from the Garmin Drive navigation line

By Lulu Chang Published January 4, 2017

Your road to a successful 2017 just may start with a new navigation system from Garmin. On Wednesday, the GPS company announced a number of updates to its Garmin Drive product line, which features a number of portable navigation devices (or PNDs) offering free live services, and providing regularly updated content with “industry-leading driver alerts” that claim to increase situational awareness and encourage safer driving. Meet the four latest Garmin devices to join the family: The Garmin Drive, the Garmin DriverSmart, Garmin DriveAssist, and Garmin DriveLuxe.

The most basic of the new devices, the Garmin Drive, is a straightforward system with versatile driver alerts (like upcoming sharp curves, railroad or animal crossings, and alerts for users driving the wrong way on a one-way street), but no connected features. The DriveSmart, on the other hand, is part of the Internet of Things, whereas the DriveAssist lets you record your time on the road. Finally, the premium Garmin DriveLuxe promises to combine all the smart features of its sister models with a sleek metal design.

Recommended Videos

“Thanks to the enhanced feature set of our 2017 Drive navigators, it’s easy to see how consumers can benefit and rely on them every time they step in their vehicles,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of worldwide sales. “Free live parking and traffic, plus new travel information lets drivers enjoy the actual ride and save precious time when heading to work, driving on family road trips, or running errands.”

This information includes things like Garmin Real Directions, which makes navigation a bit easier by giving directions based on recognizable landmarks, buildings, and traffic lights. There are also a number of new real-time services, like live traffic alerts, when you pair your Garmin device with a Bluetooth-enabled smartphone. Pairing also allows users to take advantage of live parking information from Parkopedia.

While the new Garmin Drive product line won’t be available until February, prices have already been released, and are expected to land somewhere in the ballpark of $150 to $330.

Former Contributor

Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…

Topics

Phones

After a day with the OnePlus 15R, two of its least-flashy features have won me over

Our OnePlus 15R hands-on reveals two of its best specs

The rear of the OnePlus 15R, held in a man's hand.

It only took me a day of testing the brand-new OnePlus 15R to find two features that I absolutely loved. And no, I’m not talking about a flashy new mode or addition – the phone nails two basics better than most rivals on the market right now.

This budget alternative to the OnePlus 15 sells for $699.99 (for 256GB storage, or $100 more for 512GB), so it undercuts its sibling by a hearty $200, but represents a $100 price hike over the OnePlus 13R (despite losing a zoom camera). It was released alongside the OnePlus Pad Go 2, an affordable Android tablet, at the tail end of 2025.

Phones

Android could soon let you lock out users from Wi-Fi networks on shared devices

Android is finally giving users the power to decide who gets automatic access to saved networks on shared phones and tablets.

Google is developing a new set of Wi-Fi controls for Android that will let users choose whether a saved Wi-Fi network is shared with other profiles on the same device (via Android Authority).

Currently, when a device connects to a Wi-Fi network, all other profiles on the device automatically gain access without any verification. However, a new "Share Network" toggle in the latest Android Canary build lets users turn it off, so only the profile that entered the credentials in the first place can connect automatically.

Phones

Apple’s next iPad mini could take a big leap in performance and visual experience

Apple's smallest tablet may be on track for its most significant leap yet, combining a next-generation A20 Pro chip with an OLED display.

Person holding the iPad Mini 7.

Apple's next iPad mini could be significantly more powerful than its predecessor, says a MacRumors report. The publication claims that the purported iPad mini could feature Apple's A20 Pro chip, and if you haven't heard its name yet, that's because it is supposed to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in 2026.

Not too long ago, rumors claimed that the eighth-generation iPad mini will feature the A19 Pro chip, the one powering the iPhone 17 Pro models. While that would also have provided a considerable performance boost over the A17 Pro chip in the current-generation iPad mini, the A20 Pro could be a monumental jump for the iPad mini, giving it enough headroom for several years.