New Nuvi Series Uses STMicroelectronics Chip
STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) announced today that their Cartesio chipset is being used to power some of the New Garmin Nuvi 200 series models we talked about the other day such as the Nuvi 205. The Cartesio chipset is a “high sensitivity” 32 channel receiver with a 3-bit ARM CPU. This chip is a type known as “System-on-Chip” or “SoC” where both the GPS functions and host processor are on the same chip which they say improves reliability.
From the press release:
Among the world leaders in portable navigation products, Garmin is to integrate the ST Cartesio processor in a range of navigation systems, including the new nuvi 205.
“This adoption of Cartesio by Garmin, a world leader in portable navigation, is a testament to ST’s ability to deliver cutting-edge car infotainment solutions that meet automotive quality standards,” said Domenico Rossi, General Manager of ST’s Car Radio and Multimedia Division. “Cartesio is currently one of the most integrated solutions on the navigation and telematics market, providing high performance, while also meeting the cost and space constraints demanded by leading automotive OEMs.”
In other GPS devices I’ve used with chipsets from STMicroelectronics the performance has been good, so we expect nothing less in the new Nuvi series.
The Hotfix info is being supplied by RX Networks. (Uncle Ben and Tomj should LOVE that it’s a Canadian Company), It’s apparently optimized for STMicroelectronics’ GPS chipset.