Garmin supersizes the Nuvi at CES

LAS VEGAS--There was once a time when a 4.3-inch screen on a GPS device was considered huge, but now that's just the entry level. These days it takes a retina-searing 5-inch display or larger to stand out among a sea of navigators and GPS-enabled smartphones. Along those lines, Garmin has just pulled the wraps off of its new, supersized Nuvi 2400 series of GPS navigators.

Snarky comments about the ever-enlarging portable navigation device form factor aside, the 2400 series' 5-inch screen can aid in visibility and reduce the amount of time spent scrutinizing a tiny digital map.

More important than the big screen is Garmin's inclusion of driver safety features debuted on the flagship Nuvi 3790T, such as an improved interface, Bluetooth hands-free calling, and truly hands-free voice command with a customizable wake-up phrase. All four of the 2400 series' inaugural models will include Garmin's NuRoute with TrafficTrends predictive traffic-flow calculations and routing algorithm and MyTrends predictive destination routing, as well as the usual suite of text-to-speech, graphic lane guidance, and speed-limit-monitoring technologies.

Starting with the most basic of the four units, the Nuvi 2450 features U.S., Canadian, and Mexican map data. The Nuvi 2450 LM adds lifetime updates to those maps. Stepping up to the Nuvi 2460 LT adds lifetime RDS-TMC traffic data, Bluetooth hands-free, and the very cool voice command system at the expense of the lifetime map updates. Finally, the top-of-the-line Nuvi 2460 LMT is all-inclusive with voice command, Bluetooth, and lifetime map updates and traffic data.

Expect the Nuvi 2400 series to retail for between $249.99 and $349.99 when it hits retailers in early 2011.