GPS device company Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ:GRMN) has acquired European competitor Navigon AG. The financial details of this transaction was undisclosed, but it is rumored to be worth around $72 million. Navigon will now become a subsidiary of Garmin. Germany based GPS company Navigon produces navigation software and manufactures GPS devices. Navigon also has GPS applications for Android and the iPhone. [TechCrunch]

At CES Garmin announced the GTU 10 personal tracking device. The GTU 10 is 3 inches tall and weighs only 1.7 ounces. It can be tracked on a smartphone or computer. The thing even has a geofence so you will be instantly notified if your husband is actually at Hooters instead of at work. I think this device would be good if you run a logistic company and you want to monitor your truck freight. The GTU 10 is now available for pre-order with a suggested retail price of $199.99. The GTU 10 will be shipping in the first quarter of this year. [LA Times]

Garmin sent out a press release today to announce the nüvi 2400 series of GPS devices. The company has also released its first iPhone navigation application called StreetPilot. The nüvi 2400 series of GPS devices has 4 different models and comes with live-traffic updating, hands-free calling, voice activated navigation, and lifetime map updates.

Top GPS company Garmin is now shipping one of their newest devices, the nüvi 1690. The 1690 is selling for $499.99 and has real-time access to Google.com, traffic and flight status updates, and the white pages. Here’s the catch: the service only lasts for 2 years for free.

Garmin is usually best known for making GPS devices intended for motor vehicles, but the company has decided to make a useful tracking device for bicyclists now too. The Edge 500 is a GPS device that reports to bicyclists how long they have been riding, their average speed, their average heart rate, distance traveled, and power.

The device weighs 2 oz. and attaches to the handlebars of the bike. The GPS device also has a receiver that doesn’t require calibration. The Edge 500 is also ANT+ compatible with third party power meters. The climb and descent functions uses internal barometric altimeters and is compatible with Garmin’s line of wireless speed/cadence sensors. The battery life is about 18 hours and the device sells for about $249.99. To get the GPS device bundled with the heart rate monitor and speed/cadence sensor, the device costs $100 more.

The Garmin Rino 120 is a waterproof FRS/GMRS radio and GPS navigator.  There is a built in basemap, voice scrambler, and vibrate mode.  The Rino Position Reporting faeture can send your exact location to other Rino users in the group.

Since there is a FRS/GMRS radio, the device can also be used to communicate with other Rino 120 devices nearby.  For extra security, the Rino 120 can scramble radio signals.  About 500 favorites can be added in the memory.  There are 8MB of internal memory so that additional detailed maps can be added.  The cost of the device is $267.84.

[via UberGizmo/Garmin product page]