PNDs have become extremely popular nowadays, but while some drivers are willing to pay a little extra for a bit of entertainment on the go, others just want the basics, namely fully-featured GPS navigation. And that's exactly what the Pharos Traveler GPS 505, launched back in the second half of 2005, has to offer, as this particular model sports advanced navigation features, but no multimedia-related enhancements.



Thus, the Traveler GPS 505 is a completely self-contained touch-screen vehicle navigation unit (Transflective-type Color 3.5-Inch LTPS TFT LCD, 320 x 240 pixels resolution) which provides users with real-time on-screen guidance, as it comes packed with detailed street maps of the entire Canada and US including Alaska & Hawaii. Furthermore, besides the visual indication system, the device also provides a voice guidance feature, which allows the users to keep their eyes on the road at all times.



Furthermore, the device also allows users to plan their entire trip with the optimized multi-stop routing system, and also lets them choose from the 4 available navigation screens: text and graphical map, text directions, full screen text guidance, and GPS compass screen. Quite obviously, none of these would be possible without the built-in SiRF Star III GPS chipset, which provides 12-channel all-in-view tracking.



The PND from Pharos has also been equipped with an Intel Bulverde PXA270 416MHz CPU, and features a rather unusual range of connectivity options, including here an 115.2kbps SIR IrDA rev 1.3 infrared port (not a very common port), as well as some an SD card slot and a mini USB interface.



The Pharos Traveler GPS 505 is available at several retailers for around 520 – 550 US dollars, which is a rather high price to pay for a device that, ultimately, doesn't provide anything more than navigation-related features.