Garmin has officially announced its new revolutionary forthcoming product that is guaranteed to blow your socks off.

What we’re looking at is a small HUD (Heads-Up Display) unit which connects directly to your Bluetooth-enabled smartphone and beams applicable navigation information onto a small transparent film which attaches to your cars windshield or to a reflector lens that attaches directly to the HUD both of which are included.

The HUD connects to Garmin’s Navigon app for Android; it then uses your navigation information to provide you with directions, current speed, traffic and safety tips, ETA and lane assist as well as Garmin’s traditional turn-by-turn indicators, which enables you to keep your eyes on the road and not on your phone whilst receiving directions.

Just to round things off nicely, Garmin have included a USB power pass-through making it easy to charge your phone whilst using the HUD navigation system

The unit will retail for $129.99 and will be available this summer directly from the Garmin website. This is definitely a product to keep your eye on if you are a Sat Nav user.

The full press release can be read below:

OLATHE, Kan./July 8, 2013/Business Wire — Garmin® International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced HUD[1], the company’s first portable head-up display for smartphone navigation apps[2]. HUD is an innovative new way of viewing navigation information in the car, projecting crisp and bright directions onto a transparent film on the windshield or an attached reflector lens. By providing comprehensive road guidance at a glance and right within the driver’s line of sight, HUD can help increase safety and reduce driver distraction. HUD receives navigation information from a Bluetooth-enabled smartphone running a Garmin StreetPilot1 or NAVIGON app.

“HUD redefines the navigation experience by allowing drivers to find their way without taking their eyes off the road,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of worldwide sales. “Head-up displays currently have their place in select high-end cars, but HUD makes this technology available as an aftermarket accessory for any vehicle, at an affordable price.”

HUD offers more navigation details than other portable head-up displays, yet presents them in a simplified way that doesn’t divert the driver’s attention from the road. The directions are easy to follow and allow drivers to navigate even the most challenging interchanges and traffic situations with ease. HUD displays turn arrows, distance to the next turn, current speed and speed limit, as well as estimated time of arrival. It even lets drivers know what lane to be in for the next maneuver and alerts them when they exceed the speed limit2. HUD also warns users of potential traffic delays and upcoming safety camera locations[3]. The crisp display automatically adjusts the brightness level so projections are clearly visible in direct sunlight or at night.

Complementing the visual display, spoken turn-by-turn directions are provided simultaneously by a compatible Garmin or Navigon app1, either through the smartphone speaker or a Bluetooth-connected car stereo. Music streamed to the car stereo from the smartphone will automatically fade out for turn-by-turn voice prompts. HUD also continues to display navigation information while taking incoming calls.

HUD is easy to set up. Users can choose between displaying navigation information on their windshield, with the included, transparent film, or on to the included reflector lens that attaches directly to HUD. The device pairs wirelessly with a compatible Bluetooth®-enabled iPhone, Android™ phone or Windows® Phone 8. An integrated USB port on the vehicle power/adapter cable makes it easy to charge the smartphone while driving.

HUD has an MSRP of $129.99 and will be available this summer. Garmin StreetPilot and NAVIGON apps1, starting at $29.99 for a regional map (NAVIGON U.S. Central, East or West), provide premium turn-by-turn navigation for smartphones, including onboard maps, lane guidance, speed limit warnings2, real-time traffic2, and many other features.

HUD is the latest from Garmin’s consumer automotive segment, the leading worldwide provider of mobile navigation solutions for automobiles, motorcycles and trucks. Garmin’s user-friendly personal navigation devices and apps have innovative features that provide time- and fuel-saving benefits to meet the demands of everyday driving.

• SourceGarmin