As part of its CES 2018 announcements, Garmin today introduced one of its latest products as the Garmin Speak Plus. This is designed to be a product which builds upon the features offered through the company’s Garmin Speak (launched in October 2017) by the inclusion of a built-in dash camera.
For those new to the Garmin Speak, it, as well as the new Speak Plus, both come with support for Amazon Alexa by way of a wireless connection to the user’s smartphone. Thereby acting as a way to bring Alexa and all of its functionality (including hands-free access to music playback, turn-by-turn directions, and more) to the car. Due to the newer Plus version also coming equipped with a dash cam, buyers gain all of the Alexa functionality of the Garmin Speak, along with the opportunity to record everything the Speak Plus happens to see when driving. In addition to being able to “automatically record and save files when an incident is detected” the Speak Plus also features a number of driver assistance features, such as providing the driver with various warnings including a ‘Forward Collision’ alert (when a driver gets too close to a vehicle in front) and a ‘Lane Departure alert’ (when a driver starts to veer into another lane, or off the road in general). As for its design, and in spite of the addition of a dash camera, the general look and appearance of the Speak Plus is almost identical to the previous model – adopting the same super small form factor, an OLED display, and an LED light ring.
In terms of availability and pricing, the Garmin Speak Plus is set to arrive with a $229.99 suggested retail price attached. Which does mean it is a little more expensive than the standard Garmin Speak which first became available priced at only $149. However, as part of the launch period Garmin is making the new Speak Plus available at a ‘special limited time’ price of $199.99. This price is exclusively for those who pre-order the unit between today (January 8) and February 10. Shipping of pre-orders, as well as general availability, is due to commence mid-February at which point it will be available to purchase from the likes of Amazon and Best Buy, as well as directly from Garmin.
Pre-order Garmin Speak Plus