Personalised Directions From Garmin

Garmin’s Voice Studio technology allows those who use the company’s navigation device to personalise directions

Garmin has announced Voice Studio, a free PC application that lets anyone record their own voice to create custom pre-recorded navigation prompts for use on compatible Garmin navigation devices.

“Voice Studio lets users customise their nüvi to give directions in familiar voices,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president for worldwide sales. “Whether it’s a friend, a spouse, or the kids, now you’ll always be able to take that special person with you wherever you travel. And you can share your customized voices with other nüvi owners, too.”

Users can download the free Voice Studio application from http://www.garmin.com/voicestudio and install it on a PC. Users can then record a few dozen phrases, and edit them directly within the Voice Studio application. To achieve the best quality recordings, an external microphone is recommended. Once complete, the voice file is loaded onto a compatible Garmin personal navigation device. The entire process typically takes less than 30 minutes.
Voice Studio is compatible with all nüvis except the nüvi 300 and 600 series. Voice Studio does not provide text-to-speech recordings.