Equally at home on or off the beaten path, Garmin's nüvi 500 is easily switched between driving, bicycling, walking, and, if optional marine maps are installed, boating mode. The water-proof (IPX7) nüvi 500 can be fully submerged in water for up to 30 minutes, has a removable, rechargeable lithium-ion battery that provides up to 8 hours of power, and comes with City Navigator NT + Topo maps of the lower 48 States pre-installed.

When set to driving mode, the nüvi 500 is a full-fledged nüvi GPS, providing Garmin's unmatched routing and navigation capabilities in the car. If you're worried the nüvi 500 might trade functionality in exchange for the new off road and boating features, don't be: the nüvi 500 benefits from the same ease-of-use and best-of-breed routing engine as Garmin's other nüvi models. In fact, the nüvi 500 actually delivers several enhancements to the map screen, the most welcome of which are the addition of an upcoming turn indicator, and faster map redraws.

Walking, driving, and bicycling modes can all be configured to route on or off-road, and vehicle icons and map preferences can be customized for each mode.

A special Geocaching mode makes it easy to load and find caches, thanks in large part to the addition of an electronic compass screen and pre-installed topographic maps. Outdoor enthusiasts will also appreciate the TracBack capability.

Adding Garmin's optional marine maps turns the nüvi 500 into a feature-rich boating GPS, complete with depth charts, tide and current information, and additional marine points of interest.

Slightly bulkier and heavier than other 3.5-inch nüvis, the nüvi 500 isn't the most elegant design to date, and lacks text-to-speech, so it won't announce actual street names. The GPS is water-proof, but not drop proof. The plastic case looks like it could chip or scratch easily in a nüvi-vs-mother-nature encounter. Also annoying is the lack of a an included USB cable, which you'll need for loading Geocache waypoints, Whereigo cartridges, geo-coded photos, and installing software updates.

Minor areas for improvement aside, the nüvi 500 is an excellent navigator that pulls triple duty, and shows the kind of ease-of-use and refinement that has earned Garmin top position as the number 1 GPS manufacturer in America. Using the nüvi 500 is quick and responsive; there are no annoying lags or delays. The map screen is easy to read, and the included vehicle mounting hardware is simple yet effective. More than anything else, the nüvi 500 is easy to use. Menus are intuitive, and you don't need to read the instructions to use it.

The nüvi 500 can be paired with Garmin's optional FM TMC traffic receiver or MSN Direct receiver for real-time traffic capabilities, fuel prices, weather, movie listings, news, and more.

If you've been looking for a single GPS solution for the car, hiking, bicycle, and possibly boat, the nüvi 500 is the best option to date. The nüvi 500 has a suggested retail price of $499, and will be available for purchase in Q3 2008. A scooter mount is also available as an optional accessory.