Panasonic has its fingers dipped in many segments across the consumer electronics industry, but we’re pretty sure that they’re fairly new to the world of portable navigation devices (PNDs). This doesn’t mean that they won’t be able to do a good job, and we’ll have to take a look at a quartet of models from its Strada Pocket series of PNDs before coming to a more conclusive judgment. Depending on the model picked out from the foursome, you can expect to fork out anywhere from $612 to $765 (after direct conversion from the Japanese Yen). More on these right after the jump.

As with many other products from the same line, you will be able to find similarities across the family, and this Strada Pocket range is no different. All four models will come with a 5″ touchscreen LCD display, utilizing acceleration and angular velocity (gyro) sensors to complement the GPS function, helping increase the accuracy of their current position estimation. Mark June 12, 2009 on your calendars if you’re interested in picking up one of these so that you no longer will be lost whenever you attempt to drive around Japan.

Good hardware is pointless if there is no suitable software to back it up, and the new Strada Pocket series will rely on Toyota Mapmaster Inc’s map data, powered by the Windows CE operating system in the background. All of your map data will be stored on a 4GB microSD memory card, as Panasonic thinks doing so is much more convenient when it comes to updating map data compared to using an SSD, and we thoroughly agree with this assessment. Before you fall over your seats in curiosity to know what the four models are, they consist of the CN-MP200DL that boasts 1seg digital TV broadcast support in addition to a bunch of accessories, the CN-MP200D with similar 1seg capability, the 1seg-less CN-MP100DL that has accessories or the CN-MP100D that lacks 1seg capability and accessories.

Source: Tech On