New product: Hema HX-2 Navigator

Hema Maps has released its latest HX-2 GPS unit that covers most on and off-road touring and 4WD roads and tracks around Australia, without need for an internet connection.

Slighter larger than the Hema HX-1 it replaces and with a similar seven inch colour touchscreen, the updated HX-2 unit features new hardware, a new mapping platform and new supporting cloud environment, and includes Hema's first "purpose-built on-road turn-by-turn navigation system" for bitumen driving.

The off-road mapping software has also gone up a notch with a new high-resolution Explorer Vector Map that features "scaled map detail never seen before in any purpose-built GPS system".

The HX-2 is loaded up with all the popular Hema Adventure Maps including Cape York, Great Desert Tracks and Victorian High Country that provide "exact digital copies of Hema's most loved and used print maps."

All up, the portable GPS unit includes more than 10,000 campsites and 100,000 points of interest, and covers 1.75million kilometres of roads and tracks around Australia.

"Hema's 7th generation navigator, proudly continues our iconic Aussie legacy of producing award-winning maps, since our first Simpson desert expedition in 1989," the company said. "Over 30 years later, our 'prepared to explore' ethos takes the next digital leap forward with Hema's HX-2 on and off-road digital navigator."

The Hema HX-2 works without an internet connection but users have the ability to upload maps and trips to the cloud using a wi-fi connection. Accessories include a rugged case and reverse camera, and there's also a new Night Mode to reduce screen glare at night.

The Hema HX-2 is currently available for $749 from the Hema Maps website.