2010 GPS predictions
Despite the relative success of my 2009 predictions, I hesitate to forecast anything this coming year. The GPS navigation market is in flux, undergoing a major shift from PNDs (personal navigation devices) to cell phones. That change, in itself, is fodder for multiple posts, but it also makes this the most difficult year yet to [...]
Garmin discontinues nuvi x85 series
Garmin has discontinued their nuvi x85 series, the only current models with MSN Direct service, which is scheduled to end on January 1, 2012. Most units will be retired by then, or people will have lost interest in the service, but I have to wonder how many were sold to unsuspecting buyers over the holidays. [...]
Garmin Oregon 450 and 450t announced
UPDATE: I’ve posted a hands on review of the Garmin Oregon 450 Garmin just couldn’t wait until the Consumer Electronics Show to start releasing new models. In a blog post this morning, they announced the touchscreen Oregon 450 and 450t handhelds. The only significant difference between them is that the 450t adds preloaded 1:100,000 scale [...]
A look back at my 2009 predictions
I haven’t decided if I’ll do a 2010 predictions post yet, but in the process of thinking about it, I decided to take a look at last year’s effort and see how I did. My comments as to the outcome are in italics following each prediction…
What to do with your new GPS
Last year I posted some tips for folks receiving new GPS units over the holidays. Rather than repeat myself, I’m just going to link to those. Hopefully, they’ll help you get off to a good start with your new navigator: Nine things to do with that new auto GPS You got a handheld GPS — [...]
Consumer Reports chats up GPS
Consumer Reports held a chat session on their blog the other day, taking questions on GPS. For the most part, their answers were pretty good. I’ve embedded the chat box below. If you’re interested, it only takes a few minutes to read through the entire thing.
Routine GPS backcountry prep
I often go through a fairly involved process when I’m prepping my GPS for a backcountry trip, and I thought I’d share what that looks like. I’ll start off with a few caveats… I like to explore remote areas, and my process will be overkill if you’re just getting ready for a quick hike on [...]
SPOT 2 Satellite Messenger recall
Ruh roh! SPOT LLC has announced a voluntary recall of some of its second generation SPOT Satellite Messenger (SPOT 2) units. According to the company: Spot LLC is dedicated to providing the highest quality and best performance products to our customers, therefore, Spot LLC will be conducting a voluntary return on any new model SPOT [...]
Bigger than Black Friday
According to retail experts, tomorrow will be the biggest online shopping day of the year, not Black Friday or Cyber Monday. And a lot of new deals have been posted as retailers jockey to get in last minute sales. So here’s the roundup of what we currently have posted at GPS Deals. This will probably [...]
Truckin’ with Magellan
Magellan has apparently swung a deal with ALK Technologies, makers of a couple of truck navigation products, PCMiler and CoPilot Truck. These have previously only been available for laptops and some cell phones, but the CoPilot Truck navigation software can now be ported to the Magellan RoadMate 1470 and the seven-inch RoadMate 1700. This gives [...]
