Sunday, March 18, 2012

TomTom EASE announced

tomtom-start

UPDATE: Read my hands on review of the TomTom EASE.

The TomTom EASE was announced this morning, bringing a new entry-level product to the US market. This 3.5” navigator features text-to-speech, 3 million points of interest and pre-loaded maps of the US. It includes IQ Routes, TomTom’s historic road speed database, for improved routing. The EASE also features a simplified two icon main menu. Basically, this is the TomTom START, which was introduced in Europe a few months ago. Since no images are available yet, I’ve taken the liberty of posting one of the START above. The TomTom EASE is expected to be available in early 2010.

UPDATE: Consumer Reports says you’ll be able to skin the EASE with custom colors, just like the TomTom START.

read more

Hey Garmin – WTF?

Question mark small Garmin has apparently already made all their CES announcements. Lets see, we have a new golf GPS, a motorcycle GPS, a tool for high-tech grease monkeys and an app to make your nuvi curse like a sailor. The country’s biggest electronics show and this is all they have? WTF?

Well, actually, that’s a rhetorical question. I have some answers…

read more

Garmin ecoRoute hd

garmin-ecoroute-hd We first reported on Garmin ecoRoute hd back in November, when it was called ecoRoute ESP. Basically, this tool allows you to use your nuvi to monitor onboard vehicle diagnostics and performance data via a wireless connection with the car’s standardized onboard diagnostics port (OBD II). ecoRoute hd will be compatible with many current and future nüvi models, including the nuvi 1260, 1370, 1390, 1490 and 1690. This is a paid app (MSRP of $149.99), unlike the free, but more basic, ecoRoute feature included in many recent nuvis. It is expected to be available in March.

read more

Garmin zumo 665

zumo 665 XM weather

UPDATE: Check out our Garmin zumo 665 page for links to reviews, etc.

The motorcycle-friendly Garmin zumo 665 was announced today, adding to the zumo 660’s feature set with an antenna for XM Satellite Radio®, real-time XM NavWeather® and real-time XM NavTraffic®. Otherwise, the unit appears nearly identical to the zumo 660.

read more

Garmin Approach G3

Garmin Approach G3

UPDATE: Amazon now has the Garmin Approach G3 available for pre-order.

With the golf lover’s Garmin Approach G3, the Approach G5 now has a little brother. Modeled on the Garmin Dakota platform, the G3 is smaller and we suspect it will have the slightly brighter screen that made the Dakota 20 a real winner in our recent tests. The size and platform appears to be the only difference between the two models; the software should be the same.

In addition to a brighter screen, the smaller sized unit is $100 lighter on your pocket and 1.5 ounces lighter in your pocket. Like the G5, this new unit comes pre-loaded with 12,000 US and Canadian courses, with more being added over time. There is no subscription fee required. We have no word on when the G3 will be available, but will update this post once we know.

UPDATE: Expected to be available by February 1.

Garmin Voice Studio

voice recorder icon Can you do a killer impersonation? Have kids? Want your GPS to curse like a sailor?  Well hang on, because the boys in Olathe have released Garmin Voice Studio, a free Windows application that will let you add your own voice prompts to most nuvis and a few other products.

Basically, you record a few dozen phrases and use Voice Studio to edit and load them to your device. The entire process is supposed to take less than 30 minutes for most folks. Sorry, no text-to-speech though, so you’ll have to give up on hearing street names, at least until the novelty of having your six-year old call out directions wears off.

read more

DeLorme PN-60w with SPOT Satellite Communicator

DeLorme PN-60w SPOT
UPDATE: I’ve posted reviews of the DeLorme Earthmate PN-60w and the PN-60w / SPOT Communicator combo

We’ve got some big news for backcountry types today. DeLorme and Spot have jointly unveiled the first combination ruggedized GPS navigator and satellite communicator. The DeLorme Earthmate PN-60w with SPOT Satellite Communicator can send customized text messages to individuals or groups. While emergency messaging or personal locator beacon capability is something I’ve been wanting to see in a handheld GPS receiver for awhile, plans are for the PN-60w to offer even more.

read more

DeLorme Earthmate PN-30

DeLorme PN-30 review The DeLorme Earthmate PN-30 is a stripped down version of the PN-40, bringing all the features of that popular model, except for the electronic compass and barometric altimeter. It includes the PN-40’s dual-core processor for fast map redraws and speedy menu navigation. You’ll find the two colors above available, as it comes in both green and “realtree” for a camouflage appearance.

read more

TomTom XL 340-S LIVE review

TomTom XL 340-S LIVE review
UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For a list of current TomTom models and their features, please see our TomTom comparison chart.

The TomTom XL 340-S LIVE is the company’s first mid-range, “connected” navigator, offering LIVE services such as Google Local search, gas prices, etc. It has a 4.3” wide-screen and text-to-speech, so you’ll hear “turn right, Oak Street,” instead of just “turn right,”

read more

Garmin Oregon 550

Garmin Oregon 550

UPDATE: It appears that newer production runs of the 550 series models are now getting the brighter screen first introduced in the Oregon 450 series.

The Garmin Oregon 550 is one of Garmin’s top of the line touchscreen handheld units. It comes equipped with a 3.2 megapixel, 4x zoom, geotagging camera and tri-axial compass. Also included in the package is a battery charger and two AA NiMH batteries.

read more