Garmin GPSMAP 78, 78s and 78sc marine handhelds

UPDATE 2: I’ve now posted my hands on review of the Garmin GPSMAP 78s.

UPDATE - I’m now doing hands on testing of the GPSMAP 78 series, which seems to be the same platform as the forthcoming 62 series.

Garmin has announced three new color marine handhelds this morning, the GPSMAP 78, 78s and 78sc. Updating the 76 series, these units support Garmin custom maps and BirdsEye imagery. The “s” models include user profiles, a tri-axial compass and wireless exchange of data between units. The flagship 78sc includes pre-loaded cartography for the coastal US. And like the 76 series, they float!

There have been rumors of an updated 60 series, but I had doubts due to the supposed 62 series numbering. That is certainly making more sense after today’s announcement. We should know soon.

Manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the GPSMAP 78 series is $299.99, $399.99 and $499.99, with all three units expected to be available in May, 2010.

EDIT:

The Garmin product pages are showing prices $50 less more (oops!) than stated above and in the news release. Somebody goofed one place or the other. They also confirm paperless geocaching capability. Here are the links:

Also, the image at right shows a new menu system.

Here’s the news release:

Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, announced today the GPSMAP® 78sc, GPSMAP 78s and the GPSMAP 78 – the newest of Garmin’s next generation marine-friendly GPS handhelds that feature a new contemporary industrial design with rubber side grips that’s ideal for navigating the great outdoors. Garmin’s flagship model – the GPSMAP 78sc – also adds new high-end features like a 3-axis tilt-compensated electronic compass, wireless data transfer between compatible units and preloaded cartography for the coastal United States.

“The GPSMAP 78 series updates the look and feel of their popular predecessors, while retaining the ruggedness and durability that mariners have come to know and appreciate from the GPSMAP series,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “These rugged new handhelds represent a leap forward with features that make navigation easier.”

Thanks to the bright, highly transflective 65K color LCD display with backlight, each unit in the GPSMAP 78 series is easier than ever to read and use in all conditions. Like earlier GPSMAP generations, these new handhelds will keep the same soft-key user interface and overall sleek, easy-to-use design – including in a rugged and waterproof housing that floats. Other key upgrades to the GPSMAP 78sc and GPSMAP 78s include user-defined profiles and a 3-axis tilt-compensated electronic compass, which shows your heading even when you’re standing still. The new GPSMAP 78sc and 78s also support wireless exchange of tracks, waypoints, routes and geocaches with compatible Oregon®, DakotaTM , Colorado® and Foretrex® devices.

Weighing 7.7 ounces, the new GPSMAP 78 models last up to 20 hours on two AA batteries. Each device has a high-sensitivity GPS receiver with HotFixTM, which automatically calculates and stores critical satellite information and can use that information to quickly calculate a position. The new GPSMAP 78 models have 1.7 GB of internal memory and a microSDTM card slot for optional map data, so users have the ability to add additional BlueChart® g2 marine charts, topographic maps or CityNavigator® data for turn-by-turn routing on roads. With these units, you can store up to 2,000 waypoints, 200 routes and a tracklog of up to 10,000 points and 200 saved tracks.

A built-in worldwide shaded relief basemap comes preloaded on each new 78 series handheld and the GPSMAP 78sc adds BlueChart g2 cartography for the coastal U.S. The GPSMAP 78 series also supports Garmin Custom Maps – a free utility that transforms paper and electronic maps into downloadable maps for your compatible Garmin handheld device, bringing details, labels and landmarks for your existing paper or electronic map to your device. For more information, visit www.garmin.com/CustomMaps. To get a true representation of your surroundings, these units also support BirdsEyeTM Satellite Imagery, an annual subscription service that gives users the option of loading highly-detailed photo-based maps to select Garmin handheld devices. For more information, visit www.garmin.com/birdseyesatimagery

Manufacturer’s suggested retail prices are as follows: $499.99 for GPSMAP 78sc, $399.99 for GPSMAP 78s, and $299.99 for GPSMAP 78. The 78 series is expected to be available in May, 2010.