UPDATE: Read my hands on review of the Garmin nuvi 295W.
Well, well, what have we here? A nuvi with WiFi scheduled to hit store shelves in just a few days. The Garmin nüvi 295W
Garmin nuvi 295W with WiFi
May 12, 2010 By 21 Comments
Garmin nuvis with lifetime map updates (LMU) hit market
May 11, 2010 By 6 Comments
UPDATE: It looks like the next round of Garmin lifetime map units, due fall 2010, will bear the LM and LMT suffixes.
UPDATE 2: LM and LMT pages on GPS Tracklog:
- Garmin nuvi 1300LM
- Garmin nuvi 1350LMT
- Garmin nuvi 1390LMT
- Garmin nuvi 1450LM
- Garmin nuvi 1450LMT
- Garmin nuvi 1490LMT
- Garmin nuvi 2300LM
- Garmin nuvi 2350LMT
- Garmin nuvi 2360LMT
- Garmin nuvi 2450LM
- Garmin nuvi 2460LMT
- Garmin nuvi 3760LMT
- Garmin nuvi 3790LMT
Garmin has quietly expanded the number of units bundled with lifetime map updates. These were first spotted at Costco a couple of months ago, but they are now making their way into the broader market. You may see them listed as LMU (lifetime map updates) or as models with nuMaps Lifetime Map Updates. Here are the ones we are aware of and some places we’ve seen them:
Waypoints — May 8th, 2010
May 8, 2010 By 2 Comments
Waypoints is a weekly link roundup of (mostly) GPS related odds and ends. To get many of these stories as they break, follow me on Twitter.
Auto GPS
- Garmin nuvi 3700 series video preview
- Darth Vader recording his voice for your TomTom
- Garmin nuvi map customization coming soon?
- Early experiences with iPad GPS navigation
- New Jill – American English text to speech files available thru Garmin WebUpdater
- GPS 101: Snap To Roads
- INRIX’s crowd-sourced traffic network surpasses 2 million vehicles
TomTom EASEs into XL 350 and XXL 550
May 7, 2010 By 7 Comments
UPDATE: Read my hands on review of the TomTom XXL 550TM.
Without any fanfare (or news releases), TomTom has snuck the XL 350 and XXL 550 onto their US website. Based on the European XL IQ Routes edition2 models, these navigators will sport the same simplified menu American fans have seen on the TomTom EASE.
A new type of GPS mount
May 6, 2010 By 1 Comment
UPDATE: Now available for the GPSMAP 78 series (scroll down for pics).
I received an email a couple of weeks ago from a fellow in Idaho who hand manufactures a new style of mount for the Garmin 60 series. It looked interesting enough that I agreed to test it out, and I came away pretty impressed.
Made from Concealex (a modified form of Kydex), the mount seems very rugged, and doesn’t appear to block GPS signals, allowing the unit to be almost completely enclosed. Dave Jankowsky, creator of the mount, has dubbed it the Buzz Bomb Cradle. You need to use a RAM diamond mount with it; I used the RAP-274U.
Top ten GPS for April 2010
May 2, 2010 By 4 Comments
At the first of each month, we look back to see which were the most popular reviews on GPS Tracklog. On the auto side, it’s another sweep for the Garmin nuvi series, with one new entry. The nuvi 1450 debuts at number three, as the 1xxx series begins to dominate the rankings. Meanwhile, there are two new entries on the handheld side – the Garmin Oregon 450 and Magellan eXplorist GC, both of which had a lot of exposure due to hands on reviews being posted in the last month.
TomTom XL 340TM
May 2, 2010 By 12 Comments
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 340TM
Waypoints — May 1st, 2010
May 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Waypoints is a weekly link roundup of (mostly) GPS related odds and ends. To get many of these stories as they break, follow me on Twitter. There are lots of links here, and errors are bound to occur. If you ever spot a broken link, please drop a comment so I can fix it. Thanks!
Garmin
- Garmin nuvi 18xx series "manufacture canceled?"
- Garmin GPSMAP 62 rumors
- Series of tweets from @GPSFix cite FCC docs, saying Garmin GPSMAP 78 series handhelds appear to have patch antenna and external (MCX) antenna connector
- Some good info on Garmin BirdsEye file sizes, etc.
- A Garmin nuvifone A10 image gallery; via @Garminfone
- Some Free Tools For Custom Garmin Vector Maps XVI: Map Uploaders And Managers
- And some Not So Free Tools For Custom Garmin Vector Maps XVII: Paid Apps
TomTom XXL 540TM
May 1, 2010 By 115 Comments
UPDATE: A newer model, the TomTom VIA 1535TM, updates the 540TM, adding Bluetooth and voice commands.
The TomTom XXL 540TM
10 years ago today
May 1, 2010 By 2 Comments
The first experimental GPS satellite was launched in 1978, with the real thing (the Block II series) starting to go up in 1989. But the Global Positioning System was of limited use to anyone but the military in the early days, due to Selective Availability (SA), which degraded the signal, resulting in inaccuracies of up to 100 meters. An executive order signed by President Bill Clinton ten years ago today ended SA.
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