Sunday, March 18, 2012

Garmin BirdsEye TOPO US screenshots

BirdsEye Topo US GSMNPA couple of weeks ago I posted that a new product, Garmin BirdsEye Topo US and Canada, had shown up on the Garmin website. Unfortunately they weren’t quite ready to deliver the goods then, but as of this morning those of us who coughed up $29.99 are able to download imagery.

UPDATE: Here it is… Garmin BirdsEye Topo US and Canada
The product still isn’t back live on the site, this is about as close as I can get you (it should show up there when live), but I can give you a peek at what it looks like on a 62s at various zoom levels. Hopefully, you’ll all have access within the next few days.

As you can see in the images below, the scale switches from 1:100K scale USGS maps to 1:24K at the 0.5 mile zoom level. The 24K imagery appears quite clear at the 0.2 mile, 800’, 500’ and 300’ zoom levels. It looks like Garmin has done a pretty good job on this raster imagery.

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Women drive SUV into water, blame GPS

SUV in Mercer SloughIn a case reminiscent of an episode of The Office, Three Mexican women in Bellevue, Washington for a meeting, drove their rental SUV into Mercer Slough, and have apparently blamed GPS for their trouble. In an aerial photo of what appears to be the boat ramp in question, I can see what may have been an old road bed on the other side of the Slough, but the road doesn’t show up on ether NAVTEQ or TeleAtlas maps, so I have my doubts.

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TomTom VIA 1505M

TomTom VIA 1505M review

The TomTom VIA 1505M sports a wide 5” screen and offers lifetime map updates (hence the M in  the product name), and updates the TomTom XXL 540M with TomTom’s new Webkit-based interface. Like all units in the VIA 1xx5 series, this one comes with preloaded maps of the US, Canada and Mexico.

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RIP Garmin nuvi 2×5 series

Nuvi 2x5 discontinuedAlas, a hugely popular Garmin nuvi series has been retired. Yes, the nuvi 2×5 series has been officially discontinued. These models were definitely getting long in the tooth, although they continue to be quite popular, allowing retailers to offer sub-$100 Garmins. I’m sure you’ll still be able to find them on the market for another year or so, but officially the 12xx and 13xx models are the current entry-level nuvis.

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Garmin nuvi 1100

Garmin nuvi 1100 

The Garmin nuvi 1100 is an entry-level model we first learned about in May 2010. Primarily available from Walmart.comicon, the 1100 is basically a nuvi 1200 minus text-to-speech, so you’ll just hear “turn right in 1/4 mile” instead of “turn right on Oak Street in 1/4 mile.”

Like the 1200, the nuvi 1100 has a 3.5” touch screen and maps of the U.S. with the exception of Alaska. All of the units in the 1xxx series come with customizable data fields and the ability to utilize the pedestrian and mass transit features of Garmin’s CityXplorer maps.

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Navionics marine charts heading to Magellan eXplorist handhelds

Magellan has announced a new partnership with Navionics, allowing Magellan eXplorist 510, 610 and 710 owners to load marine, lake and fishing charts to their devices. That’s about all this landlubber has to say on the subject, but you can hit the jump for the full news release. read more

TomTom VIA 1505TM

TomTom VIA 1505TM review

The TomTom VIA 1505TM sports a wide 5” screen and offers lifetime traffic and map updates (hence the TM in  the product name). This model updates a previous unit, the exceptionally popular TomTom XXL 540TM, bringing along TomTom’s new Webkit-based interface. Like all units in the VIA 1xx5 series, this one comes with preloaded maps of the US, Canada and Mexico.

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Garmin agrees to acquire Navigon

garmin-navigonGarmin has announced that they have agreed to acquire Navigon, in a deal still subject to regulatory approval (though I would be surprised if that presents much of an obstacle). Navigon’s OEM business and their iPhone and Android apps, were cited as complementary by Garmin President and COO Cliff Pemble. Navigon will operate as a subsidiary of Garmin, which brings up an interesting question regarding the future of Garmin’s mobile apps. Will the two entities compete in the same markets?

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TomTom VIA 1535TM review

TomTom VIA 1435TM

Hands on with the TomTom VIA 1535TM

The TomTom VIA 1535TM is the top of the line model in TomTom’s new VIA series. Sporting a wide 5” screen, the VIA 1535TM offers lifetime traffic and map updates (hence the TM in  the product name). This model updates a previous unit, the exceptionally popular TomTom XXL 540TM, adding Bluetooth, voice commands and TomTom’s new Webkit-based interface. Like all units in the VIA 1xx5 series, this one comes with preloaded maps of the US, Canada and Mexico.

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Waypoints — June 12th, 2011

Waypoints_iconWaypoints 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.

LightSquared

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