GPS reviews, news, tips, tricks and deals
Which satellite messenger is right for you?
There’s a little more info trickling out on the SPOT Gen3 Satellite Messenger, including its ability to send your position at 30 minute intervals for up to 45 days on a single charge. The SPOT Gen3 lists for $169.99 and is expected to be available later this month. read more
DeLorme has quietly acknowledged the forthcoming inReach SE two-way satellite communicator. The big improvement over the previous inReach is that you don’t have to pair it with a smartphone to send and receive text messages. Also of note, the virtual keyboard uses predictive text. And while the unit is a bit taller than the original, thankfully it’s slimmed down quite a bit in the other two dimensions. read more
The forthcoming DeLorme inReach SE
As previously noted, DeLorme is working on a new product, and now GPS City has spilled the beans on the DeLorme inReach SE, which is expected to hit their shelves around April 1. Unfortunately, it’s not the all-in-one GPS + satellite communicator we were hoping for, but it does update the current inReach with a color screen and virtual keyboard. read more
My mockup of a DeLorme GPS + satellite communicator
DeLorme recently posted a request for beta “testers for an upcoming product,” in their community forum, which got me wondering what they were up to. The post is gone now, but still available in Google’s cache (see image below): read more
Globetrotters rejoice! One of the missing pieces of the GPS puzzle for jet-setting adventurers is the lack of detailed maps for their devices. Sure, there are decent maps for most of Europe, Australia, etc., but you don’t even need to be in a third-world country before your GPS is pretty much devoid of mapping options. Now smartphone-toting trekkers have a new option though. read more
Okay folks, if you missed the EMS deals last week, here comes the other big handheld sale of the spring. We look forward to REI’s anniversary sale every year; this time they have two of the newest Garmin handhelds on sale through May 28. And while they didn’t show up in the sales flyer, and we can’t guarantee the end date, they’ve got some other great deals as well. Here are all the details: read more
UPDATE 4: The new inReach for smartphones is now available at Amazon
UPDATE 3: The DeLorme inReach 2-Way Satellite Communicator for Apple iOS and Android is now shipping from REI.com.
UPDATE 2: I’ve added DeLorme’s news release to the end of this post.
UPDATE: I should have noted that this new version of the inReach will work with either iOS or Android devices.
This one is for you iPhone-toting, off-trail wilderness freaks. Been feeling left out when it comes to two-way satellite communicators? Dying to tweet or post to Facebook from the middle of nowhere? Well for better or worse, now you can, for it looks like word has travelled from Cupertino to Yarmouth, and DeLorme can finally sell their inReach for iOS devices. read more
This one is for you iPhone toting backcountry types. It looks like the DeLorme inReach two-way satellite communicator is finally going to see an iPhone version. Or to be more precise, there’s actually a new model, the DeLorme inReach 1.5 that will be compatible with both iOS and Android.
Hands on review of the DeLorme inReachUPDATE: The newest version of the inReach now supports both Android and iOS.
The DeLorme inReach for Android
UPDATE: Alas, the deal is done. For a current list of holiday bargains, head on over to our GPS Deals site.
Ok folks, this one may be a fluke, but it’s worth a try. Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) has brought back their Black Friday pricing on GPS receivers. Sort of. What they are saying is that everything is 20-30% off today, but that Garmin units are excluded. Yet if you look at their GPS page, they’ve got some great deals on Garmin units. If you want one, I’d move fast. Here are some of the best; the inReach, eTrex and Montana deals are particularly hot:
GPS Tracklog is written by Rich Owings, author of GPS Mapping.
