GPS reviews, news, tips and tricks
UPDATE: See my hands on Magellan eXplorist 310 review.
The Magellan eXplorist 310 has been announced ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show, bringing an entry-level model to the new eXplorist handheld GPS line. The 310 utilizes the same hardware as the eXplorist GC, which has a smaller, non-touch screen as opposed to the eXplorist 510, 610 and 710. As an aside, I’ll have a hands on review of the eXplorist 710 posted in the next few weeks.
UPDATE 2: Read my hands on review of the Magellan eXplorist 710.
UPDATE: Here’s some screenshots and a discussion of capabilities and accepted map formats.
As expected following the success of the Magellan eXplorist GC, the company today announced several new additions to their updated handheld platform: the Magellan eXplorist 510, 610 and 710.
The Magellan eXplorist GC
UPDATE: I’ve posted my hands-on review of the Magellan eXplorist GC.
Magellan is announcing a new handheld today – the eXplorist GC, which is designed specifically for geocaching. I’ll have a full review up soon but I wanted to go ahead and give you a sneak peek.
The eXplorist GC is set up for full paperless caching, meaning there’s no need to print out a bunch of info from geocaching.com before heading out. Perhaps the nicest feature in this respect is the ability to sort / filter caches in just about any way and combination you can imagine.
The interface is pretty intuitive. In my early testing I’ve been fairly impressed and think Magellan may have a winner here. I’ve included a couple of screen shots showing the filter feature below to whet your appetite for the full review. In the interim, is there anything specific that you want to know about the eXplorist GC? Chime in below and I’ll try to include it.
Expected to be available next month, the eXplorist GC is priced at $199.99 (MSRP).
Magellan announced new firmware today for their Triton series, and a new version of VantagePoint as well. It looks like their acquisition by MiTAC has infused the company with some much needed energy. I’ve been very impressed with the improvements made to their latest auto units and have been hoping they would ramp things up on the handheld side too.
The Triton line has already seen some recent firmware updates, and it appears that these are forthcoming, adding to the improvements previously made. A discussion thread has been started on TritonForum.com.
Read on for the full news release…
There’s been a lot of progress recently on making custom maps for the Magellan Triton series. For any of you with these handhelds, here are some resources to check out…
It’s now possible to add aerial imagery to most of the Magellan Triton line, thanks to National Geographic’s new TOPO! Explorer application. You can download a "SuperQuad" that includes aerial imagery and a 1:24,000 scale USGS topo map for a dollar at their Map Store.
UPDATE: Screen visibility took a major leap forward recently with the Garmin Oregon 450, and it appears that later production runs of the 550 series now include the improved screen.
The new Garmin Colorado and Magellan Triton series (and now the Garmin Oregon too) have higher resolution screens than anything we’ve seen before in handheld GPS receivers. But those gorgeous and detailed displays come at a cost. Many early adopters have been surprised by the decreased visibility of these units in their natural habitat — the great outdoors.
Magellan Triton handhelds have disappeared from REI stores and from the REI.com website. The problematic units were pulled, depending on who you ask, at REI’s request or as a result of a Magellan recall. Since other sites are still selling them, I’m betting REI leaned on Magellan to take them back. This post on the Groundspeak forum seems to confirm this. Reportedly, the units will be back in stock after getting a firmware upgrade.
The Magellan Triton 1500
GPS Tracklog is written by Rich Owings, author of GPS Mapping.
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