Waypoints is a weekly link roundup of (mostly) GPS related odds and ends. To get a few of the biggest stories as they break, follow me on Twitter.
Garmin
- Looks like Garmin posted their new Express software prematurely
- Congrats to GPS File Depot for surpassing one million map downloads!
- The 7″ Garmin dezl 760LMT truck GPS
has finally hit the market
- Another Barfly Garmin Edge mount review
- Nasdaq Busts Early Trades in Shares of Garmin
Geocaching trails
GPS and guns
- Doesn’t understand the technology: Put GPS chips on high-capacity ammo
- NYC Pre-Christmas Gun Map Sparks Controversy
- Hunter uses GPS device to track gun down thief
Satellites and such
- Beidou (China’s GNSS) Available for Commercial Use in Asia
- This Beidou/Compass article includes some good graphics
- Good video on how GPS works (via The Educacher):
Just geo
- World’s Scariest Hikes; some interesting ones, but having done it, I have to say that the kid-friendly Peekaboo and Spooky don’t belong on this list
- Cool map – One dot for each person in the US, unmarred by roads, rivers, and boundaries; via Google Maps Mania
- The Google Earth Time Machine
- All about those islands China and Japan are contesting; via Stfan Gns’s Tumblr
- ‘On the Map’ by Simon Garfield
- Lost in Our Maps: A History of Cartographic Catastrophes
- English Exonyms vs. Native Endonyms, Part II
All the news that doesn’t fit
- Need a new USB port cover for your Magellan eXplorist 510, 610 or 710?
- Congratulations to GPS Tracklog author Adrian Faulkner on the publication of his first book
!
- Locus Pro Android app on sale thru end of year; via Louis Caplan
- Consumer Reports: Should you keep or return that GPS navigator?
- The Michigan DNR snowmobile maps I mentioned last week apparently have “text file links embedded in their PDF files that you can then convert to tracklogs and load into your GPS!”
- Google vs. Microsoft: Santa-tracking systems go out of sync
- Eric Larsen aborts cycling to South Pole expedition
GPS deals
These are some bargains we’re currently tracking in our GPS deals section:
- Post-holiday deal roundup – includes auto, handheld and sport units
- TomTom VIA 1505TM for $105.99 with free shipping
- Garmin Oregon 450 for $199.95 with free shipping
- Deals from Garmin’s own eBay store
- ENDS 12/31: SPOT Connect Satellite Communicator for $99.95 after rebate
- ENDS 12/31: DeLorme inReach for $174.95 after $75 rebate
Updated GPS reviews
I’ve updated these review and resource pages with the following links:
- Garmin Edge 800 – Computeractive reviews this high-end cyclometer
- Garmin fenix – The Road to Marathon Des Sables reviews this backcountry sportswatch
- Garmin zumo 660 – Farkle My Ride reviews this motorcycle GPS
About Rich Owings