GPS reviews, news, tips, tricks and deals
Ouch! Consumer Reports has posted an article that is very critical of some of TomTom’s integrated mounts. I’m not sure they are being entirely fair though. With the exception of the START series, they are criticizing mounts from discontinued units. read more
I was researching another post this morning when I came across some interesting information on the ability of 911 services to determine the location of mobile phones. Phase II Enhanced 911 allows location info to be passed along from mobile phones when you dial 911, and while all but eight states have implemented this in 80% or more of their counties, the clickable map above shows it to have still been pretty spotty as of a year ago. Less than half of the states have fully implemented this standard. read more
Just a few quick notes to keep you up to date on discontinued units and new introductions hitting the market…
Garmin has discontinued quite a few handheld models, most notably the eTrex H(C)(x) series, pushed out by the very popular new eTrex 10/20/30 models. Also on the the chopping block, the Astro 220 and Rino 5x0HCx models. Road warriors may bemoan the loss of several diminutive nuvis, the 12xx series and the 2200, as well as the transatlantic 1370T. read more
The Garmin Forerunner 10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBYMir63X4M
Want to better understand how Garmin BaseCamp organizes your data? You’re not alone, as it is probably the most confusing aspect of the program. Looks like the company finally got the message as they have posted a very helpful video tutorial (PC version above; Mac version here). read more
Hands on Garmin fenix review
The Garmin Fenix
Ah, something nice to wake up to this morning. The TomTom Android app is now live in Google Play, with versions available for a wide range of countries and regions including the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and Southern Africa.
Eighteen months after a man left his wife and their stranded van, with only an auto GPS to guide him back to civilization, hunters have found his body in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest near Mountain City, Nevada (location map above), close to the Idaho state line.
Magellan has announced the eXplorist 310 and 510 Hunter Editions, which are bundled with a code for a 12 month subscription to Kirsch’s Hunting Trax Maps for one state (North Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Nevada, Washington or Oregon). The maps are described as “a BLM map, Forest Service map, County Road Map, Topo map, and a state Game and Fish map” all rolled into one.
The release expands Magellan’s handheld niche strategy, highlighted by their recent releases of Topo, Marine and Angler Editions. The 310 Hunter Edition carries an MSRP of $229.99, while the 510 lists for $329.99.
read more
It’s that time again — the first of the month, when we look back on our readers’ favorite auto and handheld GPS units. And this month we have two new champs, with the nuvi 1450LMT returning to the top of the auto charts and the eTrex 30 claiming the number one spot on the handheld side. Our rankings are based on the number of units sold on GPS Tracklog and our sister site, GPS Deals, through our various partners like Amazon and REI. On to the charts…
