GPS reviews, news, tips, tricks and deals
UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For a list of current TomTom models and their features, please see our TomTom comparison chart.
The TomTom ONE 130-S updates the TomTom ONE 3rd edition, with a new design that features a built-in mount called the EasyPortTM, that stows on the back of the device.
We heard about the DeLorme PN-40 earlier this summer, so today’s announcement of its pending release this fall comes as no surprise. One new piece of info though — they’ve scheduled a September shipping date.
Low cost aerial imagery and USGS quads
The other new piece of information is that you’ll be able to download all the aerial imagery, USGS topo quads and NOAA charts that you want for an annual fee of $29.95. I’ve been merciless in my criticism of DeLorme pricing; prior to this thirty bucks would have only bought you two 7.5′ quads worth of imagery. So here’s a big thank you to DeLorme for giving us this deal. I can’t imagine owning a DeLorme handheld and not ponying up the extra bucks for imagery.
Garmin and Harley sittin’ in a tree…
Ahem…Garmin and Harley-Davidson have announced the Road Tech zumo, a customized version of Garmin’s motorcycle-specific GPS device specially enhanced for Harley owners. The Road Tech z?mo will be on display and available for sale beginning the week of August 4th at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and around the world in Harley-Davidson authorized dealerships.
UPDATE: The nuvi 2×5 series has been officially discontinued. For current recommendations, see our auto GPS buyers guide.
The Garmin nuvi 205W
TopoFusion is my go-to program for planning and tracking backcountry adventures. It’s typically the program I turn to first and there is rarely a day that goes by without me using it. Here are ten reasons that TopoFusion rocks:
1. The ability to toggle between USGS topo maps, aerial photos and hybrid imagery
All you have to do is tap “a” on the keyboard to toggle between these views. The TerraServer aerial imagery includes B/W U.S. coverage to 1 meter/pixel and color urban coverage to 0.25 meters/pixel. TopoFusion also accesses Canadian topos, TIGER street maps and worldwide LandSat imagery. The color urban imagery below is of salt ponds at the south end of the San Francisco Bay (16 meters/pixel).
Heading to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing? Garmin has you covered. Two weeks ahead of the games, Garmin has released City Navigator China NT, though I have to wonder if the coverage is as good as is suggested by the map above.
UPDATE: Read my hands-on Garmin nuvi 500 review. I’ve also posted a Garmin nuvi 550 page.
The rumors were true — Garmin announced today the introduction of the nuvi 500 series — multi-use navigators for driving, cycling, walking and boating. Ruggedized and waterproof, the nuvi 500 series sports a 3.5″ touchscreen and appears to share the feature set and much of the interface of the nuvi 2×5 series I wrote about this morning, including the ability to add MSN Direct or FM/TMC traffic.
The nuvi 500 comes with pre-loaded City Navigator and topo maps of the 48 contiguous United States, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. The 550 offers highway coverage of the entire U.S. and Canada but drops the topo maps.
I’ve been testing a Garmin nuvi 205W recently and have been surprised to find a couple of advanced features in this entry-level product that I wasn’t anticipating:
You can see both these features in the screen shot above. The tracklog is the thin blue line trailing behind the current position icon. The speed limit being shown is for a two-lane road, albeit a relatively busy one.
UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For current recommendations, please refer to our TomTom comparison chart.
The TomTom GO 930
The 930 has a 4.3″ wide touch screen, pre-loaded maps of the U.S., Canada and Europe, and text-to-speech. The latter feature means that you’ll hear “turn left on Oak Street” rather than just “turn left in 1/4 mile.” It also includes Bluetooth for hands-free calling, a built-in FM transmitter and TomTom’s Map Share technology, which allows users to make some map corrections and share them with others. TomTom doesn’t give an exact number of points of interest (POIs) on their devices; they simply say “millions.” Regardless, I find TomTom devices to have an adequate number of POIs.
UPDATE: Read my hands-on Garmin Oregon 400t review.
I received a Garmin Oregon 400t review unit yesterday, right before a scheduled bike ride with a friend. I scrambled to get Garmin’s Colorado mount on my bike, which works with the Oregon series, since the carabiner attachment is the same on both models. (The RAM mount will not work however, since the Oregon is smaller than the Colorado.) I had no time to set up waypoints or routes, or load tracks. Nevertheless, I do have some first impressions to share…
