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UPDATE: Garmin has updated their policy with their nuMaps guarantee, which gives users 60 90 days to register their device. Follow the link for more details.
It appears that TomTom and Garmin have both adopted a formal policy of allowing free map upgrades within 30 days of registering a unit. Wait 31 days and you no longer qualify. Hence, I am recommending that anyone purchasing an auto GPS register their device immediately to see if they qualify for a free upgrade.
UPDATE: I’m recommending the new touch-screen Garmin Oregon series instead of the Colorado. It has a superior interface, along with almost all the other good things found on the Colorado. Read my hands-on review of the Oregon 400t for more information.
UPDATE 2: This model has been discontinued. For more current recommendations, please refer to our handheld GPS buyers guide or our Garmin handheld GPS comparison chart.
The Garmin Colorado 400c is the marine version of Garmin’s newest handheld GPS series. As such, it includes BlueChart® g2 coastal charts and a worldwide basemap with aerial imagery. The map detail includes includes shorelines, depth contours, navaids, harbors, marinas, port plans and coastal roads for the U.S. and Bahamas.
No matter what type of Garmin handheld you have, setting a waypoint name is a pain. All that scrolling for every character, then back to "OK." Then you have to scroll to "OK" again to save the waypoint. The Colorado has eliminated this but the consensus seems to be that it still takes longer to create a waypoint using the rock n’ roller scroll wheel.
Earlier this spring I wrote about Garmin’s bike mount for the Colorado handheld. I wasn’t too pleased with the zip tie mounting system, though once I moved it to the handlebar stem it was much more stable. But a stem mount means the angle isn’t adjustable, and visibility was quite poor.
Fortunately, a RAM mount has finally been released for the Colorado, and I couldn’t wait to try it out. What I ended up with is pictured above. But don’t go ordering one till you read the rest of the story.
UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For information on current models, check out our GPS for runners page.
The Garmin Forerunner 405 is a relatively new incarnation of Garmin’s popular GPS training device. Updating the Forerunner 305, the 405 was released for sale just before the 2008 Boston Marathon.
Last month, Leszek Pawlowicz of Free Geography Tools hinted at a new project code-named MOAGU. He may ascribe a different meaning to the acronym for legal reasons, but let’s call it what it is — MOAGU is the mother of all Garmin utilities. What Leszek has created is a utility that will place a USGS topo map on your Garmin GPS. Actually, it will put any scanned, georeferenced map on your Garmin. It won’t work on just any Garmin mapping handheld yet; I haven’t been able to get the maps on my Colorado 300, though I’m hoping some of our more technically inclined readers can figure that one out.
I have used it on my Garmin 60CSx and I have to say that Moagu rocks! This really is revolutionary. Handheld users have been asking for 1:24,000 scale USGS maps for their GPS units for years. The DeLorme PN-20 and Magellan Triton series have implemented this, more or less successfully (respectively), but we haven’t had an easy solution for Garmin devices until now.
UPDATE: This model has been discontinued, replaced by the touchscreen Garmin Edge 800.
The Garmin Edge 605 is one of the new mapping models in Garmin’s bike-centric Edge lineup.This is the first Edge unit I’ve had for a hands-on review; I’ve been testing it on my mountain bike for a few weeks now.
MapQuest and Google Maps are both getting new "Send to GPS features" for Garmin devices.
The Google Maps feature, available as of today, allows you to send one location at a time. At MapQuest you can select multiple destinations, though the feature will not be implemented there till later this month.
I received a Garmin nuvi 5000 to test recently and the first thing I did was to check out the custom route avoidances on it. Some manufacturers have had this feature for a while, and though Garmin is often late to the party, you can usually count on them to implement features as well or better than anyone. (UPDATE: Several commentators have noted that this is not a new feature for Garmin, just a new feature for the nuvi series.)
As far as I can tell, these custom avoidances are not going to be included on the upcoming nuvi 800 series. I suspect that Garmin is simply testing it out on the nuvi 5000, a unit bound to see low sales volume, if for no other reason than its lack of an internal battery.
I’ve been spending some time on the trail with my Garmin Colorado 300 and have been testing it against the Garmin 60CSx. Some folks have asked questions about satellite reception, since the Colorado reportedly uses a proprietary chipset and not the SiRFstar III found in the 60CSx. The image above compares tracklogs from both for the same mountain bike ride. Topography was steep in places, with canopy varying from deciduous trees to some mixed evergreens. Not the most difficult conditions but challenging enough that older receivers would likely have dropped out numerous times.
is the marine version of Garmin’s newest handheld GPS series. As such, it includes BlueChart® g2 coastal charts and a worldwide basemap with aerial imagery. The map detail includes includes shorelines, depth contours, navaids, harbors, marinas, port plans and coastal roads for the U.S. and Bahamas.