GPS reviews, news, tips, tricks and deals
UPDATE: I found a better mouse trap bike mount. Read my post on how I configured a RAM mount for my Colorado.
Now that my move is over and the baby is a little older, I’m getting back out on the bike and putting my Garmin Colorado 300 to the test. I really like the Colorado, but at this point I can’t recommend it for mountain bikers, due to the backcountry navigation issues I posted earlier this week, along with problems finding a decent mount.
A reader recently asked, "How can I program my gps nuvi 350 for my Utah streets? We have numbers for street names like (Harmon’s Grocery Store, 1189E 700S. The gps will not accept it. Help!!!"
This is an excellent question; a quick Google search and a search of the Garmin site didn’t turn up any answers about grid addresses. So I emailed Garmin support and got the following response…
I discovered a new nuvi trick today while perusing some YouTube video reviews. Say you’re deep into the menus, perhaps entering an address, and you want to go back to the main menu. Instead of hitting the "back" button numerous times, just hold it down.
UPDATE: I’m recommending the new touch-screen Garmin Oregon 400t instead of the Colorado. It has a superior interface, along with almost all the other good things found on the Colorado.
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 400t
In last week’s Waypoints, I issued a challenge to Free Geography Tools’ Leszek Pawlowicz to check out Open Street Map (OSM) on a Garmin handheld, now that OSM has incorporated U.S. TIGER data. He good naturedly accepted the gauntlet and posted his findings. The screen shot at left shows a sample.
I’m disappointed that using OSM data in this way doesn’t allow for autorouting. Still, for those of you with Garmin handhelds that don’t want to lay out the bucks for MetroGuide or City Navigator, this is another option.
Thanks Leszek!
UPDATE: MSN Direct is ceasing operations on January 1, 2012.
UPDATE 2: This model has been discontinued. For current recommendations, please refer to our auto GPS buyers guide.
The Garmin nuvi 780
UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For current recommendations, please refer to our auto GPS buyers guide.
The Garmin nüvi 260W
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. I’ve also posted a page on the comparable model in the Oregon line — the Garmin Oregon 300.
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 300
Garmin has announced a 3.5G cell phone, the Garmin nuvifone. The touch screen device will include Google local search capability. Nüvifone users can search for locations like “coffee shops” and Google will sort the results based on the user’s current location and relevance. Information provided by Google includes a web-based rating so that users can select the most appropriate destination and route directly to it. In addition, the nüvifone also includes personal messaging functions, including email, text, and instant messaging.
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.
