Sunday, March 18, 2012

Garmin BirdsEye Select brings raster topos to Europe; US to follow?

BirdsEye-Select-DeutschlandWell, well. I think I missed the story in Waypoints when I said BirdsEye goes international. What’s new is not the international coverage; it’s the BirdsEye Select products that bring detailed raster topo imagery to Garmin handhelds.

The UK has had such imagery for awhile, and I’m not sure what all the differences are between the Garmin GB Discoverer series (which offers both 1:50K and 1:25K scale maps) and the Garmin Select product at 1:25K. Perhaps some of our friends across the pond can chime in.

What’s interesting to me though, is this bringing us closer to seeing a quality USGS topo product from Garmin. At least I’m hoping that’s the plan.

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Garmin chirp wireless geocaching beacon

UPDATE: Now available at Amazon and REI.com

The Garmin chirp was announced this morning — a wireless geocaching beacon designed for multi-stage caches, although it seems to cry out for other uses as well.

Slightly larger than a quarter and weighing in at 1 ounce, the chirp has a one-year battery life and a range of 32 feet. It can transmit hints or coordinates for the next stage of a cache

Wireless-enabled Garmin Dakota, Oregon and GPSMAP 62/78 series units are listed as compatible. The chirp is password protected and provides the owner with stats showing the number of visitors the chirp has recorded.

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Garmin Forerunner 210 and 410 announced

Garmin-Forerunner-210-410

UPDATE: I now have pages up for the Garmin Forerunner 210 and Forerunner 410, complete with links to hands on reviews.

Garmin has announced two new fitness watches this morning, the Forerunner 210 and Forerunner 410. The models introduced today are designed to complement the rest of the  x10 series, the Forerunner 110 and 310XT watches. One notable new feature for the 410 is an enhanced touch bezel that “provides unmatched reliability in sweaty, rainy conditions.” You can compare the new models to the other x10 series units here.

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Update on Garmin GPSMAP 62 series performance

Garmin-62s-tracklog When I reviewed the Garmin GPSMAP 62s, I gave it a tentative recommendation because I needed to run beta firmware to get accurate tracklogs. Since then, I’ve been testing the 62 series with the 2.50 (non-beta) firmware and, as promised, I’m updating my recommendations.

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Garmin Edge 800 announced

Garmin-Edge-800
UPDATE: I’ve got a new page devoted to the Garmin Edge 800, complete with links to hands on reviews.

Garmin announced a new cycling GPS this morning, the Garmin Edge 800. The big news is that this is the first touchscreen model in the Edge series. It also brings BirdsEye aerial imagery and Garmin custom map capabilities to the Edge line. I’m curious about Garmin mentioning simplified route planning through BaseCamp; I’ve never been a fan of the Edge’s use of courses instead of tracks, although much of that may be due to my background as a longtime mountain biker and handheld GPS user. There’s nothing in the specs that leads me to believe the Edge brings more traditional backcountry navigation tools to the plate though.

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Garmin GPSMAP 62s review

Garmin-GPSMAP-62s

Hands on with the Garmin GPSMAP 62s

It’s finally here… The Garmin GPSMAP 62s brings a long-awaited update to the fabled and much-loved GPSMAP 60CSx, which has reigned supreme as the gold standard handheld GPS for more than four years. During that time, Garmin experimented with new interfaces, first with the Colorado series, and later with the Oregon and Dakota lines. These have been fine-tuned through many software updates, adding things like paperless geocaching and the ability to add custom maps and aerial imagery.

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Garmin GPSMAP 62

Garmin GPSMAP 62 review The following has been adapted from my hands on review of the Garmin GPSMAP 62s.

It’s finally here… The Garmin GPSMAP 62 brings a long-awaited update to the GPSMAP 60Cx. The 60 series reigned supreme as the gold standard handheld GPS for more than four years. During that time, Garmin experimented with new interfaces, first with the Colorado series, and later with the Oregon and Dakota lines. These have been fine-tuned through many software updates, adding things like paperless geocaching and the ability to add custom maps and aerial imagery.

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Garmin GPSMAP 62st

Garmin GPSMAP 62st review

The following has been adapted from my hands on review of the Garmin GPSMAP 62s.

It’s finally here… The Garmin GPSMAP 62st brings a long-awaited update to the fabled and much-loved GPSMAP 60CSx, which has reigned supreme as the gold standard handheld GPS for more than four years. During that time, Garmin experimented with new interfaces, first with the Colorado series, and later with the Oregon and Dakota lines. These have been fine-tuned through many software updates, adding things like paperless geocaching and the ability to add custom maps and aerial imagery.

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Garmin GPSMAP 62s or Oregon 450?

Garmin-62s-v-Oregon-450

UPDATE: Read my hands on review of the Garmin GPSMAP 62s

Well, the Garmin 62 series has started hitting online stores, and we already know a lot about it, since it’s based on the same platform as the GPSMAP 78 series. So I thought I’d go ahead and take a stab at answering what is bound to be a common question over the next few months; should you get a GPSMAP 62s or the Oregon 450? Here’s my take on the advantages of each: read more

Garmin GPSMAP 62 series hits the market

Garmin GPSMAP 62

UPDATE: The 62, 62s and 62st are all now available from REI.com.

UPDATE 2: GPS City now has all three models in stock…

UPDATE 3: Check out my hands on review of the Garmin GPSMAP 62s.

UPDATE 4: I’ve also got pages up for the GPSMAP 62 and GPSMAP 62st.

At least one vendor has a couple of the much anticipated Garmin GPSMAP 62 models in stock. Hit the links below to grab one of these bad boys:

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