Sunday, March 18, 2012

Garmin Introduces Hunt View Maps

hunting

When you are hunting, there are a lot of things that you have to be aware of to ensure your hunt is legal and now, with Garmin‘s new Hunt View Maps, you’ll have one less thing to worry about. This series of preloaded microSD cards contain essential map data showing public vs private land so you don’t ever have to question where you are. The maps also contain satellite imagery, 24K TOPO mapping and routable roads. The maps are currently only available for Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Utah.

The maps are $80 each and are available for purchase on Garmin’s website now. Each map comes with information for the entire state and provides borders and boundaries for public and private land as well as rural roads for better navigation. The card also supports turn-by-turn navigation for rural roads to help hunters navigate in unfamiliar country. read more

TomTom Golfer Officially Announced

Tomtom golf watch

Well, it’s finally here. The TomTom Golfer, a GPS sports watch designed to help golfers measure their game and navigate the hazards of the green has been officially announced and is available for preorder in the UK. You might remember we talked a little bit about it a couple of weeks ago. Now, the watch has been officially announced and will be available soon for around $250. The TomTom Golfer comes preloaded with 34,000 popular golf courses around the globe. You can check golf course coverage here.

Other information that the watch can show includes precise yardage on the green, distance and previews of hazards on each hole, distances to lay-up points and score and distance tracking for your round. The watch is weather and waterproof, so if it starts drizzling, you haven’t got anything to fear. read more

TomTom Updates GPS Sport Watch Software

tomtom-runner

TomTom has announced a slew of updates for their GPS watches, including the long-awaited Android support for their popular MySports App, and added compatibility for iOS 8. Android users can download the MySports App from the Google Play Store for free. Support for iOS was released last year.

The app was first announced in February and allows users to track their stats and perform other functions. The app is currently compatible with the TomTom Runner and the TomTom Multi-Sport GPS Sport Watch. Phones that have been cleared for compatibility include the Samsung Galaxy S3, S4, S5, Nexus 5, HTC One and HTC One M8, with more devices coming soon. read more

TomTom Golf Watch To Be Released

Tomtom golf watch

GPS Business News has reported that TomTom has created a golf watch, which is expected to be released this month. According to reports, the watch was introduced during a press conference at the KLM Dutch Open last week. TomTom does not have any information on their site about the watch, but I found a little bit of leaked information. read more

Holux Introduces Multipurpose Bike Computer

sportrex 1305

Holux Technology launched their latest multi-function handheld GPS device this week. The SporTrex 1305 designed for all kinds of cyclists from serious to hobby. The device has features designed to for touring, competitive cycling and mountain biking, and has can measure and calculate a number of information fields in addition to recording tracks with GPS. The SporTrex 1305 is also shock resistant and IPX7 water resistant.

One of the cooler (albeit rather pointless) features is the Carbon Reduction Function, which converts the amount of carbon emissions you are saving into trees planted in a sort of odd numbers-game. The device itself is advertised as “earth friendly’ and uses lithium-ion batteries and low power consumption to help the environment. read more

Rumor: Controlling Garmin With Handlebar Remote?

garmin control

photo by Bike Radar

I read an interesting rumor today on Bike Radar that suggested that Garmin representatives are contemplating a partnership with Shimano Cycling, a company known for cycling equipment and accessories.

According to their article, both companies were discussing a possible partnership during a cycling conference earlier this week. The partnership, if it happened, would likely be to design technology to control a Garmin cycling GPS with Shimano’s shifting lever hoods. Nothing is solid yet, but both companies seemed quite excited by the idea. read more

Epson Dives Into Sport Watch Market

epson running watch

Epson Runsense

Epson, a company known for printers and other office-like equipment has, surprisingly, delved into the world of sport watches with two activity and heart rate trackers called Pulsense and a line of GPS running watches called Runsense.

This UK company has two models of Pulsense which offer heart rate tracking to help monitor your activity during exercise and during the day. They also can track caloric intake and monitor your sleep. The Pulsense exercise band and the watch are supposedly available in the U.S. as well as Europe, but I didn’t see a ‘buy’ button on their site. Only a ‘subscribe for updates’ screen. read more

Find Your Way With Smart Shoes

The Lechal shoes (shown above) give directions using haptic feedback

The Lechal shoes (shown above) give directions using haptic feedback

While Smartshoes are not a new idea–we have actually written an article about tech-savvy shoes before–they are generally aimed at the very young, the very old or the disabled. But now, a start up company in India is intent to change of all that with the Lechal.

Meaning “Take Me Along” in Hindi, the Lechal shoes are quite eye-catching. But that isn’t all they do. Those bright red shoes can also give you directions using a combination of Google Maps and haptic feedback. The makers of the shoe, Krisipan Lawrence and Anirudh Sharma, say that the ‘smartshoes’ change the process finding your way around from a complicated affair involving staring at a tiny screen or trying to read instructions to an instinctive, fun process. read more

Leikr GPS Sport Watch Features OpenStreetMaps

Leikr

Introducing the Danish-made Leikr GPS Sport Watch, a multi-sport GPS watch designed for running, cycling and endurance sports. The watch has features that you would expect in any normal GPS sport watch including measuring speed, distance, heart rate (with the appropriate heart monitor), calories burned and pace to name a few. What makes this watch stand out for me, however, is their integration with color maps from OpenStreetMaps and the large 2 inch screen which features several levels of zoom and shows you an actual map view of the streets around you. read more

10 Best Hunting GPS Units

Deep breath. Take the shot. You see a flash of fur and excitedly rush away from your stand to see if you got a hit. You find it (or don’t) and then you turn back and… wait… which way was the stand again? The use of a Hunting GPS unit isn’t necessary but it definitely adds a sense of security and safety to any wilderness activity.

Amazon doesn’t have a list specifically for hunting GPS units, so I did a search on my own to find the ones that seemed most suited. They aren’t listed in any particular order, so read through and see which one would work for you!

 

Magellan eXplorist 350H

Magellan eXplorist 350H

Magellan eXplorist 350H Handheld GPS – This GPS unit is designed specifically for hunters. Retailing at $249.99 on Amazon, the device has 3.4 stars, but only a handful of reviews.

Features:

  • Hunt specific waypoints
  • Hunting Boundary information for 40 states
  • Boundary Alerts to keep you off private property
  • a topographic map contour layer
  • preloaded maps
  • hunting calendars
  • satellite imagery

read more