Is Garmin Losing the GPS Race?

[SHANEA]

WOW!  ONIX200

XM Radio & XM Weather
Price - $16.94

Sweet looking unit!  Onix400

Price Range: $498.99 - $587.95  from 3 Sellers

The Swiss Army of GPS Units...
Magellan Triton 2000

Price Range: $474.99

[presidio]

WOW!  ONIX200

XM Radio & XM Weather
Price - $16.94

Sweet looking unit!  Onix400

Price Range: $498.99 - $587.95  from 3 Sellers

The Swiss Army of GPS Units...
Magellan Triton 2000

Price Range: $474.99

Oh yeah, that's what I need.....a GPS with an MP3 player, a photo viewer and a flashlight. All stuff to suck the life out of your batteries and impair the principle reason for having a GPS. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

As to the XM weather. Potentially very useful but you will pay an activation fee of $100 and $99.99 a MONTH for that add-on. Go to XM weather and read all about it.

I think I will just stay with my trusty Garmin that just does navigation.

[SHANEA]

I was hoping that the XM price on the Bushnell site wasn't a misprint @ $16.94 per month.  I checked the XM site and it lists it as you indicated. 

I tried to get in touch with Bushnell to find out the "real price", but they do not have an email address on their website, they want you to call them.  So, I called them.  I guess they don't have enough operators to handle questions as the recording said that they were experiencing very long wait times.  I hung up.  So much for customer service.     I wish executives would call their help/support/sales lines sometime just to "test" to see how things are going.  They might learn something - counting the horses teeth so to speak.  I "fought" with Dell's website this weekend trying to order a PC.  Impossible to get someone on the phone, they didn't support their "chat" site on weekends, their website is very confusing to navigate, etc.

If anyone finds out the right price on the XM subscription for the unit, please let us know.  I'm not in the market right now, it's just interesting to see what the competition is doing.  I can say, I've had outstanding customer support by phone and email with Garmin.   

   

[Undertaker]

This is why I carry a MAP and COMPASS,have GPS but MURPHY is my brother, have never broken a map or a compass, it is a neat but expensive toy.

[randell]

Don't count Garmin out just yet.  Seems they are coming out with a new "Colorado" line of GPS which allows use of aerial photos:

It appears that the Garmin Colorado series is real, and that it may be capable of showing aerial photos (raster imagery), as shown in the image above. It's high time Garmin took this step; after all, DeLorme, Magellan and even Bushnell have beat them to the punch with units that allow for the display of aerial photos and / or USGS topo maps. We forecast back in August that we would soon see a Garmin handheld with this capability.

BassPro.com has let the cat out of the bag with a description and specs for the Garmin Colorado 400 BlueChart GPS, which I cut and pasted at the end of this post since I'm sure Garmin is going to ask them to take it down.

Note the wireless data transfer, already included in the upcoming Edge 605 and 705, and support for the display of detailed geocaching information. It looks like we can expect pre-loaded maps on these devices, and the "rock n' roller" input device is mentioned as well. I know some people think this thing is ugly, but I find the retro styling interesting. There is no mention of a touch screen in the specs.

And don't think this is just going to be available as a marine unit. A report on GPSInformation.net says to expect at least three editions...Topo, Inland Lakes, and Coastal.

From BassPro.com:

Make navigation simple with Garmin's Colorado 400 Bluechart GPS Unit. This full-feature, high-sensitivity Garmin GPS unit is pre-loaded with detailed, up-to-date Coastal U.S. marine charts including charts for the Great Lakes, Hawaii and Alaska.

    * Pre-loaded with detailed Coastal U.S. marine charts including Great Lakes, Hawaii and Alaska
    * Unique ''Rock 'N' Roller'' input device
    * 65K Color TFT display
    * 240 x 400 pixels
    * 16 hours on AA batteries
    * Accepts SD cards for optional downloaded maps
    * 2-axis electronic compass
    * Altimeter
    * Temperature sensor
    * Waterproof
    * ANT™ Communications to wirelessly exchange routes, tracks, waypoints, and geocaches between two units
    * Paperless Geocaching supports display of detailed geocache information

http://gpstracklog.typepad.com/gps_tracklog/2007/12/more-on-the-gar.html

[randell]

Looks like the new Garmin Colorado series will be announced very soon, as in the next few days.





more details here

[cjacob]

That thing looks AWESOME.  I want one.

[SHANEA]

The Colorado 300 has a suggested retail price of $499. The Colorado 400t, Colorado 400i and Colorado 400c have a suggested retail price of $599. For more about the Colorado and the other Garmin products released at CES 2008, go to

I'll wait for you early innovators with deep pockets to give this a go and work out any bugs...

Garmin’s Colorado™ Series Gives Outdoor Enthusiasts a New Perspective

[homerboy2u]

Now you tell me.....I just picked up the Garmin 60 Csx....at a rock bottom price $ 276.00 after rebate), and now this. I will just laugh.

[SHANEA]

Ah, you made an outstanding call at an outstanding price.  The 60 series is "the best there is" right now.  It will be interesting to see the reports/reviews on the new unit.

[SHANEA]

Garmin’s Colorado™ Series Gives Outdoor Enthusiasts a New Perspective

Ok, now I want one!  Be sure to check out the Video. 

It's WIRELESS!!!! It's preloaded with all US topos!  I want the 400T.

Any bets that the power cables, mounts, etc. are not compatible with prior units like the 60 series - so that you have to go out and get new very expensive mounts...

This should be named WL2's journal...  WL2 - you need to hit them up to let you beta test units.

[WL2]

I am going to be looking very closely at the reviews of this unit.

[randell]

Wireless is handy if you needed to exchange tracks and waypoints between two units, but I can't think of too many instances where that would be necessary.

US Topo maps pre-loaded is nice.  I wonder if they are 100k or 24k...

Satellite imagery is the most interesting new feature in my mind.  It would be like having Google Earth on the trail with you.

I doubt I'll be buying one anytime soon - lack of fundage.

[homerboy2u]

I doubt I'll be buying one anytime soon - lack of fundage.

 Creditcard...maxxed out

[Doc Savage]

Ok I'll finally gripe a little here. I want to know what the heck is wrong with GPS units these days. Why does it seem like features are actually going away while prices are skyrocketing unlike other electronics markets?. Case in point my current GPS is a Garmin eMap that I got about 7 years ago (boy wish they still made those and kept the software updates going). The beauty of the eMap vs most other GPS units I see today is reasonable price with incredible expandability. At the time the eMap sold new for $150. This included a base road map that is highly accurate, database for services at exits on the interstate, and the ability to expand the memory and download detailed road/topo map coverage beyond the base map. 12 satellite reception I believe and quick locks with the ability to use an external antenna. Data and power ports on it, and batteries last well (better rated time than what the Colorado has IIRC). The eMap also featured a larger display than what most handheld GPS units even have now, and it is black and white meaning I can see it in bright sun (unlike the color displays that I have problems with). For the price in the day you could either buy an eMap and fully expand it, or buy the higher end GPS IV for within $50 of each other. Today you only have fixed modules that cost 2-3 times as much. Sounds like the GPS market has decided to really go for the bucks to me.

Robert