According to Garmin and the Mac Garmin is still committed to the Apple and lists the various ways Apple users can use Garmin products and some news about what is in development.
There’s a link to download a beta of the new Apple beta software called Bobcat. A direct link is http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=3886
Garmin released minor firmware update for the GPSMAP 60Cx, GPSMAP 60CSx, GPSMAP 76Cx & GPSMAP 76CSx models yesterday. What is listed as changed is:
Changes made from version 3.20 to 3.30:
To get the download go to the Garmin product page at http://www.garmin.com/outdoor/products.html and select your model from the list. Then on the left, select the Updates and Download link and then the firmware update link on the specific update page for each model.
Delorme has released their first handheld GPS. It’s model PN-20 and includes a lot of interesting features. The waterproof unit has a color screen and 75B internal memory with a SD slot for additional memory. It runs on 2 AA batteries, either standard or Lithium Ion.
The product site indicates it holds up to ten tracks (10,000 points per track); 1,000 user-defined waypoints; and 50 routes.
Delorme also provides $100 credit for downloading B&W or color satellite imagery or 7.5 min topo maps. The GPS allows you to select which map/imagery to see.
Delorme Topo is the client application that commmunicates with the GPS. It supports LOC and GPX files among other formats. You can create automatic road and trail routes, elevation profiles, and realistic 3-D flyovers.
The site currently shows three bundles which are available. The base GPS/software for $370, the GPS/software plus rechargeable battery kit for $410 and the GPS/software bundle with rechargeable battery kit and 1GB SD card for $450.
Check out the new PN-20 GPS at Delorme’s web site.
OLATHE, KS/June 27, 2006 — Garmin today announced an update on the launch of its application support for Mac OS X version 10.4 “Tiger.” The company’s Training Center software is now expected to be compatible with Mac OS X version 10.4 “Tiger†by the end of 2006. Also at that time, we will announce the expected completion date for Garmin’s other hardware and software applications. We thank the Mac community for their support, understanding and patience as we work through these unanticipated delays, and we look forward to providing Mac users with direct support for their Garmin products.
Source at http://www.garmin.com/pressroom/corporate/062706.html
Looks like Garmin is updating the current popular handheld GPS units (60, 76, Legend and Vista) with new models. From what folks can tell from the initial info, all units seem to use a TransFlash card for memory. At least the 60 & 76 units seem to indicate they use the SiRF chipset which is the latest GPS receiver chip offering faster time to fix and improved reception.
A post with links to the units on the Bass Pro Shops site is at the gps tracklog blog.
Info on TransFlash media can be found on the SanDisk site.
As more info becomes available, I’ll post updates here.
Garmin now has a site at http://mobile.garmin.com geared to GPS enabled cell phones and downloading software to provide GPS navigation functions.
Garmin Mobile — a new suite of applications delivering maps, directions, and turn-by-turn navigation — will be offered by Sprint Nextel on select handsets. Garmin Mobile represents Garmin’s first product offering that targets the emerging wireless handset applications and location-based services market.
I know the vast majority of geocachers looking at Garmin units focus on the 60C(S) and 76C(S) units but this new offering with the same 56MB of memory that 60C(S) units offer might make some consider these new units instead.
Garmin today introduced the Rino 520 and Rino 530, two powerful new additions to its line of two-way radios integrated with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. The Rino 520 and Rino 530 boast up to a 12-mile communication range, large color display, mini-USB interface, and built-in auto-routing basemap. The Rino 530 has the same features as the 520, plus a seven-channel weather receiver, electronic compass and barometric altimeter.
Garmin released an update for the Garmin updates firmware for 60C/60CS/76C/76CS/Legend C/Vista C that addresses the following:
Select your model at http://www.garmin.com/support/download.jsp and download the firmware.
There’s an interesting press release from Trimble announcing a new solution called Trimble Outdoors. It allows Nextel and Java enabled cell phones the ability to navigate and plan trips.
Here’s the snippet from the press release:
SUNNYVALE, Calif.,
You know about Global Positioning System (GPS) in vehicles. You have a cell phone. Now your cell phone can use GPS to guide you through the great outdoors.
It’s called Trimble(R) Outdoors, the first outdoor recreation solution that uses Nextel’s GPS- and Java-enabled cell phones for navigation and trip planning. Whether hiking, biking, boating, hunting, fishing or other off-road activity, your phone can guide the way. See http://www.TrimbleOutdoors.com or http://www.Nextel.com.
“Since many people already carry phones into the outdoors for safety, our solution eliminates the cost and inconvenience of buying a conventional handheld GPS,” said Rich Rudow, managing director of Trimble Outdoors. “With Trimble Outdoors, your Nextel phone can do the job for a fraction of the cost.”
Trimble Outdoors shows you where you’ve been and how to get back to where you started, as well as a compass direction and distance to where you are going, latitude, longitude, altitude, and speed. You can easily plan and
review trips online, move trip information wirelessly to your Nextel phone and use your phone as a navigation device complete with topographic, street, and aerial maps to guide your adventure.
Expandable, Compact, Color GPS Offers 3-Axis Electronic Compass, Altimeter and Barometer
SANTA CLARA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–May 10, 2005–Now available throughout North America, the advanced Magellan(R) eXplorist(TM) 600 color handheld GPS receiver boasts an unbeatable combination of features to appeal to the most savvy of outdoor adventurers. The Magellan eXplorist 600 offers a barometric altimeter, a barometer for gauging weather conditions, a thermometer and three-axis electronic compass, which eliminates the need to be in motion to gain a direction heading. Available at US$449.99, the eXplorist 600 equips hikers, hunters, boaters, geocachers and other outdoor enthusiasts with a multitude of tools to tackle any land or water navigation.
In addition to its three-axis electronic compass, barometer, barometric altimeter and thermometer, the Magellan eXplorist 600 is designed with other advanced features to simplify GPS navigation. It provides unlimited memory via an optional Secure Digital (SD) memory card; a high-speed USB data port for uploading coordinates and optional maps; plus an innovative PC-style file management system that allows users to easily create, store and manage multiple files, folders and directories of personal navigation data. The receiver also provides a one-of-a-kind tool to simplify geocaching, one of the fastest-growing GPS activities. The Magellan Geocaching Manager software allows users to easily load GPS coordinates directly from the Internet to the eXplorist 600. Other useful features include the eXplorist 600′s unique ability to calculate both an area and a perimeter, and its ability to deliver vertical profiles to simplify route planning. The eXplorist 600 operates on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that last up to 17 hours, or with an optional AAA-battery-backup clip, which will be available this summer.
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