Monday, January 21, 2008

Garmin's Colorado line close to official


Just a day after uncovering what appears to be Garmin's CES 2008 lineup, we've now got reason to believe that the Colorado series is all but official. After first seeing the unit rumored last month, quickly "confirmed" and clarified yet again within the past 24 hours, we're now hearing that the series will boast four different models and will undoubtedly cater to the outdoorsy set. Reportedly, the Colorado will be offered up in four flavors: the 300, 400t, 400i and 400c. The whole lot will tout the firm's new "Rock 'n Roller" input wheel, an SD expansion slot, wireless sharing of waypoints, routes and geocaches, a 400 x 240 resolution display and a battery life of around 15 hours. Word on the street has 'em landing this month and next, and while the 300 is set to launch at $499.99, each of the 400 variants will demand $599.99. Hit the read link for the full spill, and be on the lookout for Garmin to fess up soon enough.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Garmin's new Forerunner 405 puts the 'watch' back in 'GPS watch'

Starting with the Forerunner 305, Garmin finally started producing GPS-enabled watches that didn't make you look like a total goof while tracking your pace and vitals, but these still weren't timepieces you'd be comfortable wearing to the office or even a bar. Then came the Forerunner 50, which had the perfect watch-like form factor, but unfortunately, no GPS. So fans of this line will be pleased to learn that Garmin has somehow been able to shoehorn a satellite receiver into a casing not much bigger than the 50's and dubbed it the Forerunner 405.

Besides monitoring and logging speed, distance, heart rate and location, the 405 also features a touch-sensitive bezel for controlling its various functions, as well as the same proprietary ANT+Sport wireless syncing technology as the GPS-less 50. Available in either black (pictured above) or green (pictured after the break, along with a video walkthrough), the Forerunner 405 will start at $299.


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Thursday, January 03, 2008

Rugged Magellan Triton 2000 boasts National Geographic maps


For those looking for navigational insight whilst trekking, Magellan's Triton 2000 should certainly fit the bill. Boasting a rugged, water submersible exterior, a two-megapixel camera, 2.7-inch QVGA touchscreen, digital compass, a barometer, built-in LED flashlight, and an SD expansion slot, this handheld GPS device even touts the ability to record and attach audio to waypoint files -- you know, so you can keep track of exactly how frantic you're getting as you venture off course.

Furthermore, this gizmo is reportedly the first to offer "full, on-screen compatibility, usage, and display of National Geographic's maps," including its 28 TOPO! outdoor recreation mapping software titles that cover all 50 states. The Triton 2000 is slated to launch in North America next month and in Europe this October, and will retail for a stiff $499, but if you won't be needing all the niceties already mentioned, there's a full line of lesser-spec'd Triton devices on the horizon that are far more budget friendly.

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Magellan rolls out 4200, 3200 series Maestro GPS units


Magellan's let loose a slew of new additions to its Maestro line of GPS units, including three models in the widescreen 4200 series, and four in the lower-end 3200 series. Coming in at the top-end of the lot, the $500 Maestro 4250 unit boasts a 4.3-inch widescreen display, along with support for live traffic information, text-to-speech functionality, voice control, and built-in Bluetooth for some handsfree calling.

The Maestro 4220 and 4200 each sport the same size screen and slim 0.7-inch design but scale back on some of the features like live traffic info and voice control. Leading the pack in the 3200 series, the $400 Maestro 3250 will give you the same live traffic info, text-to-speech and voice control of the 4250, but in a slightly smaller form factor with a non-widescreen 3.5-inch display. Rounding out the line-up the 3200, 3210, and 3220 each pack 3.5-inch displays as well, but with varying amounts of maps and features depending on the model.

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

GPS for PSP finally goes on sale

gps We've rumored, ogled, and previewed, but it's time to get official, folks. The GPS Receiver for the PSP launches Thursday in Japan, for the low price of $60, at least according to Play-Asia.com.

No word on how much it'll cost you if you buy it direct from the source, although our previous post suggests a ¥5,000 ($43) price point. PSP News reports that it'll work nicely with a few titles, including "Minna no Golf-jou," "Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops," "Planetarium Creator Ohira Takayuki Kanshuu: Home Star Portable," and "Navigation Soft." How did we ever navigate the world without this GPS antenna perched atop our PSP before?

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