The Garmin Oregon family of Touchscreen handlheld GPS devices were announced just a few weeks ago, and I have been fortunate enough to be playing before they were available to the public (The Oregon line is expected to ship in the 3rd quarter of 2008). The unit offers the breakthrough of a touchscreen interface on a rugged handheld that can be taken into the woods, rained on and still give you directions to the cabin, the geocache or just back to the car. The Oregon line sits firmly at the top of the Garmin handheld series with a set of features that are pretty strong, and for some units, wireless capabilities to make it possible to communicate between units and accessories (Heart rate monitor for instance). The base model, the Garmin Oregon 200 offers the same touchscreen interface, a smaller amount of memory, and no preloaded maps. The Garmin Oregon 300 adds the wireless features, and electronic compass, a barometric altimeter as well as some more memory onboard. Finally when you get into the Garmin Oregon 400t, 400i, and 400c, you keep the wireless capabilities, but also add either Topo, Inland water ways, or Coastal waterway maps respectively; hence the t/i/c designator.
The Oregon line uses a high sensitivity GPS chipset, has a 3-inch touchscreen and is HotFix capable, which is to say that it can remember where satellites SHOULD be in the future, so start up time (the time it usually spends looking for those same satellites) is minimized. The interface, while touchscreen enabled, is very much a carry-over from the recently released Colorado series (See my review: Garmin Colorado 400t Full Review). I already have a pretty good idea of the functionality from using my Colorado 400t. The Oregon is also an inch shorter than the Colorado due to the antenna sticking out the top of the Colorado.
The big questions in my mind were going to be around visibility of the touchscreen, and the overall usability of the touchscreen interface.
The Garmin Edge 705 is a great little Bike computer/GPS unit that brings data capture to a new level. With the ability to capture not only bike computer information, but to combine it with location specifics, wrapping in the wireless data capture of a heart rate monitor and a cadence meter, the Edge 705 rocks. By GPS standards, the unit is small, maybe not small in the bike computer world, but unless you are climbing the Alp d'Huez during July, you won't notice the added weight. The Garmin Cycling Team must think they are great - the Tour de France starts Saturday for them - Good Luck!
The Edge series has been around for a couple of years, but the Edge 605/705 series made two huge leaps in capability. The Edge 605/705 now offers mapping and in my mind this was a big disadvantage of the original 205/305; something that is worth paying up for in the 605/705. I think it makes all the difference. The Edge is also now in color, which as a veteran of the original Garmin eTrex monochrome days, I can say that without a doubt, the change makes a huge difference in the readability of the screen. It makes a difference on the trail with an eTrex and makes a difference on the road with a color Edge.
Finally, the Edge 705 offers wireless sharing; an innovative feature that I think is a total luxury, and one that I have been wanting for a long time across a lot of Garmin models. When you are hiking or biking, being able to show up and immediately share what the route plan is with everybody there is a huge deal. In this case though it means that you need a lot of like-minded friends who also see the value of dropping a few hundred bucks on a GPS enabled bike computer. For those of us here at GPS Lodge, we think it's totally justified.
I like the Garmin Edge 705 that I have in for review right now, and it appears that I am not alone. Wired Mag has a review up of the Edge 705 calling it the Holy Grail for cycling enthusiasts, and for good reason. The thing grabs a signal, dumps a ton of information your way, tells you where to go and when you are done, allows you to analyze the data collected from the heart rate monitor, the cadence sensor and if you are really into it, you can get power readouts if you add a compatible powermeter. The sensors are all wireless and the edge is smaller than a deck of cards.
The Colorado 400t recently launched into an ever expanding category of handheld GPS units, where Garmin has had a long track record of offering solid handheld capabilities in a package that suits customers well. I have been using a Garmin handheld for close to 10 years, and in that time, I have used them to navigate up mountains on hikes, navigate to geocaches around the country and navigate across New England on week-long bike rides. Over that time, I've assembled a wish list that pretty much got erased with the release of the Colorado series. The Colorado 400T comes with a lot of key features that make using it a pleasure.
There are a few big features that make the Colorado 400t a hot handheld: Big color screen, shaded Topo maps, easy access to features with the Rock n Roller wheel, wireless sharing of information with other Colorado users, advanced geocaching features, and the ability to set up profiles allowing you to set up preferences for different uses.
There were a couple of key questions in my mind going into this review: Is the Rock n Roller wheel really something that is easy to use, are the interface changes usable and intuitive for a longtime user, will the interface give me any new advantages over what I already have, and is the screen size and overall size of the unit an issue versus my trusted eTrex Vista unit.
Just announced at CES 2008, the Garmin Nuvi 780 is the new widescreen navigator from Garmin that has the MSN Direct version services built in. Being part of the 700 series, it includes a lot of the high end extras that you'd expect including text-to-speech, maps of North America, 5+ Million POI, Bluetooth Handsfree and the ability to do optimized routing. This Nuvi 780 was equipped with the SiRF chipset.
As you start to get into higher end GPS units, you start to add features that are certainly advanced and can make life great if you are an intensive user of the GPS. For instance, the Nuvi 780 has advanced routing features that allows you to input several locations and allow the Nuvi to optimize the route. Something road warriors will appreciate. For me, the MSN Direct services make it pretty obvious that gas prices are going to be a must have capability going forward for any connected GPS.
GPS Market Share Changes - Big Moves Through Discounting
According to NPD, market share of the GPS market moved around a bit in the last three months of the year. The same big names were there, but the percentages moved. Sure the big loser in share is Garmin - they had the market share to lose.
Unit Share Oct - Dec 2007
Garmin - 37%
TomTom - 27%
Magellan - 19%
Dollar Share Oct - Dec 2007
Garmin - 45%
TomTom - 24%
Magellan - 15%
So What?
Since Garmin's dollar share is higher than its unit share, that says that they held higher average prices across the holidays. TomTom with their low prices on the TomTom ONE ($129 - $149) had temporary price reductions to gain market share during the quarter. Pretty shrewd. Garmin on the other hand discounted steadily, but now can afford a lower priced option (the Nuvi 200) that is selling online for about $185. Clearly their fuller high end sold well also.
Magellan was in a similar place to TomTom, discounts and lower priced units going through the sales channel.
The big deal for TomTom is that once they have the consumers in their brand, they may just see their consumers trade up to more expensive devices down the road, as they stay competitive with new innovations and smart marketing.
In the end, the earnings are coming out later in February; we'll see how the strategies paid off in terms of near-term profits. Did the expanding market lead to better profits for all? Long-term, the market will just get more competitive and better prices for better units.... stay tuned.
From 2006 - the numbers were a little different...
Another review posted on the Garmin Nuvi 760 and again it gets high ratings. I think that it was great, and clearly the best Nuvi that Garmin has put out yet.
With the new slim design, and the lack of a flip up antenna, the Nuvi 760 looks like a good place to start, and on top of that it maintains all the great features you enjoyed in the Nuvi 600 series.
The multi-segment routing AND optimization is a good feature, as well as the Bluetooth phone interface.
PC Mag clearly thought these were compelling features too in giving the unit an Editor's Choice rating. The only big downside that they talked about was the quality of the traffic updates. I think that they were a great start, and I recommend them to anyone who regularly drives in traffic, but there is a lot of room for improvement in the entire traffic reporting area, not just on Garmin. I personally look forward to that coming change.
The Garmin Nuvi 700 series was launched at the top of the Garmin line to make steps forward in both design and functionality. The Nuvi 750/760/770 units are a change vs. the Nuvi 650/660/670 units with a thin design losing the flip up patch antenna of the Nuvi 600 series, and adding some functionality that is nicely useful.
"I would rate it a Top Pick for GPS buyers"
The Nuvi 750/760/770 is a widescreen unit with a bright screen, not marginally bright, but plenty bright for sunny days. The 760/770 series also comes with a TMC traffic receiver that is integrated into the 12V plug. It has maps of North America pre-loaded.
I have been driving with the Garmin Nuvi 760 for about two weeks now, including a trip to New Jersey that had me navigating in unfamiliar territory, from the Philadelphia airport, up to the Princeton area, and back. The Nuvi 760 did a very good job of getting me to where I was going with comfort and confidence. I of course expected this; it's a Garmin.
A Garmin Nuvi 760 arrived for review today at the GPSLodge, and as always we are happy to try out new models before they hit the street. The Garmin Nuvi 750/760/770 line was announced at the end of August, and is setting itself up to be a high end performer just in time for the big holiday shopping season. Gone is the old flip up antenna from the legacy Nuvi line-up, and in is the sleek and slim form factor from the Nuvi 200W genre.
Building on the Nuvi 660, a very capable unit, Garmin has come out with a more full featured upgrade with a Help! Button, a traffic receiver, as well as the capability to navigate back to your car when you via the Pedestrian Mode, and the Nuvi’s built in ability to waypoint your car so you can find it after a long stroll in the city.
One thing that I am excited about is the Route Planning. This isn’t supposed to be just stringing together a list of stops, but a capability that optimizes your route so that it spits back the shortest route to all of your destinations. So, pop in several garage sales, sales call locations or shops and let it give you back the optimized route. Looking forward to trying this out to see how well it works.
Finally, the shell of the operating system has changed, reflecting a more sophisticated look and feel of the high end line; subtle changes. The basis is mainly a better use of the widescreen, so that buttons have a double row layout, but again I think it's worth noting and certainly easier to work through given more options and more configuration that accompanies a full-featured unit. The first image is of the Nuvi 760 sub-menu with a double row layout, giving you plenty of information without scrolling. Below is the same menu for the Nuvi 200W series, with a vertical layout.
What's in the Nuvi 750/760/770 Box:
Nuvi 750/760/770
Preloaded City Navigator NT for North America and Europe for the Nuvi 770
The Nuvi 200W and Nuvi 250W are logical extensions to the still relatively new Garmin Nuvi 200 series line that is starting to take its place as a solid entry level performer from Garmin for those folks who want a less expensive GPS navigation unit with a rock solid reputation. I reviewed the regular screen sized Nuvi 200/250/270 unit back in March of this year right after it was announced and thought that while the unit might be marked for entry level, it was a Garmin through and through. Since that time the Nuvi 200 line has dropped in price to a very reasonable level, and I expect that the Nuvi 200 line will be one of the hottest sellers come the holiday season. I fully expect to see a Nuvi 200 for $199 or less on Black Friday.
The Garmin RINO series is a long standing part of the Garmin line up that takes their core GPS capability and extends it by paying attention to the needs of the consumer out in the field. GPS answers the “Where are you” question and help you get to where you are going, but when you are outdoors you may also want to know where your friends are too.
"The Garmin RINO 530HCx is a great tool for the outdoors that can not only get you there but also get you there, along with the rest of your party while being fully informed and in constant contact. "
The unit combines a fully functioning GPS with an FRS/GMRS radio allowing you to not only talk to your hiking or biking partners but with the special polling features, it will show you the GPS location them too. In concept it’s a great premise for the RINO series, and I will say that in practice, it’s like Instant Messaging for the outdoors enthusiast. I wish I had the current capabilities when I first started using the first FRS radios years ago. For this review I was able to take the new RINO 530HCx and the older RINO 520 for a trip to the White Mountains and for several general “playing around” hikes and walks. They performed well, and gave added confidence and convenience to our travels.
Update: I have posted my Review of the Nuvi 200W/250W
The Garmin Nuvi 200W/250W has arrived for review at GPSLodge.com, and we’re pretty happy to check out the latest unit from Garmin to hit the stores. The Nuvi 200W/250W were announced back in June just as the Summer driving season was beginning. I would expect that the Nuvi 200W/250W will start gathering steam right before the Holidays when the next wave of GPS buying takes place.
The Nuvi 200W/250W extends the line of Nuvi 200 series units that are designed to be easy to use and easier on the wallet. The Nuvi 200 and Nuvi 250 standard screen models are starting to really settle in and take up their place among the entry-level units a few months after introduction, and are really starting to create a buzz. A year ago, who would have thought that you could have gotten a flat model Garmin for under $300 with maps pre-loaded and ready to go? You can with the Garmin Nuvi 200 standard screen right now for less than $300.
The Nuvi 200W and Nuvi 250W are well poised to offer widescreen usability at the entry-level end of the market, while bringing the confidence of the Garmin interface to the marketplace. The Nuvi 200W and Nuvi 250W are based on their standard screen siblings as far as design cues and interface go. The same thin design elements with slate gray mark the new widescreen models, with the same slider switch.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll check the Nuvi 200W/250W out to see what it is made of and let you know our thoughts.
What’s the Difference between the Nuvi 200W vs. the Nuvi 250W?
Maps; that’s it. The Nuvi 200W has all the features of the Nuvi 250W.
Nuvi 200W - Maps of continental U.S., Hawaii, and Puerto Rico
CNet has posted a Garmin Nuvi 200 review, and overall they are giving it high marks for its featureset. The well known Nuvi series is well represented by the Nuvi 200, without any critical corners cut to lower the price.
I liked the Nuvi 250 when I reviewed it before it was publicly available. I thought that it navigated well, offered a sharp set of features all wrapped in a more friendly nuanced interface that was familiar and solid. It seems that I am not alone and that the CNet staff saw that the Nuvi 200 brings a lot of the great functionality of the Nuvi 350 in a simpler package.
I think that we are collectively hoping for lower pricing on the Nuvi 200 series because the Nuvi 350 in all of its many many units sold, has a rock bottom price (in the $370 range online right now), which is also about what the Nuvi 250 is running.
The Garmin Nuvi 360 has been out on the market for a while, actually quite a while, but I wanted to get you a first hand review of the product including its Bluetooth Handsfree capability considering that this unit is one of the lowest priced units where you can get a solid map set, optional traffic capabilities and handsfree Bluetooth features. The downward trend in pricing on GPS systems has this unit priced right in the middle of the pack, and increasingly affordable for the mass market. The Garmin Nuvi 360 is an excellent choice for people who are considering models in this price range.
Garmin Oregon 400t Handheld GPS Full Review
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