Garmin Oregon 200, 300, 400i, 400c, 400t - Now Shipping
The newest Garmin handheld line is now shipping. The innovative touchscreen units are certainly easy to use, when I used the Oregon 400t for my review, I thought the Oregon with its touchscreen interface has a tremendous number of assets that make the Oregon the best designed, easiest to use Garmin handheld yet.
The units are not inexpensive, but are very capable handhelds.
Garmin Oregon 200 vs 300 vs 400t vs 400i vs 400c
The Garmin Oregon line has several models with various capabilities, all based on the same touchscreen handheld unit with HotFix technology for rapid satellite fixes, and the ability to add maps through micro-SD cards. I would recommend at least the Garmin Oregon 300 so that you have the Altimeter and Electronic Compass functionality that are a big plus when doing any navigation on land.
Garmin Oregon 200 - Full touchscreen unit with great new interface. Has a basemap
Garmin Oregon 300 - Adds wireless sharing capability along with electronic compass and altimeter
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.
Sure it's marketing hyperbole, but if you are excited to learn more about the new touchscreen handheld from Garmin - the Garmin Oregon line, you will want to check out their Garmin Oregon Minisite (you'll need Flash).
I like the look at the Screens - very good insight into the unit and how things will look and function. All of the items are classic Garmin interface on there, just in the easy touchscreen format.
Garmin has officially announced the Garmin Oregon line of handheld receivers. The line features a touchscreen interface that should make huge strides in the way you interact with a handheld device. Hopefully it maintains the ruggedness; it does maintain the IPX7 waterproof standard rating. The sleek design is sure to raise some eyebrows; looks like a pretty impressive change to both hardware and software.
The entire line also gets HotFix - the ability to store information about satellite positions so that you get fast satellite fixes when you turn the unit on.
The Oregon 300/400 units will also include the wireless functionality that the Colorado series also shares. This allows you to swap routes and waypoints with other wireless units as well as collect data from Heart rate monitors and cadence sensors. When I reviewed the Colorado, I loved the wireless features, and was pretty happy to see the capability to finally come to handheld GPS units. Glad to see it continues in the plans for Garmin.
DeLorme PN-40 Handheld GPS - Fast Redraws, Super Sensitivity
DeLorme has a new handheld coming this Fall, the PN-40, an upgrade to the PN-20 handheld unit that brought imagery to handheld GPS units. The New PN-40 comes with a new chipset for higher sensitivity in low signal conditions, and a dual-core processor that allows for fast redraws of maps and images. The advantages here for the new units is that people can start to really use and enjoy the image based mapping that Google Maps has made familiar to everyone searching a location on the internet. The PN-40 also adds a barometric altimeter, and support for high capacity SD cards so you can take a lot of maps with you. Available this Fall from Delorme.
Some of the features below:
NEW! Super high-sensitivity 32-channel Cartesio chipset by STMicroelectronics delivers near-instantaneous signal acquisition and ConstantLock™ satellite retention
NEW! Dual-core processor for rapid screen re-draws, even with large aerial imagery files
NEW! 500 MB of onboard Flash memory (1 GB total hard drive)
NEW! 3-axis electronic compass with included accelerometer performs when held in any position--while in motion or standing still
NEW! Sensitive barometric altimeter for reliably accurate altitude readings
NEW! Supports SDHC high-capacity SD cards--32 GB or higher
NEW! Fast USB 2.0 data transfer to internal memory or SD card in device
NEW! More detailed onboard base map data for the U.S., now with secondary and connector roads (along with major highways and thoroughfares for the entire world)
65K-color daylight-readable TFT screen for clarity in any light conditions
Topo USA 7.0 software with complete U.S topo and street maps included--no extra purchase required. Also displays USGS 7.5-min quads, aerial imagery, and NOAA nautical charts via online download from DeLorme
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.
The new Garmin Colorado 300, 400i, 400c, 400t are now available at various outlets, marking the step change in Garmin's line-up for handheld GPS models. The new Colorado series offers a big screen and the ability to see high resolution maps (including some beautiful shaded relief maps), share routes and waypoints wirelessly, and optionally add on cadence and heart rate monitors if you choose to use the unit as an uber-fitness model. I have used my Garmin eTrex Vista C as my bike computer for a long time; works great and get me a lot more usable information about my rides than regular bike computers. Avid hikers might like to add the heart rate monitor to collect more data as they hike through hills and mountains allowing them to chart elevation versus their heart rate.
Magellan announced MobileMapper CX, a handheld GPS targeted at the GIS professional; the unit has capabilities that one might just drool over. To start it has sub-meter accuracy, which may not sound all that cool, but hey if you got it, you got it. The interface is geared towards the mapping and data capture community as it has easy data and attribute entry through a new interface. The unit also comes equipped with Bluetooth and WiFi capabilities for data sharing and web logins. With a windows interface, you can also store and use third party files of up to 4GB in size.
Not in GIS, Who Cares? Handheld users should… this is the flagship model that will take its technology and roll down into other models that regular people can buy. Satellite images, sub-meter accuracy, wireless data swapping, and huge (third party maybe even web downloadable to the unit) map capabilities; might just be a beautiful model for the rest of us someday.
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.
Garmin has a rebate going on the popular GPSMap 60Cx and GPSMap 60CSx models, as they are moving out inventory at the end of the summer. These $50 rebates bring the prices down quite a bit. I think that the GPSMap units are top notch handhelds, that are excellent in a lot of situations, except where the small size of the eTrex line is needed.
I Reviewed the Garmin GPSMap 60CSx back in December, and really liked the unit. I thought that the receiver was very sensitive with the high sensitivity chipset, and the screen is a great size offering some luxurious maps to see where you are going. The GPSMap 60Cx has the ability to load maps onto a micro-SD card, and includes the high sensitivity receiver. The GPSMap 60CSx adds on a barometric altimeter and an electronic compass. For my money, the extra $20 bucks or so after rebate is worth it for the altimeter, its screens and the extra bit of information, especially if you are going to do any time in hills or mountains.
The newest Garmin RINO HCx units are soon to be in stores, and we are pretty happy to be able to review the Garmin RINO 530 HCx ahead of its launch. The unit continues Garmin's line of handheld GPS units with built in radios and the unique ability to "poll" other RINOs to see where they are in relation to you, displaying the results right on the map.
The new "HCx" units (Both the RINO 520 HCx and RINO 530HCx) are a pretty big step up from their older siblings; with FRS and GMRS radio capabilities for a 5 watt and claimed 14 mile range, as well as two things that will make the GPS functionality worlds better: 1) High sensitivity receiver, which will hold signals in the foliage a lot better, and 2) Micro SD card capability which makes storage of a TON of map data possible without revisiting your computer for frequent downloads.
I also got an older Garmin RINO 520 for comparison sake. The RINO 520 does not have the high sensitivity receiver. The units are a little bit bigger than I expected but have a pretty good little belt clip that was also on the Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx model too. It makes the unit easy to carry, snap in and out while moving with a quick thumb action. The RINO 530 HCx comes with a rechargable battery pack that I am a little curious about. There is an available alkaline battery adapter but right now I am charging the units and hoping that they last our two day hike in the mountains of NH.
We are heading up to the Mizpah Springs hut for an overnight, and plan on our groups taking a couple of different pathways, so it will be nice to be able to keep track of the other group while hiking up the mountain.
See our announcement post for more information on the Garmin RINO HCx line.
Some nice "Rumors" are coming out on Garmin and their plans for an updated eTrex line. Garmin recently updated their RINO 530 HCx with high sensitivity GPS chips and it makes sense to roll that innovation in to the rest of the line that has not already been upgraded (The 60 CSx already has high sensitivity receivers in them).
A lot of discussion is going on about the inclusion of a SiRF star III chipset in these, but Garmin's mode recently is to go with "high sensitivity" chipsets which may be sourced from other vendors. In my usage I have not found a noticeable difference in regular usage when the SiRF star III chipset was swapped out.
Garmin introduced the Rino 520HCx and Rino 530HCx, the latest in Garmin's RINO line of two-way radios integrated with GPS technology. If you haven’t seen these RINO’s in action it’s pretty cool – not only are they a high caliber GPS, but they have built-in two way radio capability (FRS/GMRS) and the ability to see others in your party right on your screen if they are using a RINO too. Great for hunting and general outdoors work where you want to see where others are. The new units feature a high- sensitivity GPS receiver for faster acquisition, improved accuracy in challenging outdoor environments, and the addition of a microSD card slot for detailed mapping data. The RINO 530HCx is a very capable outdoors unit with a seven channel weather receiver that has weather alert capabilities as well as an electronic compass and barometric altimeter.
Contrary to what you read elsewhere, the new RINO's do NOT use the SiRF star III chipset, but do have high sensitivity chipsets that will pull in satellite signals in tough conditions.
I am always searching for a good solution for carrying my eTrex Vista C while hiking or Geocaching, and I bought this case recently that is the best I have seen in a long time. The case is made by Foarm, and is designed specifically for the eTrex Cx line, including the Garmin eTrex Venture Cx , Garmin eTrex Legend Cx , Garmin eTrex Vista Cx . The case WILL also fit the now discontinued eTrex “C” series that preceded the “X” designation; the case WILL NOT fit the monochrome eTrex line as those are longer and narrower than the newer Cx line.
Garmin Oregon 200, 300, 400i, 400c, 400t - Now Shipping
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