Bunch of new outdoor products from Garmin

[Boyd]

Garmin has been rolling out a lot of new stuff recently - details are still coming in. But here's a quick rundown, in case anyone is in the market for a new GPS:

New eTrex line -it's been a long time since they updated these. They are attractive looking - pushbutton interface instead of touchscreen. Specs and product pages aren't available yet, but the mini-site is up: http://sites.garmin.com/etrex/ The screens on the 20 and 30 support 16 bit color instead of 8 bit like the old eTrex, and maps support shaded terrain. No mention of Birdseye or custom map capability though... I'm thinking they will not be compatible. If this is the case, that would be a deal-breaker IMO.

New Rino line - Garmin has updated their old two-way radio units with a new touchscreen version. Again, no product specs available yet but the mini-site is here: http://sites.garmin.com/rino/

Montana series - like a big brother of the Oregon with a 4.3" screen. Pricey, but has an impressive set of advanced features I thought we'd never see from Garmin. It's positioned as a multi-use GPS for car/snowmobile/atv/marine/hiking. Mini-site here: http://sites.garmin.com/montana/. Compare the different versions here: https://buy.garmin.com/shop/compare...228&compareProduct=75227&compareProduct=75226

There is one final product expected in the next few days - an update to the Astro dog-tracking units. Nice variety of new models - can't remember a time in recent years when they have introduced so many new outdoor products. This might also have the effect of lowering the prices on some of the older models - which is also a good thing.

 

[Teegate]

I will wait a year and buy one when the price comes down. More than I want to spent. However, they do seem impressive.

Guy

 

[Boyd]

Yeah, early adopters will pay a high price for the Montana series. It has a new user interface with a "drawer" containing the main functions and everything is completely customizable. In the car, you can choose "nuvi mode" or you can create your own screen layout. GPSCity has a bunch of videos online, like this one about the new shortcut feature: http://www.youtube.com/user/GPSCity#p/u/35/QpX2nasQj0E

It does look kind of big for handheld use though. The Montana 600 is supposed to be available on Friday, will be interesting to get some real user reports, especially about the readability of the screen which is much larger and has more pixels than any other handheld. People are expecting it to be better than the Oregon, because the pixels are larger and should reflect light more efficiently.

 

[Teegate]

I will be interested in it. I really like having the aerial maps in my GPS and except for stone searching the Oregon and the others are the way to go.

Guy

 

[Boyd]

Be sure to purchase from Amazon using Ben's link.

http://www.amazon.com/s/?tag=njpine...montana+600&Submit.x=12&Submit.y=11&Submit=Go

 

[Boyd]

Well I was going to wait awhile, but when Amazon dropped the price on the Montana 600 a few days ago, I gave in. I can say - without hesitation - this is the most impressive GPS I have ever owned. You can customize just about every aspect of the unit such that almost anything can be done with only two screen taps. It is rather large but I'm getting used to it - still fits nicely in my jeans pocket and I also rigged a carabiner clip to hang it from a belt loop.

Probably the most impressive feature is the screen itself. It's spectacular. We finally have a modern unit with a big high resolution screen that's vivid in direct sun with no backlight. This screen is truly the equal of the 60csx in terms of visibility. Here it is in full sun in the middle of the afternoon. My poor Oregon 400t just can't mix with this company.

More info here: http://forums.gpsreview.net/viewtopic.php?t=22935#158947

Guy, I think one of the new features may address your complaint about the Oregon. They have added a "map speed" menu command. Set for "normal", it acts like my Oregon. But set to "fast" it acts more like my 60csx. I think this was done to address complaints that the map pointer doesn't always respond to small movements on the Oregon.

 

[Teegate]

There you go. Now I just need to come up with the money to buy it. I really like the size of the screen, and the two clicks would be nice. There are quite a few clicks I have to go through to just bring anything up on mine. I am getting pretty good at it so it is not a real problem, but it would be nice to save time.

Thanks for the info Boyd!

Guy

 

[bobpbx]

To put it in perspective, I bought a brand new 22 inch self-propelled lawnmower today...a Toro. I'd have to throw in an ADDITIONAL $230 to buy that Montana.

 

[Teegate]

To put it in perspective, I bought a brand new 22 inch self-propelled lawnmower today...a Toro. I'd have to throw in an ADDITIONAL $230 to buy that Montana.

Yea, but that lawnmower cuts plants and flowers and the Montana helps you find them. Which one would you prefer?

Guy

 

[bobpbx]

Yea, but that lawnmower cuts plants and flowers and the Montana helps you find them. Which one would you prefer?

Guy

Good one!

 

[Boyd]

Good one Guy! And I will probably have more fun using my Montana than Bob will have mowing his lawn.

Seriously... it was expensive but I will get my money's worth of enjoyment. I don't think that kind of comparison is particularly useful though, is it? We could both make long lists of what we spend on different things and debate their relative values. In the end the only conclusions we could draw is that our finances and priorities are different. The Montana is a niche product that appeals to advanced users. It's not the right choice for many people (maybe even most people). But there's really nothing else like it on the market today, so if you can afford it and you want the best, this is the one to get. Believe it or not, I actually paid more for my Oregon 400t when I got it 3 years ago.

Based on what you said in that other thread, I suspect that anything you spend on a GPS would be money wasted because you wouldn't use it. And I think that's great - life is often at its best when you keep things simple.

 

[Teegate]

I believe the billionaire Warren Buffett said you should never buy anything you don't absolutely need. That is how you become rich. So if someone decides not to buy it they are following sound fiscal advice. Nothing wrong with that.

Guy

 

[Teegate]

Bob's lawn is zoysia grass so he needs a good mower. I stumble walking across his front lawn. I need a Montana to find my way in a straight line.

Guy

 

[Boyd]

I believe the billionaire Warren Buffett said you should never buy anything you don't absolutely need.

Evidently he absolutely needed American Express, Coca Cola, Conoco Phillips, Costco, Exxon Mobil, General Electric and Johnson and Johnson (among others).

 

[46er]

Evidently he absolutely needed American Express, Coca Cola, Conoco Phillips, Costco, Exxon Mobil, General Electric and Johnson and Johnson (among others).

Some people collect baseball cards, some collect other stuff

 

[dogg57]

Couple bucks for that baby. $509 base model to $619

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYWNxbC7Cc4

 

[Pan]

The Garmin Montana is the one I've been following, thinking of it as a possible future replacement for my hitherto unreplaceable Garmin 276C. Here are some links I've been looking at:

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=688775

http://gpstracklog.com/2011/05/4-multi-use-garmin-montana-series-announced.html

 

[Pan]

Thanks for the photos and info, Boyd. I'm interested in seeing your hands on review.

My Garmin 276C has a great screen but it's not visible in most lighting conditions without the backlight (the Garmin 176 black and white screen was better in that respect). I think the Montana screen might be a little bigger than my 276 - I need to check again - and that will be good for me because I mostly use it in my vehicle, both on and off road.

 

[Boyd]

It's weird - when the Montana started shipping, EMS had them in stock for really low prices - like $430 for the 600 and $470 for the 650. Maybe a mistake, because they were only listed for about a day, but people say they did order them and EMS should be a reputable source. I wasn't quite ready to take the plunge then myself. REI listed them on their site for a couple days, then took them down. I wonder if they are in short supply, or if vendors don't think they will sell well enough to inventory them?

People do say good things about the 276c - looks like a nice screen (have never seen one in person). Specs say 3.0" x 2.2" for the 276c and the Montana is 3.5" x 2.0". So the screen area is about the same but the Montana is a different proportion. The 276c has 480 x 320 pixels which is just a little better than the 480 x 272 on the Montana. Montana screen supports 16 bit color, 276c is only 8 bit. But the big difference is that the Montana is transreflective, meaning you can see it without the backlight. The 276c is like the Nuvi series and completely dependent on the backlight to be seen.

 

[bobpbx]

We could both make long lists of what we spend on different things and debate their relative values. In the end the only conclusions we could draw is that our finances and priorities are different.

Please don't think I was knocking anyone for making a choice to buy it. I was only comparing prices. I'd like to have one too, and if I had enough money to just do it right now, I wouldn't think about it too much, I'd just do it. Like when I bought my Dell setup for $1,700. Doggone it...I wanted it...I had the money, and to hell with everything else.