New Garmin Monterra (not a typo!)

Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced Monterra, Garmin’s first WiFi-enabled outdoor handheld GPS that combines Garmin’s powerful location and mapping capabilities and the versatility of the Android™ operating system.

http://garmin.blogs.com/pr/2013/06/garmin-announces-monterra-an-android-powered-outdoor-gps-with-wifi.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogs%2FzWoK+%28Garmin+%7C+News+Releases%29

Could have some interesting possibilities...

Edit - It's up on the Website already - https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/prod113522.html

Looks like a game changer because of this:

"It is also compatible with the same mounts as the Garmin Montana™, so users can take Monterra anywhere."

So it'll be properly powered, not via mini usb!

Yep, the Garmin site shows the same Rugged Mount as a compatible accessory. I also like the FM / NOAA radio features, though FM and the built-in BlueTooth is going to require some re-thinking of my SENA Bluetooth setup.

With built-in WiFi, I wonder if you can update the maps direct from the unit (w/o a PC or memory card)?

I've only had the Montana a few months, but as long as there's NMEA connectivity for this thing, I may be looking to upgrade...

Oh well, I waited 3 years for a proper Android navigator. 3 weeks ago I finally thought that it ain't gonna happen and I bought a Montana.

Oh my. This is what I've been looking for.
No mention of whether it is glove friendly...

I wonder if they lock out other mapping apps such as Google Maps, CoPilot etc? Or, is this their way of beginning to merge into Google Maps?

I would consider being a guinea pig for this one

Bluetooth for those in need, too.

It does not indicate that the Bluetooth is for audio. Just that "Wireless sharing is easy with Monterra. It has WiFi, ANT+™, Bluetooth 3.0 and NFC capabilities, which allows users to share data, maps, waypoints, tracks, routes, and geocaches with other wireless compatible devices."

No bluetooth audio is a huge deal breaker for me,

Clearly targeting the commercial field-work market. I'd personally like to see them add an Inmarsat radio and offer service like the inReach.

Not a fan of Android App security architecture so I don't know if this unit will make it into my computing environment

Oh, did you notice...the only thing missing form the Monterra is a cell-radio.

Garmin still hasn't managed to coordinate Marketing and Development...



Notice the Sunset/Sunrise Time in the Recreation Dashboard? Notice that the Spec Sheet says:

It seems strange that with a mp3 player, that the music could only be listened to with head phones? Surely the built-in Bluetooth could also be used to listen to music?

Until we see the real spec's on the Bluetooth [and everything else] I'm not sure I'd make that assumption.

But your Montana is an Android navigator - it just doesn't allow you to add apps.

Where did you see that they were using BT 3.0? Ahhhh, the press release. I still think I'll reserve judgement until I see the complete BT Stack implementation.

I think I'd want to know things like:

• Is it glove friendly? Doubtful given the glass surface multi-touch display.
• Can it import a route without changing it?
• Can it save a route created on the unit?
• Is there "Detour" function in the routing?
• Can you edit Along-road Routes that you imported?
• Does the unit support "Shortcuts" and "Profiles"?
• Does Bluetooth support Audio Out?
• Does Bluetooth support voice input (the Monterra has a mic)?
• Why in the heck would you use BT3.0 instead of 4.0?
• What limitations are there on Android Apps?
• . . .

I'm sure with a little more thought I can come up with a dozen or so more questions.

Very tempted to put one of these on pre-order... hopefully the CyanogenMod] folks will open up the OS (if it's actually necessary) and make it possible to use whatever apps we want. That should allow the Bluetooth to be used for audio, not just syncing.

The pages refer to the Google Play store, not a special 'Garmin Store', so I would hope that any Android app that is marked 'compatible', incl. Google Maps, will work (vs. something like the 'Kindle Store', where only a subset of apps 'authorized' by the vendor can be seen, even if other apps work fine). This, combined with the BT, would open up a lot of possibilities with features like those in apps like 'Car Home Ultra' and 'Torque Pro' (especially if your bike has an OBDII port).

As for glove-friendly, I would hope this is a long-winded way of saying that it is:

It looks very nice, but way too expensive for me.

Now this is priceless....the manuals link on the right takes you to ...the Montana manuals page!

I wonder if Garmin will allow BT tethering to a cell phone to allow Google Maps (or any other app that needs to download map data) to actually work or they'll intentionally disable it to protect their map sales business. I cannot see anybody who has the technical know-how buying Garmin maps if Google Maps and others (DualSport Maps, anybody?) can work by tethering.

While you're probably right, I would actually prefer a capacitive touchscreen and deal with having to sew "metallic" thread into the fingertips of my gloves. They work MUCH better than any resistive touchscreen I've used.