NEW! Garmin handhelds

Anybody seen the new Garmins to replace the 60/76 series??
The Colorado 300 and 400 systems feature a joystick and looks like they will have the ability to display aerial photos and / or USGS topographical maps.
hi-res 200x400 color screen, a SD port, a 2D compass, an altimeter, a thermometer and an "ANT" mode to transfer data wirelessly between units. (wireless exchange of routes, tracks, waypoints, and geocaches between two units).
16 hour battery life on two AA batteries
They look good I bet there will be a bunch of 60cx/76cx's for sale real soon.

Looks like the logical next step and I'll probably upgrade from my 60Cx in a year or so. I love the 60-series form factor. And I especially like that they're keeping the AA's.

- Mark

Wow...me likey.

Wonder how much those puppies will run for the first 6 months or so...!

I have seen $499/599 as their target price, Like all other Garmins, I am sure street prices will vary.

Now, why'd you have to go and do that to me? I was just going to buy a 60cx and be happy. I'd like to evaluate one, but will not wait around for it to come out. The 60cx will work just fine for me.

A bit more info here
http://gpsinformation.biz/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=16146&sid=7d81f0c4059e30e817d485c65583ca28

Dave

I had a feeling Garmin was going to replace the 60 series with something new.........just seemed like way too many good prices out there on new 60 units lately.

I am glad I pulled the trigger on the 60cx Since the 60 series units have such a strong knowledge base of users inputs to turn to, that and plus they'll probably screw something up the Colorado units like have pre-loaded maps that you can't change and doesn't work for people who'd like to have 2 versions running (ie. CN and topo or whatever), and they'll probably take some functionality / power-user settings/features away like everyone complained they have dumbed-down from the 2610 to the 2720 and then to the Zumo.


..

Yay... and I was just thinking of looking at a 60cx. This means money saved for me.

Jamie

No screen size. The extrex was too small for me.
Robert's Lowrance looked better to me...but Lowrance...Different maps, etc.

A key thing for motorcycle use is how that thumbwheel and buttons at the top work. It appears they're optimizing the UI for one-hand usage by hikers with your right thumb rolling the wheel. We'll have to see how this works on a bike.

- Mark

Colorado™ 400t
1st Quarter, 2008 Part Number: 010-00622-45
Suggested Retail Price: $ 642.84 USD
Take on the trails with Colorado 400t. This rugged, advanced handheld is packed with detailed topographic maps for all your hiking adventures not to mention 3-D map view, a high-sensitivity receiver, barometric altimeter, electric compass, SD card slot, picture viewer and color display. Exchange tracks, waypoints and geocaches wirelessly between other "buddy" units. When the going gets tough, Colorado leads the way.

Explore Backcountry
Colorado's preloaded topographic maps, 3-D map view and a built-in worldwide basemap with shaded relief give you all the tools for serious climbing or hiking. Map detail includes national, state and local parks and forests, along with terrain contours, elevation information, trails, rivers, lakes and points of interest. Just in case you're wondering how steep that hill really is, Colorado's 3-D map view helps you visualize your surroundings — giving you a better perspective of the elevation.

Share Wirelessly
With Colorado 400t you can share your waypoints, tracks, routes and geocaches wirelessly with other Colorado users. Now you can send your favorite hike to your buddy to enjoy or the location of a cache to find. Sharing data is easy. Just select "send" to transfer your information to other Colorado units within a 3-meter range.

Rock on. Find Fun
Intuitive and fun, Colorado features a Rock 'n Roller input wheel for easy one-handed operation and supports Geocaching.com GPX files for downloading geocaches and detail straight to your unit. Even customize Colorado's interface based on your favorite activity. Slim, lightweight and waterproof, Colorado is the perfect companion for all your outdoor pursuits.

Keep Your Fix
With its high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver, Colorado 400t locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover and deep canyons. The advantage is clear — whether you're in deep woods or just near tall buildings and trees, you can count on Colorado to help you find your way when you need it the most.
Get Your Bearings

Colorado 400t has a built-in electronic compass that provides bearing information even while you're standing still, and its barometric altimeter tracks changes in pressure to pinpoint your precise altitude. You can even use the altimeter to plot barometric pressure over time, which can help you keep an eye on changing weather conditions.

Plug in and Go
Adding maps is easier than ever with Colorado's SD card slot. Conveniently plug in optional preloaded SD cards with MapSource data for your land and sea excursions. Just insert a MapSource card with detailed street maps, and Colorado provides turn-by-turn directions to your destination. The card slot is located inside the waterproof battery compartment, so you don't have to worry about getting it wet.

Colorado 400t: One tough handheld for all your outdoor pursuits.

Physical & Performance:
Unit dimensions, WxHxD: 2.4" x 5.5" x 1.4" (6.0 x 13.9 x 3.5 cm) Display size, WxH: 1.5"W x 2.5"H (3.8 x 6.3 cm); 3" diag (7.6 cm) Display resolution, WxH: 200 x 400 pixels Display type: TFT color display Weight: 7.3 oz (206.9 g) with batteries Battery: 2 AA or 2 NiMH batteries (not included) Battery life: 16 hours Waterproof: yes (IPX7) Floats: no High-sensitivity receiver: yes PC interface: USB RoHS version available: yes
Maps & Memory:
Basemap: yes Ability to add maps: yes Built-in memory: 384 MB Accepts data cards: SD card (not included) Waypoints/favorites: 1000 Routes: 50 Track log: 10,000 points, 20 saved tracks
Features:
Automatic routing (turn by turn routing on roads): yes Electronic compass: yes Barometric altimeter: yes Geocaching mode: yes Outdoor GPS games: yes Hunt/fish calendar: yes Sun and moon information: yes Tide tables: no Area calculation: yes Custom POIs (ability to add additional points of interest): yes Additional: Picture viewer: yes

3D map view: yes (with mapping software)

Unit-to-unit transfer (shares data wirelessly with similar units): yes

From Here:

http://forums.groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=179373&st=0&p=3198337&#entry3198337


MCNut

Those look sweet! It's messing with my decision to get a 60 series unit.

Thanks for posting this info. Again, I'm slightly worried that they're really targeting the hiking market, evidence the pre-loaded topo maps which are of very limited value in road riding. I hope they're not taking the attitude that since they sell a unit specifically for motorcycling (the Zumo), they're going to totally optimize this handheld for hikers. I'm sure Garmin would much prefer I buy a Zumo for the bike, a Nuvi for the car, an Edge for bicycling, and a Colorado for hiking rather than doing what I am now - using a single versatile GPS (60Cx) for all four applications.

We'll see.

- Mark

I found some Google links to information on the Garmin site but those pages have been removed. Interesting. The Colorado is listed on the Bass Pro Shop website but you can't order or get any info yet. Curious. I put a 60CSx on order last Friday. What to do....what to do.... Without a pressing need for it I'm leaning toward canceling my order and waiting on the new unit.

No Buttons = No Good

The only imporvement they could make to 60/76 mechincal is to replace 4-way rocker switch with a 4-way joy stick. Very hard to work rocker with gloves on. Whenever I try to go right I get down.

For you guys worrying about your 60's, I wouldn't too much. Keep in mind the following:

1. These new units are Q1 2008 which probably could stretch to Q2 quite easily.
2. The 60's are being heavily discounted, the Colorado will probably go for a small discount to MSRP initially, so you're talking something like $250 vs. $475 (my guess).
3. The 60's are very reliable proven units. The Colorado will be eventually, but the first year or so we'll likely see a lot of software updates, some really bad glitches (like the 60's iniital fatal signal dropout problems), a lot more infant mortality.
4. It looks like the form factor changed, so the aftermarket will take a while to get revved up with mounts and other accessories.
5. The 60x pretty much has a state of the art receiver, so I wouldn't expect major improvements there. And the 60x had the storage problem solved. Battery life looks about the same. So the only major functional improvements in the Colorado are the wireless xfr facility (which will only work if your buddy has a brand new unit with the feature), the built-in topo maps, a slightly bigger display, and the UI changes (which may or may not be better for motorcycle use). If the Colorado has a major processor upgrade which does dramatically better in routing, screen refreshes, panning, and zooming, THAT would be nice improvement, but hard to say right now.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure this will be a great unit and I expect I'll own one someday. But the 60 has no glaring faults, is proven, and is cheap right now. Buy a 60x for $250 and I expect you'll easily be able to get $150 for it in year and by then the Colorado will be debugged and we'll know if it really is an improvement for our usage.

- Mark

That is what they did they put a scroll wheel and a joystick on it, It might work, only time will tell
The 3" higher resolution screen looks good.

I've got an eTrex Vista HCx, with a 2 GB SD card, so i've loaded 100K topo lines from map source, and it's got all of the forest roads, etc, too. I've got everything West from where Colorado (the state, not device) flattens out.

It has a rocker for your clutch thumb, barometer, electric compass. the screens a little small, but i'm quite happy with it. You may want to compare it with others on the Garmin site.

Too small of a screen for the Motorbike
JMO

I agree with rwamf. I think the 60 series screens are about as small as you want to go, and the button arrangement on the 60s is much friendlier than on the eTrexs. His XOG sounds interesting - I need to check them out myself, but overall I've been very happy with a 60CSx for all my dualsport needs.

Maybe I missed it, but does the colorado have 1:24,000 topo or 1:100,000 like the 60's? Would make a big difference to me for other applications.