Dec
26
2009
Many people don’t realize that when we’re developing products we put them through extreme test conditions. We drop ‘em, dunk ‘em, freeze ‘em, and heat ‘em, and that’s just a few of the tests engineering puts products through. We’re proud that our devices are rugged and can stand up to the challenges our customers give them — even accidental challenges. Do you have a Garmin story to share? Send it to stories@garmin.com.
Today I did a really stupid thing, but Garmin bailed me out. As I was getting in the car to go to work, I set my GPSMAP 496 down on the roof to get my keys out. Somehow, I got in the car but forgot the GPS. Three miles later, I was cruising down the highway, and decided to switch lanes. As I straightened back out, I heard a rumble-thump sound, saw a tumbling blur in my left side mirror, and got instantly nauseous as I realized what had happened.
I swerved back to the breakdown lane, and managed to back up to the scene of the crime. It was rush hour, and I decided getting across to the median (where the pieces lay), would be dicey. Getting back would be worse, plus I figured someone would see me in the highway and have an accident, so I called the state police. A trooper pulled up and looked at me skeptically when he heard my story: “Don’t you think it’s in pieces?” I said maybe not-it’s pretty rugged, is built for helicopters, and cost over $2000. At this, his expression changed, and off he went, backwards in the breakdown lane. After about a quarter mile, he lit up and zoomed across all three lanes, picked up the pieces, and zoomed back. He was one big smile as he handed it to me: “Chris-you’re in luck!” He had already powered it up and read my name on the screen! It worked!
The bean bag base was pretty busted up, and the clamps were history, but the main case had only scratches, and worked fine! Not bad for a 65 mph crash landing!! Garmin is now my friend for life!
Thanks to Garmin for a success story that saved me a lot of money!
Chris Y.
Newton Center, MA
Jul
02
2009
Today, Garmin released a free, mandatory GPS software update to correct a software issue that has been discovered to cause select GPS devices to repeatedly attempt to update GPS firmware, and then either shut down or no longer acquire GPS satellite signals. The products affected are the nüvi 7×5 series, nüvi 800 series, nüvi 8×5 series, z?mo 660, GPSMAP 620 and GPSMAP 640.
Garmin nüvi 7×5 series products that are no longer able to acquire a
GPS satellite signal may download a firmware update immediately that
will correct the software issue. This firmware update may be downloaded
using Garmin’s WebUpdater.
Firmware updates for other affected products will be available online through Garmin’s WebUpdater in the near future. Affected customers who have registered their GPS device will be notified about these updates through email.
Garmin nüvi 7×5 customers who are no longer able to power on their GPS device will need to visit www.garmin.com/support, and select the first FAQ
titled “My nüvi 755T, 765T, 775T or 785T is giving me the message
‘Updating GPS Firmware’ or will no longer power on…” Customers will
then need to follow the instructions to request a return authorization
so that the device may be repaired under warranty.
We know our customers rely upon their Garmin GPS device(s), especially
during the summer travel season, and we regret any inconvenience this
situation may have caused. We are committed to developing products that
are known for their quality and reliability and will continue to work
diligently to earn the trust of our customers.
Jun
15
2009
We’ve heard a lot of great things about the Forerunner 310XT - dubbed “The King of Wrist-Mounted Trainers” by Wired magazine and praised by triathletes as the watch they’ve been waiting for - but a recent email got our attention. With the subject line simply “WOW” - Runner’s World columnist John “The Penguin” Bingham summed up his experience with the Forerunner 310XT.
I finally had a chance to get out for a decent run using the XT. WOW. The XT is better than anything on the market by a factor of 10. In my view, it’s better than any other Garmin product by a factor of 5. For the first time in YEARS I was able to run with only one piece of equipment on my wrist.
As a run/walker – and someone who has promoted run/walking in my books and training schedules – the interval training workout was FANTASTIC. And, as someone who uses the strategy in races the fact that the unit vibrates at the intervals is BRILLIANT! You have created as close to the perfect training companion as I can imagine. There’s nothing about the unit that I would change. Thanks.
Thank you, John. And thanks to everyone at Runner’s World, which showcased Garmin’s fitness watches in the July issue. You’ll see the FR60 on the cover, and the inside feature on training technology features the FR60, Forerunner 405, Forerunner 50 as well as the 310XT. Get your copy and start training with Forerunner today!
May
26
2009
Geocachers from at least 46 states in the U.S. and various regions of Europe gathered in Bell Buckle, TN, over the weekend for GeoWoodstock 7. More than 5,000 cachers - from youngsters to age 76, and traveling from as far as 4,500 miles away - made this the largest GeoWoodstock ever and kept us busy in the Garmin booth, where we were showing off the and Oregon 550t, our newest touchscreen handheld with built-in camera.
We also gave limited-edition Oregon geocoins to a few lucky winners, and there are more of these coveted coins stashed in random caches around the world so let us know if you stumble across one. As you can imagine, we spent most of our time at GeoWoodstock talking about the 550’s built-in, waterproof 3.2MP camera that is perfect for capturing every cache at the moment of discovery, but we did find time to snap a few pics of our own. Especially when Alamogul stopped by the Garmin booth. Known to the rest of the world as Lee van der Bokke, Alamogul has logged more finds (32,670 and counting) so we were excited to snap his picture (above) with the Oregon 550t. Thanks to everyone who stopped by the booth and attended GeoWoodstock 7, and we’ll see you on the trails and on the road!
May
07
2009
One of the most common questions we get is: “If I want one device for the trail, the bike, the car, the boat - which one can I get?” It’s a tough question, because Garmin makes so many great products tailor-made for your different activities, but the search for a versatile device just got easier with the newly announced Oregon 550 and Oregon 550t. And we added a camera to chronicle your adventures.
We’ve taken the popular Oregon touchscreen handheld and built in a 3.2 megapixel digital camera, which creates geotagged images, and a 3-axis compass into the popular series of intuitive touchscreen handhelds. The waterproof Oregon 550 and Oregon 550t (which features preloaded 100K topo maps for the entire U.S. in state-of-the-art 3D elevation perspective), have an easy-to-use interface and versatile features that make either the ideal solution for customers looking for a multipurpose GPS device.
There’s no need to tote a separate camera in your pack or pocket as Oregon 550’s 3.2 megapixel autofocus digital camera with 4x digital zoom automatically geotags each photo with the location of where it was taken, allowing you to mark, remember and navigate back to that exact spot in the future. With this waterproof digital camera, you can take and view pictures in landscape or portrait orientation, and 850 MB of internal memory offers ample storage. These pictures can then be printed or stored and shared online, making every trip even more memorable. Once your Oregon 550 is connected via USB, you can use my.Garmin.com to detect Oregon’s photos, simplify the selection and uploading processes and then store those photos on Picasa, a popular online photo sharing community for friends and families around the world.
The built-in 3-axis compass and enhanced sunlight-readable touchscreen are two other key additions to the Oregon 550 and Oregon 550t. The 3-axis tilt-compensated electronic compass shows your heading even when you’re standing still, without holding it level. And Oregon’s glove-friendly, color 3-inch touchscreen display is brighter and easier than ever to read and use in all conditions, responsive to the touch of your finger, yet resistant to the forces of nature. Weighing only 6.8 ounces, the Oregon 550 and Oregon 550t come with two precharged AA NiMH batteries. These batteries provide up to 16 hours of life on a single charge and don’t lose energy when not in use. The included battery charger saves you money and reduces waste as batteries get recharged and reused. Also in the box is a carabiner clip and USB cable for high-speed USB connections. A microSD card slot provides even more storage for photos, mapping and memory and allows you to view pictures from other devices with Oregon’s picture viewer.
