Hasta La Gadget!

Garmin’s new Virb action camera enters a crowded market with good options at the top (GoPro Hero3 Black Edition) and bottom (Monoprice MHD) of the price range. It’s a little late to the game, but it’s got enough features that you might consider it against the alternatives.

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Garmin built its empire on dedicated GPS devices, but those are obviously facing extinction in the face of smartphones that can replicate their function without requiring an expensive secondary hardware purchase. Today, Garmin announced a device that could help it capitalize on its changing role in the navigation ecosystem, while still allowing it to sell hardware to consumers.

The Garmin HUD is just that, a heads-up-display that sits on your dash and projects a simple set of basic navigation data onto a transparent film affixed to your windshield. This replicates some features found in very expensive and well-appointed luxury cars, and it’s relatively inexpensive at $129.99.

Information displayed on the readout includes current speed, speed limit, an indicator to show when you turn next and the distance to said turn, as well as estimated arrival time. There’s no detailed map or points of interest, which is actually very good in that it will help keep drivers more focused on the road. It also shows yo upcoming traffic delays and traffic camera locations, and auto-adjusts for night and day. The smartphone HUD will work with any Bluetooth-capable smartphone running Android, iOS or Windows Phone 8 that can run Garmin’s StreetPilot and Navigon applications, and will arrive this summer for $129.99.

Garmin and others who make third-party smartphone apps that offer navigation services face an increasingly challenging market: Apple and Google both offer free software that does turn-by-turn navigation on mobile devices, either built-in or free, and offerings like Waze (which Google just acquired) really does a fantastic job of giving you all the bells and whistles for free, with a system that’s intelligent and adapts to changing traffic and road conditions in real time.

How do you differentiate as a dedicated navigation company? Offering your own accessory hardware is one very good way. The HUD from Garmin provides a real, tangible advantage to using Garmin’s paid apps over the free and easy competition. Until HUD projection becomes a built-in feature of every smartphone or in-car infotainment system, at least.

If you’re going hiking or hunting and want your trusty dog by your side, but don’t want him to get lost, you can get one of Garmin‘s GPS-equipped dog collars that makes sure your dog doesn’t stray too far from your side. The company has outed a newer dog collar, called the DC 50, that comes with improved GPS capabilities and more ruggedness.

The DC 50 is designed to work with Garmin’s Astro 320 tracking system, and it also comes with new features such as bark detection and various training functions, as well as longer battery life and a longer, more robust antenna. The new collar is the successor to Garmin’s DC 40 and DC 30 collars, which we covered a few years ago.

The DC 50′s design was also changed to accomplish a better signal for the GPS unit. The main housing sits below the dog’s neck while a low-profile GPS antenna now sits atop the dog’s neck on the collar. This provides a better signal for GPS satellites, and in addition to GPS, the DC 50 also supports GLONASS, which is approximately 20% faster than GPS.

You can also use both GPS and GLONASS together, which will allow the collar to lock on to 24 more satellites than when just using GPS alone. As for the antenna, it’s made out of braided steel, so it’s meant to be beaten around some and still withstand the brutality. The collar comes with a 22.5-inch antenna, as well as an 18.5-inch option. The 22.5-inch antenna can reach up to nine miles on flat, clear land.

The DC 50 collar costs $229, and the collar bundled with the Astro 320 system will set you back $599. The DC 50 is expected to be available sometime later this month, so if you’ve been in the market for a GPS dog collar for your hunting trips, you may want to hold off just for a bit longer.

SOURCE: Garmin

Garmin Astro DC 50 dog collar arrives with improved GPS is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Garmin is dipping into the Android waters again, this time with its Monterra, which is a dedicated handheld GPS.

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This technically isn’t Garmin’s first foray into Android territory, but it could prove to be one of the most successful. The navigation company’s just introduced Monterra, a dedicated handheld GPS running a TBA version of Android. Basic specs are in line with what you’d expect from a mid-range smartphone, including a 4-inch touchscreen, an 8-megapixel camera with flash and geotag support, 1080p video capture, 6GB of internal storage and microSD expansion. Naturally, the display is optimized for outdoor use — it’s transflective, so you only need to use the LED backlight in low light, letting you conserve power during daytime river treks and sunlit hikes.

The device is ruggedized, with an IPX7 waterproof rating, and can run on either a rechargeable battery pack (included) or AA batteries. It includes WiFi, ANT+, Bluetooth 3.0, NFC, a built-in FM radio with NOAA weather and SAME alerts, dual-band GPS and GLONASS receiver, a 3-axis compass with accelerometer and gyro, a UV sensor for monitoring the sun’s intensity and a barometric altimeter, which can report altitude and predict weather based on pressure shifts. There’s also a handful of preinstalled apps designed to take advantage of this plethora of connectivity, including Europe PeakFinder, or you can download favorites from Google Play — anything from farming aids to efficiency trackers can utilize many of Monterra’s bundled sensors. The device is expected to ship in Q3, and should run you about $650 in the US or £600 in the UK.

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Source: Garmin