NaviGadget

Lowrance Sierra

Jan 22, 2009 gps navigation, lowrance 2 Comments

Lowrance Sierra is the top of the line handheld GPS receiver from Lowrance. It has all the features of Lowrance Outback and Lowrance Safari but adds more internal memory, maps, and compass to the mix.

The device contains 4GB of internal memory and provides a micro SD expansion slot supporting up to an additional 32GB of storage for mapping, pictures and MP3 audio files. The pre-loaded content includes Intermap’s Accuterra topographic maps, outdoor trail networks and POI, as well as the NAVTEQ road network for the contiguous 48 states with an upgrade option for full-featured turn-by-turn navigation.

Lowrance Endura Sierra has an MSRP of $550 and will be available this May just like the other two new handhelds from Lowrance.

Lowrance Safari

Jan 22, 2009 gps navigation, lowrance 5 Comments

Also announced today from the new Endura series was Lowrance Safari, in addition to Lowrance Outback which we just mentioned. Lowrance Safari has all the features of Outback but adds features such as the trip computer, electronic compass and barometric altimeter.A touch-screen display and simple, intuitive keypad make it easy to enter data and access information. The Safari is preloaded with a sophisticated base map and supports both plug-and-play micro SD cards and downloadable maps offering complete versatility to aid any outdoor adventure. The Safari is one of three innovative products in Lowrance’s new Endura handheld GPS line*.

Here are some of the specs from Lowrance Safari:

• Display Size: 2.7 in 68 mm
• Display Type: Touchscreen
• GPS Antenna Type: Internal GPS+WAAS
• Background Map: Preloaded mapping content with detailed hill shading, topographic contours, primary and secondary roads and key POIs
• Custom Mapping: Optional full-featured turn-by-turn navigation
• Built-in Backup Memory
• Sealing: Waterproof to IPX7 standard
• Dimensions: 2.4×5.1×1.2 in
• Weight 0.36 lbs 0.165 kg
• Battery Type: 2 AA (not included)
• Memory Expansion: Micro SD card slot for up to 32 GB cards
• Trip computer records trails, altitudes, trip times, speed and distance travelled
• MP3/voice notes, picture, and video players
• Power standby mode
• Speaker, headphone jack and microphone
• Mini USB port for power and data cables

Lowrance Safari has an MSRP of $385 and will be available for purchase in May 2009.

Lowrance Outback

Jan 22, 2009 gps navigation, lowrance 4 Comments

Lowrance today announced the Outback, its new touch-screen handheld GPS receiver. Lowrance Outback is from the new line up “Endura” and provides extensive expansion capabilities for the outdoor people. It is preloaded with a base map and offers multiple mounting choices and downloadable maps, as well as the ability to support shared web community content and plug-and-play.

Lowrance Endura Outback has a 2.7″ color transflective touch-screen, includes a recording option of trails for quick recall or sharing, a geocaching application compatible with geocaching.com and power standby to conserve battery life as well as provide fast startup.

Lowrance Outback is the entry level device for the new Endura series and will cost $230 when it hits the retail stores in May of this year. It runs on two AA batteries, mico SD card slot that supports up to 32GB, and a mini USB port.

google maps vs your navigation system

Aug 4, 2008 gps navigation 10 Comments

• updates: google maps is more up to date than the maps on your gps navigation system
• street view: google maps has it your sat nav don’t
• traffic info: google maps has it, most others don’t. Dash Express may actually beat Google when it comes freshness of traffic data
• satellite view: google maps has it, your sat nav doesn’t. Unless it is Lowrance 600c, but even then…
• terrain view: google maps has it, your navigation system don’t, but newer garmin or magellan handhelds allow you to add these with a cost
• points of interests: we’re guessing google beats your locally kept copy of nearest McDonald’s and Chevron locations (unless you have Dash Express, then you can do a local Yahoo search which is pretty sweet)
• transit directions: google does it
• walking directions:google does it

What’s our point? Well… one day we’re all going to have faster than 3G connection speeds and GPS in all our gadgets and all these GPS navigation systems will become obsolete thanks to feature packed Google Maps. Seriously, how can one compete with a feature like Street View? What do you think?

iWAY 600C RV – GPS navigation for RV’s

Nov 26, 2007 gps navigation, lowrance 3 Comments

If you are an RV owner you may be concerned about GPS signals not getting into your cabin depending on where you want to place the device. Well Lowrance has you covered with their iWAY 600C RV which boasts a 5″ display. iWAY 600C RV is pretty much the same as their successful 600C version – only with an external GPS antenna so you can place it on top of your RV for best signal reception.

• Satellite imagery for major metro areas in the USA and Canada
• 30GB hard drive preloaded with NAVTEQ maps of USA and Canada with over 5.5 million Points-Of-Interest
• MP3 music player and JPEG picture viewer
• Full-spectrum FM transmitter, with auto-muting during voice turn directions
• External remote antenna
• Quick-release suction cup mount

It is hard to find this RV version online – but the regular iWAY 600C is available on Amazon for $630.

new from Lowrance: XOG

Oct 8, 2007 gps navigation, lowrance 11 Comments

Lowrance just put up a new product on their website called XOG. Lowrance XOG is a crossover GPS navigation system that promises to be useful in your car, boat, or on the trail. In terms of hardware XOG is pretty standard but you’ll be happy to hear that this device is built tough and is also waterproof (IPX4). It has a 3.5″ 16-bit color touchscreen display with 320×240 resolution, 12-channel GPS antenna, SD memory card slot for expanding maps, and built-in speaker.

Let’s see what makes XOG a crossover device: First off it uses Navteq maps for street navigation and comes with over 3 million POIs. It also supports other plug-n-play maps from Lowrance such as FreedomMaps, Fishing Hot Spots PRO, LakeMaster ProMaps, etc, making it useful for fishing. Not to mention you can also download U.S. satellite and aerial imagery, enhanced USGS topographic data, and BLM mapping from online mapstore which can come in handy when you are hiking an unfamiliar area for the first time. When there are no roads XOG can be used a straight-line navigation device too.

No word on pricing just yet. It’ll be available ’soon’ the website says.

new Garmin Topo Maps

Sep 26, 2007 garmin, gps navigation, software 4 Comments

GPS Information did a side by side comparison of Garmin USA Topo and the new Topo 2008, again from Garmin.

The most obvious difference is that you can now use shading to give your map a 3D look, making it easier for your eyes to comprehend the landscape. The new maps are constructed from DEM (Digital Elevation Model) data instead of a digitized version of the USGS Topo maps which was used for the older USA Topo maps.

Other differences include street names, less vectors, and contour intervals. Check out the source for more details which by the way also has comparisons with maps from other companies such as Lowrance, Magellan, DeLorme, etc…

gps navigation systems for $200 or less

May 11, 2007 gps navigation 11 Comments

Lately we’ve been seeing a lot of GPS navigation systems going below the $200 mark. Most of these are from manufacturers you’ve probably never heard of before but that’s not necessarily bad. The hardware is usually standard and the software is sometimes identical in these machines. Here is our roundup:

Magellan Maestro 3100 for $200

Evesham Nav Cam 7700 for $160

InVion GPS-4v106 for $200

Aytobe for £100

PIVA PNS350 for $190 or L100 for $175

JVC KV-PX9 for $180

Mio C220 for $180

UPDATES:

ViaMichelin X930 for $198

NaviBlue NBC3500 for $155

Navman F20 (refurbished) for $158

FineDrive 400 for $190 or $99

Holux GPSmile 52 for $170

Sanyo NVM-4030 for $200

MORE UPDATES:

Lowrance iWAY 250c for $190

Jensen NVX-225 for $190

Nextar HGPS35 for $156

Navman iCN 330 for $130

Evesham NAV-CAM 7000 for $181

Are we missing anything? Even if it’s after rebate, let us know. We’ll update the list.

UPDATE: July 2008 – We now have another list cheap GPS navigation systems.

Bushnell ONIX 200 and ONIX 200CR w/ satellite imagery

Nov 28, 2006 gps navigation 1 Comment

Bushnell’s other addition to their GPS lineup is the ONIX 200 and ONIX 200CR. The main difference between the two is the CR model has a 320 x 240 pixel full-color LCD screen where as the bare 200 has a 160 x 240-pixel 16-level gray screen. Both of the devices are capable of screen layering where you can layer a satellite image, aerial photo or topographic map, plus all navigational aids in perfect harmony on a single screen.

Before you get too excited about the satellite imagery you should read the fine print though. You can only store 12 images at a time:

The ONIX200 series unit will store up to 12 photography (satellite or aerial) downloads at one time. Choose images of the same land at different levels of zoom, or broaden your coverage area by storing photos of separate areas.

So if you want more satellite imagery coverage you should look into Lowrance 600c which has a nice big 30GB HDD.

Not to mention you are going to have to buy your satellite imagery from the Bushnell store for one dollar each image, or for an unlimited annual subscription of $80.

On the bright side though the ONIX’s work on 2AA batteries and can last as much 26 hours on them.

With its patented SafeTrack™ operating mode, battery life on two “AA” batteries is greatly extended up to 26 hours. The exclusive SafeTrack feature lets the GPS receiver continue to monitor your travels while operating in a sleep mode to conserve battery life. In the SafeTrack sleep mode, power is conserved in several ways. First, by slowing the frequency of satellite signal acquisition, the Onix GPS receivers maintain active tracking with minimal power. SafeTrack also puts the LCD screen to sleep. However, users can check the status of the unit by referring to an LED light on top of the unit. A green light indicates that the unit has a satellite lock and that the user is on track to a destination or waypoint. A red light alerts the user to loss of satellite signal or the need to check course direction. The SafeTrack mode also allows users to set audible alarms to alert them to arrival at a destination or for course correction in following a route.

Read More …

Lowrance iWay 250C review

Nov 8, 2006 gps navigation, lowrance, reviews 1 Comment

The Lowrance iWay 250C measures 3 x 4 x 1 inches and it costs only $350 while still managing to be loaded with features. The iWay 250C comes with a 2GB SD card for maps and you can expect to get turn-by-turn directions on its 3.5″ touchscreen from this highly portable device. The review at PC Mag gave the Lowrance 250C a 3.5 out of 5 which means “good” on their scale.

What we really think as a major dissappointment with the 250C is that it doesn’t use a GPS receiver that support WAAS which has the potential to provide down to 3 meters of accuracy.

The iWay 250C uses an older-generation 12-channel GPS receiver, which doesn’t support WAAS. Other products I’ve recently reviewed have included the latest-generation SiRF Star III GPS module, which boasts rapid satellite-acquisition time and a more sensitive receiver. I did notice that initial acquisition time was longer on the Lowrance from a cold start (out of the box), but once the GPS had an initial fix on my location, subsequent acquisition times were acceptable. Also, during navigation, I never lost the satellite track.

However this was not the main area that needed improvement for the reviewers. Here is what they had to say about route generation times…

My biggest disappointment with the iWay 250C, though, came from a totally unexpected quarter—lengthy route-generation times. I took the iWay 250C with me on two road trips. One trek was from New Jersey to Cincinnati, and the other from New Jersey to Bartlett, New Hampshire. The route to Cincinnati took nearly three minutes to generate, and the one to Bartlett took over 2 minutes. Other competitive units generated the same routes in under 30 seconds. That is a huge difference.

Now we’re not sure what kind of processor or algorithm they use for route generation but it sounds like they could do a lot better.