Monday's leak of info about Garmin's upcoming Oregon touchscreen GPS line has now been followed by some images and screenshots. And though the mapping functions pretty much follow the earlier Colorado line, the units look very different—apparently being pretty buttonless indeed. For walkers, the 200 is a simple basemap unit, the 300 has worldwide maps with shaded relief, while the 400t adds in preloaded U.S. topographic maps and a 3D view. The 400i has maps for US inland lakes and the worldwide basemap, while the 400c has BlueChart® g2 coastal charts for sea-farers. When on sale in the Fall, the 400 units will cost $639.99, the 300 $533.32 and the basic 200 $479.99. Press release below.
Garmin's Touchscreen Oregon™ Series Gives
Outdoor Enthusiasts the World at their FingertipsOLATHE, Kan./July 10, 2008/PR Newswire - Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd.
(NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, today introduced the Oregon series of
handheld GPS devices for outdoor, marine and fitness enthusiasts, combining an intuitive
touchscreen interface, rugged, resilient design and a variety of preloaded mapping options."The Oregon's vibrant screen is responsive to the touch of your finger, yet resistant to the forces of
nature," said Dan Bartel, Garmin's vice president of worldwide sales. "Combining the touchscreen
interface of our iconic automotive devices with the preloaded features of the acclaimed Colorado
series makes this the ultimate outdoor handheld."Easy to learn and simple to use, the waterproof Oregon features a high-sensitivity GPS receiver,
preloaded mapping and a high-resolution, color 3-inch screen that reacts as users tap or drag
through menus and options. On a mountain or an ocean, satellite reception is even faster than
before thanks to Garmin's new HotFixTM feature, which automatically calculates and stores critical
satellite information and can use that information to quickly calculate a position without waiting for
data collection from the satellites.The Oregon 400t gives hikers preloaded U.S. topographic maps in state-of-the-art 3D elevation
perspective. The Oregon 400i offers anglers shoreline details, depth contours and boat ramps for
U.S. inland lakes and navigable rivers. The Oregon 400c is a saltwater specialist, providing chart
coverage for the coastal U.S. and Bahamas. The Oregon 300 features a worldwide basemap with
shaded relief. The Oregon 200 provides a basemap that can be easily supplemented with
additional mapping or charts for your adventures on land or at sea.Garmin knows its users have many interests, so the Oregon lets you customize five profiles -
automotive, marine, recreation, fitness or geocaching - making the most beneficial features for
each activity the easiest to access through quick shortcuts.The Oregon series plays well with others, as the 400t, 400c, 400i and 300 allow for wireless
exchange of tracks, waypoints and geocaches between other Oregon units and Colorado models.
Each of these models is equipped with a barometric altimeter and electronic compass and is
compatible with Garmin's heart-rate monitors and speed/cadence sensors.Geocaching is even easier with the Oregon, which quickly downloads online information for every
cache, such as location, terrain, difficulty, hints and description, so that you don't have to tote
printouts with you. Cachers and collectors will be hunting for a limited-edition geocoin minted to
commemorate the launch of the Oregon series. Oregon users can experience Wherigo™, the
newest GPS-based activity from Groundspeak, the people who made geocaching a worldwide
phenomenon. Wherigo (pronounced "where I go") is a toolset for creating and completing
adventure games, historical tours or other innovative activities in the real world.Weighing only 6.8 ounces with 16 hours of life from two AA batteries, the Oregon has a microSD
card slot that is ideal for loading additional MapSource detail. For more about the Oregon's
features, pricing and availability, go to www.garmin.com and www.garmin.blogs.com.