Like Geocaching? Checkout The New OpenCaching.com From Garmin

Are you a Geocaching geek? If so you might want to checkout the newest project from the fine folks over at Garmin. OpenCaching.com, a  free online community for creating, sharing and finding geocaches around the world.

“Garmin is extending its reputation for ease of use even further into geocaching, creating the most intuitive experience possible,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “By making it free and easy to download every detail of every cache, Opencaching.com will introduce more people to this great activity and show them just how fun, easy and rewarding it can be. OpenCaching.com gives us a chance to go beyond the development of hardware and software and interact directly with the vibrant global community of cachers.”

Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunt where participants of all ages explore the outdoors, hiding and finding containers of various shapes and sizes that are filled with collectables, trinkets and logbooks for signing in and letting fellow cachers know you were there. Creating a cache consists of placing a container in a public area, saving the GPS coordinates and uploading them to a website. Finding a cache is as simple as searching the website and downloading those details to a GPS handheld. As free and open as the great outdoors, OpenCaching.com was created to help promote the growth of geocaching and build the worldwide community of cachers.

The strength of OpenCaching.com lies within the geocaching community, from diehard cachers to families and classrooms trying it for the first time (for which there is an informative how-to guide included on the site). Everyone – regardless of experience or numbers of caches found or placed – is welcome to the same information and invited to get as involved as they want. OpenCaching.com will work with any device or software package that can read GPX files, regardless of manufacturer.

“Because OpenCaching is brand new, we’re counting on cachers everywhere to get creative and get involved,” said Bartel. “We want everyone who posts, seeks and finds a cache to have the pride of ownership in this new site, and there’s no better way than to build it together. As the word gets out about OpenCaching, we expect the number of caches posted to grow quickly.”

Garmin GPS Now Offers In-Store Trade-In Program

Trade-in programs are all the rage these days and it seems like everyone has one for almost everything out there. Well now there is one more kid on the trade-in block. Garmin GPS has announced a new in-store trade-in program that is launching exclusively at the Garmin Chicago Store.

With the new program owners of qualifying automotive or fitness GPS units can trade-in their used equipment for credit toward the purchase of a new device. Garmin customers can call the store today for more information or visit the Chicago Store online to see if you have a qualifying automotive or fitness unit.

As with most these trade-in programs the trade-in value isn't much compared to selling it yourself, however it does take some of the hassle out of selling the items yourself. A qualifying automotive trade-in will land you a $35 credit toward a new purchase, and a qualifying fitness trade-in will get you $25 toward a new purchase.

Note that not all Garmin product model types are eligible for the trade-in program. Even if a particular model is eligible, a particular unit will only be accepted for trade-in if it is functional, unaltered, and has no screen damage. Other restrictions apply. See a store associate for complete details.

Pilot My-Cast by Garmin iPhone App Now Available

Digital CycloneSM, Inc., a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd., the global leader in satellite navigation, announced today that Pilot My-Cast by Garmin is available immediately for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Pilot My-Cast by Garmin is a premium aviation weather, flight planning and flight filing application exclusively for customers in the U.S. and Canada.

“We’ve designed the iPhone and iPod Touch version of Pilot My-Cast from the ground up,” said Craig Burfeind, president of Digital Cyclone, a subsidiary of Garmin. “Our customers range from the student pilot who has taken their introductory flight to executives of general aviation companies. Pilots who use Pilot My-Cast, tell us they can’t live without it. They appreciate that we tailor the information to their flight. They input their route, and then Pilot My-Cast overlays the flight path with the weather – no other aviation weather app gives pilots this much customization.”

The iPhone and iPod Touch version of Pilot My-Cast is designed to take advantage of the devices’ gesture-based user interface, and includes five intuitive menu tabs at the bottom of the page: routes, flight plan, weather, airport information and settings.
 

• Routes: Create a route to any airport, fix or VOR in the United States or Canada. The route, or flight path, may then be viewed on a map with a weather overlay so that pilots can immediately see if their desired flight path is near threatening weather. Pilot My-Cast is currently the only aviation application that overlays a route and weather information. 
• Flight Plan: Create and file a flight plan with a few screen touches and send the information directly to the DUAT(s) providers. Pilot My-Cast stores the most recently filed flight plan, so pilots only need to alter information that has changed from earlier flights. 
• Weather: View current and predicted weather information including NEXRAD Radar, METARs and TAFs displayed in text and graphic formats, panable weather maps, infrared and visible satellite loops, lightning data, SIGMETs, AIRMETs, PIREPs, NOTAMs, winds aloft and more.  
• Airport Information: Access the AOPA Airport Directory, one of the most comprehensive sources of airport information that includes information for over 5,300 public-use airports and more than 7,000 FBOs, such as pilot services, ground transportation, lodging, restaurants and local attractions.Settings: Customize Pilot My-Cast with aircraft and pilot specific information. Also, link to flyGarmin.com and view information about other Garmin portable and panel mount products, such as if the portable device’s databases are current.

Compared to other aviation weather cell phone applications, Pilot My-Cast is unique because it receives aviation data directly from the foremost providers, such as the National Weather Service, Environment Canada, and Federal Aviation Administration. Thanks to these direct relationships, customers who use Pilot My-Cast by Garmin will receive the same up-to-the-minute information that they would if using a desktop computer with Internet service.

Pilot my-Cast for the iPhone and iPod Touch are available in the app store for a monthly fee of $9.99, or an annual subscription of $99.99. To order Pilot My-Cast or to see a list of other supported phones, visit www.digitalcyclone.com/pilot. 

Source: Garmin

AT&T and Garmin Announce The Garmin nüvifone G60 Coming Soon to AT&T Customers

AT&T and Garmin Announce a New Mobile Navigation Era with nüvifone, The Navigation Phone

AT&T and Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. announced the Garmin nüvifone G60 will be available beginning October 4 only for AT&T customers in the U.S. in AT&T stores and online at www.wireless.att.com.

The nüvifone G60 provides one of the easiest-to-use location experiences available because it is the only phone to fully integrate the world’s best selling GPS navigator with voice, data and mobile web.

“Personal navigation devices are already all about mobility and taking the Garmin experience everywhere as your mobile phone is truly compelling for customers who travel often,” said Michael Woodward, vice president, Mobile Phone Portfolio, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “We expect the nüvifone to be the guide for local restaurants, the least-expensive gas and the nearest coffee shop for many customers.”

”The nüvifone weaves location into nearly every facet of its functionality making it ideal for people who depend on location to navigate everyday life,” said Cliff Pemble, Garmin’s president and COO. “The nüvifone has Garmin’s easy-to-use interface, so navigating to a meeting directly from its calendar or contacts pages, or geotagging an email or photograph with a location stamp, is intuitive, useful and fun.”

Navigate with turn-by-turn guidance
The nüvifone G60 has the same core features as a high-end Garmin nüvi and comes preloaded with maps and millions of points of interest (POI) for North America. Customers who purchase a nüvifone will have everything that they need to use the device as an in-car navigation unit including a dashboard and windshield mount. The device can easily be mounted in the car or detached for portable navigational use.

Because the maps reside on the nüvifone customers always have access to navigation and they can receive turn-by-turn voice-prompted directions that speak street names to millions of destinations. If a turn is missed along the route, the nüvifone will automatically recalculate a route and get the user back on track. The nüvifone is able to provide reliable location information in the most challenging conditions because it has a real GPS receiver with Garmin’s HotFix™ technology and assisted GPS.

The nüvifone also has a “Where am I?” feature so users will know their exact latitude and longitude coordinates, nearest address, intersection, hospital, police station and gas station with one touch of the screen. Another great feature of nüvifone is for users who cannot find their car in an unfamiliar spot or crowded parking lot, nüvifone will automatically mark the position in which it was last removed from the windshield mount.

Surf the web

Nüvifone customers are just one click away from a full HTML browser that can be accessed via the nation’s fastest 3G network, or AT&T’s more than 20,000 Wi-Fi hotspots. Garmin’s location link, which parses addresses on the web with latitude and longitude information, allows customers to easily navigate to addresses they discover on the web by simply touching the address. The touch-screen virtual keyboard which includes predictive text, is customizable to QWERTY or A to Z to allow customers to easily type in web addresses or send and receive text messages.

Capture quality photos

The nüvifone G60 also includes a three megapixel camera with auto-focus. The camera automatically geotags images with an exact latitude and longitude reference of where the image was taken. Customers may then save the image so they can navigate back to the location, or email the geo-tagged image to others.

Stay connected

In addition to millions of preloaded POIs, customers can supplement the data with additional free and subscription content. The nüvifone includes free access to AT&T’s Yellow Pages, flight status and converter. Premium Connected Services gives customers subscription access to real-time traffic information, fuel prices, White Pages, weather and more.

Price and Availability

The nüvifone G60 will be available in AT&T stores or at www.wireless.att.com on October 4 for $299 with a two year service agreement after $100 mail-in-rebate. Nüvifone Premium Connected Services which includes traffic updates, white pages, weather, movie, local events and fuel price content are available for $5.99/month after a 30-day trial.

For the complete array of AT&T offerings, visit www.att.com
Additional information about the nüvifone product line is available at www.nuvifone.com.

Source: Garmin Press Release

Garmin-Asus Introduces nüvifone M20

BARCELONA, Spain/February 12, 2009/Business Wire — Garmin-Asus, a co-branded alliance between Garmin Ltd., and ASUSTeK Computer Inc., today announced the Garmin-Asus nüvifone M20, an all-in-one phone, mobile web-browser and premium navigation system with a Windows Mobile operating system. The Garmin-Asus nüvifone M20 will be on display at GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, February 16-19, 2009, at the Garmin-Asus exhibit.

As the first Garmin-Asus nüvifone powered by Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional with enterprise email, the sleek and colorful nüvifone M20 is designed for on-the-go professionals who want a fashionable and functional smartphone to manage their busy work and personal lives. This powerful device combines a dual-band 3.5G/tri-band GSM phone with Wi-Fi connectivity, desktop-like internet browser, push email, document viewing, multi-media capability, Bluetooth and Garmin sat nav.

The nüvifone M20’s full QWERTY soft keyboard makes it easy to send and receive SMS, MMS and emails. The nüvifone M20 can also be synched with a computer so that contacts and emails are always available. HSDPA wireless connectivity and enterprise grade Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) ensure messages are sent and received quickly, including those with attachments.

Recognizing that location is relevant to every aspect of every day, the nüvifone M20 is designed with location based services (LBS) at its core and has the most advanced LBS experience of any Windows Mobile phone. Navigation functions are linked to frequently used applications such as calendar, contacts, email, internet applications and more, simplifying the nüvifone user’s day as they travel from one location to another.

The nüvifone M20 supports download speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps and offers a desktop-style web browsing experience. Users can zoom and pan web pages with their finger as they view the information in either portrait or landscape orientation. In addition, they can easily navigate to an address on a web page with only a few taps of the screen.

The GPS features of the nüvifone M20 usher in a level of sophistication never seen before on a Windows Mobile smartphone. It has the navigation capability of a premium Garmin nüvi sat nav, and comes with preloaded maps and points of interest (POIs) – hotels, restaurants, stores, fuel stations and more – for North America, Eastern and Western Europe, or other regions. Selecting a destination is straightforward and requires limited input from the user. For example, users can search for a destination by typing in the specific name or address of an establishment, search by category, or navigate to addresses in the nüvifone M20’s contact database or on the web. The device then gives turn-by-turn voice-prompted directions and automatically recalculates if a turn is missed along the way. In addition, the nüvifone includes quick access to online points of interest through internet enabled local search. The nüvifone harnesses the power of the worldwide web and information about local merchants and attractions is continually updated.

The nüvifone M20 takes GPS navigation one step further via Connected Services, a suite of online applications and data from Garmin-Asus that adds location intelligence to navigation, phone and browser functions. The expandable list of applications includes content like real-time traffic information, White Pages, weather, flight status, local events, and movie times.

The nüvifone product line also includes Ciao!, a ground-breaking LBS application that helps users stay up to date on their friends’ whereabouts and status by linking numerous location-centric social networks. Through Ciao!, nüvifone users will see their friends’ location on a map and then be able to navigate to that location with ease. Nüvifone users can also choose to have the nüvifone automatically update their social network location information.

The nüvifone M20 has exceptional entertainment capabilities with the combination of a 2.8” TFT touch lens display, built-in microphone and speakers, built-in 4Gb/8Gb My Storage, and ActiveSync for Outlook, Microsoft Office, and multi-media synchronization. The VGA (640x480) display brings action to life when watching video or looking at photographs. The three megapixel camera automatically geotags images with the exact latitude and longitudinal coordinates. Users can then save the image on their phone, email it to a friend, or navigate to where the image was taken.

Garmin-Asus expects to announce the nüvifone M20’s pricing and availability information in the first half of 2009. Journalists should contact Garmin-Asus media representatives to arrange product demonstrations or interviews. Additional information about the nüvifone product line is available at www.GarminAsus.com.

About Garmin-Asus
Garmin-Asus is a co-branded strategic alliance that enables Garmin Ltd. and ASUSTeK Computer Inc. to combine their complementary resources to develop world class LBS-centric mobile phones.
Source: Garmin-ASUS Press Release