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Some have noticed the sales on the 60CSX models and have speculated that advanced models are probably coming out soon. They would be right about that. Here are 2 very recent Garmin press releases.

New 62 Series - the 60 series replacement –June 2
http://garmin.blogs.com/pr/2010/06/garm ... held-.html

New 78 Series - the 76 series replacement – April 23
http://garmin.blogs.com/pr/2010/04/garm ... d=newsroom

Preliminary features that interest me are the 1.7 Gig of internal memory, 200 saved tracks with 10,000 points per track and the ability to convert GPX files to img files and ability to deal with multiple img files. Also it will have a quad helix antenna better that the one in the 60CSX (also the type used in the great Magellan Meridian which I still own today). I see the 62s model in my future.

Of course the devil is in the details and I would consider something like an unreadable screen as a fatal flaw. I think the new products should be a distillation of all the best features of previous models with the enhancements noted and I am not expecting any fatal flaws but you never know.

Thanks Joe. I'm in the market now I'm glad I waited. HAZ just paid for itself ;)
A mouse at Hermit's chewed a chunk off my 60CSx antenna and I dunked the GPS in a pool at Pumphouse yesterday. So my results are less than optimal. If it doesn't improve when it dries out I will have to buy a 62.

There are some great new features on the 62, but I won't need an upgrade for quite a while. I'm more likely to get an auto unit next. I wish Garmin didn't charge separately for map data on each unit.

Have you guys seen the new model Garmin is introducing for T-Mobile? It's a GPS with a phone !!

http://www.garminasus.com/en_US/phones/garminfone/

The dream of an all-in-one unit is getting closer...

PLC92084 wrote:Have you guys seen the new model Garmin is introducing for T-Mobile? It's a GPS with a phone !!

http://www.garminasus.com/en_US/phones/garminfone/

The dream of an all-in-one unit is getting closer...

Looks like a cool unit but my dream is the 62s type with 2 way satellite text messaging and tracking where the unit sends your position every 10 minutes or so and you can be tracked at your home base. In an emergency where there is no cell service (most Wilderness areas) you should be able to send your position along with an emergency text message and receive a text message as well. Spot Messenger does this but I want one device that does it all. Technology is here right now to do this. All we need is a company to put it all together in a single device. Now that would be a winner not only for hikers but anyone even driving in areas where there is no cell phone service.

Garmin has it's work cut out for themselves. It will be difficult to continue producing objects when a simple application for a droid phone or such will suffice. Granted it will be awhile until they become waterproof, satellite enabled and such.

Also makes me wonder about on-line schools. How long can they expect to keep charging until a free market comes about.

gpsjoe wrote:my dream is the 62s type with 2 way satellite text messaging and tracking where the unit sends your position every 10 minutes or so and you can be tracked at your home base

Tack a SAT phone onto it (and maybe a Type II disruptor) and you've got the perfect Swiss army knife!!

PLC92084 wrote:Tack a SAT phone onto it (and maybe a Type II disruptor) and you've got the perfect Swiss army knife!!

Current Sat phones are large and expensive. Satellite bandwidth if very very expensive and there is now way to get around that fact. However low data rate text messaging makes the idea feasible even for low budget people like most of us. A $10 per month subscription fee with added very high usage fees might do it. I favor very high usage fees because my idea is that the device is intended for emergency messaging only and anyone who wants to text a grocery list or social message should pay through the nose for that.

@gpsjoe

If we get the capability to send a grocery list from the middle of nowhere, I'm betting the delivery fee will more than cover the cost of the call!!

But added use beyond basic should be expensive because I'm sure the yuppies who buy them will be obligated to abuse the technology!

Here is a June 2, 2010 press release from Delorme.

http://www.delorme.com//about/pressrele ... nGames.htm

This is in fact the type I will expect to see more of in the future. It seems to be a simple step to merge the two pieces of hardware into one unit. Size and weight and simplicity are always important to hikers and backpackers.

I was reading some of the reviews on that little critter; not real clear how the GPS unit stacks up against a Garmin. The SPOT device could be mounted on the top of one's pack to ensure a clear path to the sky; bluetooth is a nice touch. One would still need to carry a cell phone, though...

Looks like we'll have to form a startup and build our own backpacker-friendly model...

Al_HikesAZ wrote:Thanks Joe. I'm in the market now I'm glad I waited. HAZ just paid for itself ;)

The GPSMAP 62S handheld navigator features a 2.6-inch sunlight-readable screen, barometric altimeter, 3-axis tilt-compensated compass and photo navigation. Rugged and waterproof, GPSMAP 62S has a built-in worldwide basemap with shaded relief, a battery life of up to 18 hours and connects wirelessly to compatible Garmin handhelds.

AMAZON:
List Price: $449.99
Price: $443.85 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
(as of now only 2 in stock at Amazon)

I hope the RINOs get updated to this new platform.

The iPads have pretty advanced navigation apps now and a large viewable area. I still haven't messed with it out in the field to see how accurate it is compared to a normal unit, etc...

Grasshopper wrote:The GPSMAP 62S handheld navigator features a 2.6-inch sunlight-readable screen, barometric altimeter, 3-axis tilt-compensated compass and photo navigation. Rugged and waterproof, GPSMAP 62S has a built-in worldwide basemap with shaded relief, a battery life of up to 18 hours and connects wirelessly to compatible Garmin handhelds.

AMAZON:
List Price: $449.99
Price: $443.85 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
(as of now only 2 in stock at Amazon)

For any interested, the revised price of this new Garmin GPS MAP 62S has dropped like a rock in one week to promote start-up sales:
now $392.69 through Amazon.. http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-GPSMAP-2-6 ... B003IHV6YG
(some of us expect this to be the best price range going into autumn and maybe through the later holiday periods of this year)

jeffmacewen wrote:The iPads have pretty advanced navigation apps now and a large viewable area. I still haven't messed with it out in the field to see how accurate it is compared to a normal unit, etc...

I have an iPad and would not take it out as a substitute for a Garmin hand-held unit. I think it is just too big to use for that purpose. I don't think the battery would last long if you left it on all day to record track logs, etc. I have not tried it yet to see how long it lasts. I have not found an application geared toward off-road use that I like. The iPad is also not water resistant and adding a case to make it so would just make it bigger. The iPad also has a fairly narrow operating temperature range. I was standing outside a building in Phoenix talking to my wife on Skype and it shut down due to overheating.

I do love my iPad but not as a substitute for a purpose-built GPS reciever.

I just like my Garmin Rino. It fits in my hand nice, it is rugged and water resistant, it has long battery life even when using the radio.

Anyone want to sell their old usable GPS 60/76 to a cheap hiker, feel free to list it here on HAZbay.

TwoWeims wrote:

jeffmacewen wrote:The iPads have pretty advanced navigation apps now and a large viewable area. I still haven't messed with it out in the field to see how accurate it is compared to a normal unit, etc...

I have an iPad and would not take it out as a substitute for a Garmin hand-held unit. I think it is just too big to use for that purpose. I don't think the battery would last long if you left it on all day to record track logs, etc. I have not tried it yet to see how long it lasts. I have not found an application geared toward off-road use that I like. The iPad is also not water resistant and adding a case to make it so would just make it bigger. The iPad also has a fairly narrow operating temperature range. I was standing outside a building in Phoenix talking to my wife on Skype and it shut down due to overheating.

I do love my iPad but not as a substitute for a purpose-built GPS reciever.

I just like my Garmin Rino. It fits in my hand nice, it is rugged and water resistant, it has long battery life even when using the radio.

I'll report back with experiences of my own...

I used an iPad for a day in a car. Reception and positional accuracy were nearly as good as my 60CSx, partly because of the cellular assist. I think it would suffer a bit where it couldn't get a cell signal. The big screen is nice and the touch screen aspects weren't too gimmicky. The power saver drove me batty. The power, robustness, and environmental tolerance issues would keep me from using the GPS functions anywhere but in a car.

I see two primary issues with these kinds of devices moving forward. Both have been addressed in various forms by previous posters:
1. Durability. Whether its heat/cold tolerance or water/rainproofing and shock resistance, until it can be carried with you reliably without fear of damage/destruction, the combination cell/gps/slate/pad type device will fall behind the current separate handheld units for different tasks.
2. Battery Life. Battery life is the current holy grail of portable electronics. We advance technology exponentially every year, only to have all that extra capacity taken by a more powerful (processor, speed, display, etc.) device. I see this as an ongoing issue moving forward.

I do expect that in the next 3-5 years, everybody (ok not my mom) will carry a portable computer that also is a communicator/phone, camera, video recorder, gps/map, internet device, etc.

But those two points above will have to be addressed first.

And then some hacker group/country/evil organization will take down the infrastructure/network and millions of people will die because nobody will remember how to think for themselves.