Garmin zūmo: A must-have for riders and tourers

When it's barely 20-degrees in Kansas City (Garmin's HQ), riding a motorcycle sounds unbearably cold. However, Allstate Rider News is much braver than us when it comes to cold weather because they recently spent some time with the zūmo 660. You won't want to miss reading their full review, but to sum it up, they said, "The unit functionality is quick and easy to grasp right out of the box. The zūmo 660 had definitely earned the 'must-have tool' billing for both recreational riders and dedicated long-distance tourers."

One of the many reasons the zūmo is so easy to use is because it was designed by Bikers, for Bikers. Those who use the product know that in addition to its built-in features, there are several extras that can be added that are specifically tailored to riders. For example, you can explore the open road with downloadable scenic routes from MAD MAPS. Once you download these scenic routes to the zūmo, riders can discover some of the best-kept secrets off the beaten path.

Victor's Vectors: See the aera. Everywhera.

Christmas is right around the corner and this year, just like every year before, I haven’t even started shopping for gifts.  Procrastination has to be some kind of incurable disease. If you’re in the same boat I am, I understand the stress you’re going through and maybe I can help. Garmin’s aera is just the gift for the pilot in your family.  I also understand that you'll want to see the unit in action before making the purchase.  Well, the internet is a wonderful thing and I have compiled a handful of online aera reviews from our dealers and the media:  AeroNews Network, Aircraft Spruce, Airport Pilot Shops, AvWeb, and Sporty's.  Each review gives a slightly different perspective of the aera, so sit back and take a look. I think you’ll agree that the aera series is chalked full of features for the plane and the car.  Just imagine the smile on your pilots face when they pull an aera out of their stocking.

Wish List Wednesday: Unwrap excitement with outdoor adventures

Welcome to another Wish List Wednesday -- when we help you find the perfect Garmin gift for that special someone. Previous WLW posts have covered gift ideas for pilots, boaters, fitness fanatics and savvy travelers, and today's focus is on getting the most out of the great outdoors.

Our rugged line of intuitive touchscreen devices includes the budget-friendly Dakota series and powerfully versatile Oregon family.Leading the way are the Oregon 550 and Oregon 550t, which feature a built-in 3.2 megapixel digital camera that automatically geotags the location of each photo so that you can relive the memory and easily return to the spot you photographed.

Sharing your activities has never been easier, thanks to this month's updates at Garmin Connect. This online community with 17 million activities for storing, sharing and exploring will be growing faster than ever now that it supports outdoor handhelds. Another free utility, Custom Maps, makes it easy to put paper and digital maps onto your compatible Garmin handheld. Also, geocaching is a free family activity, and Oregon and Dakota make it easy to go paperless for more fun with no printouts. Finally, we have interactive demos and online tutorials for free lessons on tapping into the various features. With these bonus freebies, a Garmin device is a gift that keeps on giving!

Christian Vande Velde to meet fans at Garmin's Chicago store on Dec. 29

As one of the top cyclists in the world, Team Garmin's Christian Vande Velde doesn't get to spend much time in his hometown of Chicago. But while he's home for the holidays, he wanted to meet his Windy City supporters at the Garmin store at 663 N. Michigan Avenue. Fans who have tracked Christian's progress from Lemont, Illinois, to the European peloton to Beijing's summer games to consecutive top-8 finishes in France will get the chance to meet Garmin's team leader and ask him a few questions during a cozy meet-and-greet at the only retail store in the world showcasing every one of Garmin's products and market segments - automotive, aviation, marine, mobile, outdoor recreation and, of course, fitness for Team Garmin and its cycling faithful.

Christian will begin signing autographs promptly at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 29, with a Q-and-A session to follow. Fans can hear how this grand tour veteran and Tour of Missouri champion recovered from a frightening crash at the 2009 Giro d'Italia that left him with significant injuries, including five broken vertebrae, and how he was able to persevere just weeks later through the Pyrenees and Alps for an eighth-place finish in a supporting and sacrificial role. Heading into the 2010 season, the cycling world's eyes are on Christian and Team Garmin. This is your chance to get a sneak preview. See you there!

Also, argyle armada fans in the Pacific Northwest can meet sprinting sensation Tyler Farrar from 4-6 p.m. this Saturday, Dec. 19, at River City Bicycles in Portland. Admission is $5, with all proceeds going to OBRA. Register at orbike.com for your seat.

Garmin Connect refines features for all users

Garmin Connect successfully launched its latest release the week of December 2, 2009. Included in this release was support for the newest device in the Garmin fitness lineup, the Edge 500. The Calendar View has been improved, allowing you to view Goals and Weight, along with Activities, in one place. We implemented Google Earth View which allows you to view your activity in 3D right on the Details page. We added support for six more languages, as well as transitions for multisport activities. Finally, the biggest perk in this release went to customers with handheld and outdoor products when we opened up the site for uploads from these powerful devices as well as GPX files from the zumo. Garmin Connect now supports most of Garmin's product line.

Garmin nüvi tops lists as the most popular

The Garmin nüvi is at the top of several prominent publications' lists. It's been named a "Top 10 most popular GPS device for 2009" and "Best GPS pick for the holidays." Each editor has their own personal favorite, but the good news for consumers is that their favorites range from our entry-level nüvi 205W to the premium nüvi 1690. We have plenty of devices to choose from and they all incorporate our easy-to-use "Where to?" and "View Map" interface so that you can start navigating as soon as you take it out of the box. During this time of year we often receive questions from customers asking which device is best, and our answer is that it depends on what you want to do. Do you only need turn-by-turn, voice prompted directions? Do you want your GPS to have Bluetooth capability so you can pair it with a compatible phone and then talk hands-free through the nüvi? Do you want your GPS to have real-time traffic capability so it can route you around traffic accidents? How about photo navigation? These are just a few of the available features, so think about what you want your GPS to do for you and then visit our site and use the sort feature to help narrow down which nüvi is best for you.

Peg’s Posts: Taking to the trails

It’s been too long. Too long since my last run — which happened to be Tuesday, before ice and icy winds made running dicey in the dark and work priorities hindered my escapes at high noon. Too long since I’ve felt the crunch of snow under trail running shoes. Too long since Jake and I have run together. So tomorrow we’ll fix all that. We’ll head for the hills and experience some real trail running along with a mutual friend, other Garmin runners and a bunch of dirt diehards known as the Trail Nerds. We’re all prepping for a local race called Psycho Wyco that both Jake and I had to miss last year. Jake was out for travel. I was out with Achilles tendonitis, a sore souvenir from my Disney marathon.

Tomorrow, we'll be sporting Garmin fitness watches of various flavors for our excursion. The rugged, long-battery life Forerunner 310XT has been Jake’s training partner of late. Ever since finishing 2nd in her age group at the KC half marathon, our friend has been racking up steady miles with the stylish black FR60. I’ve been favoring the sleek, pink FR60 for runs, as well as logging my heart rate during cycling class and other workouts at the gym. But I think for trail running, I’ll go back to my dependable Forerunner 405 so I get elevation and GPS position data and can replay my run later in Garmin Connect. If you’re hitting the trails tomorrow, stay safe, stay warm and enjoy every step.

"If it weren't for my Garmin Forerunner...."

"...I wouldn't have just qualified for the Boston marathon by the last second." That's how the email from Kathleen Gorenc begins. We're thrilled that she shared her success story of persevering and pacing with her Forerunner. Enjoy her inspirational note and send us an email with your own stories and testimonials for the Garmin blog.

"I needed a 3:40:59 to qualify...and I recently finished the Philadelphia marathon on 11/22/09 in 3:40:59. This was my third marathon and my third attempt to qualify, and I owe it all to Garmin!! I trained off my watch, my pacer on the watch and my miles per hour. I literally have a hard time going out for a run without it. Sometimes, even if the battery is dead, I still have to put it on to go for my runs (even though a lot of the distances I have memorized by now)! Many people many not understand it. The same reason many people don't understand why you "have to wear a certain pair of socks or chew a certain kind of gum"...but runners do. And runners would understand why, I can't go for a run without my running partner, my Garmin. "I run because it makes the road my road, to see my strength and speed, and quite frankly because my watch hasn't told me it is time to stop. Life doesn't get much more reliable than that...." Thanks Garmin!!!

Jake's Journal: Garmin engineers focus on future through FIRST robotics

Most of the time when we talk about Garmin employees' activities over the weekend, it has to do with running, cycling, golfing, hunting or working at events. Last weekend, my engineering colleagues were busy again - this time, the focus was on volunteering and teaching. Here's their recap:

We had 124 guests on Saturday, Dec. 5, for an 8-hour FIRST robotics programming training session. The guests included high school students and mentors from Grain Valley, MO, to the Ozarks to Paola, KS, and all points in between. Nine Garmin engineering associates volunteered their day to mentor, serve, and escort guests.

This event was a joint effort between Garmin, National Instruments, Honeywell FM&T, and Kansas City FIRST. FIRST robotics is a rapidly growing nonprofit program started by inventor Dean Kamen with the goal of inspiring young people of all ages to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). President Obama recently welcomed a FIRST FRC team to the White House to help kickoff his “Educate to Innovate” program.

The KC-area participating schools will be back at Garmin on Jan. 9 for the official kickoff to the 6-week-long FIRST robotics season.

"Added confidence" with Approach G5 leads to golfer's first hole-in-one

When using the Approach G5 golf GPS handheld, people rave about the touchscreen's ease of use and appreciate the thousands of preloaded courses, meaning they can just turn it on and go play - no fees or subscriptions. But beyond the 10,000+ courses is something harder to quantify: Added confidence in your game. This note from T.J. in Florida explains:

"I have been a proud owner of your Garmin Approach G5 for about month now. I have golfed 8 rounds since the purchase and couldn’t be happier with your product. Knowing a correct and accurate yardage has given me the ability to grab the right club and swing away with some added confidence. Today, that extra bit of confidence helped me make my first hole-in-one! It was the 3rd hole at Southern Hills Plantation Club in Brooksville, FL . Hole #3 is a slightly elevated, 170 yard par 3. I adjusted the pin location on the GPS to accurately reflect the actual pin (by the way I love this feature). My adjustment showed 163 to the pin. I grabbed my 8 iron, gave it a swing and after 2 hops and some roll, I had my first ace! I wanted to write this email to let the staff at Garmin know that you are doing a great job with your products. I’m a Garmin customer for life and I truly believe that your Approach G5 has given me that extra bit of confidence to help me get better at the game of golf. I look forward to a lifetime of rounds with Garmin Golf products by my side."