No. 19 team faces The Monster Mile with no fear

If you're an Elliott Sadler/ No. 19 Best Buy team fan, there are several reasons to be excited about this weekend's event. First, coming off of a top-10 finish last weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Elliott and team say that that finish made a huge difference for the team, and that they'll be holding their heads high as they walk into The Monster Mile. Not only that, but GEM teammate, Kasey Kahne, is keeping the team momentum high with his All-Star Race win, and last weekend's victory at the Coca-Cola 600 to top it off. But if those aren't reasons enough to be pumped up for Dover, the No. 19 Best Buy/Garmin team is sure to feel right at home at this Best Buy sponsored event. In addition, the Best Buy 400 will benefit Student Clubs for Autism Speaks. If all of these things aren't a recipe for victory, I don't know what is. The race action starts at 1:30ET on Fox, so be sure to tune in to cheer the team on. Good luck this weekend, Elliott!

Peg’s Post: Slipstream heading into final stages of Giro d’Italia

It’s been a long, grueling three weeks for Garmin-sponsored Team Slipstream/Chipotle racing the Giro d’Italia. Today, they’re riding the 228 km stage 19. Tomorrow’s stage includes three significant climbs over the course of 224 km (see course profile, left). Team leader David Millar wrote an introspective post regarding the race and what the riders have been through to this point. Here’s an excerpt:
When we’ve finished this race, we will have done 40,000 m climbing, only half of which is classified! That’s like riding into orbit. Or an 800 km climb at 5%. Or 40 days straight of climbing a 10 km climb with a one in ten gradient. Or riding up to Christian’s house 400 times. That’s how we spent our bus ride home today… The self pity was over bearing. The Giro is hard. It is relentless. It will no doubt prove to be the best way to prepare for the Tour de France.

Check out Slipstream’s blog-style site for more insights from the riders, fan stories, photo stream, featured rides by Garmin and more.

There's a Plane in the Store!

Had you walked by the Garmin Store on Chicago's famed Michigan Avenue yesterday you probably would have done a double-take when you realized a Cirrus SR22-G3 airplane was in the middle of the store. As many pilots and avid blog readers know, Cirrus and Garmin announced the Perspective glass cockpit last week, an all-glass Garmin cockpit that integrates information like aircraft attitude, air data, engine instrumentation, real-time weather, traffic and terrain.

The Cirrus SR22-G3 airplane mock-up took center stage at the Garmin store for 24-hours and kicked off a  national Cirrus Perspective tour. The Cirrus SR22-G3 with Perspective mock-up and aircraft will be visiting 20-plus cities between now and the end of June, so if you missed last night's event in Chicago you'll want to contact Cirrus to find out more about the tour.

Jake's Journal: It's official - I finished the Chicago Marathon

Sure it was nearly eight months ago, but it's nice to have closure. Yesterday, I received the official Results Book from the 2007 Chicago Marathon, my first 26.2-mile outing. And sure enough, there I am, on the ninth page of marathon finishers: 3:49.28, 1 second ahead of a three-way tie between a German, a Minnesotan and a home-state favorite from Illinois. I know they're all going to be gunning for me next time. My official place was 2,450th out of 25,534 finishers. Top 10 percent isn't bad for a debut.

Here's the condensed version (as told through links): Last year, I met Bart Yasso from Runner's World and marathon race director Carey Pinkowski at the Garmin store on Michigan Avenue. We ran, and talked, and before I knew it I was entered in the marathon with 10 weeks to prepare. I blogged, you commented, and before I knew it I was finishing the hottest Chicago Marathon on record on a day when 10,000 were no-shows and another 10,000 were unable to finish. Using the Forerunner 50 for indoor training and the Forerunner 305 outside, I had crossed off a lifelong goal. But the finish line was just the beginning.

Roger's Runway: G600 preview

With certification of the G600 getting closer and closer (I know you have been waiting patiently) and on track for deliveries later this summer, Garmin launched a G600 mini-site that gives you a sneak peek at the G600. If you are still thinking about upgrading your aircraft with the G600 the mini site has features, images and specs that enables you to become familiar with the G600. There are even a couple of pictures of what the G600 will look like in your cockpit.  If you need even more incentive and bought a GNS 530W/430W between March 1, 2007 and November 30, 2007, then you would be eligible for the $2,500 rebate if you purchase a G600 before June 30, 2009. With gas prices right now, that $2,500 could go a long ways to topping off the tanks!

Wired calls Edge 705 'the Holy Grail for cycling enthusiasts'

Rather than try to paraphrase the "Wired" review of the Edge 705, we'll just let their own words do the work. And even these excerpts won't do the article justice, as it appears they had as much fun writing the review as they did riding with the 705.

The article starts with: "This latest fitness offering from the GPS giant has more than a little somethin’ somethin’ for the can’t stay put, always get lost, urban treasure hunting, serious bike training, and it’s-the-journey-until-you-can’t-find-the-destination types." And reviewer Jackson Lynch ends it on a high note: "And in 20 years of reviewing god knows how many gadgets, this is one of the dozen or so for which I’d gladly plunk down my own dough."

Middlesbrough gets an assist from Garmin

Check out the clip below from Fox Soccer Channel that highlights Garmin's sponsorship of the Middlesbrough Football Club. As prime sponsor of this English Premier League team, Garmin outfits players and coaches with Garmin Forerunners to aid their fitness training and development, and we're always excited to see the unique integration between the team and the Garmin brand.

 

 

Garmin teams with Kansas Lottery for great prizes

Garmin has teamed up with the Kansas Lottery for some extra special prize incentives this summer! In stores now, the $2 Garmin game offers players a chance to win up to $10,000 instantly. But if lady luck isn't on your side the first time around, fear not; the fun doesn't stop there. Players can also enter their non-winning Garmin tickets in a pair of second-chance drawings to win one of 20 Garmin merchandise packages.

So while we wish you the best as you take your shot at $10K, the second-chance drawings are our favorite part. We're excited because these package themes cater to all types of Garmin fans. On the Road, On the Trail, Onto Fitness or On the Water... there's definitely something in these prize packages for everyone! Good luck and happy playing!

   

Peg’s Posts: Forerunner 405: have it your way

We’re a picky lot, we runners. If it weren’t so, Runner’s World would only devote a solitary page for their annual summer shoe guide and we’d all be wearing black shorts and plain white singlets. But runners want options. The new Forerunner 405 has plenty of them. Let’s start with matters of the heart. You can buy it with heart rate monitor or without. Saves you about $50 to buy the non-HR version. And, if you own a previous Forerunner model with heart rate, you can pair the heart rate monitor with the new 405. Now for color.

The 405 is available in a light sage green or black, and you can get either color style with or without heart rate. Both models have identical features. Click here for a listing of Forerunner 405 versions. Note that the only difference in the European and Pacific version is the adapters for the AC charging cable. The 405 is GPS-enabled but it does not have map detail, so regardless of where you buy it, it’ll track your run data anywhere in the world. And then you can share that data with a worldwide community at Garmin Connect.

Day and night at Lowe's Motor Speedway

After earning the pole for last week's Sprint Showdown, Elliott Sadler and the No. 19 Best Buy/Garmin Dodge will start from the ninth position at Sunday's Coca-Cola 600. The longest track on the circuit, drivers will start in bright daylight, and finish long after the sun goes down at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Elliott will take on this 1.5 mile track in the GEM No. 233 car that was last used at Texas and Las Vegas. "I like what we brought to the recent test at Lowe's and Kasey (Kahne) showed we have the right equipment to win there by what he did in the All-Star Race."

Elliott says there are two things to winning the Coca-Cola 600: "First, you have to be mentally prepared to run that race. It's a totally different mindset than any other race we run," he said. "Second, you have got to have a car that will go the distance. The engine takes a lot of abuse going that many RPMs for that long." Good luck, Elliott! Everyone on team Garmin is rooting for ya!

The 400-lap race action starts 5 pm ET, Sunday, on FOX.

Praise in the Press: Kudos for Colorado, nüvi 760

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kickoff to summer travel, so it's only fitting that GPS products are in the news. Whether you're planning an overnight camping trip, a long weekend getaway or a cross-country vacation, there's a Garmin that can help you get there.

For outdoors enthusiasts planning for a night under the stars, Camping Life magazine says the Colorado 400t is a must-have. Camping Life chose this sleek yet rugged handheld as part of its 2008 Gear of the Year because of its preloaded topo maps for the entire U.S., the easy-to-use Rock n' Roller thumbwheel and the many helpful navigation features.

If your travels are taking you out on the highway, the nüvi 760 is being hailed as the best GPS device currently on the market. Read the story in the Allentown (Pa.) Morning Call and see how Garmin's nuvi devices took top honors in an extensive comparison. With traffic alerts, Bluetooth compatibility, route planning and six million preloaded points of interest, nüvi 760 will let you spend more time sightseeing and less time stressing. Now go have a happy holiday weekend!

Slipstream race report

The argyle armada completed stage 12 of the Giro d’Italia with Slipstream riders Julian Dean and Chris Sutton making it into the top 20 riders, finishing 13th and 17th respectively. Tomorrow’s stage is reportedly the last flat stage before the race “hits the mountains and things get real.” Another team of Slipstream riders are racing the Volta a Catalunya in Spain and completed stage 4 today. The team’s latest Garmin featured ride is from Stage 2 of this tour — a 103-mile ride from Selva to Banyoles. Slipstream rider Lucas Euser raced this stage using the Garmin Edge 705. See his detailed ride metrics — from his max speed of 46.5 mph to an elevation gain of 7,831 ft., plus mapping and a graphical elevation profile. Cycling in Spain soon? Download the course to your Edge and see how you measure up.

Jake's Journal: Look for Garmin on Leno tonight

Tonight, I get to kick back and watch late-night TV and call it work. A year after Garmin resurrected the art of the live television commercial, we're back for more with Jay Leno and his "Tonight Show" crew. Last summer, Garmin made headlines with the first live "Tonight Show" commercial in more than a decade. We're doing it again tonight - and this time we're sharing the docket with some famous guests, including a recently crowned national superstar from a hometown near Garmin's.

It's been a good week for Garmin on TV. Last Friday, we sparked a standing ovation when the pink nüvi was praised by one of the biggest names in television. So be sure to stay up tonight, pop some popcorn, get settled on the couch and tune in to "The Tonight Show." For me, it's just another perk of work.

5th graders get hands-on with GPS

As you'd imagine, Garmin jumps at the opportunity to bring GPS education into the classroom. And we're always thrilled to hear success stories from teachers and students of all grades, who are taking their classroom lessons into the great outdoors... with a little help of GPS technology. Recently we heard from Clare Taylor from West Hartford, CT, who created the "Bringing Science to Life in an Elementary World" program for her 5th grade classroom. Clare just won the Connecticut Education Computer Association Educator award for the geography unit she developed using Garmin hand-held units. Below she describes the successes of her program. Way to go, Clare!

Clare writes: I have used Garmin GPS units in sailing for years. Four years ago, I won a National Education Association Award and was able to purchase 7 eTrex Legend units for my classroom. We use the units for science, geography and math. The Bringing Science To Life in an Elementary World geography unit gives our fifth-grade students first-hand experience with mapping and satellite technology by integrating science and mathematics into our geography curriculum. Using global positioning and imaging systems students create maps of their community and plot coordinates of their homes. They analyze data and write essays supporting hypothesizes about the accuracy of GPS systems in comparison to satellite imaging systems. The students utilize the GPS units in their community by navigation during field trips, Nature’s Classroom experiences, and GPS treasure hunting. The program grows every year and this year has included a race between classes to their teacher’s high schools in three different states.

Garmin by Water, Garmin by Land: A Frog's Worst Nightmare

Earlier this week, we were down in East Texas to tape a fishing show for Wade Middleton's Fishing and Hunting Texas.  The plan seemed simple enough: meet at Lake Conroe, catch a few largemouth on topwater plastic frog baits, and be done with it.  Of course, in fishing, seldom do things work as planned.

Conroe was unfamiliar to us, but we used the 8-inch touchscreen GPSMAP 5208 loaded with detailed Inland Lakes Vision maps on Wade's Ranger to help pinpoint the areas where bucketmouths were most likely to be hiding.  What we hadn't planned on was stifling, sticky, 90-plus degree weather that was as tough on the fish as it was on us.  As a result, after nearly a day of fishing, we had landed just two fish -- hardly a successful day by any measure, and certainly not enough to make an action-packed fishing show.

Consulting the 5208's XM WX Satellite Weather data, we quickly learned the forecast wasn't going to get any better, either.  Faced with this dilemma, Wade made an executive decision: road trip!  Click on the jump to learn the rest.

.

.

Roger's Runway: Cirrus Perspective

Yesterday at EBACE, Cirrus announced that they have selected our glass cockpit as an option for the Cirrus SR-22-G3. Cirrus has named the avionics Cirrus Perspective, and it brings some new features to the market. The SR-22-G3 is the first single engine piston aircraft that will have dual Attitude Heading and Reference System (AHRS). Having dual AHRS was once only reserved for people flying turbine powered aircraft. Another enhancement that was added is the "Level Mode," which is a large blue button you can push to level the wings. Once the Level Mode button has been pushed the wings will roll level and the airplane will also go zero climb and zero descent. If you have been reading the blog for the last month, then you have seen the Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT) that Garmin announced at Sun 'n Fun.  Well SVT is a standard option on the Perspective - giving you even another level of safety. The Perspective will truly give you a new perspective on flying and flying safely!

See the nüvi 255 in action!

Simple navigation at an affordable price is the name of the game with the nüvi 255. A new member to the nüvi family, the 255 provides turn-by-turn directions that speak street names with the option of adding MSN Direct features to enhance your travels. In addition to several travel tools such as a JPEG picture viewer and currency converter, the "Where Am I?" feature this navigator boasts ensures you'll always know your exact location! Take a look at the video below to see this ultra-easy to use nüvi in action.

Face down through a Michigan winter

We always love getting good stories of how you use your Garmin, and when we read this one from Jim in Wyandotte, Michigan, we just had to share it. A distance runner who tamed Detroit's 26.2 miles in 3:34 last year, Jim knows about endurance and resilience.

Jim writes: Here is one for you, and it's absolutely true.  I live near Detroit, Michigan.  A friend and I met at his house on November 22, 2007, to take a trip downtown.   We were going to run Detroit's "Turkey Trot."  The weather was perfect - for almost the last time that year.  Following the race, I got out of my friend's truck, packed my own car with all my things and went home.  Lo and behold, when I got home, my Garmin Forerunner 201 was missing. I looked everywhere. I called to see if he had it in his truck... he did not.  I had lost it. 

Let's move ahead five months.  I had purchased a Garmin Forerunner 201 from a friend who had injured his leg, and was going to be inactive for a while.  Michigan had one of the worst winters in its history, fourth-most snow ever, over 65 inches.  On April 19, 2008, as the weather broke, my friend was changing the oil in his car, and he noticed a black wristband with a little green stripe.  He went over, kicked, and uncovered a Garmin 201.  He picked it up, brushed off the gunk from the face, and pushed the power button! 

GPS Magazine previews nüvi 880

Our friends at GPS Magazine sure have been busy lately. On Sunday, they posted a video of the nüvi 880 on the road and in action! For those of you who haven't had a chance to see how powerful this nüvi is with its speech recognition feature, this video is a perfect example of how to find destinations, select options and perform other functions with your 880.

Then yesterday, they posted a step-by-step guide to installing the 2009 map update onto your device. This post offers Q&A from their experts, and details each step with screen shots along the way. This is a fantastic explanation and we couldn't have said it any better ourselves!

Geocaching gives back in a big way

Looking for an outdoor activity that you can do anytime, with anyone, with no admission costs and countless health benefits? In one of the many testimonials we receive, Tami Spaulding from Big Lake, Alaska, tells us how she overcame daunting obstacles while reaching a geocaching milestone:

I started caching about 3 years ago in between health issues and hospital stays. I finally got my 700th find on the 14th of May 2008. This is a very special feat for me since 6 months ago I was told to get my affairs in order and give power of attorney to my family because of a massive blood clot in my right leg. I have so many medical problems they have told me I would not do things. Well, I have proven them wrong - through geocaching and the Lord I have made it further than ever expected and plan on going for years to come. I love my Colorado 400t and I am so glad I received this as a gift and what a gift it is. Thank you Garmin for making things so fun and getting me out in the world again with a purpose. Geocaching is my favorite thing to do and doing it keeps me looking forward to moving onward for many years to come.

If you have a story to share, send it to us and your testimonial could be featured on the Garmin Blog.

Ask Garmin: powering your Astro

This week's Ask Garmin question comes from an outdoorsman who wants to power up his Astro dog tracking system for in-vehicle navigation, too. Titch asks: "I have purchased an Astro 220 dog tracking system. According to the manual specs, the Astro 220 unit can be powered by two AA batteries, USB data cable and vehicle power cable. Where on the GPS unit would the vehicle power cable attach?" Good question, Titch. As with many of our outdoor handheld devices, the USB port is safely secured behind a rubber gasket on the back side of the device. It's a small circular port that is used to power the device from your computer or vehicle. And to further your Astro experience, you can load City Navigator maps onto your device for turn-by-turn directions before you head out for your next big hunting trip!

We'll see you back here next Monday, when someone else Asks Garmin.

Time to Vote for Your Favorite Vehicle

The time has come to choose the winner of the Garmin Garage Wrench 'n' Win Contest. We just announced the finalists from Week 4, and they've taken their places alongside the other entries hoping to find a place on your Garmin device. You can see all of the finalists by clicking here. Each person gets one vote, so you need to choose wisely. As soon as you make your selection, you’ll be able to see live voting results. And you can keep checking back to see how your favorite is doing.

Be sure to send this link to everyone you know so that they can help your favorite entry become a free, downloadable icon on Garmin’s devices. And speaking of Garmin devices, we’ll be giving the contest's grand prize winner a brand new nüvi 205! Take a moment right now to check out the finalists and cast your vote!

Pink nüvi: an afternoon favorite!

One of TV talk shows leading ladies has selected the Garmin pink nüvi as one of her favorite things! Curious to find out who? Click here for more info, and be sure to tune in this afternoon to get a glimpse of this pink summer must-have!

Peg’s Posts: Lessons learned on 2 wheels

Hope you had the chance to “celebrate” Bike to Work Day or week, or month. It certainly changes your perspective. Here’s just a few of the things I observed over the last 7 days. 1) Biking to work — or taking alternative forms of transportation — makes you smile. Really, it does. Just look at this group of Garmin associates who took part in the Kansas City Commuter Challenge this week. Smiles all around — okay, maybe some are squinting. But nonetheless, lightening the load on Mother Earth does us all good. As of mid-day Friday, Garmin’s team of car-free commuters had logged over 7,500 miles. Amazing! Hats off to all the commuters and the folks who promoted and organized it. The 7,500+ figure includes mileage saved by carpooling, taking public transportation, or biking or walking to work and errands. Our team, the Bleeding Edge, is affectionately named for the Edge bike computers that so many of us use to track our miles. And now, with the addition of the 605 and 705 with maps — we can use the map detail to find new routes or get turn-by-turn directions.

Back to the lessons learned on 2 wheels: 2) Biker beware when sharing the road with drivers who haven’t had their first cup o’ joe. 3) Yellow traffic light: don’t even think about it; particularly if you’re on an uphill with a weighty backpack. 4) Don’t expect a tailwind on your way home; especially if you’re in a time crunch and need to run other errands, get a kid to baseball, etc. Wind and weather have a funny way of doing their own thing, regardless of your mode of transport. 5) If you bike to the hair salon and spending $XX on a cut and style, you may get some strange looks when you strap on that helmet as you wheel away. Lastly: 6) Every mile saved counts. If you are fortunate enough to have public transportation or alternative methods available to you, make the most of them. Hope all the car-free commuters out there learned some interesting lessons and had a safe week. Follow the jump for more commuter pics, including scenes from Garmin's on-site "lube-n-tube" event hosted by some resident bike experts.

Look What's Hiding in Some Colorado 400t Boxes

First we gave them away in Las Vegas. Then we raffled them off in Seattle and San Jose. When we spent a weekend in Chicago, we gave one to each person we met at the Garmin store on Michigan Avenue. Since then, six winners received them for building creative cartridges for Wherigo. Unsuspecting geocachers have stumbled across them in caches across the country.

Now we're ready to give away most of what's left of our limited stock of Colorado/Wherigo geocoins. Here's the catch: We don't know who will get them, or where, or when. A few of us just got done stashing more than a hundred geocoins in random shipments of the Colorado 400t as they were getting ready to leave the warehouse. We have no idea which stores will receive them, or which parts of the country. All we know is that someone is going to open their brand-new Colorado 400t, which is preloaded with topo maps for the whole U.S., and they'll find that certain boxes are preloaded with a little something extra. If you're one of the lucky few to find a geocoin in your Colorado 400t, send us a note and tell us about it. Good luck!!

Lifetime of Navigation for your BlackBerry

If you're one of the millions of people relying on your BlackBerry to stay connected to this busy world, receiving navigation through your phone just got a whole lot sweeter. This morning, Garmin announced a one-time-purchase plan of $99.99 for customers who own a BlackBerry device. This one-time-purchase plan requires no monthly subscription fee, and offers users turn-by-turn directions while supplying millions of points of interest like hotels, restaurants, shopping venues and tourist attractions.

So if your BlackBerry has a data plan, get connected with Garmin Mobile for BlackBerry and put turn-by-turn directions and real-time traffic services at your fingertips!

Jake's Journal: 6,042 Miles and Counting

To say that we've exceeded our goal for Bike Week and the Car-Free Challenge wouldn't do it justice. As of early afternoon Thursday, the 187 members of Team Garmin have tallied 6,042 miles of walking, cycling, carpooling and riding the bus. That's more than double the distance we did last year and more than three times the current second-place team. And there's still another day and a half, with Friday being Bike-to-Work Day across the country.

I've tried a few different tactics in adding up my miles. My favorite was biking to the bus stop and hitching a ride from there. Granted, the cycling segment was just over 4 miles each way, but it still felt good to get in a quick workout before and after work. And with Edge 705 keeping me on track and at a constant speed, covering the distance on bike didn't take that much longer than driving the same route.

Use the comments below to tell us what you've done - or are planning to do - to make Bike Week a success.

Roger's Runway: SVT Terrain

Over the last three weeks I've talked about many of the features Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT) brings to your G1000. Well, in this final installment I am going to talk about the biggest feature that SVT offers: 3D Terrain. The 3D terrain is kind of looking into the future of your flight path by showing you what lies ahead. If you have flown with any of our units that have terrain, then you will appreciate how the bird's-eye view gives you an understanding of the landscape around you - especially now that the bird's-eye view has changed to a forward-looking view, giving you even more understanding. Just like the bird's-eye view, the 3D Terrain offers color coded terrain warnings to let you know the terrain's proximity. That, along with the terrain warnings on the inset on the Primary Flight Display and the terrain information on the Multi-Function Display, ensure that you will not have a problem seeing where the terrain is at. Don't forget that if you have TAWS-B installed, you will also get voice prompts warning you about the terrain. 

Place your Fan Vote for Elliott today!

Start your engines and navigate your way to Saturday's Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. And as the Speed Channel folks suggest in the clip below, don't forget to grab your Garmin as you hit the road! Before you head that way though, remember to vote for the Best Buy/ Garmin car driver, Elliott Sadler, as this year's Fan Favorite for the All-Star race in Charlotte. Race fans can vote in their favorite driver leading up to the big event on Saturday by texting "NASCAR" to 7777 on a Sprint phone, voting online at NASCAR.com, or by casting your vote in a Sprint retail store near you.

When asked why he should be selected for the Fan Vote, Elliott said it should be for his crew. "They have worked very hard to build great cars this year. So if you could vote me in for my team; that would be great."

Garmin Through and Through

We love it when our customers tell us how much they like Garmin by purchasing and outfitting an entire boat with Garmin products.  Especially when they already owned Garmin units to begin with!

This owner of a Sunseeker 47 near Clearwater, Florida liked the Garmin 5212 units so much that he had a new dashboard built to accommodate the screens. He also liked the rugged simplicity and performance of the TR-1/Garmin autopilot and had that installed as well.   

Prior to the new installation, this customer loved his GPSMAP 3010 units, but decided to upgrade because of the 5212's simplified user interface and touchscreen.  With the new units, creating a waypoint and navigating to a destination is as easy as touching the screen.  There's no need to find the waypoint button, because the waypoint button finds YOU when you touch the screen. 

Slipstream has a strong start at Giro d’Italia

The 21-stage Giro d’Italia kicked off Saturday and Garmin-sponsored Team Slipstream/Chipotle is making a fine showing in their first Grand tour. Slipstream won the time trial on Saturday and Christian Vande Velde, featured in Garmin’s latest Edge 705 ad, was presented the pink leader’s jersey. This first race stage was sponsored by Garmin’s U.K. office and we were proud to back the team on the podium. Stage 2 was a tough one with a brutal uphill finish. Christian, one of the team’s top climbers, gave it his all, finishing 10” behind Franco Pellizotti, who took over the pink jersey. David Zabriskie got tangled in a crash, resulting in a compression fracture to a vertebra, but he has suffered no neurological damage. Stages 3 and 4 were also marred with crashes, and the peloton is looking tired, yet Christian has managed to maintain his second place overall standing. Our thoughts are with David Z. as he returns home for recovery and we wish the rest of team safety and great racing in the upcoming stages. Check out Slipstream’s latest Garmin featured ride, in Girona, Spain.

Slipstream GC (following Stage 4)
1. Franco Pellizotti 16:41′26″
2. Christian Vande Velde +1″
3. Danilo Di Luca +7″
4. Morris Possoni +8″
5. Vincenzo Nibali +8″

76. David Millar +2′14″
85. Ryder Hesjedal +2′54″
178. Danny Pate +24′58″
180. Julian Dean +25′44″
184. Magnus Backstedt +27′08″
188. Chris Sutton +31′33″
190. Pat McCarty +31″51″

Wrench 'n' Win Contest: Week 3 finalists

The third week was charmed in the Garmin Garage Wrench ‘n’ Win Contest and we have another group of entries for your enjoyment on the finalist page. The Week 3 finalists thought outside the box - especially the pizza box - and the creativity and artistry impressed us yet again. As you know, we pick the finalists but you get to pick the winner. If you’ve already entered, be sure to let your friends and family know. And we announced it last week, but it's worth repeating: We’ll be awarding one lucky grand prize winner with a brand new nüvi 205! So keep those sketches coming and spread the word about the Wrench ‘n’ Win Contest!

Garmin associate puts Forerunner 405 to the test at Disney

Working here at Garmin is a great experience and has proven to be a lot of fun. Here's a picture of me (in front, far left) and some of my associates following a charity run last summer. I have the opportunity to work with some really great athletes who’ve put some challenges before me and inspired me to step out of my comfort zone. That comfort zone was pretty much playing softball and cycling. Last summer I was encouraged to do a triathlon. Fell in love with the sport except for the running portion. We have a lot of really good runners here who encouraged me to pick up the sport. Now, I’m not great at it, but for not starting until in my late forties, I do okay.

Since I work in technical support for our outdoor/fitness team, I get to try out all the fun GPS units so I can become familiar with them to help our customers. Last January, my niece called and said, “I need to lose some weight and get in shape, there’s a 15K at Disney and was wondering if you’d do it with me?”  I told her I’d think about it for a few days and talk it over with my husband. I’d never done a 15K, but I’d run a 10K, so I knew what it felt like. I decided I’d do it. It sounded like fun and I probably needed another challenge.

Ask Garmin: Add New Vehicles to Your nüvi

Our e-mail this week comes from M. Smith: "I recently purchased a nüvi 260 and know nothing about GPS systems." As proof of the popularity of all of the new vehicles we're adding to the Garmin Garage, topping our e-mailer's to-do list was downloading new vehicle icons. "Can anyone help me?"

Absolutely. Not only is it easy, it's free! We have a cheat sheet for installing new vehicles, and we'll explain the steps in detail later in this post. In less than a minute, you can be cruising in style. For those who spend their days helping others, we have the popular service vehicles bundle. We also cater to outdoor enthusiasts, Elliott Sadler fans, or anyone looking for something sleek or pink or futuristic.

Not seeing your ideal vehicle? Draw your own and enter our Wrench 'n' Win Contest!

Peg’s Posts: Where to buy Forerunner 405

With all the great reviews on the Forerunner 405, some of you are wondering where to go to get your hands on it. The 405 is now available at specialty outdoor retailers and running stores, as well as the Garmin store on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. And like the typical type A runner, this watch doesn’t stay in one place for long. At its street debut at the Boston Marathon expo three weeks ago, hundreds of units were sold. We’ll also be doing demos and selling 405s at a couple of upcoming race expos, so watch for us next weekend, May 16-17 at the Bay to Breakers Expo in San Francisco and then May 30-31 at the San Diego Marathon Expo.

Jake's Journal: Recycling my cycling

Next week is Kansas City's "Car-Free Challenge" and commuters across the metro will explore alternative ways to get to work and back home. Always up for a challenge, I joined Garmin's team as we try to defend our title. Last year, Garmin employees logged more than 2,700 miles on foot, bike, bus or carpool. And whether a person's motivation is driven by competition, the environment or their personal budget, the key is to do your part to help.

Here's the catch. I live 22 miles from work. On foot, that's my longest run before a marathon. And I'd have to leave home at 4 a.m. And then I'm stuck at work with sore legs and no way home. By bike, it's still a long haul (for me), but doable. The catch there is steering clear of roads too busy for my amateur status. That's where the Edge 705's mapping will come in handy. The other alternative - and one that I'll likely use at least part of the week - is to bike the 4 miles to catch the shuttle to Garmin. But regardless of how long or often I plan to ride next week, I had one major obstacle: cobwebs.

Shave to Save: Haircuts for a cure

The Garmin family loves to help out the community... even if that means having a bald head for a few weeks! This morning, one of our Engineering team leaders shaved his head to honor and support those touched by cancer during the American Cancer Society's inspiring Shave to Save event. The shavees were joined by friends and family, while a local meteorologist was on hand to host the event. Rick and other community members helped to raise more than $120,000 through this unique and exciting fundraiser. Way to go, Rick!

 

Wrench ‘n’ Win Contest: The Grand Prize Has Arrived!

Greetings Garmin Garage fans! We’re right in the middle of the Wrench ‘n’ Win Contest and we’ve been flooded with so many great entries, we may have to make more room in the Garmin Garage! If you haven’t already entered, now’s the time to do so. Because in addition to our prizes for our weekly finalists, we’ll also be awarding one lucky grand prize winner with a brand new nüvi 205! This portable GPS device is one of the newest navigators in our extremely popular nüvi line-up and we can’t wait to give it away to the winning entry! So keep those sketches coming and be sure to let your family and friends know about the Wrench ‘n’ Win Contest! And remember – we pick the finalists but you pick the winner! We can’t wait to see what arrives next.   

Roger's Runway: SVT Pathways

The big feature of any synthetic system is the 3D terrain and the highway in the sky (HITS), and the new Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT) for the G1000 is no different. The 3D terrain and the SVT’s version of the HITS, called Pathways, bring a new level of confidence to the cockpit. The Pathway boxes (which are 700 feet wide by 200 feet tall) offer course guidance for all phases of flight from en route legs, approach procedures, and finally arrival and departure procedures. One of the really nice features is that each of these legs is colored coded based on the navigation source - just like the HSI changes colors. So if the navigation source is GPS then the Pathway boxes are colored magenta. If the source is a VOR or localizer then the Pathway box is green. White Pathway boxes represent legs of the flight that are not activated yet. The Pathways also provide descent information for programmed legs, like approaches. If you have an ILS or a LPV approach loaded into you flight plan then the Pathways will actually gradually move down representing the glide slope. As long as you fly through the boxes, then the Pathway will guide you to your destination.

Forerunner 405: Perfect for Mother's Day - or Win One for Yourself

With its release at the Boston Marathon and arrival at running stores, the Forerunner 405 has raced to the top of wish lists everywhere. And today only (May 7), you can win a free Forerunner 405 from Women's Health magazine. Click here for details and to enter the Women's Health contest.

And with Mother's Day coming up this weekend, Shape magazine says the Forerunner 405 is the perfect gift for active moms. "Speedy moms who still sign up for marathons, races or triathlons, one after the next, can better track their mileage, times and trails with the Garmin Forerunner 405," explains Shape's gift guide. "Near buildings or under trees, no matter where she strides, this gadget will track your mom's distance, elevation, calories burned, pace, and more." Click here for Shape's complete Mothers Day Gift Guide.

Get Reckless, Win A Garmin

Many of us here at Garmin HQ are fans of Reckless Kelly, an Austin, Texas-based rock and roll band with a rootsy twang.  On June 24, they'll release Bulletproof, their 7th album, which is chock-full of hard-charging anthems and heartfelt, down-on-your luck ballads.

You can pre-order the album today, and we strongly encourage you to do so.  Not only is it great music, but if you purchase the album, you stand to win a Garmin nüvi 760!  What's not to like?

'Giddy Up for Wishes' saddles up with Garmin

So often we update our blog readers on GPS-guided travels by foot, in the car, on a boat or in a plane. Recently however, Garmin has been along for a different kind of ride - as we've been apart of one woman's 'Giddy Up for Wishes' journey across Canada on horseback. On March 30, Martha Birkett left Ottawa on horseback for a 2200-mile journey along the Trans-Canada Highway to Calgary, Alberta with a goal of raising money and awareness for The Children's Wish Foundation. Along with her for the ride are a few of Garmin's most popular devices. Martha checked in with us yesterday, and says the nüvi 350 allows her to pinpoint things so easily. "I'm able to realistically plan for stops and day rides. Not all overnight stops are on the highway, so by putting in addresses and/or intersections, we aren't having any trouble locating them," she said.

With five weeks of riding behind her and eight more to go, Martha and her team have also been communicating with a pair of Garmin Rino 530HCx devices. "The driver is able to warn me of any traffic that I should be made aware of that is coming up from be hind me as well as contacting me if I have any media calls that need to be taken immediately. The front driver will also radio back to the back driver if there is any concern ahead, i.e. wildlife on the road, as I often don't see this because my horses are traveling directly behind the trailers."

Wrench ‘n’ Win: Week Two Finalists

Another week has passed for the Garmin Garage Wrench ‘n’ Win Contest and another round of great entries can now be viewed on the finalist page. Congratulations to the Week Two finalists. The submissions continue to amaze us and we’re sure the voting is going to get tougher and tougher each week. Of course, we pick the finalists but you get to pick the winner. So keep the great ideas coming. We’ve got some great prizes in store for all of our finalists and for the winner, too. And if you’ve already entered, be sure to let your friends and family know, too. A little competition is always fun, right?

Richmond plays home state to Sadler and No. 19

It's home sweet home for Elliott Sadler this weekend. The Sprint Cup Series heads to the Richmond International Raceway for the Crown Royal 400 where Elliott and the No. 19 Stanley Tools Dodge will take on the 0.75 mile oval track Sunday at 7 p.m.  A Virginia native, Elliott has had one top-10 finish in his 18 Richmond starts, which came in the spring 2005 when he placed seventh. After spending 75% of last week's 'Dega race in the top-15, Elliott and the No. 19 Garmin/Best Buy team finished 29th after being involved in the multi-car accident on the final lap of the event. This weekend, Elliott will jump into the same car used at Phoenix just weeks ago, and says they're hoping to show everyone what they can do with it at Richmond.

Elliott agrees that this weekend will be more intense being in his home state, and says, "I used to sit in those very same stands when I was a kid with my family members. A lot of my crew guys are from Virgina, too, so it means a little more to all of us when we race at Richmond." 

Road tour with the Edge 705

It’s been nearly two weeks since my trip to Monterey, California, but the beauty of those hills and seascapes are still imprinted on my brain. I’ll be missing the west coast scenery when I hit the roads this weekend, but my Edge 705 has plenty of beauty to behold. The latest in our family of GPS-enabled bike computers, the 705 adds color mapping and a handy click stick, which makes it a breeze to pan the map or select menu options. The 705 also offers a barometric altimeter, wireless heart rate, speed/cadence and options for pairing with a power meter. Check out this activity recorded by Edge 705 and stored at Garmin Connect, or new online community.

More Garmin Geocoins Discovered in the Wild

Stories keep coming in about finding unactivated, limited-edition Garmin Colorado/Wherigo geocoins in random caches. That's what happens when crafty colleagues leave a little something for casual cachers. You see, we could activate them or announce the coin drop on the cache page, but what fun would that be?

Doris sent us this note just two days after Jake visited: "I just found a Colorado/Wherigo coin in a cache, Man's Best Friend, in Emmaus, PA. It was a very nice surprise." And this post showed up at geocaching.com shortly after Team Garmin was in California for the Sea Otter Classic. "BEAUTIFUL walk to this one! New places are wonderful to find," wrote luvnatuRRRE in the cache log. "Found a Colorado wherigo.com geocoin in this one that appears to not be activated yet."

So keep an eye on those caches. Where Garmin goes, a geocoin may follow.

Seeing is Believing: Hi-Def Radar

Recently, one of our marine experts had a chance to make a head-to-head comparison of conventional versus high-definition radar.  Hi-def incorporates high-powered digital signal processing, which is a fancy way of saying it gives you sharper radar images and improved target separation.

We compared our GMR 41 and our newer GMR 24 HD... and the results speak for themselves.  Even to the untrained eye, it's easy to see that the GMR 24 HD shows clearer and cleaner targets -- which is really what matters most to any boater.

Jake's Journal: Quick Tips for Geocaching

Whenever I mention geocaching to someone, I get one of two reactions. People have either tried it and enjoyed it, or they've never heard of it. Most of the conversations fall into the first category. But for those of you who are unfamiliar with the activity, here are a few helpful links and recent stories to introduce you to this worldwide phenomenon.

To get started, click here for a Geocaching primer, including which Garmin devices work well. Then move on to geocaching.com and learn about everything that this site has to offer - including locations of more than a half-million caches of various size and content. Next, read these stories about a crash course in Daytona Beach; a family outing in Oregon; and aquatic adventures along the Great Lakes. (And check out the Lakeland Boating link for a chance to win a Garmin Colorado!)