While the rest of the Consumer Electronics world is focusing on the CES Show in Las Vegas, us Mac-Lovers are just biding their time waiting for our time in the sun. Well we're only a week away from the Macworld Expo in San Francisco and we've got all kinds of news about what Garmin will be showing this year.
Keep posted to the Garmin blog for some announcements about what new Mac-compatible software and hardware Garmin will be showing at our booth in the Moscone Center next week.
Let's just say that we have a new software product codenamed "Bobcat" that we will be showing and I think you're going to like it.
Excitement continues to build for this weekend's NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event at the Kansas Speedway. It all started when NASCAR NEXTEL Cup driver Jeff Green and his #66 Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet were here on Wednesday, and now we're counting down until Sunday's race. To help get you as psyched for the event as we are, Chet put together a short video recapping our NASCAR week. Hope you enjoy! We'll give you a full rundown of the race's results next week. Go Jeff Green!
I have to say that the design and operating system changes on this new series of nüvis are very nice steps forward in the nüvi evolution. From the changes to the map screen to the new menu icons and structure and the new keyboard layouts to the "Where Am I?" functions, it is a very nice upgrade.
There is also the addition of two new features. The first is the routes menu where you can manipulate multi-point routes right from the device or manipulate routes uploaded from the computer. The second is dubbed the "Dude, where's my car?" feature by fellow blogger "Jake." It marks a location when you take the nüvi out of the cradle so when you're walking back to the car after a trip to the mall, it can locate your car for you if you can't remember where you parked. Two very useful functions, if you ask me.
I'll be going over all of those features and any others you wish to see in future installments of Chet's Corner. For now, here are some teaser screen shots!
You may remember this YouTube video one thankful couple sent in during our Big Summer Adventure sweepstakes. After an eventful summer vacation with their Garmin GPS, this family expressed their gratitude towards their GPS and made a fantastic vacation video for the world to see. Their video landed the winning position during the contest's seventh week, and this lucky family is now the grand prize winner of a nüvi 200! In case you missed the "Ode to Garmin," check it out below.
It's been a great summer full of adventures and we want to extend our thanks again to everyone who entered. We've enjoyed and appreciate very much hearing about your GPS trips, tales and tricks. Stay tuned to see what Chet, Peg, Roger and Jake have come up with for the next sweepstakes... and in the mean time be thinking of who in your life deserves a new GPS. Just a guess, but I think it could make for a great holiday sweepstakes in the near future!
The time has come to announce our last weekly winner in the Garmin Big Summer Adventure sweepstakes. It's been a great summer hearing all of your stories, and as this holiday weekend begins to wind down the summer season, we're excited to share the last of the adventures with you. This adventure takes us from New York to Maui, with the help of a Garmin StreetPilot along the way. After plotting out a few locations -- hotels, beaches restaurants and even an the home of an old friend -- this couple took off to the resort. "Using the Garmin was as easy as expected, just changed the time zone and off we went!" What the couple says was really cool though, was when they decided to travel the Hana Highway. "My wife doesn't thrill over narrow and unknown pathways, but keeping an eye on the map, we were able to meander out and back without trouble." And the best part..."being able to get in the car and just drive without missing the beauty of the surroundings."
What a perfect way to end our Summer contest! Make sure you check back next Monday when we announce the sweepstakes' grand prize winner... and who knows, maybe we'll even let Chet recap the wild and crazy summer adventures he spent in the office this summer, too. Or, on second thought, we'll just take a look back to see what Peg, Roger and Jake have been up to!
Another breath-taking vacation has grabbed this week's Big Summer Adventure sweepstakes twelfth week winning spot! This Oklahoman couple celebrated 25 years of marriage on a 3-week, 3500-mile, 14-country motorcycle tour of Europe.
Starting in Ireland, the couple visited Amsterdam, Dortmund, Prague, Vienna, Zurich, Paris and motorcycled across the highest alpine peak in Austria - Grassglockner (pictured here). But they didn't make the trip alone! "Jill," as the couple's zūmo 550 affectionately became known as, guided the duo the entire way, and even helped them effortlessly locate hotels at the end of each day. Additionally, while this couple kept their eyes on the road, they didn't miss a word of what the other was saying, as they stayed in touch via the Bluetooth connected intercom system in their helmets. "This was the trip of a lifetime and helped ensure that the second 25 years of marriage got off to a good start with no stress, arguments or fall outs over wrong turns and no rooms to sleep!" The couple also mentioned (spoken like a true Garmin Pro), that with the ability to load the route they took back into MapSource and Google Earth, they can relive their wonderful experience anytime they wish.
Now that's a Big Summer Adventure worth reliving! Don't forget, we'll announce our last weekly winner next Monday (Labor Day), and our grand prize winner the following Monday (Sept. 10). So don't miss out on your last opportunity to win a nüvi 200... enter today!
Throughout the Big Summer Adventure sweepstakes, we've heard from a lot of folks who fell in love with Garmin navigation... from their rental car! This holds true for this week's winning couple who fell in love with Garmin from their rental car while on their Vegas summer vacation. While most Vegas goers were in town on July 7, 2007 (07/07/07) to test their luck, this couple was in town to tie the knot. With their Garmin, they were able to navigate through downtown Vegas, the strip, and over to the Hoover Dam without ever having to use a map and more importantly, without ever getting lost... which came in handy for getting to the chapel on time!
"We fell in love with Garmin so much that Garmin is slide No. 2 on our honeymoon slide show. After all, we discovered it during one of the happiest times of our lives, and it made our happy time even happier when it took the stress away from navigation. We really got LUCKY in Vegas!"
From everyone at Blog Central, we'd like to congratulate this happy couple on their new lives together and for being this week's winner! There are only a few weeks of the sweepstakes left, so gather up all those summer vacation pictures, and send your stories our way. One lucky winner will take home a nüvi 200!
For this week's Big Summer Adventure sweepstakes winner, the GPSMap 76CSx isn't something he leaves home without! That's why it only seemed natural to bring the device with him when he and his friends headed down to Mexico a July vacation. B.Strand originally bought the GPSMap 76CSx for recording in 3D while hang gliding, but says he now finds himself taking it with him every time he leaves the house. As he shared his vacation with us, this Californian says he was able to not only record everywhere they went on the boat, but they also marked a ton of waypoints for when they go back next year. When it was all said and done, he downloaded the trip to Google Earth to relive all the fun! Wow—what a great way to savor the fun and adventures of a great summer vacation like this one.
School is starting up just around the corner, which means you only have two more weeks to send us your big summer adventure! So why wait? Beat the heat this week and send us your story today!
As we roll into the last month of our Big Summer Adventure Sweepstakes, the contest entries are anything but slowing down! And this week's winner is no exception. C. Clark highlighted some of his recent adventures for us, and explained how he and his friends use Garmin products every day. Following the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route from Mexico to Canada, this adventurous duo uses a GPSMap 60CSx customized with waypoints mounted on their mountain bike handlebars, a Forerunner 305 to record not only their tracks, but their heart rate information, and the outdoorsmen are also equipped with an Edge 305 on their bike to watch the elevation gain and loss for the day. In addition to all this great gear, the guys upload their GPS data to the Garmin Training Center each night, to track their progress. "GPS data and Garmin gadgets are a part of our daily routine as we spend about two months in the saddle this summer seeing a side of America which too few people have the chance to experience." Talk about a summer full of Garmin gear! To track their progress and see their entire summer adventure, click here. And stay tuned to see how the last month of the sweepstakes unfolds... one lucky winner will win a nüvi 200 in just a few weeks!
I just posted yesterday about the new 2008 City Navigator Map Update being Mac compatible. Well now I am here to tell you about MapManager and MapInstall for Mac. These two beta software programs have been released today and what they allow you to do is convert any MapSource programs you have for your PC into mapping that will work on your Mac. (That's right...you don't have to purchase anything else!).
A quick rundown of the process goes like this:
Convert the existing MapSource maps on your PC using the MapConverter program.
Transfer those to your Mac by way of Writeable DVD, USB Thumb Drive, or Network Connection
Install the maps to the Mac
Install the maps to your device.
Now here is a more involved walk through, with pictures:
Download the MapConverter program from the Garmin website by clicking here. Run the program on the PC. This will find all installed MapSource programs and allow you to convert them.
Please note the location at the bottom of this window is where the converted file will be stored on your PC. Its default location is the My Documents folder:
MapConverter will convert the files and then compress them into a file:
Once the compression is finished, find the compressed file in your "My Documents" folder and transfer it to the Mac. This can be done with a USB Thumb Drive, network connection, or in this case, a writeable DVD disk.
Burn the file to the DVD:
On the Mac, load the compressed file onto the machine and double-click on the file to decompress it. This decompressed file will be placed in the "Documents" folder on the Mac:
Download the MapInstall for Mac program from the Garmin website by clicking here. When the file is opened on the Mac, it includes MapInstall, MapManager, and a Read ME file that explains the process.
Drag the MapInstall and MapManager files to your Applications folder. The first program to run is the MapManager. This program will take the converted map file and load it to the Mac. Once the application is open, click on File > Open and select the converted map file from the Documents folder:
MapManager will load the file into the MapInstall program:
Open the MapInstall program on the Mac. At this time, also connect the Garmin device to the Mac via the USB connection. (Note: It is a good idea to make sure that the device firmware is up to date before loading maps to the device. Download the Mac WebUpdater here.)
Now it is time to select the maps to load to the device. Use the zoom bar and directional buttons on the left side of the map to navigate. The indicator at the bottom of the screen indicates how much memory is available on the device. Click on the areas you wish to load:
The maps will now be transferred to the device:
The maps are now loaded to the GPS device. Please remember that this is beta software. If any errors are found, please submit them to the following email address:
mac.mapinstall.200beta@garmin.com
If you have any other questions about this, feel free to comment.
Chet's Corner: City Nav 2008 map updates are Mac compatible!
Today's post has one sole purpose, to bring attention to the fact that our City Navigator 2008 Mapping Updates are Mac compatible. This means you can update the maps on the device, straight from your Mac, Intel or not. It's just another step in our quest to be fully Mac compatible.
It's actually about as simple as it gets. Here is a walk through of the process:
First, insert the DVD into the Mac and run the Map Update program. You will see a welcome screen:
Accept the licensing agreement:
Plug your Garmin device in, and select it in the list:
The Map Updater will now connect to the Garmin server to establish a connection to verify the update:
Enter the Product Key as it appears on the back of the Map Update Disk:
Once everything is verified, the map update process will begin:
Once it's finished, the device is updated and you're ready to go! It really is that simple:
This week's Big Summer Adventure sweepstakes winner told a familiar tale that we always enjoy hearing about. Along with 60 of his colleagues, this week's winner spent a part of his summer vacation educating teachers and administrators on ways of using GPS in the classroom. As GPS is becoming increasingly popular in the classroom, these educators spent two days learning what GPS is really all about, and even participated in a multi-virtual geocaching activity for their recess. With a Garmin GPS in hand, E.Gorny and these Belleville, IL educators and administrators participated in six hours of GPS instruction and training to prepare for back to school in the fall.
Now that's what I call a great way to spend part of your summer vacation! We're always thrilled to hear about GPS in the classroom and thank this group of teachers for sharing their story with us. If you've got a great summer adventure like this one, send in your entry today for a chance to win a nüvi 200! Stay tuned next week, to see where else Garmin will pop up in your summer adventure travels...
I am increasingly interested in the Garmin Communicator plugin, and have therefore decided to post about that again today. This post comes from the Garmin Developer Blog, where they posted about a site that can take either your Google My Maps saved locations, or a .kml file from Google Earth and load it to your Garmin device with the Garmin Communicator Plugin.
The site that facilitates this is called Takitwithme.com. They have a demo video on their site on how to do this, but it's literally as simple as taking the link from your My Maps page, and loading it into their site. Once you have done that, plug in your Garmin and transfer the data to your device.
This will allow you to keep all of your waypoints in one spot and load them to your device whenever you want. Things just get better and better, don't they?
We've hit the halfway mark of the Big Summer Adventure Contest, and this week's Summer Adventure Contest winning entry, marks a first in contest entry history. Not only did the Miskowski family write in to tell us about how their Garmin StreetPilot saved their summer vacation, but to ensure that we really understood how grateful they were, they chose to express their love for Garmin in a video!
During a six-state, five-day vacation to see New England, this family relied on their Garmin GPS to guide them from state to state. The couple noted that the device saved not only their vacation, but their sanity and marriage, too... as these three things can often go hand in hand! While moose hunting (yes, moose), the GPS also navigated the couple to what they call the greatest organic pizza place in the country! Oh, who am I kidding? I'll just let the video tell you the rest... click here to see this family's "Ode To Garmin."
And don't forget, it's not too late to enter! You still have six more weeks to show us what you're up to this summer with your GPS for a chance to win a nüvi 200. Click here to enter!
These summer adventure stories aren't always a walk in the park... just ask this week's winner! A regular geocacher, K. Hood is spending his summer in Arizona, where although he is a long way from home, he continues his quest for caches. Using his Garmin GPSMap 60CSx (aka: Geeps, as he calls it), this geocacher ventured into an area covered in cacti—quite the unfamiliar terrain for an Oklahoman! As he proceeded with caution, he took a step and was immediately poked by a Cholla Cactus. "As I danced around in pain trying to pull out the needle, Geeps beeped at me telling me I was within 30 feet [of the cache]." With his trusty sidekick Geeps, he continued to trek for the cacti covered cache. After conquering the terrain, K. and Geeps found the cache, signed the logbook and headed off (thankfully, without getting stuck again) to the next cache.
Now that's what I call adventurous! Don't forget to send us your Big Summer Adventure Contest entries today for a chance to win a nü nüvi 200. Your adventures will never be the same!
See, I knew you Garmin users had it in you... it's only the beginning of July and we've seen and heard about some fantastic summer adventures so far! Although it's becoming more difficult to pick a winner each week, it does certainly make our days a little more entertaining to hear all about your adventures. Which brings us right along to our winner for week 5, T. Burch! This California family spent their summer vacation in Europe, where they picked up a Garmin GPS system in Dublin City. She says it was a "no brainer" to pick up a Garmin once she saw how easy it was to use. She also noted that not only did it put the family at peace of mind, but it also decreased the arguing about where to go, and made the trip much more enjoyable as they listened to directions from an Irish-accented, female voice. They enjoyed the Garmin rental GPS so much while on vacation, they are now shopping around for a more permanent Garmin addition to their family! We're happy to hear that Garmin saved this family's trip, and appreciate them sharing their story.
Yes, folks, it really is that easy to win! Just drop us a line with a short story and a photograph from your summer adventure, for your chance to win a nü nüvi 200. Check out our Big Summer Adventure Contest to read T's full story, and while you're there, enter today!
As a tribute to the upcoming mid-week holiday, I was trying to come up with a nice lengthy list of things you can do with your GPS over the Independence Day Holiday. Things like strapping a Forerunner or Geko to a rocket came to mind. I also thought of things like keeping an extensive list of fireworks stands as waypoints in case you run out at the last minute.
You could do the same thing for all your July 4th BBQ's. Keep them all in a list in your nuvi and then you can navigate to them with great efficiency so that you can make all your friends happy...and make sure you get the maximum amount of food from all the different parties. You have to make the most of it right?
Since we're always up for giving stuff away here at Garmin Blog Central, we can have a little quid pro quo here. You send us a picture of your GPS enjoying the July 4th Festivities, and we'll send you free Garmin stuff. It's our way of keeping you from dreading going back to work the next day...
It's that time of the week again... the time where we have the honor of extending another congratulations to our Big Summer Adventure Contest winner for week 4. And how fitting I might add, that we have our fourth week's contest winner during the week of the 4th of July? Yes, we're pretty clever aren't we? Now on to the real fun-- congratulations to K. White, our contest winner for week 4! White and her crew at the University of California, Santa Cruz, use marine GPS devices to pinpoint the coordinates of marine sponges along the ocean floor. That way, these chemistry and biochemistry enthusiasts can then see when the chemicals are extracted from the sponge, and know exactly where to go back to get more.
Now that's what I call one beautiful way to spend your summer! For more Big Summer Adventure Contest information and to read K's entire story, click here. And don't forget while you're traveling to your July 4th adventures this week, to grab your Gamin and share your story with us. After all, you too, could be one step closer to a nü nüvi 200!
I posted a few weeks ago about my impending attempt at defending my Urban Photo Safari crown and I am here to tell you that I prevailed again. I know, I couldn't even believe it myself, but what can I say? Other than maybe...that I got lucky. Click here to see my winning photo!
One of the cool things though, is that one of the contestants was smart enough to take a Forerunner 305 with him on his safari. You can see his track log below. Also, he used GPSTagr.com to geocode the pictures he took by comparing his GPS tracklog to the timestamps on the images.
Then he uploaded them to Flickr so you can see the images, and see where they were taken. I definitely think that's one of the coolest things I have seen short of connecting a Nikon Camera to a GPS and geocoding them that way.
Click on the image below to see his track log in MotionBased. And stay tuned as I fight to keep my reining crown again next year!
Well if I do say so myself, we here in Blog Land continue to be impressed with your Big Summer Adventure Contest entries. It really is neat and sometimes even breathtaking, to see how our Garmin devices help you navigate the world! We sure do appreciate all of you sharing your stories with us each week. So without any further delay, we can continue to extend congratulations to our Summer Adventure Contest winner for week 3, D. Hart!
Hart and his wife just got back from a 10-day, 1,800-mile road trip through the Southwest. These New Yorkers (originally from New Zealand), took their nüvi 360 along for the trip. Before heading out, they navigated their trip via PC with MapSource to ensure each leg of their trip was structured. The couple said that while winding through the mountain roads, it was great to actually see the road ahead while driving, via the nüvi.
Not only did these adventure goers use the nüvi 360 on their trip, they also found the Forerunner 305 to be helpful, too! Aside from recording their daily hikes, they also used the FR305 to mark their campsites along the way. The above photo is from their first day hike around the hoodoos in Bryce Canyon. I'm guessing the rest of the photos are just as amazing! To read their full story and to see where else the nüvi took this couple, check out our contest entry page here.
And don't forget to keep the contest entries a'coming!
So part of my duties of staying home and minding the shop this summer include telling you about new fun stuff that you can put on your Garmin devices-- and this time it's more custom vehicle icons. This isn't any ordinary custom vehicle icon, though. After all, one of these new icons includes my very own face... Yes, that's me to the left.
Well now that you have all had a chance to think about how ridiculous that is, let's move on. Aside from my face, there are also quite a few more new custom icons out there. We have our two sponsored race cars, the #66 Best Buy/Garmin Chevrolet Monte Carlo from the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and the #08 TheGPSStore.com/Garmin Chevrolet Silverado from the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, available now, too.
There are also a few old summer classics--the Woody Station Wagon and the good 'ol RV. "But don't you go falling in love with it now, because we're taking it with us when we leave here next month..."
To download all the new icons, check out the Big Summer Adventure contest page. And heck, while you're there, don't forget to register to win a nüvi 200!
With the fabulous summer weather we've been having lately, the Big Summer Adventure stories have just been rolling in here at Blog Central... and last week was no exception. We would like to extend another congratulations to B. Roudebush, our Big Summer Adventure Contest winner for week 2. Roudenbush just returned from a 2,460-mile motorcycle tour of the eastern US, where he rode from Indianapolis, IN to Orlando, FL. During the six-day journey, he rode through Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virgina, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia, using his zūmo 450 (also known to him as Veronica) as a constant companion. Roudebush says, "he'll never do another long trip without this valuable addition to his touring gear."
Pictured above is "Veronica" at the top of Clingman's Dome in Tennessee, which at 6,643 feet, is the tallest point in TN. To read B's full story, check out the contest story page here!
With only two weeks down, there is still a lot of opportunity for you to enter to win a new nüvi 200. But time is ticking, so send in your stories (please don't forget the picture) today before it's too late! I mean really, what else would you rather be doing on a Monday, anyway?
With the recent release of the Garmin Communicator Plug-in, there have been a flurry of websites that have been adopting the technology to enhance their user experience. One of the most notable is Geocaching.com. It has long been the "go-to" place for geocaching enthusiasts. In the past, you would find your cache, write down the coordinates, enter them into the GPS and be on your way...
But times, they are a changing! Since the site has started to use the Garmin Communicator Plug-in, cachers can send that geocache directly to their GPS right from the web page. It really is that simple!
Head on over to Geocaching.com and give it a shot-- you won't be disappointed. And don't forget, the eTrex Legend Cx serves as a handy tool for finding the perfect cache!
We'd like to extend a big congratulations to J. Lewis-- our Big Summer Adventure contest winner for week one! Lewis is a member of the U.S. Army Skysoldiers Demonstration Team, and is using his GPSMAP 296 to travel the country this summer. This color aviation portable has built-in terrain mapping and alerting that Judd says "enhances a good plan and announces when you are a specified distance from controlled airspace." Wow! Now that's what we call a summer adventure! To read J's full story, check out the Big Summer Adventure contest site.
And remember-- you, too, could be one step closer to winning a nuvi 200! All you have to is send in a quick story and photograph telling us how you're using your GPS this summer, and you will instantly be qualified! Yeah, it's that easy... so what are you waiting for? Send us your story today!
Some of you might remember from this time last year that it's time again for the Urban Photo Safari. This little shindig is put on by the King Garmin Blogger himself, and I will be attending to defend my title that I won last year.
This year the contest is moving to Lawrence, KS, the home of my mighty Jayhawks, and this change of venue should really change the contest and subject matter quite a bit. I'm pretty excited to see what people come up with. Don't forget that you can navigate the city of Jayhawks, by using your Forerunner 305. What better way to see where you're going and where you've been while taking pictures around town!
So good ol' Chet is off to the Wakarusa Festival tonight only to get up bright and early tomorrow to begin my title defense. (Good thing they're both in Lawrence!) Wish me and all the other participants a little photographic and creative luck and we'll be back again next week.
P.S. That's the winning image up there....yeah, I took that...
In a shameless act of self-promotion, today's post is solely centered on bringing light to the Garmin Big Summer Adventure Contest. I know we've talked about it on here before, but I think it definitely needs more time in the sun...
Look at it this way; You guys just do what you normally do during the summer. You know, the usual-- trying not to get too much sun and taking a few road trips here and there. Now when you're out on the road, make sure you take pictures, shoot some video, and just remember where you've been and where you're going.
Now when you get home, write up a little story, send us some pictures, maybe even a video, and you get a chance to win your very own nüvi 200. It's that simple! I mean, you'd basically be doing that anyway, right?
I'll even give you a little more incentive. You can go to the Summer Adventure site and see what a fool I made of myself just to give away free stuff. There you will also see how exciting my summer will be compared to my fellow Garmin blog personalities. I'll give you a hint...I got the short end of the stick!
Today kicks off the start of something great for the Garmin user in us all! We here at Garmin Central know that just like Peg, Roger and Chet, you use your Garmin GPS device in a variety of places. And this summer, we want to see you in action! All we need is a picture of you using your favorite Garmin GPS device on your summer adventure (whatever that may be), with a short description of what adventure you're on with your GPS. Once you send us the picture and description, you are instantly qualified to win a new Garmin! Each week, for 8 weeks (now through Labor Day), Chet will read all entries and pick one person to advance to the semi-finals. Then, at the end of the eight weeks, we will select one grand prize winner from the eight semi-finalists. The best part? That grand prize winner will receive a nüvi 200, to ensure they continue their adventures in style. To enter and for the complete rules, click here.
Happy adventures and good luck... we can't wait to see where your GPS takes you!
As we release more and more custom vehicle icons for the compatible nüvi and StreetPilot units, we get more and more questions from people who want to create their own custom icons. You can't make your own custom icons for your device right now, but what you can do is choose from our ever-expanding list of custom vehicle icons.
In fact, there are so many new icons, I didn't even know some of them existed. I can't really decide if the flame car or the tank are my favorite, but I don't think I have to make that decision quite yet.
Another way to customize your device is to put your own custom splash screen on it. The automotive devices that can take custom vehicle icons will turn into a USB mass storage device when plugged into your computer. Once you do that, you can load your own pictures onto the device. Then, with your own images on the unit, you can go into the display settings and choose one of those images to display when you power up your GPS.
Okay, so maybe I got a little ahead of myself yesterday. It seems some of you were having trouble getting into the Yearbook for the GPS Academy. I can guarantee that it is now fixed and we can now proceed with the contest.
Really...it's gonna work this time...I promise. Makes you wonder if things would go more smoothly if Chet was involved. I run a tight ship ya know...