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!

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!

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.   

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?

Wrench 'n' Win Contest: First Week Finalists

Well, it’s been a week since we announced the Garmin Garage Wrench ‘n’ Win Contest and we’re now pleased to release the first week finalists! Be sure to stop by today and take a look! We heard from Garmin Garage fans far and wide and we were quite impressed with all of the entries. There are still three weeks to go and we’re sure we’ll be amazed by the next rounds, too. So keep sending those sketches, drawings and ideas. We have lots of great prizes that we'll announce soon and remember - at the end of the contest, the winning entry will be voted on by all of you and it will then be turned into an icon for everyone to download!

Also - we appreciate all of the photographs but legal reasons prevent us from making icons based on photographs of actual production vehicles or mass-produced items. Apparently, it’s one of those “lawyer things”. Congrats to our first finalists and good luck to everyone!

The Rides Keep Rolling In

Since we announced the contest at the beginning of the week, we’ve been flooded with lots of great ideas for the Garmin Garage Wrench ‘n’ Win Contest. We are sure going to have our work cut out for us when we pick the five weekly finalists. It’s been great to get such creative ideas and we can’t wait to see what’s next. So keep those sketches coming and remember – we can only use drawings of original artwork and ideas. As much as we’d like to create icons for your personal vehicles, we have a feeling we’d be hearing from some lawyers pretty quickly if we used real-life vehicles. Send those sketches, drawings and ideas our way and you might just see your icon brought to life in the Garmin Garage!

Help Wanted

When we opened the Garmin Garage last November, we never realized we’d be so busy. Well, now we’re asking for your help with the Garmin Garage Wrench ‘n’ Win Contest! We want you to design the next vehicle for the Garmin Garage. All you have to do is sketch out your idea and submit it to the Garmin Garage . We’ll collect all of our entries each week, choose 5 finalists and then post the finalists' submissions for everyone to view. At the end of 4 weeks, we’ll open up the voting and you’ll be able to choose your favorite. The winner will have their sketched-out idea turned into an animated icon for the Garmin Garage! We’ve got weekly prizes and a pretty nice grand prize for the lucky winner! So start drawing, sketching and sending those ideas our way. We can’t wait to see what you create!

Visit the Garmin Garage Wrench 'n' Win Contest page for details!

And the winner is . . .

Phantom! Thousands of Garmin Garage fans voted for our commemorative one-millionth icon and now we’re ready to release Phantom into the wild. It was a runaway victory since the day the polls opened with this sleek, shiny icon taking an early lead and never looking back. We think Phantom will look great guiding you down the road and you navigate with ease. So swing by the Garmin Garage today to download Phantom and take a look around to see what’s new. We’ve got a lot planned in the next month or so and we think you’ll be excited by what you see! Thanks again to all of our voters!

Every Vote Counts

Although the polls have been open for a little more than a day, we’ve already heard from thousands of Garmin Garage fans. If you haven’t already voted, be sure to stop by our Garmin Garage voting page to cast your vote for our one-millionth icon. So far, the car seems to have taken a sizable lead . . . but we’ve still got almost a week to go!  After you’ve voted, you may want think about what you’d like to see next in the Garmin Garage. We’ve been so busy working on vehicle icons lately; we haven’t had much time to consider what we’ll build next. So start thinking and keep stopping by the Garmin Garage – we might just swing the shop doors wide open and ask for your designs!  Stay tuned – things are really starting to pick up speed around here! 

One Million and Counting . . .

We need your help! The Garmin Garage opened in late November and since that time more than one million free vehicle icons have been downloaded. So we’re giving you the chance to help choose which icon will represent our one-millionth download. Voting is easy – simply head over to the Garmin Garage and take your pick. The polls are open for a week. After that, we’ll announce the winning icon. Thanks again for all of your support – we couldn’t have done it without you. And be sure to stop by the Garmin Garage often . . . we’re working on a lot of great new vehicles and we've been so busy, we may need your help again!

Garmin Garage: Steponit

Introducing Steponit! He's our favorite cab and he swings by the Garmin Garage almost daily. Since we don't have a loaner car for all of our customers, Steponit has been a great help for everyone. He'll usually stop by once in the AM and once in the PM and bring everyone where they need to be. And the best part about it - Steponit is pretty generous with his off-meter trips! Buy 10 rides and your 11th is free! How's that for customer service?  So if you've ever felt like a chauffeur for all your friends or family or if you're hittin' the streets in your own taxi, grab Steponit today and start guiding your guests in style. The icon is free but what you charge your patrons is up to you!

Garmin Garage: Medic

Since the day we opened the Garmin Garage, paramedics far and wide let us know that they’d like to see an ambulance as a vehicle download. So we got to work as quick as we could . . . although it’s a lot harder than you might think to track down sirens and lights. Lots of red tape to get lots of red lights. But we put in some overtime and worked a few weekends to have Medic ready for everyone. It’s been fun having Medic around the Garmin Garage – Scooter loves to run the lights – but now he’s ready to get out there and help people. So download Medic today and also be sure to check out our new Service Vehicles bundle – created especially for all the Garmin users who help others all day long. And stay tuned . . . we have a lot more vehicles that we're getting ready to release into the wild. We're excited and we're sure you'll be excited, too!

Ride along with Elliott Sadler

Even if you may have missed Elliott’s 12th place finish in the UAW-Dodge 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, we’re still giving you a chance to experience life in the fast lane. We’ve spoken to Elliott’s pit crew and they were kind enough to lend us one of their Garmin-branded stock cars for use in the Garmin Garage. So now you can take to the streets with your own stock car leading the way on your nüvi, zumo or StreetPilot. And the great thing about this free vehicle icon – it can turn left AND right. Just try to keep it under 65 mph! Congrats to Elliott and the rest of the team! We can’t wait to see you next week at the Atlanta Motor Speedway!

Garmin Garage: On a Roll with Domino

Ok. Hopefully by now, you’ve seen Garmin’s Super Bowl commercial. If you haven’t, now’s your time to check it out.  It’s ok.  We can wait . . . . . ok.  Seen it? Great!  While some people may try to tell you that Napoleon is the focus, we all know that the car is the real star. So, we hopped across the pond and brought Domino back with us after filming. And now is your chance to have the very same icon that was used in the Super Bowl commercial. Before we could release Domino into the wild, we had to make sure he’d do well on a nüvi. Needless to say, he passed with flying colors. So Domino had his major debut on Sunday and now he’s ready for you to download for free today! Grab him while you can, though, we have a lot more in store for the Garmin Garage this year!

Napoleon's lyrical guide

Super Bowl XLII was the most-watched Super Bowl ever, and the ratings for those companies who had a spot during this advertising mecca are still coming in. That aside, many of you are still wondering what the French lyrics to Garmin's Napoleon commercial translate to. While there have been many guesses, one one has quite cracked the code. So before you go booking a flight to Paris to ask one of the locals, we'll let you in on the translation instead. Thanks to everyone who attempted to translate the lyrics, and for all the kind comments we've received since the spot!

"Under the sun, it's perfect, with my friends we drive, on the highway to paradise - alright - let's go in my car - the life before us is a beautiful sight, oh baby, here we go, let's go to paradise - alright - Garmin-Garmin-Garmin!"

Napoleon on the social scene

Now that he's made his television debut, Napoleon (Garmin's nüvi driver from our Super Bowl campaign) wants to get to know the Garmin fans a little better. Since the big game, he's taken the next social step by entering the MySpace scene, and wants to be your friend. And to be fair, he wants you to give the Garmin fans a chance to get to know him a little better, too. That's why we've been busy posting an entire slew (about 90 or so) behind-the-scenes pictures of the filming of our SB spot onto Garmin's Flickr account. Here you can view the beautiful French scenery and take a gander at what life's like for Napoleon with a nüvi in hand. So go on, add Napoleon to your MySpace entourage... then you'll be able to tell everyone that you're friends with a historical icon!

Watch the commercial... win some Garmin goodies!

As you can see from the posts below, we've had a pretty busy week around here! And since it's Friday (and just days away from the big game) we've decided to keep the fun going in full force. So in true Garmin-Blog fashion, we're sweetening up our SB commercial announcement for our blog readers, with a little extra incentive. Be one of the first few people to translate the lyrics to the 30-second commercial, and you'll score some sweet Garmin schwag. Watch the spot, and the making-of as many times as it takes here. Then post your English translations below and we'll let you know how you did come Monday after the commercial makes it's television debut. Good luck!

(Sorry over-sea's bloggers, this schwag giveaway only applies to our readers in the States)

Jake's Journal: Kicking off a super weekend

To say it's a big weekend for Team Garmin would be an understatement. Everyone is still buzzing about the announcement of the nüvifone (click here for details). Several of my colleagues are heading to Vegas for the annual SHOT show, where hunters and outdoors enthusiast gather. And I'll be in San Jose for another great event with REI and Groundspeak, celebrating the recent launch of Wherigo, the new Colorado 400t and the limited-edition geocoin.

Of course, the headliner of the weekend is the big game on Sunday. And whether you're a Patriots fan or cheering for the Giants, we can guarantee you'll be smiling at some point during the second quarter. That's when our new ad will make its TV debut. You can get a sneak peek at the 30-second spot, the 60-second version and a special "making of" video by going to the minisite. And keep checking back for more fun extras!

Garmin's New York Surprise

As you may have heard, last night was a big night for us in the Big Apple.  We invited more than a hundred financial analysts, media, and industry muckety-mucks to a party at Gotham Hall, a beautiful space in midtown Manhattan.  Ostensibly, the purpose was to unveil our Super Bowl ad and to discuss "the future of Garmin and its products." Seems tame enough.

But we had a trick up our sleeve -- the nüvifone.  It's safe to say we took the audience by surprise -- ok, that's an understatement.  As we made the announcement, the audience collectively reached for their BlackBerries and iPhones to send the big news back to their offices.  In fact, there was so much wireless activity that it momentarily conked out our presentation!  No worries though, we recovered and the audience was dazzled.

Stay glued to this space for more reaction to both the nüvifone and the Super Bowl spot.

Are you ready for some footage?

Good, because we've got even more behind-the-scenes takes from the shooting of the SB commercial. With three teasers down, do you think you have an idea of what's to come? Stay tuned to see where we'll take you next...

More scenes from the shoot

And, what would another teaser clip be without some more behind the scenes footage? Here's a few more pictures to tantalize your senses as the big game quickly approaches. Have a look and keep checking back for even more clips and tips!   

Another day, another teaser

Blog readers got a quick glimpse of our first Super Bowl teaser on Monday and now we’ve launched another clip today. We’ve already seen a lot of traffic heading this way, so we may have to release a few more goodies for you tomorrow. So far, you've got two clips and a few pics to review. Any guesses as to what’s going on?  Let us know what you think. And be sure stay tuned!
Things are happening quickly around here and you never know what you'll see next . . .

The making of....

In addition to the minisite's teaser clips, here are some behind-the-scenes takes from the making of Garmin's Super Bowl commercial. We'll keep 'em coming as the days pass, but in the meantime, stay tuned to the blog for your next sneak peek at what's to come during the big game!

The Countdown Begins

As some of you may have already read, Garmin is airing a commercial during Sunday’s Super Bowl. While we don’t want to let you know exactly what you’ll be seeing, we do want to give you a few hints about what to watch for. So we’ve created a minisite and released a teaser clip for you to view. We’ll have three teaser clips in all, so you’ll have to stop by every day and see what’s new. And for all of you who are curious about a possible encore performance of Maposaurus, we can definitely say that’s not going to happen.  He’s taken an early retirement and was last seen searching for geocaches with his new Colorado. Stop by the minisite today and see our first clip!

Garmin Garage: Recess

The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round. Now that the holiday break is over, school is back in session. And with Recess, the newest arrival in the Garmin Garage, you’ll be able to hit the roads with class. All of your class, in fact! When the Garmin Garage first opened, blog readers and school bus drivers far and wide let us know that they wanted a bus to grace the screens of their nuvis and StreetPilots. Fortunately, Recess stops by the shop quite often to pick Scooter up for school. So we got to work and now we’re finally ready to offer up Recess to all of our faithful blog readers. Grab Recess today and let us know what we should work on next. Even though it can get a little noisy around the Garmin Garage, we love hearing from all of you!

12 Cars of Christmas: Day 12 – Smokey

Merry Christmas from all of us at the Garmin Garage! Today we have an extra-special free vehicle for you to download. We’ve been working on Smokey for quite a while and we’re excited to finally be able to release him to everyone. When we first opened the Garmin Garage, emails and comments poured in requesting a fire truck. So we worked quite a few late nights to make sure Smokey would be ready for Christmas day. Smokey has been a lot of fun to have around the Garmin Garage and we’re sure you’ll enjoy him, too. So grab Smokey today and let him lead you and your nuvi, zumo, or StreetPilot. And keep those comments coming! We love hearing from all of you. Happy holidays everyone! Be sure to tell your friends and family that the Garmin Garage is giving away free vehicle icons all year long! 

12 Cars of Christmas: Day 11 – Special Delivery

Now that Christmas Eve has arrived, we’re making some last-minute preparations around the Garmin Garage. We still have a bit of work to do as we get ready for tomorrow, but we wanted to share Special Delivery with all of you who may be hitting the roads in the next few days. Special Delivery may look a bit familiar to some of you. Prior to showing up in the Garmin Garage, Special Delivery spent some time gracing the pages of our Gift Guide. It had a good run over there but it was time for some more horsepower so we tricked it out and now it’s ready to tear up the roadways on your nuvi, zumo, or StreetPilot. There’s only one day left, so plan on stopping by tomorrow to grab the last car of the 12 Cars of Christmas. And if you gave the gift of Garmin, be sure to let your friends and family know about the Garmin Garage. With so many new free vehicles showing up all the time, the Garmin Garage truly is the gift that keeps on giving!

12 Cars of Christmas: Day 10 – Touchdown

Even though football season is starting to wind down, Sunday is still game day around the Garmin Garage. We usually take a break from swinging wrenches and gather ‘round the television to cheer for our favorite teams. And on the rare occasion when we're actually slow, we'll head out to the parking lot and toss the football around during a quick game of catch. So we thought Touchdown would be a great vehicle icon for your nuvi, zumo, or StreetPilot. It’s perfect for football season and makes the ideal addition to any tailgate party. And no matter what the score is at the end of the game, you’ll always end up a winner with Touchdown by your side. Grab Touchdown today and plan on making another visit tomorrow. There are only two vehicles left and we can’t wait to share them with you!

12 Cars of Christmas: Day 9 – Shovelin’ Scooter

Well, we ended up with some snow at the Garmin Garage last night. So before Scooter could grab his snowboard and disappear all day, we’ve handed him a shovel and sent him outside to clear the driveway and sidewalk. We’ve been putting in quite a few late nights and we’ve got a lot of traffic around the Garmin Garage as lots of people are stopping by to load up on new icons for their nuvi, zumo, or StreetPilot. So Shovelin’ Scooter is hard at work clearing the way for your visit. And Shovelin’ Scooter will also make a great addition to your Garmin GPS device if you’re traveling this winter – wherever you’re going, he’ll be leading the way with shovel in hand. Download Shovelin’ Scooter today and be sure to stop by tomorrow. We only have a few days left and we’ve got some great things in store at the Garmin Garage!

12 Cars of Christmas: Day 8 – Snowboardin’ Scooter

Scooter’s back and this time he’s got his snowboard. While he’s only been snowboarding for a year or two, he’s actually pretty good. Unfortunately, there aren’t too many really big hills near the Garmin Garage so Scooter doesn’t get to enjoy his snowboard as often as he’d like. But between his board, his toboggan, and his tube, he seems to be getting along just fine. In fact, he’s been spending so much time enjoying the snow, he’s been skipping a few of his chores around the Garmin Garage. You know - you may want to grab Snowboardin’ Scooter while you can because we might be coming up with some more odd jobs for him soon.

12 Cars of Christmas: Day 7 – The Garmin Getter

Want some help haulin’ your holiday cheer this year? With the Garmin Getter, you'll get all the extra space you need. Just load it up with good times and you’ll be on your way to winter fun. The Garmin Getter always seems to attract a crowd around the Garmin Garage, so we’re kinda sad to see it go. But we know you’ll enjoy it just as much as we have – whether you use it for quick errands around town or long trips across the country. So grab it while you can, load it on your nuvi, zumo, or StreetPilot, and let the good times roll!

12 Cars of Christmas: Day 6 – Tubin’ Scooter

As you may have already guessed, Scooter is quite the winter sports fanatic. Whether he’s bombing the hills on his trusty toboggan or hitting the moguls on his terrifying ‘tube, Scooter is always up for an adventure. Of course, it’s not all play and no work for the little guy. We make sure his homework is finished and his chores around the Garmin Garage are complete before he’s out the door and on the slopes. But when the flakes are falling, you can see the twinkle in his eyes as he rushes through his tasks so he can get outside sooner. And as much as he likes sledding, he loves leading the way on your nuvi! Grab Tubin' Scooter while you can and let him lead you to winter fun no matter where you're going!

12 Cars of Christmas: Day 5 – Sweet Tooth

Since the holidays are usually full of cookies, candies and so many other sugary delights, we thought Sweet Tooth would make the perfect addition to your nuvi during the winter season. It’s the ideal travel companion to help guide you to holiday party after holiday party. And even though it’s made almost entirely out of candy, we’re proud to announce that it’s 100% calorie free! So you can enjoy Sweet Tooth all season long and not have to think twice about putting on a pound. It’s a great jump start to any New Year’s resolution!

12 Cars of Christmas: Day 4 – Driftin’ Scooter

Some of our astute blog readers may recognize Scooter from the Garmin GPS Academy. Well, when class isn’t in session, he can often be found hanging out in the Garmin Garage. And when the snow falls, the fun begins. Scooter’s usually the first one to hit the hills on his trusty toboggan. From sun up to sun down, he is often making downhill runs at warp speed. And while he’s good at finding fun, he’s great at leading you and your nuvi on all of your winter trips. So make your way to the Garmin Garage and pick up Driftin’ Scooter this holiday season!

12 Cars of Christmas: Day 3 - Twinkle

If you’ve already decked your halls this holiday season, here’s your chance to deck out your nuvi, too. Twinkle may have lost the rest of the holiday lights he was once grouped with but he’ll never lead you astray. He’s like your personal guiding light to get you through the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. And the best thing about Twinkle - you can keep him on your nuvi all year long and never worry once about getting that big electric bill in the mail! It truly is the gift the keeps on giving! Stop by the Garmin Garage