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.
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″
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.
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.
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?
Looking for a new set of wheels? Hoping for a navigation system to nicely compliment your new ride? Look no further. Earlier this week, Garmin announced it would provide an integrated navigation system for the new 2009 Suzuki SX4 Crossover as standard equipment. The Suzuki T.R.I.P. (Travel, Real-time traffic, Information and Play) sports a widescreen and offers drivers weather forecasts, local event listings, real-time traffic and fuel prices through the MSN Direct network. Pair a Bluetooth-enabled phone with the system for hands-free calling, route to lifestyle-oriented Suzuki-recommended destinations and enjoy up-to-date MSN Direct data effortlessly - all while navigating with this portable device. These models are scheduled to arrive in dealer showrooms this summer, so keep your eyes open... this is one T.R.I.P. you won't want to miss!
Forerunner 405: Get up to speed with hands-on demos
Must-have sport watch meets must-see TV in these brief training clips featuring our own blog editor and running expert, Jake. He’ll show you the hottest features of the new Forerunner 405 and teach you how to use the innovative touch bezel. We’ll be posting a whole series of these videos at this site. Catch a few now, come back for more clips later, including a segment where Jake goes head to head with Forerunner’s digital Virtual Partner. For all our customers who’ve been patiently waiting to get their hands on our newest GPS-enabled sport watch, we’re happy to say the 405 is now in stores, including our Chicago Store on the Magnificent Mile, and it's going like hot cakes.
Garmin's first portable navigation device with speech recognition capabilities - the nüvi 880 - just received its first review. To our excitement, the crew at PC Magazine enjoyed the new 880 so much, it also earned a prestigious award upon completion of the review. "It's well-designed speech recognition feature is a the real showstopper, though. Frankly, I'm hooked. This is the GPS device that I want on my windshield, and therefore it earns our Editors' Choice," they said. The review also highlights other bells and whistles of this premium navigator, such as the dynamic second generation MSN Direct content, the Where Am I? feature, Bluetooth wireless technology, and many other travel tools nüvi users have come to know and love. Check out the full review and see why everyone is talking... and how nüvi is listening!
After sweeping the team time trial ride yesterday at the Tour de Georgia, Garmin-sponsored Team Slipstream/Chipotle is leading in nearly all of the results categories. Best young rider jersey was passed from Tyler Farrar to teammate Trent Lowe. Tyler continued to move up in the points classification, earning sprint jersey honors, and the Slipstream team leads all others in the overall team classification with 12” over second-place Astana and 18” over team High Road. Team director Jonathan Vaughters dedicated Friday’s race to teammate Timmy Duggan, who was injured in a crash in Wednesday’s race. Since Timmy, an excellent time trialist, couldn’t race, his teammates pulled off a big win in his honor. Our thoughts are with Timmy for his continued recovery and with the rest of the team as they head into 3 more days of racing, finishing with a circuit race in Atlanta on Sunday.
MapQuest site sends to Garmin: A step-by-step demo
We're all about options. From the wide variety of nuvis and intuitive features we offer to the ways that you can use them to maximize your time and minimize your stress. So we're excited to show you yet another way you can search, save and find your destinations - whether it's a quick lunch or a weeklong vacation. We recently announced a collaborative effort with MapQuest that lets you send the results of your online trip planning directly to your Garmin GPS device. It's fast, free and so easy to use that Jake can show you the simple steps in just a few seconds in this video.
The cycling excitement rides on this week as the Garmin-sponsored Slipstream/Chipotle team competes in the 7-stage Tour de Georgia. Riders just finished the 115.7-mile stage 2 route that included one KOM in North Augusta and two sprint lines. For the first time, a circuit finish in downtown Augusta took the cyclists into South Carolina before returning to Georgia. The big news coming out of this stage was Tyler Farrar's fourth place finish! Tyler also took second in Best Young Rider.
Tune in tomorrow to watch the ride live, keep up with the results from each stage and check out the latest news from the boys in argyle. Good luck tomorrow, guys!
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!
The nüvi 770 has preloaded maps for North America and Europe, a widescreen display, an FM transmitter, hands-free calling, traffic alerts and more. And premium navigation capabilities, such as route planning and a handy locator, gave Engadget's readers and editors even more reasons to cast their votes.
Sun 'n Fun has come and gone and it was a great show for us. At times, it felt like the entire state of Florida was there to see what we had to offer. Of course, everyone wanted a demo of the G1000's new Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT), and can you blame them? One glance at the G1000's SVT 3D terrain, traffic and obstacles will make any pilot drool. The really great thing about SVT is that it's retrofittable, so any G1000 pilot will have a chance to fly with SVT in the future. Those not flying with the G1000 yet are likely flying with the GNS 430/530, and we received numerous questions at Sun 'n Fun about the benefits of making the 430/530 WAAS compatible. Flying magazine recently published an article on WAAS, and it's great reading for those who want to get up to speed. For those who want the super short, cliff notes version of WAAS, you can watch two of our newest WAAS commercials (and then visit Flying's site to get the details).
I grew up surrounded by teachers - both parents, my sister, aunts, uncles, friends' parents, even my grandma, who turns 90 on Saturday. I grew up not knowing that anyone worked during the summer. (I'm still not a big fan of the idea.) So I'm excited to get the chance to spread the word about the many features and functions of the highly anticipated Forerunner 405. The first tutorial video, shown below, will get you started on your first run. More quick clips will follow and focus on key features of the Forerunner 405, which will make its debut at the Boston Marathon. We'll also be covering other Garmin products, so send us an e-mail and tell us which lessons you'd like to see come to life.
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!
Here's a first look at some of our brand new WAAS aviation commercials that have just taken off. Have a look and let us know what you think. And be sure to stop by often because there's more to come!
This has already been a busy week for Garmin at Sun 'n Fun. As you may have heard, so far we have announced the G1000 with SVT, the G950 with launch customer Quartz Aerospace, and enhancements to the GMX 200. Sun 'n Fun is also the first public showing of the GPSMAP 495. Since many of you go to shows like Sun 'n Fun to do some shopping, let me tell you about these enhancements that are being done to the GMX 200 and help you start an upgrade to your panel. All new GMX 200’s delivered after April 7, will come with FliteCharts and SafeTaxi at no additional charge. With FliteCharts loaded to your GMX 200 you now can go paperless in the cockpit because the GMX 200 classifies as a Class 3 Electronic Flight Bag. With the addition of SafeTaxi to the GMX 200, taxiing at airports just got safer. Having used SafeTaxi at airports like Chicago’s Midway and Wichita’s Mid-Continent airports, it is worth it's weight in gold. Also if you want to make updating easier, you can order a second card at a reduced cost. For those of you that already have the GMX 200, but do not have FliteCharts and SafeTaxi, you can still add them to your unit. Just get in touch with a Garmin authorized dealer and they can order the upgrade for you.
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 theGarmin Garageoften . . . we’re working on a lot of great new vehicles and we've been so busy, we may need your help again!
Have you ever been flying through a sea of clouds and wondered what the terrain looked like outside your window? Now you can know. Garmin has received certification for Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT). Yeah! This is a huge accomplishment for Garmin and a gigantic step forward for those flying with a G1000 or G900X avionics system. Until this time, most synthetic vision systems were only available on large jets (think Boeing commercial airliners), not smaller general aviation aircraft. Now that SVT is available on the G1000 and G900X, pilots will "see" everything that's out the window on the display. The foundation of SVT is the terrain database and it shows land, water, obstacles and traffic in 3D. Since the system shows pilots what's outside, they'll no longer have to be concerned about what's out the window when flying in the soup. Garmin's SVT also includes Pathways that will help the guy in the left seat stay on course. The pictures of SVT do it far more justice than words ever will, so take a look at these screen shots.
Earlier this week we announced a new Send-to travel tool that enables users to search locations through Google Maps or MapQuest.com, send and save them to their Garmin device, and navigate to the destination from the convenience of their computer. Since then, many of you have already written in wondering how the process works. Well, ask and you shall receive! To show you just how simple it is to search, send and navigate from your PC, we put fellow blogger, Jake, to work on a tutorial just for you. Watch the video below and let us know what you think!
Maybe it's the "CSI" fan in each of us or a "Forensic Files" overdose, but we do love solving murder mysteries. Especially when they involve elaborate adventures for our inner Sherlock Holmes. Rachael and Kevan, under the caching name USCCouple, are this week's winners of our Wherigo Builder Contest for "Farewell Mr. Pratt." They worked hard to earn their limited-edition Colorado/Wherigo geocoin: "In this game you will be on a search for the killer which will take you all across Columbia, SC. Before you begin, be forewarned, it will not be easy. Ahead of you is over 60 miles of driving, a short hike and some other surprises!" Makes us glad the Colorado 400t has an automotive profile.
Our Week 4 runner-up, "The Treasure of East Sioux Falls," is the first cartridge for Sioux Falls, SD, created by Chuck Henson, aka StaticTank, who says, "It is a short but fun little quest taking place where the City of East Sioux Falls used to be. It is now the Perry Nature Area. I even included a reference to an incident I had with a park employee in the adventure." Intrigued? So were we.
Did you know Garmin offers companies fleet management services? We know that those managing a fleet of delivery vans, over-the-road trucks, taxi cabs, or other fleet vehicles have a lot on your mind. Fuel costs, vehicle maintenance, insurance, driver payroll and overtime expenses are rising. Plus, the high capital cost of adding or replacing fleet rolling stock makes it imperative that all equipment be operated with maximum efficiency, safety and productivity. We're here to help remove some of that stress with our fleet management interface system. Our PND network has grown a lot over the past year so give us a call if you want help improving customer response time, optimize fleet resources, and ultimately, achieve lower costs and higher profits for the company. Click here if you're interested in learning more.
Got an iPhone or iPod Touch? If so, we have a new beta app for you to check out. My-Cast is a popular weather application for mobile phones that has been created by one of our subsidiaries. With it you can check current and predicted National Weather Service data for your immediate location, your travel destination, or virtually anywhere else in the continental U.S. My-Cast is much more than your typical phone weather app because it gives a moving map with NEXRAD data, lightning tracker, automatic alerts when a storm is within 20 miles of your current location, and a host of other features that you won't want to live without.
We've been exploring what we can do given the unique capabilities of the iPhone and iPod Touch and we'd love for you to take a peek! The weather information has been formatted especially for the large touch-sensitive screen and the weather imagery feels familiar as it responds to panning and pinch zooming. You can access the beta app here. We're always looking for feedback, so let us know what you think!
Search with Google Maps and MapQuest, send it to your Garmin
Planning a business trip? Curious to try a new restaurant you found on the Internet? If you're a web surfer and want to navigate to a destination you found online, Garmin's new Send-to features give you plenty of options. Using MapQuest.com (effective April 15) or Google Maps (as of April 1), users can search, send, save and navigate from their computer, complementing the millions of pre-loaded points of interest. Making it possible to enter locations using a keyboard or the device itself is just one more way Garmin continues to give you the tools to make traveling easy and efficient!
Vegas is home to the largest U.S. cell phone show this week, CTIA Wireless, and we're here to show people how you can bring all that Garmin goodness to your cell. After all, it seems like people often fall into one of two categories -- those who want one device that does it all and those who want separate devices that focus on doing one thing. Whatever your pleasure, we're here for you. All of you.
In case you missed the press releases that went out yesterday, here's a quick rundown in no particular order. First, your BlackBerry, Symbian and Windows Mobile smartphone will now look a lot more like your nuvi thanks to our new user interface. Plus, we've added Google Local search that gives you access to millions of additional web-based POIs. If you're based in the Midwest or Southeast and use a BlackBerry with Centennial Wireless as your carrier, it's your lucky day. Centennial is even offering a free 7-day trial so you can check out Garmin maps on your phone before you buy. Our third announcement is about helping nTelos wireless customers navigate their day with ease. This is the first time we've implemented a BREW application (a cell phone "language") of Garmin Mobile, so the nTelos news has extra special meaning for our team. Yesterday we also announced that Samsung customers can start using Garmin Mobile XT -- our plug and play maps -- on Samsung devices. This announcement is being rolled out in countries around the world, so you'll want to visit the web for more details.
As you can see, our Garmin Mobile team has been busy and the show has just begun. More CTIA show news will be coming your way, so stay tuned to the blog or if you're at CTIA you can visit our booth #6639.
Don't have time to listen to the radio on your daily commutes? Not to worry, we'll bring the radio to you. Here are a couple of Garmin's new radio advertisements that you may hear the next time you tune into your favorite station, or while you're channel surfing to find the latest hit. And while we can't help you with your bracket picks, Garmin could help your traveling in more ways than one! Enjoy.
At the last few events, many of you have asked me when the next portable unit would come out. Some of you even asked when the phantom GPSMAP 596 would be available. Well look no further - the next portable aviation unit is here (sorry folks, but it is not the GPSMAP 596). Introducing the GPSMAP 495 which is like the GPSMAP 496 but at a lower cost. Many of you wanted a unit that was similar to the GPSMAP 496, but did not want to spend the extra money. The GPSMAP 495 has the low cost ($1595.00) and has everything that the 496 has with two exceptions - XM weather, and pre-loaded City Navigator NT. This portable unit does feature: SafeTaxi, AOPA airport directory, enhanced terrain warning, 5Hz GPS receiver, Smart Airspace, and private airports and heliports. And even though the GPSMAP 495 does not come with the City Navigator NT loaded, you still retain the ability to load road maps and marine charts to the unit. As for the other exception, the GPSMAP 495 does not have the ability to display any XM WX satellite weather data, so the unit will not come with a GXM 30A antenna.
Now, I bet you're wondering when you can get your hands on one of these units. And the answer is soon! You'll be able to take your first look and purchase this new unit at Sun 'n Fun April 8-13.
PS: There will also be a $100 rebate on the purchase of a GPSMAP 495 at the show!
Already using Garmin Edge products in their training, the elite cyclists of Slipstream officially have a specific goal to work toward: The Tour de France. One of the top racing squads in the world, Slipstream was formally announced as one of 20 teams competing this year on cycling's biggest stage. And with an emphasis on clean competition, the Slipstream athletes will be counting on tireless training and top-notch technology in the quest for the yellow jersey this July.
As one of Slipstream's sponsors, Garmin will be helping the team make its training and travel more efficient. Slipstream cyclists will train with the Edge 705, the newest GPS-enabled cycling computer in Garmin’s popular line of fitness products. Slipstream’s support vehicles will use the nüvi 770, which combines compact functionality with comprehensive preloaded maps of North America and Europe.
Check back here often, and we'll keep you updated on Slipstream's journey to the Champs-Élysées.
Whether you're a diehard Wheel Watcher or a casual channel surfer, we're hoping you find time next week to join Pat Sajak and Vanna White as three lucky contestants try to spin and solve their way to the big money on Wheel of Fortune. Tune in early to see the first two toss-ups - and then the fun begins when a special Garmin prize is added to the wheel on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. And anyone who has ever used a Garmin knows that it's far more helpful than a Wild Card in Wheel's bonus round. (Because really, beyond R, S, T, L, N, E, an extra three consonants and a vowel, how much do you really need?)
So have your Spin ID number ready, buy a vowel if needed, try to avoid Bankrupt and get ready to win with Garmin and Wheel of Fortune.
One of the perks to working at Garmin is getting to meet the athletes that train with our products. Enriching the lives of these athletes while they compete in the sports they love is rewarding on many different levels. We recently heard from Jenna Shoemaker, a triathlete who loves Garmin gear, and we wanted to share her perspective of her most recent race at Valle de Bravo:
The trip to Valle was an interesting one for me. It was a lot of travel - about 10 hours to reach my final destination - and that was the day before the race. I felt really prepared leading up to the race start and was excited for another chance to celebrate my fitness. Valle is at 2000m which is about as high as Boulder, Colorado, so I knew that it would be a tough day for everyone. But I decided, despite altitude, heat and everything else, that I was going to go for it and really give myself a chance to shine.
Let the good times roll with Garmin Games! We’ve just launched a new games section for your nüvi 800 series or nüvi 5000. Whether you’re blasting away another high score on Interceptor or raising the stakes on Video Poker, you’ll find that fun at your fingertips is just a download away! Visit Garmin Games today at take a look at all the great titles that await you!
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!
Garmin has taken it's show on the road again, and this week we're in Hanover, Germany, at CeBIT ( Centrum der Büro - und Informationstechnik; German for "Center of Office and Information technology"). With the announcement of the nüvi 900T, a PND with DVB-H mobile television that's exclusive to Italy, the booth has been packed since the doors opened. The low-priced nüvi 2x5 models also made their debut at CeBIT, and outfit the popular entry-level 200-series favorites with top-of-the-line features. These nüvis improve upon the features of their 200-series predecessors while providing the opportunity to add features such as improved mapping and routing features, faster satellite acquisition, navigation by photos or dynamic content from MSN Direct. Here's a look below at the hustle and bustle of the Garmin crowds. Stay tuned for more updates from the field as the week continues...
Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines... because we're happy to announce that Garmin will be sponsoring the Gillett Evernham Motorsports team and the No. 19 car in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. We've teamed up with Best Buy Racing, and are looking forward to spending a lot of time in victory lane with driver Elliott Sadler. Elliott is a racing fan
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.
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