Technabob » garmin

GLaDOS Voice on Garmin GPS: Question is, Do You Trust Her?

Lambert Varias — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:00:35 +0000

…because the researchers at Aperture Science did, and look what happened to them. But if you’re brave enough, a Redditor has created a GLaDOS voice for Garmin Nuvi GPS devices and is sharing it free of charge. Then again, the Redditor’s name is GLaDOS_Garmin_Thrwwy. So you know, could be a trap.

The screenshot above is from the shakey-cam video below, which was uploaded by co-Redditor animatedintro, who tried out the module and (seemingly) lived to tell the tale.

Fire up a portal to Reddit or Megaupload to download the unofficial file. It’s been confirmed to work with Nuvi 40, 200, 200W, 250, 250W, 350, Garmin Mobile XT and StreetPilot c550 units. TomTom users can also endanger their lives with a similar mod.

[via Reddit]

Garmin Announces Forerunner 910XT GPS Watch, Perfect for Triatheletes

Shane McGlaun — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 18:45:38 +0000

If you are one of the people that are very serious about your exercise and training, you will want to pay attention to this. Garmin has just unveiled a new watch called the Forerunner 910XT and it is packed with all sorts of tech for monitoring activity built-in. The watch is the first from Garmin that is able to provide detailed metrics for swimmers as well as cyclists and runners.

The watch is water-resistant to 50 meters. It records swim metrics including swim distance, stroke identification, stroke count, and pool length. The watch is low profile so you can get a wetsuit on and off easily while wearing it. The watch can also be fitted with a mount for bike handlebars and has a battery inside good for 20 hours of use.

A Virtual Racer feature lets the user race against a previous time. Garmin also includes support for wireless ANT+ sensors and a lot more. The Forerunner 910XT will be released sometime this quarter, and will sell for $399.99. You can pre-order it over at Garmin’s website now.

Garmin Astro 320 Dog Tracker Keeps 10 Dogs on a 9-Mile Leash

Shane McGlaun — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 21:50:45 +0000

I used to watch a lot of the Jetsons as a kid mostly because there was nothing else on after school. I remember their dog Astro and his walks on the treadmill behind the house. Garmin has named its latest GPS dog tracking system after that cartoon pooch. The system is a bit strange to me. It is aimed at hunters, and can track a bunch of dogs at the same time.

Each of those pooches has to have its own GPS collar and then one Astro 320 unit can track up to ten of those collar-wearing dogs at once for up to nine miles on flat terrain. The handheld unit has a color screen that can be read in direct sunlight too. The strange part about his system to me is what good would it be to have your hunting dog nine miles away? If you can train that dog to activate his GPS when he sees some prey, maybe having the dog so far away would be a way to hunt.

I guess this would be a cool system for people with escape-artist dogs too. I once had a Jack Russell terrier that was too smart for his own good. He could escape from anything, and I would end up prowling the neighborhood looking for him. You have to be serious about your pet tracking though to buy this tracker. The Astro 320 is $649 (USD) with a single collar.

Garmin Forerunner 610: The Touchscreen GPS Watch is a Go!

Range — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:03:17 +0000

Garmin just revealed a new GPS watch, the Forerunner 610. Unlike the previous model, it has touchscreen technology, and is a bit more svelte, so it can serve as your everyday watch if you don’t mind charging it every night.

This kind of watch is perfect for people who like to train and keep track of their training progress. It’s aimed at runners, but it can double as a cycling computer as well. Unlike previous version of the Forerunner, it has separate settings for this and can come with all of the right accessories to make it at home on your bike.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

It has a somewhat slimmer profile than the Garmin Forerunner 405 and 410, so if you were thinking about buying one of those, then you should wait until May 6th when the 610 is released.

The Forerunner 610 will sell for $349 (USD). An in-depth review is available from DC Rainmaker.

[via Garmin]

Flavor Flav Lends His “Yeah Boyee” to Navtones

Shane McGlaun — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 17:36:27 +0000

For a longtime, the only option you had for your GPS was one robotic voice or another. Later we could choose voices with different accents and choose male or female voices on many GPS devices. Today we have GPS devices from different makers that let you choose some really cool vice packs. I am partial to the Star Wars voice packs myself on some of the TomTom units.

Navtones has announced the latest addition to its line of celebrity voices with Flavor Flav from Public Enemy. The voice pack is explicit as well, which is more than a little strange to me. They will work on some TomTom and Garmin machines.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I suspect that there will be plenty of F-bombs dropped and 911 will be a joke. The voice pack can be downloaded right now for $9.95 (USD). I still prefer the KITT voice pack myself.

Garmin Forerunner 405 Gps Watch Really Looks Like a Watch

Technabob — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:45:38 +0000

While there have been several past attempts to create wrist-worn GPS sport devices, up until now they’ve been quite bulky and certainly wouldn’t pass as an ordinary wristwatch. Enter Garmin’s forthcoming Forerunner 405, a GPS-enabled watch that actually looks like a watch, and that’s lightweight enough to be worn all day.

Now, you won’t be using the GPS capabilities to map out automotive routes, but it will come in handy for plotting waypoints for exercise and other outdoor activities. The Forerunner 405 contains all the electronics necessary to track speed, distance, pace, calories burned, location and even heart rate (assuming you add the optional heart rate monitor).

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The watch can automatically sync with your computer wirelessly, downloading workout data as well as receiving route data for future outings. You can even beam locations, workouts and course information with your running companions if they happen to also wear the same type of watch.

The Forerunner 405 is slated for a Q1 2008 release and will retail for about $319 USD.

[via NaviGadget]

Garmin Forerunner 50 Fitness Gear Auto Syncs to Your Pc

Technabob — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 16:11:27 +0000

Garmin’s latest entry into the growing field of mobile fitness technology lets you keep track of your workout data without ever having to connect a cable or press a sync button.

Their new Forerunner 50 system automatically synchronizes data from devices you wear to your computer. The devices use a wireless system called ANT+Sport which constantly looks for paired devices within proximity of your PC. There are several devices in the series, with the centerpiece being the Forerunner 50 watch.

In addition to being a fully functional digital watch, it can display other information such as heart rate, speed and distance traveled when paired with optional wireless devices. A wireless “foot pod” monitors your speed, cadence, distance and calories burned. The chest-worn band can accurately monitor your heart rate. The watch itself can track up to seven hours and 100 laps of detail-level data, so you can monitor your progress before you sync up.

Pricing depends on what accessories you purchase. The base Forerunner 50 with the heart rate monitor watch costs just $99, including the USB wireless stick for your PC. $149 buys you the watch and the foot pod, while $199 gets you the watch, foot pod and the heart rate monitor. Garmin also plans to release an add-on for tracking your bicycle workouts too.

The Forerunner 50 system should be available this October.