Garmin Oregon, New Garmin Handheld Device? Options

[Atschi]

Has anybody out there any more information about the Garmin Oregon which (presumably) gets into the market this month?


In case they take the page offline again:

GARMIN OREGON 200 Hand Held Receiver Worldwide. Garmin International is pleased to announce Oregon; the newest member of the premium handheld line. This rugged unit with a high sensitivity GPS receiver offers innovative features such as a sunlight readable touchscreen for easy operation, as well as the ability to exchange waypoints, tracks, routes and geocaches wirelessly between units. In addition, you can customize your Oregon with five different user profiles: automotive, marine, recreation, fitness or geocache. The microSD card makes it simple to load optional maps for different types of adventures. The Oregons detailed mapping and high resolution color display enhance any outdoor adventure, whether on land or water

Features
3.0 inch Worldwide Basemap GPS Hand Held Receiver -High Sensitivity GPS Receiver for Improved Performance and Reception-Built In 3D Basemap /3D Elevation View-microSD Card Slot for Optional Mapping and Data Storage-Wireless Exchange of User Routes Tracks Waypoints Geocaches and Images-Electronic Compass/Barometric AltimeterTemperature Sensor


Tech Specs
GARMIN OREGON 200 Hand Held Receiver Worldwide

High sensitivity GPS receiver for improved performance and reception

Easy to use, touchscreen interface

microSD card slot for optional mapping and data storage

Electronic compass, barometric altimeter, temperature sensor

Built in 3D Basemap /Digital Elevation Model

3D elevation view

Wireless exchange of user routes, tracks, waypoints, geocaches and images

Unit dimensions: 4.5 in x 2.3 in x 1.4 in

Display size: 3 in color, touch screen

Pixels / H x W: 240 x 400

Waterproof standard: IEC 60529 IPX7

Battery type: two high capacity or lithium ion AA batteries

Weight: 6.8 oz with batteries

Part Number: 010-00697-00
----------------------------------------------------------------
GARMIN OREGON 400C Hand Held Receiver North America. Garmin International is pleased to announce Oregon; the newest member of the premium handheld line. This rugged unit with a high sensitivity GPS receiver offers innovative features such as a sunlight readable touchscreen for easy operation, as well as the ability to exchange waypoints, tracks, routes and geocaches wirelessly between units. In addition, you can customize your Oregon with five different user profiles: automotive, marine, recreation, fitness or geocache. The microSD card makes it simple to load optional maps for different types of adventures. The Oregons detailed mapping and high resolution color display enhance any outdoor adventure, whether on land or water.

Features
3.0 in Hand Held GPS Receiver with U.S. Costal Charts Coverage-High Sensitivity GPS Receiver for Improved Performance and Reception-Wireless Exchange of User Routes Tracks Waypoints Geocaches and Images-Electronic Compass Barometric Altimeter Temperature Sensor-MicroSD Card Slot for Optional Mapping and Data Storage-Built In 3D Basemap / 3D Elevation View


Tech Specs
GARMIN OREGON 400C Hand Held Receiver North America

Saltwater mariners will love the preloaded detailed BlueChart g2 coverage for the coastal U.S. and the Bahamas in the 400c. The chart detail includes shoreline, depth contours, navaids and port plans.

High sensitivity GPS receiver for improved performance and reception

Easy to use, touchscreen interface

microSD card slot for optional mapping and data storage

Electronic compass, barometric altimeter, temperature sensor

Built in 3D Basemap /Digital Elevation Model

3D elevation view

Wireless exchange of user routes, tracks, waypoints, geocaches and images

Unit dimensions: 4.5 in x 2.3 in x 1.4 in

Display size: 3 in color, touch screen

Pixels / H x W: 240 x 400

Waterproof standard: IEC 60529 IPX7

Battery type: two high capacity or lithium ion AA batteries

Weight: 6.8 oz with batteries

Part Number: 010-00697-03

[freeday]

I was dreaming tonight ....

GARMIN will announce a working (bugfree) firmware for the GARMIN OREGON GPS in November 2009

Currently they are looking for crazy guys who are buying the unit, test and report to garmin.
Garmin will provide a new OREGON-hotline free of cost to collect all bugs.

was it really a dream?

[storm180]

Hmmmm wierd...Looks like both amazon and buy.com jumped the gun a bit posting info on its website. No picture though, I was curious what it looked like. If garmin was coming out with it this month I would figure they wouldn't keep it a secret or put out a press release on their new model, similiar to what they did with the colorado.

I think I might wait for the Garmin Washington or the Garmin Idaho. hahahaa. Strange they come out with a new line when they just came out with the colorado at the beginning of year. I wonder how similiar or different the device is from the colorado.

Seriously though they should be concentrating on the firmware of the colorado rather than coming out with new lines of products. Lets get one working before you make a new line.

[GOT GPS?]

Check out this link:
http://gpstracklog.typepad.com/gps_tracklo...n-oregon-h.html

UPDATE: While they don't show any details, Amazon is listing five models -- the 200, 300, 400c, 400i and 400t.

I think the 300, 400c, 400i and 400t of the Oregons, will replace the problematic Colorados, just my guess.

Seems like the Oregon might replace the Colorado, also it says it is probably an inch shorter.


--------------------

Now how about a Garmin Michigan, but this GPS would be in two parts, where they will only work if they are connected by a half inch wire.

This post has been edited by GOT GPS?: Jul 4 2008, 05:44 AM

[storm180]

Just sounds like Garmin is going to shoot themselves in the foot. All the people who went out and bought colorados. Now a new line of premium GPSs within 6 months of releasing their "Flagship" line of colorados. They should offer to replace peoples colorados with oregons if a person chooses too. Sounds to me the products is really similiar why would they need a line from what I can tell is a bit lighter. Maybe they changed up the gps chip. I guess time will tell.

This post has been edited by storm180: Jul 4 2008, 05:47 AM

[MtnHermit]

I think the 300, 400c, 400i and 400t of the Oregons, will replace the problematic Colorados, just my guess.

Not a chance, this will be a new model with a touchscreen interface instead of the rock-n-roller.

What surprises me is the lack of price differentiation from the Colorado.

Also, why the wireless handshake, never heard of a single Colorado user mention wireless?

[Redwoods Mtn Biker]

In case anybody missed it, these are touch-screen units. (EDIT: Hehe, MtnHermit beat me to it)

Wonder if they'll have the new 24K maps pre-loaded.

This post has been edited by Redwoods Mtn Biker: Jul 4 2008, 05:52 AM

[storm180]

Yeh I noticed the touchscreen. Maybe they are trying to be like the Triton 1500/2000. Throw in a camera in their high end model and it would be a triton.

[Ratsneve]

Interesting. I think I'm going to want to ignore this Oregon 200 and get at least 2 years usage out of whatever I can get out of the Colorado 400t.

1. I live in Oregon.
2. Will the touch screen work if you install an Invisible Shield--even if it has a 1/4" gap?
3. It looks like Garmin's model number nomenclature has no rhyme or reason to it.
4. ...

This post has been edited by Ratsneve: Jul 4 2008, 06:31 AM

[GadgetMonster]

This is great. I always felt like my colorado should have had a touch screen so Garmin continues to improve and update the models. I would love to see them reduce the thickness of the unit and add in a slim rechargable battery.

Imagine if Apple releases a 'touch' with GPS? It could seriously hurt the garmin market-share. I know I would buy it and use it for caching & auto-nav instead of my Colorado (Unless there was a monthly fee which
I wouldn't put it past Apple to do).

[coggins]

Part Number: 010-00697-00

This would be the part number for the GPSMAP 525.

[Klatch]

Part Number: 010-00697-00

This would be the part number for the GPSMAP 525.

GPSMAP® 525/525s
Part Number: 010-00597-00

Lithium ion AA's?

[coggins]

Part Number: 010-00697-00

This would be the part number for the GPSMAP 525.

GPSMAP® 525/525s
Part Number: 010-00597-00

Yes, still early here. Must have been a typo here also.

[Red90]

Also, why the wireless handshake, never heard of a single Colorado user mention wireless?

Yes Colorados transfer wirelessly. Works great.

[storm180]

Also, why the wireless handshake, never heard of a single Colorado user mention wireless?

Yes Colorados transfer wirelessly. Works great.

I have used it before and it does work good. The only issue is it will not send all the info from your gpx file like the complete cache description. Its like only sending what is in a .loc file.

[The4B's]

Maybe this explains why the recent firmware releases for the Colorado are beta releases. Maybe they're beta releases for the Oregon with the touch screen business removed so they work on the Colorado. Maybe a non-beta firmware for the Colorado will arrive the same time the Oregon goes on sale.

If all these musings are correct this could be good news for Colorado owners. If the firmware is essentially the same except for the touch screen stuff maybe one could expect the Colorado firmware to improve and expand over time as it will for the Oregon.

[brianathomas]

No word if the Oregon will include a speaker for Wherigo.
Perhaps this is more like their phone, but with the phone features turned off (think iPod Touch vs the iPhone).

[RRLover]

I didn't see Wherigo mentioned at all, maybe the memory segments will go towards making
it more utilitarian, like the 60 csx, less cake and frosting, and more meat and potatoes.
One can only wish.

As far as the interface premonitions go, I saw scroll bars on the Magellan eXplorist XL which
were inaccessible. Anything like those subtle giveaways on the Colorados?

Norm

[northernpenguin]

My take on the Oregon is that Garmin is simply targeting those users that want touch screens (not me) and otherwise the unit will be very similar to the Colorado line. There are people that can't stand the Rock'n'Roller for data input, and others that know a touch screen in your pocket while hiking isn't necessarily a good idea.

Would be handy for entering logs but I'm expecting to be happy with my Colorado for years to come. I also doubt the Colorado line gets discontinued by the Oregon line. They're just 'sister' products and will probably use the same firmware much like the eXplorist 400/500/600 was practically the same as the XL.

[Ratsneve]

If all these musings are correct this could be good news for Colorado owners. If the firmware is essentially the same except for the touch screen stuff maybe one could expect the Colorado firmware to improve and expand over time as it will for the Oregon.

How do you know it will for the Oregon? Although, if the Oregon is a "second generation" Colorado one would hope.

[robertlipe]

While I don't want to be one of those guys that complains that the industry moves on after I purchase something, I guess I'll get in that line.

Five days into a fourteen day trip, my rock-and-roller just failed, rendering my 400t essentially useless. (Tips on where that stupid little magnet goes are welcome, though probably inappropriate for this thread...) While CO is an exercise in missed opportunity - and I'm not at all sure that it couldn't have been solved w/o a touch screen - it sure seems like their most loyal customers, those that bought Garmin's first "newly designed" handheld since '04 are going to be grumpy.

I thought the RnR would grow on me, but it's been a frequent annoyance . Entering text is painful on it. If I'd known there was a touch screen model in the oven, I'd have been in that line instead.

Signed,
Annoyed.

[PhilAun]

.....my rock-and-roller just failed, rendering my 400t essentially useless. (Tips on where that stupid little magnet goes are welcome.....

Here's a link that may help with that.

I thought the RnR would grow on me, but it's been a frequent annoyance . Entering text is painful on it. If I'd known there was a touch screen model in the oven, I'd have been in that line instead.

I agree that text entry could be much better, too. I remember reading a post some time ago (don't remember who or which one) where a couple people had some really good ideas for that. One was to use the inside wheel "buttons" to go up/down/left/right when selecting text (much like the etrex Vista HCx) and another mentioned to still use the "big wheel" to scroll through the alphabet, but have different levels that you could select with the up/down function, ie, capital letters on the outer circle, lower case in the middle, and numbers and symbols on the inner. Either way would be a vast improvement. Maybe they'll improve it in future firmware updates.....one can dream.

As for the touch screen version, I'll be very curious to see it when it arrives, but I'm happy with my Colorado for now.

~PhilAun

[MacBandit]

I wonder if Garmin used their heads and kept in mind that this is a hiking unit and people will be using it with gloves. I sure hope the touch screen works with gloves.

This post has been edited by MacBandit: Jul 7 2008, 09:31 PM

[bmirak]

First the slow firmware upgrades to the CO, and now this? I am so glad I stuck with the 60csx. The Colorado is far from perfect but Garmin is already moving on! It seems like Garmin is tossing reliability under the bus just to stay on the cutting edge.

Also, won't the touch screen decrease battery life even more? Will the screen smudge? Will the screen work with a protector? Just seems like a whole new set of complications, to me.

[Sputnik 57]

This is great. I always felt like my colorado should have had a touch screen so Garmin continues to improve and update the models. I would love to see them reduce the thickness of the unit and add in a slim rechargable battery.

Imagine if Apple releases a 'touch' with GPS? It could seriously hurt the garmin market-share. I know I would buy it and use it for caching & auto-nav instead of my Colorado (Unless there was a monthly fee which
I wouldn't put it past Apple to do).

I believe they call this the iPhone 3g, due out on Friday.

[Jhwk]

Glad I no longer "adopt" early...

[sanramonhunter]

Will the screen work with a protector?

Both my neighbor and my dad put Invisible shields on their Nuvi's and they work fine with them on. I have one on my 2200t and it works fine on that as well.

This post has been edited by sanramonhunter: Jul 8 2008, 12:42 PM

[schmidtbaby]

First the slow firmware upgrades to the CO, and now this? I am so glad I stuck with the 60csx. The Colorado is far from perfect but Garmin is already moving on! It seems like Garmin is tossing reliability under the bus just to stay on the cutting edge.

Also, won't the touch screen decrease battery life even more? Will the screen smudge? Will the screen work with a protector? Just seems like a whole new set of complications, to me.

I went back to the 60scx after trying out the Colorado. I can't wait to see a photo of these Oregon's.

I was so dissapointed in the 400t, even though I loved it's looks and feature set. Let's hope for good things from the Oregon's.

This post has been edited by schmidtbaby: Jul 8 2008, 03:20 PM

[ryguyMN]

First the slow firmware upgrades to the CO, and now this? I am so glad I stuck with the 60csx. The Colorado is far from perfect but Garmin is already moving on! It seems like Garmin is tossing reliability under the bus just to stay on the cutting edge.

Also, won't the touch screen decrease battery life even more? Will the screen smudge? Will the screen work with a protector? Just seems like a whole new set of complications, to me.

I couldn't agree more. Why doesn't Garmin fix the problems people are having before moving on to new models? How about waiting for a product to at least mature before moving on? I don't understand Garmin's current business strategy, but in a weakening economy, the target audience is going to be less likely to shell out USD$400 or $500 every year for new units just for something that maybe works or fixes what was broken on previous models. Trying to squeeze every dime out of your customers isn't going to work in this day and age. Garmin is starting to follow Magellan's slippery slope of releasing products then never supporting them. Also, there is a point where a company can have so many different models that it becomes difficult to tell the difference between them all and that the market just gets too saturated and products are abondoned just because there are too many products to support. That's my rant for the day.

Ryan

This post has been edited by ryguyMN: Jul 8 2008, 04:42 PM

[northernpenguin]

I couldn't agree more. Why doesn't Garmin fix the problems people are having before moving on to new models?

Garmin is following Microsoft's lead in the software industry. IBM used to wait until a product was 'perfect' to ship it. Microsoft thumped them good by adopting the method of 'if it works at all - ship it'. Garmin may be trying that avenue.

I like the earlier point about the Rock'n'Roller wheel works well for winter caching with gloves still on - that's a good point - entering waypoints is a real pain when it's -30C outside. I would suggest for a preview of a Garmin Oregon with a touchscreen, go borrow a Magellan Triton. Make sure you try it in rain and snow unless you are a fair weather cacher.

Nuisance level bugs aside, I love my Colorado. As I am still getting the occasional firmware update for my original eTrex Legend, I'm still pretty sure the Colorado will enjoy years of support from Garmin.

[bonstetten]

I'm thinking about the Oregon ...
... the following is just a thought.

Garmin announced the nuvi phone - why Garmin does not use this hardware plattform for a product like the Oregon ("Recycling")

Nüviphone without Phone = Oregon ?

Just a thougt...

This post has been edited by bonstetten: Jul 9 2008, 11:34 AM

[tceaves]

Maybe this explains why the updates for the Colorado were slow in coming out. I was going to wait for 1 more firmware update after .54 to buy one.... Now, I guess I'm waiting on the Oregon.

This post has been edited by tceaves: Jul 9 2008, 11:37 AM

[Dakar4x4]

Be interested to hear how sensitive the touch screen is... I know my XDA is a real pain to use in the rain as the touchscreen becomes confused between the stylus and the water droplets.

Jon

[av8ndv8]

Garmin very briefly had the Oregon on their site this morning right after the official announcement. Ten minutes later it was gone. Luckily I have a link to it..... Garmin Oregon

[jmedlock]

Garmin very briefly had the Oregon on their site this morning right after the official announcement. Ten minutes later it was gone. Luckily I have a link to it..... Garmin Oregon

Here is the link to the Oregon 400t...

Oregon 400t

[comphelp]

Garmin very briefly had the Oregon on their site this morning right after the official announcement. Ten minutes later it was gone. Luckily I have a link to it..... Garmin Oregon

Cheers. Here's hoping Garmin don't pull the page before everyone can see it.

That's a nice looking unit.

I really hope they solve the hardware issues (like being waterproof) with this unit.

[g-o-cashers]

Listed availability is 3rd quarter of 2008.

It looks like the 200 is a low memory version with 24MB and no preloaded maps, no compass, altimeter and wireless transfer. The Oregon 300 has 850MB of memory and no preloaded maps. The 400 series are similar to the Colorado 400's with preinstalled maps but no spec on internal memory available. All versions have microSD slots.

All are listed as touch screen devices with no Rock'n Roller.

GO$Rs

[jmedlock]

Garmin is showing a battery life increase of 1 hour on the Oregon 400t compared to the Colorado 400t (16 vs 15 hours, respectively). Perhaps they have a different GPS receiver chipset in the Oregon?

J

[jmedlock]

I found the press release below here

I got a kick out of the statement from the V.P. "Combining the touchscreen interface of our iconic automotive devices with the preloaded features of the acclaimed Colorado series makes this the ultimate outdoor handheld.

Ya... Colorado is "acclaimed"... for its location drift problem.

The other thing that the Oregon mentions is Garmins "HotFix feature" which appears to be on the Nuvi line, but apparently not on the Colorado. Maybe this greatly helps.....

-----

OLATHE, Kan., July 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ:GRMN) , the global leader in satellite navigation, today introduced the Oregon series of handheld GPS devices for outdoor, marine and fitness enthusiasts, combining an intuitive touchscreen interface, rugged, resilient design and a variety of preloaded mapping options.

“The Oregon’s vibrant screen is responsive to the touch of your finger, yet resistant to the forces of nature,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “Combining the touchscreen interface of our iconic automotive devices with the preloaded features of the acclaimed Colorado series makes this the ultimate outdoor handheld.”

Easy to learn and simple to use, the waterproof Oregon features a high-sensitivity GPS receiver, preloaded mapping and a high-resolution, color 3-inch screen that reacts as users tap or drag through menus and options. On a mountain or an ocean, satellite reception is even faster than before thanks to Garmin’s new HotFix™ feature, which automatically calculates and stores critical satellite information and can use that information to quickly calculate a position without waiting for data collection from the satellites.

The Oregon 400t gives hikers preloaded U.S. topographic maps in state-of-the-art 3D elevation perspective. The Oregon 400i offers anglers shoreline details, depth contours and boat ramps for U.S. inland lakes and navigable rivers. The Oregon 400c is a saltwater specialist, providing chart coverage for the coastal U.S. and Bahamas. The Oregon 300 features a worldwide basemap with shaded relief. The Oregon 200 provides a basemap that can be easily supplemented with additional mapping or charts for your adventures on land or at sea.

Garmin knows its users have many interests, so the Oregon lets you customize five profiles — automotive, marine, recreation, fitness or geocaching — making the most beneficial features for each activity the easiest to access through quick shortcuts.

The Oregon series plays well with others, as the 400t, 400c, 400i and 300 allow for wireless exchange of tracks, waypoints and geocaches between other Oregon units and Colorado models. Each of these models is equipped with a barometric altimeter and electronic compass and is compatible with Garmin’s heart-rate monitors and speed/cadence sensors.

Geocaching is even easier with the Oregon, which quickly downloads online information for every cache, such as location, terrain, difficulty, hints and description, so that you don’t have to tote printouts with you. Cachers and collectors will be hunting for a limited-edition geocoin minted to commemorate the launch of the Oregon series. Oregon users can experience Wherigo™, the newest GPS-based activity from Groundspeak, the people who made geocaching a worldwide phenomenon. Wherigo (pronounced “where I go”) is a toolset for creating and completing adventure games, historical tours or other innovative activities in the real world.

Weighing only 6.8 ounces with 16 hours of life from two AA batteries, the Oregon has a microSD card slot that is ideal for loading additional MapSource detail. For more about the Oregon’s features, pricing and availability, go to http://www.garmin.com/ and http://www.garmin.blogs.com/.

About Garmin International Inc.

Garmin International Inc. is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ:GRMN) , the global leader in satellite navigation. Since 1989, this group of companies has designed, manufactured, marketed and sold navigation, communication and information devices and applications — most of which are enabled by GPS technology. Garmin’s products serve automotive, mobile, wireless, outdoor recreation, marine, aviation, and OEM applications. Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in the Cayman Islands, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.

[g-o-cashers]

Mini site is here:

http://www8.garmin.com/buzz/oregon/

I've started an new wiki on the Oregon to collect a bunch of this information:

http://garminoregon.wikispaces.com

GO$Rs

This post has been edited by g-o-cashers: Jul 10 2008, 07:35 AM

[Redwoods Mtn Biker]

Mini site is here:

http://www8.garmin.com/buzz/oregon/

And a screen capture of the backside:

[g-o-cashers]

Based on the accessories list it looks like the OR and CO will use the same mounting technique. The auto, marine, bike, carabiner mounts all look the same.

GO$Rs

This post has been edited by g-o-cashers: Jul 10 2008, 07:46 AM

[storm180]

So I looked at some of the screen shots of some of the topo they showed. It does not look like topo 2008. Unless they just enhanced the images. I wonder if they are going to use the new 24K topos for the oregon 400T. It would be sweet to have 24K maps of the US all on the oregon. Just from seeing how much space two states take up in 24k the Oregon 400T would have to have a lot more memory or some compression method to shrink the maps.

I guess that assumption would be answered if the entire SD set is done by the time the oregon gets released or not.

[ryguyMN]

When your paying $650 MSRP for the Oregon 400t, you should be entitled to the highest detailed topo available. It is a slick looking unit, but how will the software be after numerous problems reported by Colorado users who have yet to see a non-beta update? You can have the hardware, but if the software isn't up to snuff, it's not going to matter. I still want to see what Garmin can do with the Colorados before even considering a Oregon.

Ryan

[Jhwk]

is it me, or is this the final version of the Colorado beta models...

[ryguyMN]

is it me, or is this the final version of the Colorado beta models...

LOL! I think your right! Like every company, I know there are always new products on the horizon, but it almost feels like Colorado owners were pre-release testers for the Oregon looking at the timeframe products were released and firmware updates available. Shouldn't Garmin at least compensate us for doing beta testing and quality control (feedback that will be ignored anyway)? HA!

Ryan

[GPSlug]

I think it's interesting that it mentions "HotFix".

Is that just Garmin's name for SiRF's InstantFixII? Does that mean the Oregon's will go back to SiRF? Or are they just licensing the patent?

I don't think InstantFix in itself will be accurate enough for geocaching, but I hope it's an indication they are dropping the MediaTek chips.

[storm180]

I think it's interesting that it mentions "HotFix".

Is that just Garmin's name for SiRF's InstantFixII? Does that mean the Oregon's will go back to SiRF? Or are they just licensing the patent?

I don't think InstantFix in itself will be accurate enough for geocaching, but I hope it's an indication they are dropping the MediaTek chips.

It sounds like what the TOMTOM uses, with its GPSFIX file that is updated every 7 days. It helps get your signal faster by telling the gps where the sats are.

[Redwoods Mtn Biker]

I've been told the 400t will be available immediately, and the others around the end of the month. Be aware though, these dates often slip.

[storm180]

I've been told the 400t will be available immediately, and the others around the end of the month. Be aware though, these dates often slip.

Wow that would be interesting if it is available that quickly. Obviously it had to be on the horizon if Amazon and buy.com had the descriptions ready to go.