TomTom GO 2535M

The TomTom GO 2535M LIVE is the current top of the line navigator from TomTom. Start with a 5” capacitive touchscreen, add LIVE connected services such as weather, gas prices, HD Traffic and Google Local Search.
The GO 2535M LIVE uses TomTom’s new Webkit-based interface (the main menu is shown below). Most TomTom features previous owners are familiar with are still here, they’re often just arranged differently. The one glaring omission is multi-destination routing or itinerary planning. TomTom has apparently dropped this from all new models. Like older Garmin nuvis, the 2535M allows you to include only one via point in a route.

The keypad shows all upper case letters, but types lower case unless you hit the shift key, causing frustration when naming and saving favorites. A minor point, but one that they should have caught. Also, you have to go into the menu to save favorites; you cannot do it from the results screen after you’ve searched for a POI or address.

Garmin GTU 10 GPS

The Garmin GTU 10 is Garmin’s first significant entry into the live GPS tracking market. The small device pictured above can send its location to your computer or phone on demand. The possibilities are nearly endless. Got a wayward pet that likes to run off? Nervous about taking your young child to a big festival? How about that teenager just learning to drive? Or perhaps you’re a builder leaving expensive equipment on a construction site.

Garmin Montana 650

The Montana series has some great features – a larger and somewhat brighter touchscreen that can rotate between portrait and landscape orientations, an interface that makes it much easier to access settings and switch functions, and a dashboard that can slide out of the way to give you a full screen map view.

The Montana’s 4” display, and the features that the expanded screen real estate allows, are some of the prime factors making this an attractive device. The screen is recessed, giving it an extra bit of protection. BTW, that 4” display offers almost twice the viewing area of the Oregon series (45.19 sq. cm. vs. 23.94 sq. cm.), and more than twice that of the 62 series (19.8 sq. cm.)

Magellan RoadMate 5175T-LM

The Magellan RoadMate 5175T-LM is a new unit from Magellan, whose most notable feature is WiFi, so I’ll focus on that in my review. It has a 5” screen with accelerometer, allowing you to use it in landscape or portrait orientation. And as the T-LM implies, it comes with traffic and lifetime map updates.

It also has a new feature called Tour Director that helps you plan vacation travel, based on the average visit time for a destination. 

TomTom VIA 1535TM

The TomTom VIA 1535TM is the top of the line model in TomTom’s new VIA series. Sporting a wide 5” screen, the VIA 1535TM offers lifetime traffic and map updates (hence the TM in  the product name). This model updates a previous unit, the exceptionally popular TomTom XXL 540TM, adding Bluetooth, voice commands and TomTom’s new Webkit-based interface. Like all units in the VIA 1xx5 series, this one comes with preloaded maps of the US, Canada and Mexico.

DeLorme Earthmate PN-60

The DeLorme Earthmate PN-60 updates the PN-40 with improved battery life, expanded internal memory, and activities (similar to Garmin’s profiles). Power management is one of the biggest improvements, as short battery life was a common complaint with the PN-40.

3.5 GB of internal memory (vs. 500 MB in the PN-40)

Activity profiles (Hiking, Cycling, Geocaching, etc.)

Screen rotation (lets you flip the device upside down; does not work in landscape mode)

Magellan eXplorist GC

The Magellan eXplorist GC is a new introduction designed to do one thing well – geocache! It has a 2.2” color (non-touch) screen, 18 hour (rated) battery life and a highly detailed  worldwide basemap. And while it isn’t designed for backcountry navigation, it can accommodate 500 waypoints and a 5,000 point tracklog. Really though, the eXplorist GC is a one-trick pony aimed at geocachers, with a low and sure to be discounted MSRP of $199.99.

The unit is nice and compact, weighing in at 5.2 ounces with batteries. It’s rated IPX-7 in terms of waterproofness. The battery compartment and USB port seem well sealed. It uses a standard (non-proprietary) mini-USB cable. There is no memory card slot. The eXplorist GC feels solid and is easy to operate with one hand; the buttons all seem quite responsive.

Garmin nuvi 40

The Garmin nuvi 40 is a 4.3” navigator in Garmin’s new 2012 Essential series. The models in this series are meant to be basic navigators at a budget price, lower than what we’ve previously seen for Garmin entry-level models. Nevertheless, they do come with some features not previously found on low-end nuvis, such as speed limit display, lane assist and junction view.

Drop down to the nuvi 30 and you’ll get the same features, but with a smaller 3.5” screen

Step up to the nuvi 40LM, to get the 40’s feature set and 4.3” screen, plus lifetime map updates

Or move up to the nuvi 50 to get an ultra-wide 5” screen

Garmin Forerunner 910XT

Garmin has just announced the Forerunner 910XT, a successor to the popular 310XT. Aimed squarely at triathletes, the 910XT brings a ton of improvements for swimmers and adds power meter support and a barometric altimeter. I could see the latter making this attractive to trail runners as well.
With Forerunner 910XT, swimming will never be the same again. Designed for both open water and pool swimming, Forerunner 910XT is water resistant to 50 meters and is Garmin’s first multisport watch to offer extensive swim metrics, including swim distance, stroke identification, stroke count and pool lengths. It also computes a user’s swolf score – the sum of the time for one length plus the number of strokes for that length.

For example, 30 seconds plus 15 strokes equals a swolf score of 45. Swolf is a measurement of swimming efficiency and, like golf, lower is better. The 910XT’s robust design and easy operation make it suited for other water sports, including paddle boarding, kayaking and windsurfing to name a few.