TomTom has finally added a couple more Simpsons characters for its Voice Skin GPS systems. Homer has been available for a couple of years now, but they’ve also added Marge Simpson and Mr. Burns. Expect to hear Marge’s raspy voice as she guides you around town, while Mr. Burn will provide nothing but constant insults with him guiding you. Both voice packs are now available from TomTom’s site for $13 each. Here’s hoping TomTom adds more Simpson characters like Bart, Lisa and other Springfield favorites.

Suffice to say Garmin has pretty much dominated the workout space when it comes to tracking your fitness routine.  That isn’t to say there aren’t other players in the space, but Garmin’s Forerunner watches, and variations there of, are probably the most robust and one of the most reliable.  Now Magellan wants in on the action and has released the Switch Up (they also make a lesser version called the Switch).

Much like Garmin’s Forerunner watch you can mount this bad boy to your wrist and track your pace, elevation, location, speed and much more.  This version also includes a bike mount for those competing in triathlons, and if Magellan is to be believed switching from the wrist mount to the bike mount should be a snap.  Thanks to ANT+ tech it can work wirelessly with a compatible heart rate monitor as well as a a foot pod and bike sensor for added info.

All this data is displayed on a 1.26-inch high resolution screen, which is apparently viewable even in direct sunlight.  That’s assuming of course you’ve still got juice left in the rechargeable battery, which should be good for up to 8 hour of continuous use when in workout mode or 3 weeks when in just watch mode.  Score the add-on battery pack and you can extend the time between charges by up to 24 hours or 9 weeks, respectively.

The whole package is waterproof up to 50 meters and let’s not overlook the barometric altimeter and outdoor temperature sensor, something Garmin hasn’t included in any of their Forerunner devices to date.  However, Garmin does boast Garmin Connect, their social networking like service, which allows athletes to share data, trails as well as compete with one and other in a virtual format directly on the device.  That said, we’re not sure that Magellan has a chance in hell when it comes to competing with them, but our hats are still off to them for a robust device that seems like it can easily stand the test of time, as well as multiple climates.

Magellan hasn’t said when they’ll start selling the Switch Up, but expect it to cost $300, or $350 with a heart rate monitor.

The stand alone GPS, you know, the thing you mount to your dashboard, is quickly becoming an antiquated device thanks to the likes of the iPhone and Android smartphones.  But that hasn’t stopped TomTom from fighting a good fight, despite their market cap getting slashed in half overnight when Google announced free turn-by-turn directions on the Android platform.  As a result the company has resorted to an ultra gimmicky feature that we absolutely love.

What is that?  A variety of iconic movie and tv show characters can now provide you with voice directions.  Last year they added Darth Vader and a few other Star Wars characters.  And if you remember TomTom produced a short, yet entertaining video depicting Vader in the recording studio.  Needless to say it was quite the gaff, especially when he strong arms the studio producer with The Force.  Now, TomTom is back with Sesame Street voices.  And what better way to market the new feature than to put Burt and Ernie in the audio booth for an adorable 2 minutes of fun.  We don’t often say this, but you gotta watch, especially if need something to perk you up on this Monday.

However, you’ll have to spend $12.95 if you want Burt and Ernie directing to your next destination.  That is assuming you still use your TomTom.

Wow, Motorola has taken direct aim at Apple.  If you thought the RAZR wasn’t a response to Apple’s iPhone 4s, checkout the MOTOACTV, a lightweight, iPad Nano inspired workout device.

The touchscreen measures 1.6-inch, is sweat resistant, and like the RAZR has be reinforced using Corning’s Gorilla Glass.   But unlike Apple’s comparable offering, the MOTOACTV can track pace, speed and location thanks to a built-in GPS function (the latest iPod Nano software can track some of this info, but doesn’t include GPS).  They’ve also infused it with some tech that measures your performance against your stored songs and creates a “high performance playlist” to push you to that next fitness level.   The MOTOACTV is also capable of measuring your heart rate, though you’ll need to invest in either the Motorola SF700 wireless or Motorola SF500 wired headphones, which sport a heart rate sensor and thus negating the sometimes annoying chest strap.

When you’re done with your workout you can upload the stats to the MOTOACTV web portal, where fitness experts can provide feedback and you can compete again friends for the best lap or perhaps the most explosive heart rate.

The MOTOACTV supports both ANT+ tech (used in many of Garmin’s products), Bluetooth 4.0 and can achieve 5 hours on a single charge outside, or 10 hours inside.  Included is a strap for wearing it on your wrist or arm and a clip for attaching it to clothing.

The MOTOACTV will ship November 6th for $299 (16GB) or $249 (8GB).  The SF700 wireless headphones will cost $149, while the wired version, the SF500 will cost $99.

It’s an understatement, but Garmin’s Forerunner GPS watches boast a vast breadth of features.  Fold in their Connect service which takes your workouts social and you’ve got a product with unrivaled info that can take any athlete to the next level.  So it was only logical that the next evolutionary step for Garmin, in terms of their Forerunner product line, was to build the Forerunner 610, a touchscreen fitness watch that is robust, yet their easiest and most simple to operate.

Touchscreens have exploded in popularity and we largely have Apple to thank for that.  And while they are still regarded as some what gimmicky, the reality is that this is where pretty much every display is going since it opens up a large amount of possibilities in terms of UI and layout.  In the case of Garmin’s Forerunner 610 it simplifies the company’s exhaustive menus and streamlines the setup process.  But before we get too deep into that, lets briefly run through the feature set.

The Forerunner 610, like all of their Forerunner watches can track speed, pace, heart rate, location and calories burned.  The watch, during initial launch, will prompt you to enter your height, weight, sex and age.   With this info it can more accurately determine your calories burned during your workouts, which is further complemented by the heart rate monitor, provided you own one or purchase one – one was included in my test model.  In the event you don’t input this info during launch, you can also access this menu from the ‘settings’ menu.

Since the Forerunner 610 uses a touchscreen, they’ve managed to pack in just 3 physical buttons that are straight forward and simple to use, unlike the Forerunner 310XT or Forerunner 210.  They include a power switch that doubles as a backlight button, a start/stop button and a lap/reset button.  Hit the start/stop button and the Forerunner will begin to track your workout and kick on the timer.  The lap button is pretty self explanatory, though you can automatically set the 610 to log laps based on distance or position.  Alternatively, you can also setup an auto pause that detects when you stop or your speed slows – a nice feature in the event you hit a traffic light laden street and you don’t want your stats juked because of poor city planning.  To begin a new workout you simply need to hold down the reset button for 3 seconds, as indicated on the screen.  This causes the workout to be logged, which can be reviewed directly on the watch, though this can be a tad challenging thanks to the 1-inch screen with a 128×128 resolution.

The Forerunner 610 is IPX7 rated, so it can survive a down pour and keep on ticking.  The touchscreen, though I didn’t test it in the rain (I live in LA  where it never rains), should continue to operate in inclement weather and is compatible with gloves.  After a few minutes the screen will lock and much like an iPhone, you’ll have to swipe your finger from right to left to unlock it.  In my experience this always took a few attempts since it doesn’t display a slider similar to the iPhone or an Android device, but nonetheless ensures that the touchscreen is not inadvertently pressed.

The Forerunner 610′s proprietary charging click – click to enlarge

Since there is no mode button, as found in previous Forerunner devices, tapping on the display cycles through the different screens. Though you can upload and denote your workout types on Garmin’s Connect website, the Forerunner 610′s workout modes are limited to Running and Cycling.  To access this feature Garmin has included two touch buttons on the circumference of the touchscreen; a settings button as indicated by three horizontal lines and a back arrow button.  Once the settings button is tapped the Forerunner 610 displays a quadrant of options which include: history, training, setup and where to.

The first feature allows you to review your workouts directly on the watch, though as already mentioned above this is a cumbersome process.

The ‘training’ feature enables you to cycle between running or cycling and modify not only the screens you would like to display but how many stats – up to 4 – you’d like to display in each screen.  This option was found on the Forerunner 405, though it was vastly more confusing since it required a combination of key presses that required an almost photographic memory; bottom line is that it’s much easier to setup this Forerunner over previous models thanks to the touchscreen.  And to further echo, if not bring closure to an initial point, the touchscreen is not a gimmicky add on with the hopes of trying to bolster sales; it’s actually useful.

The ‘setup’ option really needs no explanation, where as the ‘where to’ is a handy feature allowing you to name locations. But the real gold is the ‘back track feature’, activated by hitting ‘back to start’ function.  Griffith Park, a local hiking area here in Los Angeles, is chalk full of paths that stretch for miles and miles.  While there aren’t a vast amount of turns the park lacks signage of any type, with the exception of demanding that keep your dog on a leash.  So as you proceed on your hike you must keep track of the turns you take since in all likelihood you’ll have to retrace your steps to get back to the parking lot.  Quickly, we found ourselves at an unfamiliar turn, so I dialed in the ‘back to start’ feature on the 610.  The Forerunner, within 30 seconds recalculated our return route and displayed an auto orienting compass directing us which way to travel.  It also denoted the mileage and slowly shaved it off as we traveled indicating if we were moving in the correct direction.  As turns approached the Forerunner sounded an audible alarm and vibrated ensuring that I wasn’t led astray.  However, on two occasions it couldn’t decide which way we should travel, but I partially chalk that up to the fact that I kept changing the orientation of my wrist.  Nonetheless, the Forerunner 610 guided us for just under 3 miles and returned us safely to our vehicle.  However, I’m a bit surprised it didn’t show altitude in conjunction with direction as this might have provided additional affirmation about our route.

The Forerunner 610′s Power/Backlight button – click to enlarge

Within this same menu you’re able to store locations based off the GPS signal.  Garmin lets you name these directly on the device, though it’s a painstaking process that has you flicking through letters and numbers, and punching out the name one character at a time.  This is probably Garmin’s biggest over sight when it comes to the Forerunner 610′s design – no biggy.

Some other features that are notable on the Forerunner 610 is a Virtual partner, allowing you to run or jog with someone based on entered data; a Virtual race, which pits you against another Garmin Connect user or a previous completed logged workout; and heart rate zones which help you determine how hard you’re engaging in your workout based off of your resting heart rate and goals.

Now, one of the biggest draws of any Garmin device is their Garmin Connect website.  It allows you to upload your data from the Forerunner 610 to a database, where your workouts can be placed into a calendar, mapped onto a virtual map and made public for other Garmin Connect users to download and compete against your stats.  Additionally, you can modify your workout information to reflect what types of workouts you completed as well as share your data with your Facebook friends and so forth.  They’ve got millions of users and anyone looking for a workout partner at their fitness level, assuming they can’t find  one locally, will surely locate a virtual one here.

To upload your data, much like all of Garmin Forerunner devices, you just plug the included ANT+ USB stick into your computer, install the necessary plugins (one for your browser and one to make your computer work with the stick) and assuming you’ve got the ANT+ application running, the Forerunner 610 will automatically upload the data to your Garmin Connect account.  And as I learned during my test period, Garmin can issue Firmware updates this very same way, but instead of data sent from the watch it will be sent from your computer.

Magnetically adhering charging points – click to enlarge

Charging the Forerunner requires that you use the included USB plug, which sports a proprietary charging port and magnetically adheres to two charging points on the back of the watch.  It worked fine, and while some might be a bit disappointed that Garmin hasn’t managed to squeeze in a mini or micro USB port, they probably wouldn’t have been able to achieve an IPX7 rating since water would just gush through the port.

During my testing I was able to achieve about 7 days on a single charge using the Forerunner 4-5 times a week for about 1-2 hours at a time.  The 610 will automatically enter a power save mode if it doesn’t detect any activity after a few minutes, though it will warn you it is about to do so with a 30 second counter.  Tapping the screen will prevent this from happening.  Furthermore, powering on the watch will cause it to look for GPS satellites.  Tapping the screen ends this process and prompts the 610 to ask if you’re using the device inside, allowing you to conserve on battery life.

Uploaded workout mapped and graphed on Garmin Connect – click to enlarge

While we don’t know the type of touchscreen Forerunner 610 uses, we can undoubtedly tell you that it’s not capacitive since it works with gloves.  As a result, don’t expect pin point accuracy as you’ve come to demand from your iPhone or Android handset.  However, despite this, and its rather small size (1×1-inch), the 610′s screen, all things relative, is very accurate and reacts pretty damn quick.  On a few occasions I struggled to input my commands correctly, but since Garmin has made the menus large and not overly complicated it was a breeze and a pleasure to use.  As I’ve already mentioned a few times, the touchscreen of the Forerunner 610 fell short when trying to enter a name of a location, which presents you with much smaller buttons and thus the difficulty I was faced with.  For the sake of transparency, I don’t have banana hands, but I am over 6-feet tool so…

The Forerunner 610, while it isn’t leaps and bounds above their other Forerunner devices in the feature’s department, it’s far more streamlined and easier to use than any of Garmin’s previous models that I’ve tested.  But that’s not all, as the Forerunner 610s battery life is stellar – relatively speaking to GPS products – and appears as though it can survive whatever you throw at it thanks to the IPX7 rating.  If any, my biggest quip is that the screen is monochrome (I’m too accustom to my iPhone’s brilliant display) and the backlight could be a bit brighter.

Editor’s Rating:

5 out of 5 stars

Perfect

Bottom Line: The Forerunner 610 is the supreme workout companion for any athlete thanks to the touchscreen, rugged build and easy to use menus.

You can by the Garmin Forerunner 610 from Amazon for $399 with a heart rate monitor, or for $350 without.

Pros:

• Easier to use than any other Forerunner thanks to the touchscreen
• Decent battery life for a GPS watch
• IPX7 rating and solid build

Cons:

• Small 1×1 inch touchscreen can make selecting some menus a tad challenging
• Proprietary charging cable which means you can’t lose it or forget it
• Battery may not be user replaceable

12►

Doggies don’t give a crap about how they look, let alone where they are.  As long as they’re knee deep in no good, or simply sleeping under the shadow of a tree on a hot summer’s day, they couldn’t be happier.  However, owners might have something to say about that, and if you’ve ever lost your pooch or feline you know the experience can be heart wrenching.

The Tagg pet tracker is a small device that attaches to your pet’s collar.  Using a built-in GPS chip it relays the location of your pet by simply logging into the company’s website.  In the event fido has a tendency to run wild, as in beyond his confines, you can setup a zone notification, otherwise known as a “geofence,” which initiates an alert by text and email indicating his whereabouts.  Each Tagg tracker has a battery life that is good for up to 30 days and it will automatically notify you by text and email when it needs to be charged.  They’re water resistant, so inclement weather should be a non issue, though we don’t know what would happen if Rex took a dive in the local pond.

Tagg sells a master kit, which includes the tracker, a battery charger, USB and AC plug and one year of service for $199.95.  Each subsequent year of service costs $59.95 and if you buy more than one Tagg tracker, without a charging station, the price drops to $139.95, or $149.95 if you opt for a colored version.

Garmin’s line of Forerunner products has long been the choice of athletes across the globe.  They track just about every stat an exercise fanatic would like to know, such as heart rate, distance, speed, calories burned and more.  But triathletes, those who not only bike and run, also swim, and never has a Forerunner device been able to keep track of their fish like abilities, that is until now.

The Forerunner 910XT tracks the aforementioned assorment of data, but also keeps tabs on your detailed swim metrics. To be more specific, it can log your swim distance, stroke identification, stroke count and pool lengths.  It will also compute something called a SWOLF score, which is the sum of the time it takes you to complete one length of the pool plus your strokes.  So 15 second and 30 strokes gives you a SWOLF score of 45.

Like other Garmin devices, the Forerunner 910XT is compatible with their bike mount system, allowing it to be quickly transferred from the wrist to handlebars.  In addition to Garmin’s heart rate monitors, we can only assume the 910XT is compatible with their cadence sensors, though there is no mention of it in the press release, so here’s hoping.  And since you’ll clearly be going the distance with this GPS watch, both length and time wise, Garmin has given it a 20 hour battery life with all these features engaged.  Lastly, the Forerunner 910XT is compatible with Garmin Connect and their wireless ANT+ tech that transfers stored data wirelessly to a computer using an included USB stick.

The Garmin Forerunner 910XT will ship sometime this quarter for $449.99.

Garmin’s no stranger to the cycling world, which can be attested to by the release of the Edge 500 and 800.  However, both of those options are pricey, costing $250 and 450 respectively.  So the budget minded cyclist, the one that simply can’t justify spending a few thousand on a bike, probably has already negated the aforementioned units since they’re probably the equivalent price of a new frame or all together new bicycle.

So we’re not too surprised to see Garmin introduce a budget minded version, the Edge 200.  When it goes on sale in the next few weeks it will cost just $149.99.  Course, you won’t get a color touchscreen or ANT+ tech that connects it to a heart rate monitor or cadence sensor.  But we feel as though that’s a worthy sacrifice seeing as it still boasts the same ruggedness as the higher end version, enabling riders to expose it to even some of the most harshest of elements, including rain and probably some colder weather.  The high-sensitivity GPS receiver with HotFix satellite prediction should translate into very little wait time to find your location and the ability to track distance, calories burned and distance completed.

Much like most, if not all of Garmin’s products, riders will be able to share their data on Garmin Connects website (they’ve got a massive 70 million users), allowing them to face off against a virtual partner, track their workouts and find new routes no matter where they are in the world.  They just need to plug it into a computer and upload their data.

After what happened with the recent riots in London, it wouldn’t hurt to start planning for one closer to home. Like any other natural disaster, it doesn’t hurt to be a bit prepared, so that you’ll be able to withstand the heat, as well as fight back if need be.

7. STAY SAFE IN AN ARMORED CAR

If sh*t hits the fan, an armored vehicle will keep you safe, no matter where you’re at! The International Armored Group is a cool company that offers a wide variety of armored cars, so you can have anything from a BMW 7-Series to a Range Rover and your standard truck. You can even customize it to fit your individual needs.  And don’t forget about the Maruader armored car. Checkout Top Gear’s review.

6. KEEP AN EYE OUT

Be ready for any trouble with an outdoor home security camera. The Flood Light DVR security camera looks like a regular outdoor floodlight, but allows you to see if there are any trespassers on your property so that you’re ready for action if anything happens. It’s better to be safe than sorry!

5. A LITTLE WATER WON’T HURT

If you see a gang of people ready to get their loot on, the Jet Pulse Water Cannon System Kit will come in more than handy. Made from stainless steel, the kit has three water firing modes (short pulse, long pulse or continuous stream) so that you can do some damage with having to really harm anyone.

4. GET THE HELL OUT!

For when you accidently encounter a riot or a mob of anger people and you need to find another way, a GPS watch like Garmin’s Forerunner 610 watch  will help you find another way home. Although it’s made for running, it can still provide you with essential info you might need if you’re ever in the wrong place at the wrong time thanks to accurate GPS location, touchscreen interface and heart rate monitor so that you can tell your survival story of how fast your heart was beating when you almost got caught up on an angry mob!

3. TWO FOR ONE

When times get tough, gadgets that are multi-functional are always the best since you don’t have to go running around to get all your protective gear, making the Stun Baton Flashlight better than the baseball bat you keep by your bed. This heavy duty 16 1/2″ long strong beamed Stun Baton Flashlight is also a 130 db alarm and a 200,000 volt stun baton. It comes with an attachable red cone for signaling or danger warning.

2. GEAR UP

When all else fails, the best thing to do in case a riot occurs would be to gear up and put on some protection gear. Suiting up in some full body amour will get you pumped for action and safe from any violent blows.  We particulary like the Body Guard from David Brown.

1. INTENSIFY THE HEAT (video below)

When things get too hot and all else riot protection fails, play fire with fire and burn them. Yup, you heard right, BURN THEM! Currently in development is an Active Denial System, which is a new class of nonlethal weaponry that uses rays and energy to rapidly heat up someone’s skin, so essentially burning them. While stile not available, a nerdy geek friend can probably whip something up similar to it!

Magellan just got back into the GIS market with the eXplorist Pro 10, a Windows 6.5 powered handheld GPS unit. It has a rugged, IPX-7 rated waterproof case that sports a 3-inch, WQVGA transflective color touchscreen. Under the proverbial hood is a 533MHz processor with 128MB RAM and 4GB of built-in storage expandable by microSD card by up to 32GB. Juice comes by way of two AA disposable batteries that provides up to 15 hours of use.
Magellan says that the eXplorist Pro 10′s built-in GPS chip is accurate by up to 3 to 5 meters. Adding a a supported Bluetooth enabled GPS receiver improves accuracy to 1 – 3 meters. Rounding out the feature set includes a 3.2 megapixel sensor, an onboard voice recorder, a 3D compass, pressure altimeter and barometer.
The Magellan eXplorist Pro 10 is on sale now for $699.99.

The Magellan® eXplorist® Pro 10 GPS Receiver – Waterproof, Rugged, Built-in Bluetooth and Runs an Open Platform on Windows Mobile 6.5
SANTA CLARA, Calif., April 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Magellan, a pioneering GPS brand, today announced it’s re-entering the GIS market with the eXplorist Pro 10, a rugged, lightweight and waterproof GPS handheld device specifically designed for GPS/GIS data collection.
Featuring a vibrant 3-inch, WQVGA transflective color touchscreen, 533MHz processor and 128MB RAM, the eXplorist Pro 10 packs the power needed to work with maps and large data sets into a compact-handheld form factor. It comes with 4GB of onboard storage and is expandable with up to 32GB via microSDHC card slot, enabling large data sets such as aerial photos to be loaded easily.
With its rugged IPX-7 waterproof casing, the lightweight eXplorist Pro 10 is the ideal GIS data collection handheld device for GIS professionals seeking to collect GPS/GIS data. The Pro 10 can deliver 3 to 5 meters accuracy in real-time using its internal GPS receiver or work with a supported Bluetooth enabled GPS receiver to achieve sub-meter or 1-3 meter accuracy.
“Rugged environments, reliability and durability are today’s main challenges for GIS professionals,” said Sunnie Tsai, Sr. Director, product marketing for Magellan. “With flexible GPS accuracy options, built-in Bluetooth wireless technology and a high resolution camera, the Pro 10 handheld enhances productivity at a very affordable price.”
Built-in Bluetooth wireless technology enables users to connect laser rangefinders, barcode scanners, and other Bluetooth-enabled devices for convenient cable-free solutions.
Added features to help record data include a built-in 3.2 mega-pixel camera to capture geotagged photos and video, and an on-board voice recorder to enable hands-free note taking. The Pro 10 also includes a 3D compass, pressure altimeter and barometer. It can run up 15 hours on two standard AA batteries.
The palm-sized handheld is powered by the standard Windows Mobile v6.5 operating system. The Pro 10 is specifically developed as an open platform to run powerful GIS data collection programs such as ESRI’s ArcPad 10 as well as a wide range of other Windows Mobile data collection software programs.
The eXplorist Pro 10 is now available through Magellan’s GIS Distribution Channel for an MSRP of $699.99. To learn more, please visit www.magellangps.com/GIS.

Garmin unveiled their next flagship GPS fitness watch today, the Forerunner 610.  Like their previous fitness watches, the 610 includes auto lap, pace, heart rate, distance and time.  Runners can modify the screen to show up to 4 of these stats at any given time, or cycle through info by tapping the touchscreen. Garmin has built the Forerunner 610 to withstand inclement weather, as well as sweat, all the while still allowing users to access the touchscreen with gloves on.

Like past Garmin Forerunner devices, fitness fanatics can upload their workouts to Garmin’s Connect website and download other users’ routes and stats for a virtual trainer or partner in crime.  In addition to audible alerts, the Forerunner 610 includes a vibration feature that notifies runners of intervals and other note worthy information – ideal for those that run with headphones in their ears or jog in areas with a hefty amount of street noise.

The Training Effect feature, new to the Forerunner line, “measures the impact of exercise on aerobic fitness and lets you know how the workout improves your fitness during the workout”.  They’ve also added a run/walk training feature, which allows the auto lap feature to remain intact for joggers that run for a distance, walk and then continue to run – a growing trend.

The Forerunner 610 appears to be available direct from Garmin for $349.99.

Garmin® Adds Its First Touchscreen GPS Watch to Forerunner® Family

OLATHE, Kan.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced the Forerunner 610 sports watch – a slim, yet robust and weather-proof touchscreen solution for serious runners seeking an extra advantage. Forerunner 610 can stand up to rain, sweat and splashes, and is responsive enough that it can be operated with running gloves. Forerunner 610 was announced in preparation for world-class marathons in Boston and London as well as the Australian fitness expo where it will be prominently displayed at Garmin booths in each location.

“From giving the basics such as pace, distance and time to monitoring your effort through heart rate, creating interval workouts and racing a friend on the other side of the world, Forerunner 610 becomes a necessary partner for all serious runners.”

“Running with Forerunner 610 is like having a coach with you every step of the way,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “From giving the basics such as pace, distance and time to monitoring your effort through heart rate, creating interval workouts and racing a friend on the other side of the world, Forerunner 610 becomes a necessary partner for all serious runners.”

Now it is easier than ever to see how far, how fast and how hard you have worked. Forerunner 610 puts it all at your fingertips. Designed for the runner who is constantly seeking improvement, Forerunner 610 is Garmin’s new flagship model. Forerunner 610′s sleek stylish design complements the highly responsive touch screen and high resolution display. This innovative design has drawn praise from the International design community by winning the coveted Red Dot Design Award, the world’s largest and most renowned design competition in a field of thousands of submissions from over 60 countries. To see the Forerunner 610 in action, go to www.garmin.com/touch.
Forerunner 610 uses a vibration motor for alerts such as heart rate, pace and distance when audible tones cannot be heard (heart monitor included in some bundles or available separately). With the heart rate monitor, Forerunner 610 also allows runners to track their training intensity via the new Training Effect feature. With the right information, it is not necessary to be a coach or sports scientist to help you train effectively. Training Effect measures the impact of exercise on aerobic fitness and lets you know how the workout improves your fitness during the workout.

In a true race against the clock, Forerunner 610 introduces Virtual Racer™. With this new feature, Garmin has an answer for every excuse – no more, “I could have beaten that time” – where runners can race themselves over their previous bests or against other users’. These can be taken from runs stored on the watch or downloaded wirelessly from the huge and expanding Garmin Connect™ running community (http://connect.garmin.com). Here users can quickly and easily log their workouts, track their totals, set goals, share workouts with friends and family and participate in an online fitness community of more than 50 million activities around the world. Garmin Connect displays metrics such as time, distance, pace, elevation and heart rate. This information is shown through charts, illustrations, reports and a variety of map representations including street, photo, topographic, and elevation maps.

With the growing popularity of the run/walk training method in the distance running community (example: a runner runs for five minutes, walks for one minute and repeats for the duration of the course), Garmin has included a new run/walk alert. This alert allows Forerunner 610′s other features, such as, Auto Lap and Auto Pause, to remain active during a run/walk session.

Forerunner 610 is the latest breakthrough from Garmin, which has spent more than 20 years developing technologies and innovations to enhance users’ lives, making Garmin a household name in the automotive, aviation, marine, wireless, outdoor and fitness industries. For more about features, pricing and availability, as well as information about Garmin’s other products and services, go to www.garmin.com, www.garmin.blogs.com and http://twitter.com/garmin. To watch step-by-step, feature-specific tutorial videos for Forerunner 610 and other Garmin products, visit the online learning center at www.garmin.com/learningcenter.

While it ain’t a ground breaking piece of kit, Navigon’s just announced iPhone car kit has a certain allure other manufacturers haven’t been able to achieve.  We’re essentially referring to the arm that mounts the device to the windshield - it just looks like it’s dripping in high end Euro design.

But what ‘s really important to note is that it only costs $50.  The caveat you ask?  There is no built-in GPS so it won’t work with your iPod Touch, so it’s essentially a cradle that includes a cigarette adapter and 5′ cord.  Don’t get us wrong.  It’s nothing to snub your nose at, but it’s a simple as pie setup.

Right now Navigon is actually selling their iPhone Car Kit for $44.99 until February 3rd, where upon it will increase to the aforementioned price.  Their app, though, is just $25 (single region only), and provides a full featured GPS experience.  

NAVIGON Launches iPhone Car Kit at Macworld Expo 2011

Includes Design Mount that is Easy Fix to the Windshield, Car Charger and Extra-Long Connection Cable

Macworld Expo, Moscone Center, San Francisco, California, Booth #943 (January 27, 2011) —NAVIGON AG, a leading provider of mobile phone on-board navigation, today announced the launch of a design focused car kit for the iPhone at the Macworld Expo 2011. The NAVIGON Car Kit consists of an iPhone mounting device and designer suction pad holder, an Apple-certified connection cord and a car charger, which powers the iPhone while on the road.
“The iPhone is the most elegant smartphone available, therefore a mount should never get in the way of showcasing the design,” said Gerhard Mayr, vice-president worldwide mobile phones & new markets, NAVIGON. “The new NAVIGON car kit is a stylish example of German tech design with its “barely there” look, letting iPhone users navigate in style.” The mount is easy to fix to the windshield, reduces driver distraction and positions the iPhone for optimal GPS signal. The included car charger and the five foot long connection cable (combined $25 value) make sure the iPhone battery doesn’t drain. The NAVIGON Car Kit is now available for the iPhone 3G/S and 4 and sells for $49.99 with free shipping (introductory price of $44.99 until Feb 3, 2011) from www.bringmobi.com.

At the Macworld Expo, NAVIGON is located at booth #943. The company will give away 30 licenses for the award winning MobileNavigator app via a Twitter wall among attendees stopping by the booth. All that is necessary to enter the contest is to include a defined hashtag (#) (revealed at the show) in a tweet. Winners are announced each day at 4pm on Twitter.

NAVIGON MobileNavigator* is the first universal navigation app of a major GPS company that runs natively on the iPhone and the iPad. Users with MobileNavigator installed can use the app on both devices without extra charges. It utilizes the iPad’s large display and user interface with a higher resolution, and new menus. Route planning is convenient on the iPad, showing a large scrollable, multi-touch map to select destinations in simple taps. Users can plan their routes at home on the iPad and then send them to their iPhone for navigation on the go.

At the NAVIGON booth, attendees can also check out the NAVIGON help2park app, the first in a series of free single-feature apps for the iPhone that NAVIGON will release throughout 2011, marking the company’s 20th anniversary. help2park assists drivers with finding a parking spot nearby. A clean and easy to use interface helps to find parking options within a defined area – including addresses and distances from the current location. If NAVIGON’s MobileNavigator is installed on the iPhone, drivers are guided directly to the parking space of choice.

*MobileNavigator 1.7.0 is compatible with iPhone 4, 3GS and 3G and iPad 3G. The app also runs on first generation iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad WLAN, but third party accessories for GPS reception are required for these devices. *iOS4 multitasking is supported by the iPhone 4 and 3GS only.

For more information, please visit: www.navigon.com/iphone.

Well I sure hope this invention gets used for good. No need for remote controlled purse-snatching superdogs roaming the streets out there, and no need for poorly trained dog operators mistaking left for right because of lack of coffee, and leading dogs to take a misguided step off the nearest ravine.

This doggie backpack was though up and patched together at Auburn University, and it lets humans control dogs from literally miles away, using GPS coordonates. Kind of like a computer game without the jump button, since this only comes with vibrating side panels for telling your very well trained canine companion to go left or right.

Now I’m thinking this has the potential to either improve dog-human relationships a whole lot, or throw them down the nearest drain. It depends on how dogs feel about becoming Xbox replacements.

From the point of view of advantages, dogs get to move a lot faster if they don’t have to wait for a human, would track things faster and get over obstacles with more ease, and the three-four mile limit of the device means the human controller could even follow at a distance from a vehicle.

Add headphones to give the dog commands, a camera so you can see what he sees, and the system is complete. And maybe dogs can use the vibrator pads for massage when off duty.

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4 out of 5 stars

Pros:

• Works with the iPhone
• App includes a variety of settings to personalize your radar experience
• Free Cobra AURA database provides Google map locations of known speed traps and red light cameras in real time
• Slim car charger with built-in USB port

Cons:

• Standard radar detector form factor; it’s a bit large
• Doesn’t convey the direction of the radar being detected
• No battery for wireless operation

A standard radar detector works directly out of the box; plug in the power, mount it on the windshield and your ready to head off into the sunset exceeding the legal limit.  Cobra’s iRAD-100 iRadar Detector, however isn’t quite as simple an affair.  It links with the iPhone over Bluetooth to convey a variety of information on its screen ranging from red light cameras and speed trap locations on a map, to the type of radar it’s reading, to your car’s voltage output.

Included in the box is a slim and slender car charger with a built-in USB port for charging your iPhone simultaneously (or whatever USB gadget you so choose) and a windshield suction cup mount.  I particularly liked the charger, not only because I could piggy back another device on top of it, but because I drive a VW GTI which has an awkwardly small cigarette lighter plug that more often than not doesn’t allow chargers to be inserted – not the case with Cobra’s.

Before I received the Cobra iRadar I was under the impression that it was half the size of your standard radar detector. Makes sense, right?  After all, it doesn’t have a built-in screen and some of the processing power is presumambly passed onto the iPhone. Boy was I wrong.  It’s the same size as today’s other radar detectors and as a result doesn’t make it any less of a clandestine operation; I was hoping for something a bit more nonchalant that could be easily hidden.

iRadar volume knob and power switch

Situated on the left side of the Cobra iRadar is a volume knob that doubles as a power switch.  Click it beyond 0 and the iRadar’s voice announces that it’s ready to go – it goes up to a volume of 10, which at a stand still can be ear numbingly loud.  On top is a mute button and the front portion, which faces the driver, is adorned with an LED light that glows red when disconnected from the iPhone.  When a Bluetooth connection is made with the iPhone it will emit a chime and the LED will change to blue.

iRadar iPhone app settings menu

The Cobra iRadar app, while not an absolute necessity to operate the iRadar – the voice and audible alerts will notify you of an impending radar – does vastly increase the radar detectors function. Within the app’s “settings” menu you can toggle the detection of each band on or off – there are a myriad of choices along with an explanation of each – if you would like to auto mute alerts (lowers the volume after a few excruciating tones) and how you’d like to use the GPS (speed warning set by the user, known speed traps, red light camera warnings, dangerous intersections and notification of your user marked locations).  You can also toggle the type of alert (voice or tone) and if you’re driving in a city or highway, which decreases or increases the sensitivity of the iRadar, respectively.

iRadar iPhone app dashboard provides speed, compass, car voltage and radar detected

While in the Dashboard section of the app you’ll be able to view your current speed, the direction your heading and the car’s battery voltage.  In the event a radar is detected the iPhone’s screen will display the type of radar, or provide a visual icon with bold font as a heads up to an approaching red light camera or speed trap, as well as provide an audible alert (verbal or tone).

While the voltage features seems useless, it’s not.  If the iRadar detects that the voltage of the car has dropped, which happens when the motor is not engaged, it automatically turns the system off to prevent the vehicle’s battery from being drained.  Alternatively, you can enable SmartPower, which also detects when the car’s engine has been disabled, but instead of powering down, the iRadar enters a Low Power mode after 15 minutes,which can be awakened by simply hitting the mute button, turning the iRadar off then on, or turning the car back on.

iRadar map displays red light cameras, speed traps and user marked locations

Before heading out onto the open road you can view a map, which conveys known red light camera locations as well as speed traps.  This information is provided by Cobra’s AURA database, which is constantly being updated.  Speed traps are represented by “red eyes”, while red light cameras by “red cameras”.  If you’re already driving the iRadar’s built-in GPS will show your current location on a Google map in relation to these known locations.  The page flip button, which resides in the lower right corner of the screen allows you to toggle between your “real/false” user marked alerts, as well as select the frequency (1 week, 1 month, 6 months, 1 year or never) in which you liked to have them auto deleted – this won’t delete the AURA info.

As already alluded to, the iRadar system allows you, the user, to mark detected radar locations on the map – they appear along side Cobra’s AURA known locations.  Contrary to safety concerns, the app will prompt you during the time of detection to determine if the radar is “real” (denoted by a red flag on the map) or “false (denoted by a gray flag on the map).  This user “mark location” features is a handy, especially in a city that is scattered with false alerts.

The iRadar provides what Cobra claims is 360 degrees of protection from both laser and radar guns of all types.  While I’m a bit hesistant to agree with this statement since it depends on how you mount the iRadar, I can’t present evidence to prove otherwise. But last I heard you needed to mount detectors on the rear of your vehicle, or least facing backwards to truly achieve 360 degree coverage.

iRadar Cigarette plug is nice and slim and includes a USB port

During my initial testing of the iRadar I ran into a few problems.  Bluetooth connectivity was a bit spotty at times, the alert screens that showed the type of alert and its intensity didn’t always appear, and the map failed to include known speed trap or red light camera locations.  I’m pleased to report that an app update, which was just issued last week seems to have fixed all these problems.

In terms of actual use the iRadar consistently alerted me to the presence of red light cameras, although one of five instances it was after the fact, though the light was green at the time – no harm no foul.  Unfortunately (or fortunately), during my testing I did not run into any speed traps. Driving around Santa Monica and Los Angeles, CA caused the iRadar 9 times out of 10 to alert me to a K band, which according to the app is often found in automatic door openers – this is where the user marking feature earns its keep.

While there is nothing glaringly wrong with the Cobra iRadar, I had hoped for a slight bit more.  I would have warmly welcomed a battery, which means I wouldn’t have to drape a cord across my dash.  I would’ve also liked to know which direction the radar was coming from. And as already mentioned a smaller form factor, though I’m not sure it could be as effective.

At $130 the iRadar isn’t cheap in today’s market, but one thing is for sure, it’s stands alone as the best iPhone friendly solution, if not the only iPhone radar detector solution.  Just make sure you have a car mount that places your iPhone in easy viewing and reaching distance.

Amazon has the Cobra iRadar for a tad under $91 or select from one of the retailers below.

4 out of 5 stars

Pros:

• Shows GPS data, speed, temperature, and altitude on a crisp built-in display
• High-quality construction and design
• Lightweight feel when worn

Cons:

• Expensive
• Controls on the wrong side for power sports (throttle hand)
• GPS can be slow to acquire satellites

Goggles and sunglasses designer Zeal Optics has partnered with Recon Instruments to produce the Transcend GPS snow goggles. These are the first goggles to feature built-in GPS capability and an onboard display. The Transcend goggles provide real-time location, speed, and altitude data while you ski, snowboard, or snowmobile.

Out of the box the Transcend goggles are impressive. They feature Zeal’s contemporary styling, and have a substantial feel. Although they look a little bulky, the goggles do not feel heavy or too large when worn. They are well vented (I never had a fogging problem) and provide great visibility and optics.

But what really sets the Transcends apart from other goggles is the on-board GPS and data display. A small pod built into the lower edge of the right lens area contains a tiny color LCD display mounted behind a compact lens.

The quality of the display is impressively bright and crisp. The Zeal press materials claim the display creates a virtual image that appears to be about six feet in front of the user. However, don’t expect a heads-up-type display in which the data is superimposed on the view in front of you. In my experience, the display appears to be a foot or two away, similar to viewing a motorcycle speedometer or a GPS in your car.

I had a chance take a pair of Transcend goggles for a test drive. Since there is no snow on the ground in my part of the Northeast yet, I skipped the snowmobile and went for a motorcycle ride.

The Transcend goggles fit well in my MX-style helmet, and look like they would work equally well in a snowmobile helmet or ski or snowboard helmet. After I had the goggles adjusted to my face, I had no trouble viewing the display with a brief glance downward. The Transcends are comfortable, and do not make a lot of additional noise when moving.

Once under way I soon discovered a big drawback to the Transcend goggles for powersports use — the display controls are located on the right side. This means you use your throttle hand to change the display. The goggles are intended for action sports, so you would not want to mess with the controls in the middle of a run anyway, but the location of the controls makes changes while under way a no-go.

The controls themselves are three buttons located on the right temple area of the Transcend goggles. The buttons include up/forward, down/back, and select. The three buttons let you cycle through the display screens, change settings, and start/stop the stopwatch. The buttons are easy to use with gloves on, although sometimes pressing a button will push the goggles out of adjustment on your face.

On power up, the Transcend goggles attempt to synchronize with the GPS satellites. Compared to my Garmin Zumo, the Transcend GPS took much longer to achieve a lock. (To be fair, my test goggles had been shipped halfway across the country.) Once locked-in however, the Transcend never lost the GPS signal.

The control buttons easily move you through the data screens. Press the up or down button to scroll to the next screen; press select button to change any editable parameters. The available data screens include a dashboard showing speed, elapsed time for your run, and an optional parameter such as distance, altitude, or temperature. Other screens include a stopwatch/chronometer, vertical distance traveled, and others. You can also use the preferences screen to configure various display parameters.

When you set a new max speed or max altitude, the display pops up a notification screen. This is a pretty cool feature, although it gets a little distracting if you are, uh, constantly accelerating.

At the end of the day, you can connect the Transcend goggles to your PC using the included USB cable and download the data from your runs. You can view this data using the recon HQ application, which integrates Google Maps to visualize and play back your runs. I did find it a little confusing how the goggles determined what made up a “run”. The HQ software even lets you share your adventures to Twitter, Facebook, or Recon’s own online community.

The goggles have a lithium-ion rechargeable battery. Charging takes about 2 hours using the included AC adapter (they can also be recharged using USB). Zeal claims a run time of about 7 hours, which is supported by my experience. It is easy to leave the goggles on when you’re not wearing them, which will drain the battery faster.

The Transcend goggles come with a sturdy storage case, USB cable, AC power adapter, and a drawstring bag. The drawstring bag doubles as a quick-start guide, which is a nice touch.

The Recon-Zeal Transcend GPS snow goggles are available for order now from Zeal. Two models are available: the Transcend SPX with spherical polarized lenses (US$399) and the Transcend SPPX with spherical photochromatic polarized lenses (US$499).

New to golf?  If so you’ll inevitably struggle with not only the mechanics of the game, but what club to choose for each appropriate hole.  Enter the Garmin Approach S1 golf GPS watch.  Aside from acting as an everyday watch with alarm and auto time zone detection, it includes info about 14,000 golf courses in the US and Canada.

Once you step foot on the green you switch the S1 into golf mode and it will display all the near by golf courses to choose from.  One the appropriate course is selected it will provide three distances to each hole – front, middle and back of the green – with those details being updated automatically and adjusted depending on the angle of approach.  During play the Approach S1 will automatically transition from hole to hole and keep tabs on your shot-to-shot distance in addition to tallying total distance walked.

The Approach S1 has an ultra-thin backlit display, and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that lasts up to eight hours in GPS mode and up to three weeks in watch mode.  Too bad it doesn’t incorporate their ANT+ wireless tech and the ability to upload your game to their Garmin Connect service.

Garmin says that it is available now for $249.99.

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Today, Garmin expanded their line of GPS watches and introduced the Forerunner 410 and 210.

As you’d assume, both track cadence, pace, distance, calories burned, heart rate and route.  When finished you can upload the data wirelessly using the ANT+ technology, which is transmitted to an included USB stick that plugs directly into your computer.  Once uploaded you can share your data with other athletes as well as track your workouts.

Unlike other Garmin watches, the Forerunner and 210 and 410 are geared towards every day use.  They look small and nimble and include a power saving mode that turns off the GPS functionality and increases battery life from 8 hours to 2 weeks.  Both models have a rechargeable Li-ion battery and are water resistant making them ideal for use in the rain or the days when you’re sweating buckets.

The Garmin Forerunner 210 and 410 will go on sale Q4 for $299.99 and $324.99.

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Sony teaming up with navigations systems industry leader TomTom sure sounds like some heavy artillery being pushed around. They promise the “ultimate package of technology, innovation and style”, a match-up of TomTom’s mobile navigation chops and Sony’s undeniable audio-video mastery.

The new systems, XNV-770BT (7-inch widescreen display) and XNV-660BT (6.1-inch widescreen display) feature TomTom’s maps of the U.S and Canada, with a full year of free upgrades and all their advanced navigational technologies – all to numerous to talk about here.

Sony talks about the displays as being some of the brightest and highest contrast screens in the business, with fully capacitive touch motorized panels and USB-1 wire connectivity for synching with smartphones. The GI is described as stylist, with large buttons, and Bluetooth has not been left out.

Finally, audio is rendered through Sony’s Center Speaker Organizer system which creates a virtualized 5.1 channel surround sound that is highly customizable to the user’s tastes.

The models will cost $1,300 for the XNV-770BT and $1,000 for the XNV-660BT, available nationwide at Sony dealers.

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Contour’s new 1080p HD ContourGPS Headcam is one of the coolest ideas I’ve seen in awhile. Not just because it’s capable of capturing 1080p video on a headcam, but now you can capture GPS data that charts exactly where you are when you’re taking the video. The idea is that you film some crazy extreme mountain bike path (as you’ll see in the video below), and then others can find the exact route using Google Maps. Contour is launching a community to share the videos and coordinates, so people can go out all over the world and do extremely dangerous things in the name of social media. Sounds good to me. The ContourGPS is available now for $349.

Contour Introduces the World’s First GPS Hands-Free 1080p Video Camera

ContourGPS to usher in new era of location-based video

September 13, 2010 (Seattle, Wash.) – Contour, a market leader in the hands-free video camera category, introduces ContourGPS, the first hands-free video camera to incorporate real-time GPS data while shooting high-definition, 1080p video. To complement this new GPS camera, Contour is launching a unique location-based video community that allows users to share their stories, track adventures and discover new places.

“We’re excited to introduce location as the next innovation in hands-free video cameras,” says Marc Barros, Contour’s CEO. “GPS adds an exciting new element to video storytelling. It allows you to map your own adventures and discover new places posted by other users. Our seamless camera-to-community experience is like combining The Flip, YouTube and Google maps together into one simple, easy to use product.”

By means of an integrated GPS receiver, ContourGPS captures location once per second with near pinpoint accuracy. The GPS data, along with crisp HD footage, can then be easily edited using the new Contour Storyteller application. Compatible with Mac or PC, Contour Storyteller also makes it easy to organize videos, configure the camera and post stories online.

With the introduction of ContourGPS, Contour.com becomes the world’s first location-based video community, bringing video and mapping together into a rich user experience. Already home to thousands of videos from around the world, Contour.com will soon become the only community where users can watch an epic run down any mountain while tracking progress, speed and elevation on a map.

“We call this new form of storytelling “Video Mapping” states Barros. “The inclusion of GPS brings a whole new level of context to any video, making location, speed, time, and conditions as important as what you recorded.”

A rugged camcorder for the estimated 100 million outdoor enthusiasts around the world, ContourGPS makes it easy to capture video from within the action and share it online in seconds. Shipping world-wide over the coming days, ContourGPS ($349.99 MSRP) joins the company’s award-winning ContourHD model ($279.99) and is available at retailers such as REI, Amazon, Helmet Camera Central, and POV Cameras. Visit www.contour.com/camera to learn more or to find a complete list of retailers.

About Contour
Contour, formerly known as VholdR, is a market leader in the hands-free video camera category. Producing simple, thoughtfully designed and intuitive adventure storytelling tools, Contour, enables modern day explorers to use video and location-based video to relive and replay their personal tales of action, adventure and travel, sharing them with world at the touch of a button. For more information about Contour please visit www.contour.com.

Yesterday, Garmin recalled a crap load of devices.  Today, they’ve announced a new GPS built specifically for cyclist, the Edge 800.

Apparently, it combines the best traits of the Edge 705 and 500, but adds a 2.6-inch touchscreen and slimmer body.  Much like all of Garmin’s GPS units for outdoor activity you can tracks speed, altitude, distance and more.  New to this device is Garmin’s Basecamp, which allows you to survey the terrain, view elevation changes and plan your route.  Also included is Garmin’s Connect software which lets you connect your routes and experiences with other Garmin uses at their online portal.

Price?  $450.

For full details hit the ‘read’ button.

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