|
 Satellite navigation company Garmin has launched a new GPS that it’s calling its ‘most versatile GPS for the serious adventurer.’
The Montana handheld GPS device can be used on foot, on the water and even for directions in the car. It has a glove-friendly touchscreen, is fully waterproof and is apparently ‘capable of withstanding all the mud and grit you can throw at it’ so it sounds pretty outdoors-friendly. It also runs on two different types of batteries – a lightweight lithium ion battery pack, lasting up to 16 hours, for when you have access to power in the evenings, or three AA batteries for when you’re somewhere remote.
“Montana was designed to be rugged, portable and incredibly versatile for people who are always after adventure,” says Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “We now have one device to fulfil all of your GPS needs. From navigating in your boat or traversing the back country in your 4 x4, to hiking the Austrian Alps and even receiving spoken turn-by-turn directions on the way to the shops – Montana has the flexibility and mapping compatibility to do whatever you need it to.”
 Other good bits of the Montana include a five-megapixel autofocus camera (on the 650 and 650t models) – each photo is automatically geotagged and they can also be viewed on the gadget in sunlight-friendly colour. There’s also a barometric altimeter for elevation profiling, a three-axis compass, a hardy mount if you’re planning to take it on a motorbike or over rough terrain in a 4x4 and a bigger screen than on previous models – it’s 10.2cm diagonally.
The Montana comes in three models: the 600 with worldwide basemap; the 650 with worldwide basemap and the camera; and the 650t with worldwide basemap, 100k Euro Topo mapping and the camera. Prices start from £429.99 for the Montana 600, £499.99 for the Montana 650 and £549.99 for the Montana 650t and they’re due to go on sale in mid-June. For more, see www.garmin.co.uk.
And we’re looking forward to getting one to test to see how much mud and grit it will withstand...
 |
