Triton 2000... I want the features...

[+blazerfan]

When I go geocaching it is often an ordeal. I can't count how many times I've been standing on a shakey rock trying to steady myself with one hand while holding my gps in the other and thinking to myself that if I fall I'll smash the camera in my pocket (or my PDA). Other times I just forget to pack my camera.

 

Then I see the Triton 2000 and I thought my problems could be over. Built in camera and flashlight... I need these things.

 

I'm a Garmin person though... I have a legend and a 60Csx (I haven't had the csx very log either).

 

So are the problems with the Triton series so bad that I should not even consider it? Why can't Garmin just make a better one?

 

I suppose this is more of a rant but I'd appriciated hearing the good and bad of a triton 2000 I didn't find too much searching

[+ryan3295]

You could always check out http://www.tritonforum.com/ alot of information there!

[+verdugan]

I suppose this is more of a rant but I'd appriciated hearing the good and bad of a triton 2000 I didn't find too much searching

 

I had a Triton 2000 for a month. More accurately, I had 3 of them. The first one wouldn't get a sat signal. I couldn't calibrate the compass on the second one (was told that it was a known problem and a firmware update in a couple of days would fix it), and finally the third one which kind of works.

 

The camera? It's 2MP, which is ok for basic pictures. I always carry my phone, so I'll have a camera with the same resolution. This wasn't my main reason for getting it.

 

The maps? The basemap is completely useless. Magellan doesn't sell any maps for the Triton yet. They are coming soon. You can still use their old Topo USA with a bit of a workaround (save to hard drive, import into VantagePoint, upload into GPS). The National Geographic maps are waaaay cool. The problem is that you can only transfer small chunks at a time or the upload will fail. Also, some owners have reported that if you upload a large area, the maps will be off. Again, a firmware upgrade is coming.

 

The touchscreen is pretty cool, but it's not very well implemented. There is no X to quit out of any menu. You have to exit by pressing the ESC button, which is a pain. Some of the menus cut off some of the options, so it's hard to read. I found the scroll bars very thin and hard to use with the touchscreen.

 

The 3-axis compass is really cool. It sure beats the 2 axis one that Garmin has. Although, I never found a problem to hold the Garmin one level. It can be a pain to calibrate the compass. What made me finally decide to return it was the fact that after changing the batteries I couldn't calibrate the compass. It's very touchy.

 

I only experienced a crash once (blue screen of death requiring pulling out the batteries). Others have experienced more. There are lots of features that will be implemented in the future. Feature that I think are pretty basic. When? Who knows. Read the tritonforum.com site for more details.

 

Finally, Magellan itself. I called Tech Support once. The lady was clearly in India. It was a bit hard to understand her, but she was nice. All she could tell me was that the firmware update was coming in a few days. It's been almost a month and a half and there is no firmware still.

 

When I went to return my Triton to REI last week, the GPS guy told me that Magellan had recalled all of the Tritons due to a software issue. Magellan has my email address. It would've been nice of them to contact me to at least acknowledge the problems.

 

You mentioned Geocaching, right? Lots of bugs there. Forget about transferring a large number of caches, it will not work. The search function for caches doesn't work at the moment (firmware update should fix that). It doesn't contain all the info that the Colorado does. And I don't think a firmware update will address that.

 

So the Triton looks great on paper, but Magellan screwed up the execution. I don't mind being a beta tester (price of being an early adopter) as long as I'm confident that the company is working on addressing the issues. I didn't get that warm and fuzzy feeling from Magellan.

 

I bought a Colorado and I'm much happier. It's not perfect, but I have more confidence in Garmin addressing the problems sooner rather than later. I gave up the camera, 3-axis compass, touchscreen, and NG maps. But I gained a usable basemap, and a usable unit.

 

I suggest you buy your GPS from a store with a really good return policy (like REI).

 

Hope this helped.

Edited February 5, 2008 by verdugan

[+Prime Suspect]

When I went to return my Triton to REI last week, the GPS guy told me that Magellan had recalled all of the Tritons due to a software issue. Magellan has my email address. It would've been nice of them to contact me to at least acknowledge the problems.

 

It was my understanding that REI, not Magellan, initiated the "recall", which is not really a recall. REI got tired of dealing with the problems, and had the stores pack up whatever stock they had, and shipped 'em back.

 

If it was a true recall, they wouldn't still be available at other outlets.

[+blazerfan]

Hmmm after reading in the Triton forum and the post above I think I'll just stick to my 60Csx for now and hope that the problems get solved or Garmin comes out with something equal.

 

I guess I'll just have to keep my packpack filled with multiple gadgets... but it would be so nice to just pack one gadget that does it all.

[+verdugan]

It was my understanding that REI, not Magellan, initiated the "recall", which is not really a recall. REI got tired of dealing with the problems, and had the stores pack up whatever stock they had, and shipped 'em back.

 

If it was a true recall, they wouldn't still be available at other outlets.

 

If that's the case, then he used 'recall' incorrectly. Either way, there are problems with the software. Magellan could be doing a better job of handling it, forget technically, from a PR point of view.

 

If they had managed the bad PR better, I might have kept my Triton.

[+miniwhip]

Paperless caching will be possible with the Triton:

 

 

 

I'm beta testing an engineering build for the 2000 as we speak.

Things are much improved!

[robertlipe]

Is the hint scrollable when it doesn't fit in the box? How about if it's encoded?

 

Evidently you're not under NDA for that engineering build.

[+Marky]

Is the hint scrollable when it doesn't fit in the box? How about if it's encoded?

 

Evidently you're not under NDA for that engineering build.

The boxes grow, and the whole screen is scrollable. The hint is on top, which is very, very lame. It obviously shows that no cacher feedback was taken for this screen. The hint should be on a separate screen. I don't want to see the hint unless I need it.

 

I was never told that I was under an NDA.

 

--Marky

[+miniwhip]

Is the hint scrollable when it doesn't fit in the box? How about if it's encoded?

 

Evidently you're not under NDA for that engineering build.

 

No NDA, just mutual respect. My contact doesn't have to share anything with me, but he does, so I respect that. I asked before I posted these pictures. I got the green light, so here they are.

 

BTW thanks for your work on GPSBabel, use it all the time!

[+RRLover]

Is the hint scrollable when it doesn't fit in the box? How about if it's encoded?

 

Evidently you're not under NDA for that engineering build.

 

No NDA, just mutual respect. My contact doesn't have to share anything with me, but he does, so I respect that. I asked before I posted these pictures. I got the green light, so here they are.

 

BTW thanks for your work on GPSBabel, use it all the time!

Could you ask your contact if us eXplorist owners will flounder long, or get the swirling water treatment?

Regarding WAAS.

 

A 'Fox on the Rocks' wants to know if there's a happy ending to this 'Nursery Cryme'!

Norm

Edited February 27, 2008 by RRLover

[robertlipe]

Glad you've made the inside circle, Miniwhip. More Fool Me, I've just been Counting Out Time until It's Gonna Get Better and they release actual developer protocol info on those things so, you can use GPSBabel (and thus GSAK, Google Earth, and a few dozen other apps) on this line. Perhaps I'm Taking It All Too Hard, but their plans to release developer info were like a Fly On A Windshield.

 

Marky, Miniwhip, does this version do something sensible with a hint that's partially encoded?

 

No, Fox on the Rocks, you must Trot away while wearing a dress. :-)

[+Marky]

A 'Fox on the Rocks' wants to know if there's a happy ending to this 'Nursery Cryme'!

Norm, "Like it or not, like what you got" is the only advice I have for you.

[+RRLover]

No, Fox on the Rocks, you must Trot away while wearing a dress. :-)

Just so long as I don't have to go see the Slipper Men, or Lie down on Broadway,

like some lambs I know.

That's the secret to getting a fix from Magellan? What a Revelation.

Time to dolly-up. "There's Winston Churchill dressed in drag . . . What a drag!"

I guess you have to come out, to get in.

Foxtrot tour, Seattle, Supper's Ready(Apocalypse in 9/8) , I've never been the same since,

nor have my retinas, ONE BRIGHT FLASH! could feel the heat four rows back.

And the stage was completely different when focus returned.

 

Norm

Edited February 28, 2008 by RRLover

[+cammanron]

Paperless caching will be possible with the Triton:

 

 

 

I'm beta testing an engineering build for the 2000 as we speak.

Things are much improved!

 

Paperless caching is also available in the Garmin GPSMAP series (I have the 60cx). Just create Custom POI's, and you can have all sorts of info in the same manner.