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Garmin Officially Announces Oregon 550 and 550t


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Looks like the difference between the 550t and the 400t are the

 

  • Enhanced Sunlight Readable Screen
  • 3-axis compass
  • 3.2MP camera
  • It comes with a set of rechargeable AAs with charger

I'm curious how much better the screen is than the one on the 400t...

 

 

Picture perfect: Garmin® Oregon® 550 with built-in camera offers touchscreen GPS for all seasons, all reasons

 

OLATHE, Kan./May 7, 2009/Business Wire - Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced the Oregon 550 and Oregon 550t touchscreen handheld GPS devices, integrating a 3.2 megapixel digital camera, which creates geotagged images, and a 3-axis compass into the popular series of intuitive touchscreen handhelds. The waterproof Oregon 550's easy-to-use interface and versatile features make it the ideal solution for customers looking for a multipurpose GPS device.

 

"As everyone looks for ways to do more with less, Oregon 550 and Oregon 550t can be the one GPS device you turn to for all of your activities, in any climate, on any terrain, at any time of year," said Dan Bartel, Garmin's vice president of worldwide sales. "Easy enough for beginners to master, Oregon will guide you in your adventures, capture the highlights and bring them back home."

 

There's no need to tote a separate camera in your pack or pocket as Oregon 550's 3.2 megapixel autofocus digital camera with 4x digital zoom automatically geotags each photo with the location of where it was taken, allowing you to mark, remember and navigate back to that exact spot in the future. With this waterproof digital camera, you can take and view pictures in landscape or portrait orientation, and 850 MB of internal memory offers ample storage. These pictures can then be printed or stored and shared online, making every trip even more memorable. Once your Oregon 550 is connected via USB, you can use my.Garmin.com to detect Oregon's photos, simplify the selection and uploading processes and then store those photos on Picasa, a popular online photo sharing community for friends and families around the world.

 

The built-in 3-axis compass and enhanced sunlight-readable touchscreen are two other key additions to the Oregon 550 and Oregon 550t (which features preloaded 100K topo maps for the entire U.S. in state-of-the-art 3D elevation perspective). The 3-axis tilt-compensated electronic compass shows your heading even when you're standing still, without holding it level. And Oregon's glove-friendly, color 3-inch touchscreen display is brighter and easier than ever to read and use in all conditions, responsive to the touch of your finger, yet resistant to the forces of nature. Weighing only 6.8 ounces, the Oregon 550 and Oregon 550t come with two precharged AA NiMH batteries. These batteries provide up to 16 hours of life on a single charge and don't lose energy when not in use. The included battery charger saves you money and reduces waste as batteries get recharged and reused. Also in the box is a carabiner clip and USB cable for high-speed USB connections. A microSD card slot provides even more storage for photos, mapping and memory and allows you to view pictures from other devices with Oregon's picture viewer.

 

Highlighting its versatility, Oregon lets you customize five profiles - automotive, marine, recreation, fitness or geocaching - making the most useful features the easiest to access through shortcuts.

 

On the trail: With its high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver and HotFix™ satellite prediction, Oregon 550 locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover and deep canyons. And you can store up to 2,000 waypoints, 200 routes, 5,000 geocaches and a tracklog of up to 10,000 points and 200 saved tracks. On the mountain: The built-in barometric altimeter tracks changes in pressure to pinpoint your precise altitude, and you can keep an eye on changing weather conditions by plotting pressure over time. On vacation: Explore with confidence, thanks to the detailed U.S. topographic maps preloaded in the 550t or the worldwide shaded relief basemap in the 550. On a mission: The simple-to-use touchscreen interface makes it easy to navigate efficiently and tackle your task quickly. In a group: With Oregon 550, you can share your waypoints, tracks, routes and geocaches wirelessly other Oregon and Colorado users. Out geocaching: Go paperless with Oregon, which can store up to 5,000 caches, by quickly downloading cache information from Geocaching.com. Oregon stores and displays key information such as location, terrain, difficulty, hints and description, so that you don't have to tote printouts with you. (And lucky geocachers may even stumble upon a limited-edition Oregon geocoin.)

 

And Oregon does the work of several devices, just by adding various accessories to suit your activity or optional MapSource® microSD cards preloaded with detailed maps.

 

On the road: Optional City Navigator mapping provides detailed street maps, millions of preloaded points of interest and onscreen turn-by-turn directions to your destination, and an optional Auto Nav kit adds a suction mount and car charger. On a hunt or on a hike: Using a separate TOPO U.S. 24K DVD or microSD card brings you the highest level of topographic detail available, with maps comparable to 1:24,000 scale USGS maps, featuring terrain contours, topo elevations, summits, routable roads and trails, parks, coastlines, rivers, lakes and geographical points. On the water: Add BlueChart® g2 maps, which provide everything you need for a great day on the water, including depth contours, navaids and harbors. On the run or on a bike: Ideal for a trail workout, the lightweight Oregon is compatible with Garmin's heart-rate monitors and speed/cadence sensors, and an optional handlebar mount makes it easy to track your speed, distance, elevation and location.

 

And wherever you are, whatever you're doing and whomever you're with, you'll always have Oregon 550's built-in camera to capture the moment, record the location and share the memories.

 

Oregon 550 and Oregon 550t are the latest breakthroughs from Garmin, which has spent 20 years using technology and innovation 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/jakesjournal.

 

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. For more information, visit Garmin's virtual pressroom at www.garmin.com/pressroom or contact the Media Relations department at 913-397-8200. Garmin and Oregon are registered trademarks, Colorado and HotFix are trademarks and Garmin Connect is a service mark of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.

 

Groundspeak, Inc. of Seattle, Washington, is a privately held company focused on worldwide location-based entertainment. Groundspeak's portfolio includes Geocaching.com, Waymarking.com and Wherigo.com. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Notice on forward-looking statements:

This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. All statements regarding the company's future product introductions are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on management's current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 27, 2008, filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 0-31983). A copy of Garmin's Form 10-K can be downloaded at www.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/finReports.html. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

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Edited by obsidianspider
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I'm curious how much better the screen is than the one on the 400t...
Me too.

 

If it is that much more readable, it might just be worth getting! Not for the crappy camera, but for the better screen :)

 

PS: 3.2 Megapixels!? WTF! What were they thinking!? Mobile phones come with 5 megapixels these days! (Nokia N82 for example) And why couldn't they make the AA's and charger an option? Not like their batteries are any better then Eneloops or Sanyo's.

Edited by crewone
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If it is that much more readable, it might just be worth getting! Not for the crappy camera, but for the better screen :)

 

PS: 3.2 Megapixels!? WTF! What were they thinking!? Mobile phones come with 5 megapixels these days! (Nokia N82 for example)

 

Perfect for capturing those co-ordinates for the next stage, or a quick pic to upload to a geotagging site. I don't see the need for higher res. The Oregon is all about being an all-in-one unit.. I'm a fan of device convergence, one less item to carry is fine by me. This unit is going to become the most competent road-routing, topo-hiking, paperless geocaching, geotagging beast out there... and it has a simple, very functional UI and backend processes so it's great for newbies and advanced users.

 

Assuming it's not full of bugs at release.. :blink:

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Why the Camera? Don't find a need for that the phone I have is a better Camera. What I do have a need for is something that locks on better than this Vista Hcx I now have.

 

Well as somone once said, "it's better to have any camera at all, than a better one that's currently at home" :) The photo Geotagging option would be useful for some/many people, but too bad the Oregon only has "digital zoom" not optical.. Digital zoom is something you can do with any photo on the home PC..

 

And wow if you are unhappy with your Vista HCx's ability to achieve signal lock! I don't think I've every heard anyone complaining about that. Your unit might have some sort of problem.

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I'd be VERY curious to know jusy how much "better" or more "Enhanced" the screen is over the 400.

 

The 400 is a little hard to read.... but leavin gthe backlight on does help, but sucks the life out of the battery quicker.

 

ANyone who takes the pluge for the 500, please post here you opinion and pics if you have them.

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If it is that much more readable, it might just be worth getting! Not for the crappy camera, but for the better screen :)

 

PS: 3.2 Megapixels!? WTF! What were they thinking!? Mobile phones come with 5 megapixels these days! (Nokia N82 for example)

 

Perfect for capturing those co-ordinates for the next stage, or a quick pic to upload to a geotagging site. I don't see the need for higher res. The Oregon is all about being an all-in-one unit.. I'm a fan of device convergence, one less item to carry is fine by me. This unit is going to become the most competent road-routing, topo-hiking, paperless geocaching, geotagging beast out there... and it has a simple, very functional UI and backend processes so it's great for newbies and advanced users.

 

Assuming it's not full of bugs at release.. :blink:

 

WOW!!! Did you get paid to say that?? :P

 

As long as it is priced reasonably, then I think it will sell very well. The camera is not intended for award winning photography. 3.2 is ideal for taking quick photos of stages etc. I like the compass if it works.

 

I suspect this unit is the reason we have seen significant improvements in the OR firmware. Clearly it is Garmin's chosen platform moving forward.

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I would rather they put in a faster processor than waste resources on a camera. I hope they come out with a model that doesn't have the camera at a lower price.

 

and call it the Oregon 500 and 500t

Edited by jcc123
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I'm curious how much better the screen is than the one on the 400t...
Me too.

 

If it is that much more readable, it might just be worth getting! Not for the crappy camera, but for the better screen :)

 

PS: 3.2 Megapixels!? WTF! What were they thinking!? Mobile phones come with 5 megapixels these days! (Nokia N82 for example) And why couldn't they make the AA's and charger an option? Not like their batteries are any better then Eneloops or Sanyo's.

 

Have you ever seen a picture taken with a cell phone that remotely looks 'ok'?

They are all terrible, 1 M to 10000 M pixel.

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Updates:

 

Availability - July

 

Links:

Garmin Oregon 550

Garmin Oregon 550t

 

Compare 400t and 550t

 

Per the comparison above, of the 400t & 550t, the Display Resolution is still the same I wonder what they did to improve screen visibilty? Shows built in memory as 850MB which is less than the 400t. Waypoint storage has gone from 1,000 to 2,000, Route storage has gone from 50 to 200, and Track Log storage has gone from 20 to 200.

 

 

Have any of these stated stroage capacities aleady been increased on the 400t from software updates?

Edited by eaparks
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G O Cashers......

Maybe you could check the possibility of any change in chipset for the 550t?

 

I don't have any reason to believe that there has been, but with a screen change ,high speed USB, increased wpt/cache /track#s and maybe as a fix for WAAS reception/trackpoint "jumpyness" etc, it does make me wonder if that might not be a possibility.

 

You definitely know more places/sources to look/compare than I do.

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The camera/GPS solution is the ultimate for field work that requires alot of photo's. It's easy to lose track of which photo's were taken where.

 

For all the folks who are complaining about a mere 3.2 megapixels I have this to say. Your probably not going to enter any photo contests with the images captured by this unit anyway. If your taking photo's for geocaching your not going to want a 8MP image, you'll just have to shrink it down to make it web compatible. If I'm out for field work and snapping alot of data-pictures I'm not going to want huge photo files. I think the real question will be the quality of image with the 3.2 sensor and the optics. Those involved in a "race-to-the-moon" with the amount of pixels might pass on the 550. I think it's just fine.

 

As soon as a pre-order is available I'm on it!!

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Updates:

 

Availability - July

 

Links:

Garmin Oregon 550

Garmin Oregon 550t

 

Compare 400t and 550t

 

Per the comparison above, of the 400t & 550t, the Display Resolution is still the same I wonder what they did to improve screen visibilty? Shows built in memory as 850MB which is less than the 400t. Waypoint storage has gone from 1,000 to 2,000, Route storage has gone from 50 to 200, and Track Log storage has gone from 20 to 200.

 

 

Have any of these stated stroage capacities aleady been increased on the 400t from software updates?

 

That was along the lines of my post above......... possibly a NEW screen?, possibly a NEW chipset? (Just curious-not trying to start any rumors).

Like when they came out with the new chipset for E-Trex series, Just said "High Sensitivity" , which it was, but it wasn't SIRFlll, that everyone was expecting/hoping for, and which has been a source of "drift"problems.

They didn't identify it then and they wouldn't identify it now as an advertised "Change"

 

I just think it might be worth investigating by someone more knowlegable than I.

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The 400t only has 1G of free memory so moving down to 850MB isn't a big deal. Probably marketing numbers either way, I wouldn't be surprised if they had exactly the same specs as the 300 (850MB) and 400t (1G).

 

I doubt the Garmin is changing chipsets on the 550, but I was surprised when they did between the CO and OR. Seems like there are some hardware changes with the camera, 3-way compass/accelerometer and USB2.0 so its possible but not probable. I'll certainly be keeping an eye out and will be getting one as soon as I can.

 

I wouldn't not be surprised to find out the improved readability for the screen is related to being able to turn up the backlight further (as when you are running from external power). I also find it difficult to believe that they've changed screens but there's always hope.

 

One thing Garmin hasn't shown yet is the lens for the camera and how it is protected and kept waterproof. I'd like to see that photo!

Link to comment
Updates:

 

Availability - July

 

Links:

Garmin Oregon 550

Garmin Oregon 550t

 

Compare 400t and 550t

 

Per the comparison above, of the 400t & 550t, the Display Resolution is still the same I wonder what they did to improve screen visibilty? Shows built in memory as 850MB which is less than the 400t. Waypoint storage has gone from 1,000 to 2,000, Route storage has gone from 50 to 200, and Track Log storage has gone from 20 to 200.

 

 

Have any of these stated stroage capacities aleady been increased on the 400t from software updates?

 

eaparks,

 

I noticed the memory statement too... but on that comparison screen it shows 850MB as the meory for the 400t as well.... and we both know that is wrong ( it's 4GB factory installed).

 

I believe Garmin has been stating the amount of FREE memory after the maps/charts etc are loaded.

 

Since they both show 850MB, I suspect that 550t really has the same 4GB as the 400t.

 

But I do wonder where all the other increases have come from.... some sort of new software/firmware or perhaps the meory is MORE than 400t and has been held in reserve for the additonal items.

 

Oddly... the specs for the regular 550 that come without any maps pre-loaded also shows 850MB of memory. So I think something is not accurate.

Edited by pratzert
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Well now I have a decision to make. I just picked up the Oregon 400t at REI yesterday ($350 after sale and rebate). I'm not so much concerned about the camera however if there's an improvement to the screen on the 550 series I may think about returning this one. Hopefully we'll get the answer as far as any screen improvements sooner rather than later.

Link to comment
Updates:

 

Availability - July

 

Links:

Garmin Oregon 550

Garmin Oregon 550t

 

Compare 400t and 550t

 

Per the comparison above, of the 400t & 550t, the Display Resolution is still the same I wonder what they did to improve screen visibilty? Shows built in memory as 850MB which is less than the 400t. Waypoint storage has gone from 1,000 to 2,000, Route storage has gone from 50 to 200, and Track Log storage has gone from 20 to 200.

 

 

Have any of these stated stroage capacities aleady been increased on the 400t from software updates?

 

eaparks,

 

I noticed the memory statement too... but on that comparison screen it shows 850MB as the meory for the 400t as well.... and we both know that is wrong ( it's 4GB factory installed).

 

I believe Garmin has been stating the amount of FREE memory after the maps/charts etc are loaded.

 

Since they both show 850MB, I suspect that 550t really has the same 4GB as the 400t.

 

But I do wonder where all the other increases have come from.... some sort of new software/firmware or perhaps the memory is MORE than 400t and has been held in reserve for the additional items.

 

Oddly... the specs for the regular 550 that come without any maps pre-loaded also shows 850MB of memory. So I think something is not accurate.

 

Let's hope so. The 1GB free memory on the 400t isn't enough now to load all of City Navigator 2010.1 w/traffic. Kind of nice to leave CityNav on the internal memory and the microSD's gmapsupp.img file free for map swapping. Also, here's to the hope that the "high speed USB" puts the file loading on par with pulling the microSD and sticking it in an external card reader.

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Well now I have a decision to make. I just picked up the Oregon 400t at REI yesterday ($350 after sale and rebate). I'm not so much concerned about the camera however if there's an improvement to the screen on the 550 series I may think about returning this one. Hopefully we'll get the answer as far as any screen improvements sooner rather than later.

 

Kinetic27,

 

I am in exactly the same situation. I just picked up a 400t from REI also.

 

I read that the new 550t is not due out until July or so.....

 

Do we return the 400t or keep it since it a ppretty good price with the rebate.

 

But although price is important... I would be willing to pay more for a better, more readable screen.

 

I wish we could get some preliminary review of the screen readability from someone who got their hands on a unit for testing or review prior to it's availablity for sale to the general public.

 

What if we return the units to the store and later find that the 550t really does not have a better screen ?

 

Yes... there a few other "improvements" I like, particularly the Faster USB, but would that alone make it worth another $100-200 over and above the 400t ? I don't think so.

 

What do all you other 400t owners and prospective owners think ?

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Memory specs are for free space so the 550/550t are probably same base 1G/4G config as the 300/400t minus the maps and about 100-150MB Garmin takes away (I'm assuming that this is for internal databases, etc).

 

BTW, the 550 does include a worldbase map like the 300 which takes up a few 10's of MB from what I remember.

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Well now I have a decision to make. I just picked up the Oregon 400t at REI yesterday ($350 after sale and rebate).

I thought the sale excluded GPS units? What coupon/discount did you use?

 

Currently the Oregon 400t is on sale at REI for $399. There's also a $50 mail-in rebate from Garmin that you can use on a purchase made by May 10th. I believe REI's sale ends May 10th as well but I may be wrong.

 

I also remember seeing one of the Colorados on sale for $199 there as well.

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I wouldn't not be surprised to find out the improved readability for the screen is related to being able to turn up the backlight further (as when you are running from external power). I also find it difficult to believe that they've changed screens but there's always hope.

 

I would not be surprised either if the improved screen readability amounts to a higher intensity backlight, since screen size, type, and pixel density/resolution show to be unchanged and if that is the case then I would also think software updates could do the same on the present Oregons. Wether or not Garmin would make such a software change (if that happens to be the case) might be questionable since it would most likely hurt the sales of the 500 series, since everyone would like a better visible screen.

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2 AA NiMH batteries included

 

high-speed USB and NMEA 0183 compatible

 

tilt-compensated, 3-axis

 

camera: (3.2 megapixel with autofocus; 4x digital zoom)

 

With 1000 more waypoints and 150 more routes and 180 more thacks saved.

 

Don't know if I want to pay $600 for that since you can still get the 400t for

$400.

then after the 10th the two are the same price. wonder what problems the camera will bring. LOL

Edited by Buddaman
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Well now I have a decision to make. I just picked up the Oregon 400t at REI yesterday ($350 after sale and rebate).

 

Thinking the same thing as I'll probably get my 400t tomorrow. Since REI has a 100% satisfaction guarantee... in theory, we could exchange the 400t for a 550t (+ price difference) when it comes out.

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I've updated my post on GPSFix to include a new video from Garmin showing the unit in action. I've also pulled a shot out of the video which shows the camera lens location. I'm surprised it isn't covered (at least from the video it doesn't look that way.

 

If Garmin was trying to show how good the new screen is in direct sunlight they completely failed -- the video is a representation of how bad the current series is bright daylight. I don't see any improvement.

 

GPSCity has the 550/550ton their site now for list price marked as available on 7/24 although the guy I talked to said Garmin is projecting a mid-June ship right now.

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If Garmin was trying to show how good the new screen is in direct sunlight they completely failed -- the video is a representation of how bad the current series is bright daylight. I don't see any improvement.

 

 

Agreed...looks like normal to me.

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Well now I have a decision to make. I just picked up the Oregon 400t at REI yesterday ($350 after sale and rebate).

I thought the sale excluded GPS units? What coupon/discount did you use?

 

Currently the Oregon 400t is on sale at REI for $399. There's also a $50 mail-in rebate from Garmin that you can use on a purchase made by May 10th. I believe REI's sale ends May 10th as well but I may be wrong.

 

I also remember seeing one of the Colorados on sale for $199 there as well.

That rebate excluded any GPS based electronics.

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Well now I have a decision to make. I just picked up the Oregon 400t at REI yesterday ($350 after sale and rebate).

 

Thinking the same thing as I'll probably get my 400t tomorrow. Since REI has a 100% satisfaction guarantee... in theory, we could exchange the 400t for a 550t (+ price difference) when it comes out.

 

I picked my 400t up at REI last weekend and told the sales guy I was on the fence as the 550 was due out soon. I specifically asked him if I could return the 400t later for the 550 when it was released and he told me that I definitely could. This was when I decided to kick myself for not getting my Colorado at REI as I could of switched it out for the Oregon 400. I am not sure how thay afford to do this. What if everyone that got the 400t decided to trade up (and of course pay the difference)? Let's hope that this really works out. I love the idea of the improved compass!

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Well now I have a decision to make. I just picked up the Oregon 400t at REI yesterday ($350 after sale and rebate).

 

Thinking the same thing as I'll probably get my 400t tomorrow. Since REI has a 100% satisfaction guarantee... in theory, we could exchange the 400t for a 550t (+ price difference) when it comes out.

 

I picked my 400t up at REI last weekend and told the sales guy I was on the fence as the 550 was due out soon. I specifically asked him if I could return the 400t later for the 550 when it was released and he told me that I definitely could. This was when I decided to kick myself for not getting my Colorado at REI as I could of switched it out for the Oregon 400. I am not sure how thay afford to do this. What if everyone that got the 400t decided to trade up (and of course pay the difference)? Let's hope that this really works out. I love the idea of the improved compass!

 

interesting. i asked the sales rep at REI the same thing, and his reply was that the "satisfaction guarantee" was NOT applicable to upgrading to new models.

 

i wonder what the official definition is, as there seems to be some discrepancy at the sales floor level.

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Well now I have a decision to make. I just picked up the Oregon 400t at REI yesterday ($350 after sale and rebate).

 

Thinking the same thing as I'll probably get my 400t tomorrow. Since REI has a 100% satisfaction guarantee... in theory, we could exchange the 400t for a 550t (+ price difference) when it comes out.

 

I picked my 400t up at REI last weekend and told the sales guy I was on the fence as the 550 was due out soon. I specifically asked him if I could return the 400t later for the 550 when it was released and he told me that I definitely could. This was when I decided to kick myself for not getting my Colorado at REI as I could of switched it out for the Oregon 400. I am not sure how thay afford to do this. What if everyone that got the 400t decided to trade up (and of course pay the difference)? Let's hope that this really works out. I love the idea of the improved compass!

 

interesting. i asked the sales rep at REI the same thing, and his reply was that the "satisfaction guarantee" was NOT applicable to upgrading to new models.

 

i wonder what the official definition is, as there seems to be some discrepancy at the sales floor level.

 

I went to their website to read up on it (read: find the fine print) and surprisingly I couldn't find anything. There is little listed that would disqualify your ability to return for store credit, refund, or exchange. No real time limit either. It says 100% satisfaction - which by my definition could mean that you aren't 100% satisfied with your 400t because the screen is better on the 550t and you want to return the 400 and buy the 500. . .

 

With that said - I would imagine a consistent abuse would eventually lead to policy adjustments. I won't define abuse since they don't seem to clearly define terms of 'satisfaction'.

 

I also noticed that you don't even have to have a receipt or invoice. Just a letter with some details about when, and who made the purchase... Really an amazing policy in today's day and age.

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andynshe i did the same search and found the same lack of detail -- just "satisfaction guaranteed."

 

LLBean and Cabela's have similar policies. a rep from LLBean once said that while they get a few cases of abuse (folks who wear out their hiking boots and then insist on a free replacement), the company believes that the goodwill (and sales) generated more than covers the expense of the abuse.

 

all this being said, i'm curious if anyone here has ever tested the REI policy as it applies to GPS units.

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Well now I have a decision to make. I just picked up the Oregon 400t at REI yesterday ($350 after sale and rebate).

 

Thinking the same thing as I'll probably get my 400t tomorrow. Since REI has a 100% satisfaction guarantee... in theory, we could exchange the 400t for a 550t (+ price difference) when it comes out.

 

I picked my 400t up at REI last weekend and told the sales guy I was on the fence as the 550 was due out soon. I specifically asked him if I could return the 400t later for the 550 when it was released and he told me that I definitely could. This was when I decided to kick myself for not getting my Colorado at REI as I could of switched it out for the Oregon 400. I am not sure how thay afford to do this. What if everyone that got the 400t decided to trade up (and of course pay the difference)? Let's hope that this really works out. I love the idea of the improved compass!

 

interesting. i asked the sales rep at REI the same thing, and his reply was that the "satisfaction guarantee" was NOT applicable to upgrading to new models.

 

i wonder what the official definition is, as there seems to be some discrepancy at the sales floor level.

 

I went to their website to read up on it (read: find the fine print) and surprisingly I couldn't find anything. There is little listed that would disqualify your ability to return for store credit, refund, or exchange. No real time limit either. It says 100% satisfaction - which by my definition could mean that you aren't 100% satisfied with your 400t because the screen is better on the 550t and you want to return the 400 and buy the 500. . .

 

With that said - I would imagine a consistent abuse would eventually lead to policy adjustments. I won't define abuse since they don't seem to clearly define terms of 'satisfaction'.

 

I also noticed that you don't even have to have a receipt or invoice. Just a letter with some details about when, and who made the purchase... Really an amazing policy in today's day and age.

 

We upgraded from the the 60CSx to the 400t at REI and will probably do the same thing with the 550t. They have a history of your purchases if you can't find your receipt. Bottom line, if you're not satisfied for whatever reason, you can take it back. It may look like its not a financially sound business practice but do a little research on their solid financials. Yes, their stuff usually costs a little more, but the quality is much better. Their return policy is one of the things that makes them a great company and attracts loyal customers.

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3.2 mpixel on my coolpix 990 (of about 5 year old vintage) gives perfectly acceptable 8.5x11" enlargements - of course it does have a better lens and a larger sensor (I think) than these new units... that said a camera in hand sure beats the one left at home.

 

i'm curious to see how well garmin's implementation of 3-axis works.

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