Future Gps?

[Brasileiro]

As I look at all of the new units coming out of Garmin in such a short time I wonder if they introduced too much too fast. From a marketing standpoint it doesn't make much sense. It seems to me that if they would have spread the new releases out a little more it would have been more profitable to them. But to us, the consumers, it is a great oppurtunity to pick and choose the gps that best suits us.

 

I wonder though what else they are going to be able to offer to lure us away from our new gpsrs and buy something else.

 

So my question is, what could these manufacturers offer to get you to sell you 60CS, 76CS, or whatever other model you use and buy something else?

 

Obviously we all want to see more memory or even better, expandable memory, but whaty else would you like to see? I was just wondering.

[+KaiserKlan]

More memory is a big one but more important at least to me is an ability to store more than 1000 waypoints. I'd like to see larger color displays too, that to me is more important than talking GPSr's or turn by turn hand helds. I'd also like to see a BlueTooth enabled GPS to talk with my Mac and better Mac software to go with it.

 

Garmin also needs to address the cost of there map products, they seem a bit high to me, and then they need to address the errors in them.

 

My opinions ......

[Phunnla]

I want to use SD memory cards. This just seems to be a natural addition to the new units.

[+Renegade Knight]

More memory. I don't want to futz with SD cards but I do want the entire Western USA in my GPS's memory because that's where I go. I also want enough for both Topo, & City Select, and Tide Tables.

A 3 Axis compass. Magellan has this, Garmin should. I don't wan't to hold it level, I just want it to work.

Bigger screens. The screens are ok but they still have some room to be bigger still without making the GPS bigger.

Reasonably priced software updates. Maps change and if I'm going to update every year I'm not going to pay 100 bucks to do it.

10,000 waypoints. 500 isn't enough, and 1000 isn't either.

A good waypoint managment tool for tracking your various waypoitns. I've got caches I own, locations I need to track, routes set up etc. etc. Each has a purpose.

The auto mount should have the adapter in it so the GPS is on power when it's in the cradle. You shouldn't have to connect it to the GPS every time you get in and out of the car. Magellan does this with the Sport Track, Garmin should with their line.

[+jj3]

One crazy thing I would like to see is an IR port (I guess bluetooth would work fine as well). One of my buddies and I are always exchanging waypoints for different things...especially when camping, hiking, etc. It would be nice to beam a waypoint/track/route. It can be a chore to manually input 10+ waypoints and forget it with tracks.

 

Aside from that, pretty much everything that RK lists too!

[+Team Trout]

Bigger screens. The screens are ok but they still have some room to be bigger still without making the GPS bigger.

This kind of goes hand in hand with a bigger screen because it would need it. I'd like to see the next generation (or the one after that) GPSr have 3D perspective topographical mapping, like you see in PC mapping software titles like Delorme's Topo.

 

Of course I agree with all of the other features mentioned here also.