Satmap is pleased to announce the release of software version 1.42 for the Active 10 sports GPS.

Resolved Issues:

• When coming out of Hibernate Mode, the unit will now always read the SD Card without it needing to be re-inserted.
• The Set Trip Data option in Settings is now accessible on all versions of the products.
• The memory usage in relation to POIs has been improved.
• For customers using early versions of the unit which are displaying UK vector road maps (this is the simple base map which ONLY shows roads and is NOT the 1:250k OS map), v1.42 will now display roads names.
• The Default Key now resets ALL settings to original configuration.
• If there is only one route it is no longer automatically activated – the user has to set this now.

Full Details: Here

A total of £16bn will be saved by pressing ahead with the sale of public assets from April. Assets for sale will include the Dartford crossing, the Tote, the student loans portfolio, Ordnance Survey and the Land Registry. In some cases ministers will wait for assets to recover their value after the recession. “This is not a firesale,” Byrne says. “But this is stuff we will bring to the market when the price is right over the next two to three years.” Assets such as British Waterways will be reorganised as mutuals.

For more on the Whitehall cuts here’s the full article Guardian Newspaper

SatMap have quietly released a new firmware, v1.4, for their SatMap Active 10 devices.  As well as addressing a range of bugs, the full Changelog is included in this article.  Highlights include better Geocaching.com support, better power management, including hibernation support.  For the full changelog, read the rest of the article…

The full changelog for v1.4:

General Update

• New Splash Screen

Status Bar

• The Battery indicator has been reduced in size and set vertically, and has been improved to show more accurate power metering for Lithium batteries as well as showing when it is fully charged. Additionally there is now a Run and Stop icon beside the battery which shows the user if the Trip Log is running or is stopped.
• Small Battery Icon
• Improved Power Metering Optimised for Lithium Primaries and LiPol Rechargeables
• Run / Stop Icon for Statistics Log
• Toggle Icon When alternate mapping is available.
• WAAS/EGNOS Enabled GPS Icon turns blue Selective availability : WAAS (USA) EGNOS (Europe)

GPS Map Page

• Track Up (Low Centre Spot) Blue spot lowered option to allow more mapping to be seen ahead. Only 2 data boxes allowable to show max mapping.
• Toggle Function (Top Left Button). New concept of toggle maps. Satmap now has the ability to issue different map types. For example Aerial coverage can toggle to A-Z mapping, that then toggles to CAA mapping, and then toggles back to Base mapping (typically 1:50k or 1:25k). When an alternate map is available the status bar icon will show. On switchover, the name or type of the new map will briefly show (i.e. Aerial, A-Z or Base Maps)
• Satmap has always been able to display multiple map scales. On previous versions of software, these maps were viewed by zooming in and out. Now Satmap has introduced the ‘Map Toggle’ feature: this allows users to ‘toggle’ between different maps available at the point with a click of a button without zooming. It is accessed from the GPS Map screen and is the top left button (showing three layers of mapping stacked on top of each other). This feature requires specific map packs: at launch this will only be the custom map series, with National Parks available in Spring.
• Better handling of co-incident points i.e. a waypoint on a POI (list box now appears) allowing the POSITION INFO screen to be always accessed.

Large Map Areas / Aerial

• Better supported: Map packs treated in handy bite size to effectively allow unlimited mapping to be used (limited currently by 32GB SD card size)
• JPG tile format now supported leading to better handling of very large / hi res aerial imagery.

Planning Screen

• Distance measurement tools improved. Using the Set Marker function (joystick press whilst in Planning Map) it is now possible to measure distance and bearing (either Mag. or Grid) between any 2 points. Previously users could only measure from their own location.

Position Info Screen

• Lat/Long (DD MM.DDD) and any other supported Grid Ref system can be display simultaneously (E.G UTM or MRGS)

Hibernate (on the latest Platforms (09.02.15 and higher))

• Effectively a Stand By mode – default set at 2 hours (during which time the satellite data is saved (ephemeris and almanac) so unit does NOT take 20 seconds to load Windows, and does NOT take 1:30 to get satellite lock. Typical lock time out of hibernate : 3-10 seconds. Essentially this means that the useful battery life can be extended by switching on for a quick lock and then switch off. Note: logging and snail trail does NOT occur during hibernate.
• Hibernate timeout added to Advanced Power Control (0-8 hours)

Screen Capture

• On backlight boost button now saves a jpg of the screen display (with date time stamp to a. SD card, or b. Flash if no SD card available). Press the Back Light button for 2 seconds and a camera icon appears on the status bar to indicate that a screen shot has been captured.

Settings

• More options to set target speed
• Memory Status : More detailed and clearer information about memory usage (SD Card, Flash and RAM). Low memory exclamation mark added in Memory Status area.
• Backlight many more low settings (1,2,4,6,8.10,20,30% etc) to protect night vision.
• Red Backlight; also to protect night vision.

Data

• Moon Phases added for Data boxes.

Datum Support

• Enhanced: New maps and datums now self-contained on SD cards, so they will plug and play without the need for fresh software updates for new countries.

Routes

• Routes Menu tidied up functions now on buttons list is for actual routes only.
• Folder concept now supported
• Better handling of very large routes and high numbers of waypoints. More strict filtering to restrict on required waypoints to be displayed.
• Invisible / Inactive routes now do not load in memory at all.
• Inactive routes can be set to show only start point  allowing many more routes to be loaded.
• Better track to trail convert; better filtering to retain fewest WPs but best shape.
• Better visibility of active routes; the current leg contains blue arrows and has a blue border.

POIs

• Warning radius increased to 3km (i.e. total diameter 6km) and red hatched for warning purposes.
• POI-Set by Postcode now available (for the UK units with Postcode data).
• POI-Set by Co-ordinate added.
• Enhanced support for Geocaching.com data (i.e. full hints and geocache log are supported)
• Folder concept supported.
• POI Icon selection extending to spots, geocaching and other common symbols

SatSYNC 1.4

• Folder manipulation on both the Internal Storage and SD Card available on units with platform 09.02.21 or higher.
• Imported Routes and POIs now available immediately in their respective menus without the need to restart the unit (platform 09.02.15 or higher)

World Map

• Routes and POIs display more accurately now.

TRIP LOG Screen

• Buttons rearranged for more function and clarity.
• Clearing the ‘snail trail’ (or ‘crumb trail’) is now done from the Trip Log screen. In place of the reset function is now a Menu button that gives access to all the features needed to set the Trail info and the Trip Log.

Power

• During Critical Battery shut down unit will now be revived if connected to external power; previously it would always shut down.
• Battery fully charged Icon now supported (previously not available)

Google Earth

• Google Earth is a great resource and now the Active 10 can interact with it more effectively, allowing routes to be created, downloaded and uploaded between Google Earth and the Active 10.

This is an impressive list of new features, and we are especially pleased to see SatMap continuing to innovate and provide feature updates to their existing customers.  A small note though; to benefit from the Hibernation features, you need to apply the update via SD card, and not via download; the SD card can be purchased from SatMap directly.

If you want to read how all these new features fit into the working of the device, head to the SatMap website and read the full (updated) user manual here.

Here’s the full video.

Nokia QT Demo

In keeping with our commitments to regular free updates, we’ve released new updates to our Garmin Maps, covering the original UK Garmin OSM Map.

Updates to the Cycle and Canal maps to follow shortly.

There’s been quite a lot of activity in the UK map since our last updates in April, so these updated maps are well worth installing to your Garmin.

Head off to the download page to pick up the latest versions…

Colorado software version 2.94 Beta

Changes made from version 2.92 to 2.94:

• Added Waypoint Averaging application. (For more information visit our new Trail Tech website at http://garmin.blogs.com/softwareupdates/trail-tech/)
• Added ability to load maps from any img file in the Garmin directory
• Added ability to see a list of points from the map when several points are at the same location
• Fixed hunting waypoint symbols not transferring properly

Here

Oregon 200 software version 3.01 Beta

Changes made from version 2.99 to 3.01:

• Fixed improper shutdown.

Here

Garmin has today announced two new touchscreen models. The Dakota10 & Dakota20, pictured here.

Physically smaller than the iconic Garmin eTrex, Dakota boasts a much bigger color display thanks to the 2.6-inch glove-friendly touchscreen.

Lightweight, rugged and waterproof, Garmin’s new Dakota devices quickly acquire and maintain satellite reception – even in heavy tree cover or deep canyons – thanks to a high-sensitivity GPS receiver with HotFixTM, which automatically calculates and stores critical satellite information and can use that information to quickly calculate a position. Everyone from geocachers and youth scouts to surveyors and hunters can take advantage of Dakota’s 850 MB of internal memory, which can store up to 1,000 waypoints, 50 routes, 2,000 geocaches and an active tracklog of up to 10,000 points and 200 saved tracks.

The Dakota20 adds even more features, including a 3-axis compass, barometric altimeter, a microSD card slot for increased mapping and memory storage, and wireless unit-to-unit connectivity for sharing your waypoints, tracks, routes and geocaches wirelessly with compatible Dakota, Oregon, Colorado and Foretrex devices. Dakota 20’s 3-axis, tilt-compensated electronic compass shows your heading even when you’re standing still, without needing to hold it level.

Here’s the full release:

Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced the Dakota 10 and Dakota 20 handheld GPS navigators, packing a high-sensitivity GPS receiver, worldwide basemap and color touchscreen display into a compact, waterproof device with up to 20 hours of battery life.

“As families and friends explore the outdoors – from an exotic locale to the local park – Dakota helps keep their adventures affordable and enjoyable,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales.

“While kids have fun with Dakota’s small size and simple interface, parents can take comfort in never losing their way thanks to high-sensitivity GPS and extended battery life.”

Lightweight, rugged and waterproof, Garmin’s new Dakota devices quickly acquire and maintain satellite reception – even in heavy tree cover or deep canyons – thanks to a high-sensitivity GPS receiver with HotFix TM , which automatically calculates and stores critical satellite information and can use that information to quickly calculate a position. Everyone from geocachers and youth scouts to surveyors and hunters can take advantage of Dakota’s 850 MB of internal memory, which can store up to 1,000 waypoints, 50 routes, 2,000 geocaches and an active tracklog of up to 10,000 points and 200 saved tracks.

Based on the innovative interface of Garmin’s award-winning Oregon series, Dakota’s glove-friendly, color 2.6-inch touchscreen display is easy to read and use in all conditions, responsive to the touch of your finger, yet resistant to the forces of nature. Weighing only 6.75 ounces, Dakota lasts up to 20 hours on two AA batteries and can connect to your PC or Mac via USB connection.

Dakota 20 adds even more features, including a 3-axis compass, barometric altimeter, a microSD card slot for increased mapping and memory storage, and wireless unit-to-unit connectivity for sharing your waypoints, tracks, routes and geocaches wirelessly with compatible Dakota, Oregon, Colorado and Foretrex devices. Dakota 20’s 3-axis, tilt-compensated electronic compass shows your heading even when you’re standing still, without needing to hold it level.

It’s fun and easy to get into paperless geocaching with Dakota. You can download up to 2,000 caches, with information such as location, terrain, difficulty, hints and description — no more paper print outs and manually entered coordinates. Visit Garmin.com/geocache for more information.

Dakota comes preloaded with a worldwide basemap and is compatible with Garmin City Navigator NT for turn-by-turn directions on city streets, Blue Chart g2 for marine charting, and TOPO U.S. 24K and 100K map software for incredible terrain detail (each sold separately).

Changes from the previous version:

• Added ability to load maps from any img file in the Garmin directory
• Improved display of numeric degrees and mills
• Improved Wherigo stability
• Fixed elevation errors when reviewing a point other than a waypoint

Full details here

The latest beta frimware for Garmin Colorado owners was released by Garmin on 16th June Version 2.92

Changes from the previous version:

• Report problems with beta software to ColoradoBeta@garmin.com
• Added customizable text to unit power-on screen (see \Garmin\startup.txt)
• Improved power on reliability
• Improved connection reliability with Spanner
• Improved appearance of depth data field when using big numbers
• Fixed some scan points not working properly with Garmin GB Discoverer maps
• Fixed issue with Garmin GB Discover maps not showing at some zoom levels with detail set to least
• Fixed errors in user grid entry
• Fixed the time label of the graph in Elevation Plot
• Fixed selection of Leap Day on Calendar, Hunt & Fish and Sun & Moon pages

Colorado details, and the download here

You might also want to take a look at the following #tags.

#mapomatic , #osm, #garmin.

From UKGadgeteer:

SatMap, the makes of the SatMap Active 10 (and SatMap Active10 Plus), have this week released a new version of their PC software, and a new firmware for the Active 10 devices to go with it.   For us, the key new feature is the support of geocaching.com GPX files, giving you a full range of information about the geocaches; offering hints, cache descriptions, terrain, difficulty, and logs.