What's next for Garmin handhelds?

"R. Hubbell" wrote in message
news:20040305200906.1d872e49@fstop...
On Fri, 5 Mar 2004 11:03:51 -0800 "C J Campbell"
wrote:


"R. Hubbell" wrote in message
news:20040305082731.0e32b58f@fstop...


Any prognosticators out there that know what's next from Garmin in
the handheld category? I like the size of the Airmap 1000 but I also
like the company, Garmin, a little better.

Does it really matter? Panel GPS units are becoming extremely common. The
handheld is being relegated to backup status, like a handheld radio.

Handhelds are great, especially if you don't own your own plane.


My guess is that eventually we will see an all-in-one GPS/Nav/Com with
personal ELT, about the size of a cellular phone, with an interface like
the
196. Perhaps it will be a cellular phone, too, and even a PDA. Since it
really is intended for emergency use, the com radio only needs a couple of
frequencies such as emergency and weather channels.


They have GPS/ELT/EPIRB/PLB units now that use 406MHz. Maybe they could
add a cell-phone to dial 911.


In the meantime, I expect to see the 296 introduced sometime this year.

I haven't seen any mention of it. Is it a color 196?

--------------------------------------------------

The old color GPS is the 295. Just as the 196 replaced the 195 it is assumed
that there is a '296' that will eventually replace the 295. Garmin is very
secretive. They will sell 295's and deny that there is a replacement in the
works right up to the day they announce the replacement and put it on sale
at some major air show. Even their factory reps will not know anything about
it until then -- they will even be encouraged to tell people that Garmin has
decided that color GPS is a bad idea (which they do). That is what Garmin
has always done in the past, so there is little reason to expect that they
will do anything different this time. They have done this so often that no
one believes them any more. What the actual designation of that replacement
will be is unknown. So most people call the replacement the 296 out of
convenience.

It may not be a color 196 any more than the 295 was a color 195. Garmin is
probably being truthful (from a certain point of view) when they say that
there is no color version of the 196 in the works. No, the 296 (or whatever
they choose to call it) could well be something that is completely
different, with a different screen size, button layout, and overall shape. I
know one guy who claims to have seen a '296.' He said it looked like a small
tablet PC with a touch screen. Of course, he could be lying through his
teeth.

Garmin's marketing strategy is interesting. It is based around the idea that
announcing new products before they are introduced will hurt sales of
current products. It is the exact opposite of most technology manufacturers'
strategy, which holds the theory that you announce new products as early as
possible to prevent your customers from buying your competitors' products,
giving rise to the term 'vaporware.' Garmin does not usually do 'vaporware,'
although WAAS for the GNS panel mount units is a notable exception.