Garmin's new Oregon GPS gives would-be Colorado buyers agonising choice

Gear news

18 July 2008 10:59

Garmin's new Orgeon series of GPS handhelds will give would-be buyers of previous new kid the Colorado a tough choice. Similar in price, virtually identical in hardware and software spec, the new Oregon offers one key difference: touch-screen control. (Reporting from Friedrichshafen in Germany at the 2008 OutDoor show.)

Garmin says the new Oregon series (200, 300 and 400t models are available from launch in August) is aimed at bringing in-car levels of useability to technical outdoor handhelds. It certainly feels a breeze to use - the Apple-Mac-like levels of graphical interface charm and abilty to drop waypoints with a tap of the finger take a lot of the mistique out of using a GPS.

Function-wise the Oregon shares everything with the jog-wheel controlled Colorado except the external temperature sensor, and it's equally tough and waterproof. The differences between models centre largely on the preloaded mapping, although all three have microSD slots allowing for mapping upgrades. The Oregon 200 has a poverty-spec basemap showing little more than major roads and towns, the 300 adds a worldwide basemap with relief shading, while the 400t (t for topo) packs Europe-wide topographic mapping at roughly 1:100,000 scale, plus street-level detail and 3D elevation perspectives. Prices are 279 pounds for the 200 (no, we still can't find the pound sign on these German keyboards), 329 for the 300 and 399 for the 400t.

The 300 and 400t will talk to other Garmins wirelessly using the bluetooth-like ANT protocol, and all come with switchable user profiles (automotive, marine, recreation, fitness and geocacheing are the presets). These quickly configure the unit to offer you the most appropriate functions first in menu screens. The Oregons each offer 1000 waypoints, 50 routes and 10,000 tracks and all weigh 193g.

If you've already bought a Colorado, don't be too upset - all software enhancements (and there's a big one coming in September we're told) will be compatible with both Colordo and Oregon units.