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gpspassion
87495 Posts |
 Posted - 14 août 2007 : 22:49:36
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News Item on the portal
UPDATED 20071015 : Announced in early August and expected for the year end, the new family of handheld GPS systems, Triton by Magellan, aims to bring the ease of use of car systems to off-road use. I was able to spend some time with a prototype of the Triton 2000 last week, pictures and comments belows :
1. PICTURES
The Triton 2000 fits well in the hand
 
Front (hardware buttons) - Back (camera and external port)
   
Left side - Right side - 2MP Camera - SSMB antenna connector
  
SD Port - LED Flashlight OFF/ON
AA batteries for "unlimited" autonomy in the field
Quick setup with the touchscreen, many fields to pick from
Microsoft WinCE platform...and the software is still WIP
   
Compared to the HTC TyTNII/Kaiser GPS PDAPhone
 
Compared to the Maestro 4200 Road AIO
2. COMMENTS
I didn't spend enough time with the Triton and it wasn't finalized so no in depth comments at this point but here are a few items of note.
The Tritons offer some new features on a handheld (touchscreen, camera, audio recorder, LED light, etc...), but if there is one aspect that struck me as far as the ease of use goes is the display speed of the maps. True, the prototype had road maps with less details than topo maps, but the scrolling and zooming in/out are very promising. The handheld systems like the Garmin 60Cx or the eTrex H are very reliable, but using maps remains an issue as the scrolling is sometimes too slow for comfort. The powerful Samsung/SiRFstarIII platform of the Tritons comes into its own here. The price to pay is a battery life limited to 8/10 hours with the screen on (a 60CSx keeps ticking for 18 hours and a Vista HCx 25 hours), but there is a "hold" switch to turn off the screen and keep the GPS active to extend the battery life. The use of standard AA batteries helps to keep going too.
Let's stay tuned for more...
 Magellan have just announced their new family of handheld receivers, the "Triton" that will likely take over from the Explorist line. The product page is >> HERE << (choose "United States" as the country on the left if need be) where one will see no less than 6 new models:
- Triton 200
- Triton 300
- Triton 400
- Triton 500
- Triton 1500
- Triton 2000
New Features Reviewed :
- Switch to a the high sensitivity SiRFstarIII GPS Chipset that will help overcome the long time to first fix (TTFF) of the Magellan chipset used on the Explorist line, the more degraded the environment, the bigger the impact. A long overdue upgrade since Garmin offered it on the 60 and 76 series in late 2005 and now have the alternative low power high sensitivity MTK chipset on the eTrex line.
Magellan rate the accuracy of the Triton at 3 metres, which seems rather ambitious...They probably mean with WAAS and in ideal conditions but I missed the fine print about that
- Triton 400 and above : SD memory card slot
- Triton 1500 and above : touchscreen, a first on a handheld GPS.
- Triton 1500 and above : voice memo recorder, a first on a handheld GPS.
- Triton 1500 and above : LED flashlight, a first on a handheld GPS.
- Triton 1500 and above : audio player with audio out jack, a first on a handheld GPS.
- Triton 2000 : 2MP Digital camera, a first on a handheld GPS
- Electronic Compass and Barometer on the Triton 500 and 2000
- VantagePoint software to manage and share waypoints and routes
- Compatible with 1:24,000 National Geographic topo maps. Depending on how the maps are rendered this should attract users who would like more detail than on Garmin's 1:50,000 Topo maps
A lot to look forward to with these many new innovative features, but the impact on battery life and usability will need to be evaluated in the field. Handheld GPS receivers will be used in sometimes extreme conditions where these two aspects are vital and are well covered by the Garmin eTrex and 60 families.
Questions, comments ? |
Discounts and Assistance/Réductions et Assistance (Club GpsPasSion) / Où commencer? |
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Niko
Australia
54 Posts |
Posted - 21 août 2007 : 16:34:43
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| The biggest issue for the eXplorist and Meridian series is the basemap takes over the map on an SD card at a certain zoom level, so if you take your GPS overseas then you will see nothing if you zoom out past the point where they change. Does this model have the same issue? |
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gpspassion
87495 Posts |
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hailua
31 Posts |
Posted - 16 sept. 2007 : 13:40:17
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| Hi gpspassion, do you know when they will be available, what kind of batteries will be used for these units ? They only said Triton 200 runs on 2 x AA. |
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billy sharpstick
USA
18 Posts |
Posted - 19 sept. 2007 : 16:30:23
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i can't get that product page to show specs.
i've seen mentions of it being available in the US in sept, but i think the official release is october.
they shows up at ecost.com for the best prices so far:
200 $136
300 $149
400 $189
500 $219
1500 $343
2000 $427
it looks like all tritons use 2 AA batts.
specs:
http://www.gpsfaqs.org/faqs/magellan/triton/triton_400/overview.html
i'm trying to figure out if it will use the mcx external antenna that i already have.
methinks i'll be getting a 1500 as soon as it's available. i think my emap is dying. (don't think of it as an equipment failure, but as an upgrade opportunity!)
btw, which subforum will this series fall under? or will it get its own?
bs |
tampa fl |
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redcloud
USA
424 Posts |
Posted - 02 oct. 2007 : 20:45:25
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| The Triton 2000 is now available at REI for $499.95. And all the other units are available for pre-order from various dealers. |
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tralalala
45 Posts |
Posted - 15 oct. 2007 : 17:03:24
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| Gpspassion, did you have a chance to play with Triton?? I cannot wait to read some review. |
________________________
Axim x50v and x30h
Royaltek RBT-2001
PocketMap Nav. 2004 |
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gpspassion
87495 Posts |
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tralalala
45 Posts |
Posted - 16 oct. 2007 : 00:05:34
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| Thanks! Looks promising :) Do you know when it become available? November? December? Thanks. |
________________________
Axim x50v and x30h
Royaltek RBT-2001
PocketMap Nav. 2004 |
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gpspassion
87495 Posts |
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Niko
Australia
54 Posts |
Posted - 16 oct. 2007 : 15:57:46
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As it is a Win CE device what do you think the likelyhood is of people producing their own maps for the Triton series? I would like to know what format the National Geographic Topo maps are and or what other products, whether it be PDAs or other GPS can use the same maps. I know it is early stage but mabe you know something regarding the potential for end users to build their own maps a lot easier than the GPS of past from Magellan.
I gather they have realised the potential of the format of the MobileMapper CE as a "recreational GPS" and thus created a unit that is a cross breed.
Is there a possibilty of you taking a photo of the Triton next to a eTrex mapping unit such as the Cx or Hc units? |
Edited by - Niko on 16 oct. 2007 16:00:05 |
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andrewmchorney
8 Posts |
Posted - 16 oct. 2007 : 17:23:24
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Does anyone know how much this unit weigh? I have a platinum and would like to see how much lighter this unit is.
Andrew |
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billy sharpstick
USA
18 Posts |
Posted - 16 oct. 2007 : 17:37:41
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L. L. Bean says 6.9 oz and REI says 7.2
bill keiser |
tampa fl |
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WillyVdW
17 Posts |
Posted - 16 oct. 2007 : 18:56:27
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WinCE = OziExplorer???
Willy
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andrewmchorney
8 Posts |
Posted - 16 oct. 2007 : 19:11:52
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| Where is this information from REI? I do not see it on their website? |
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billy sharpstick
USA
18 Posts |
Posted - 16 oct. 2007 : 19:17:38
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| they removed it. |
tampa fl |
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