Garmin Introduces GPSMAP 64 Series Outdoor Handheld

Garmin’s GPSMAP 64 device.

Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd., today announced the GPSMAP 64 series of rugged outdoor handhelds. The GPSMAP 64 series brings a dual GPS and GLONASS receiver, preloaded geocaches and smartphone connectivity for LiveTrack and Smart Notification to its product line for hikers, hunters, and geocachers.

“Building on the popularity of the GPSMAP series, the new GPSMAP 64 series improves functionality to make a top-notch device even better,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of worldwide sales. “The GPSMAP 64 is ideal for anyone, no matter if it’s their first handheld, or if they’ve used Garmin for years. It combines trusted Garmin technology with the comfort of a device people know and love.”

The GPSMAP 64 series has a 2.6-inch sunlight-readable transflective color display and a high-sensitivity GPS and GLONASS receiver with a quad helix antenna for superior reception. With the addition of GLONASS satellites, the time it takes for the receiver to lock on to a position is (on average) approximately 20 percent faster than using GPS alone. This allows users to get their position quickly and precisely even in heavy cover and deep canyon.

The GPSMAP 64 series features three distinct water-resistant (IPX7) models to suit various activities and interests. The basic GPSMAP 64 includes a built-in worldwide basemap with shaded relief, and supports BirdsEye Satellite imagery and TOPO U.S. 24K maps. The GPSMAP 64s adds a 3-axis electronic compass and barometric altimeter. Additionally, the 64s adds wireless connectivity for data transfer between other compatible Garmin handhelds and mobile apps, and for Smart Notification technology. With this, users can receive emails, texts and alerts on the device (when paired with an iPhone 4S and later). This allows users’ smartphones to be safely protected from the elements. The 64s also comes with a one-year subscription of BirdsEye Satellite Imagery. The GPSMAP 64st includes preloaded U.S. 100K topographic maps. With this, users will be able to search for points of interest by name or proximity to their location and view descriptive details for terrain contours, topo elevations, summits and geographical points.

For outdoor adventurers, the rugged GPSMAP 64 devices are compatible with BaseCamp, a free software download that allows users to view and organize maps, waypoints, routes and tracks. The 64s and 64st models are compatible with the BaseCamp mobile app for data transfer, and the Garmin Connect mobile app, for features such as LiveTrack. With LiveTrack, users can pair their device with the app, and invite friends and family to follow their activity in real time. This provides peace of mind, especially if users are alone. Through ANT+, the 64s and 64st models are also compatible with external sensors such as an external temperature sensor and heart rate monitor. With ANT+, the 64s and 64st models can act as a remote for the new VIRB and VIRB Elite action cameras.

Each device comes preloaded with the locations of 250,000 geocaches from Geocaching.com. Devices store and display key information to find the hidden containers including the geocache coordinates, terrain rating, its difficulty, hints and descriptions, so users no longer have to manually enter coordinates or print out geocache info. By going paperless, users are helping the environment, and improving their efficiency. If users would like to continue geocaching beyond the preloaded geocaches, when they register their device they can sign up for the free premium membership trial through Geocaching.com, and download more geocaches. The GPSMAP 64 devices can store millions more, so users will no longer have to pick and choose which geocaches they want to load on their device.

All of the devices in the GPSMAP 64 series have a dual-battery system, where both standard AA batteries and a rechargeable NiMH battery pack (sold separately) can be used. The devices have internal memory (4GB for 64/64s and 8GB for 64st), and a microSD card slot to store additional data and maps.

The new GPSMAP 64 series will be available this month. The GPSMAP 64 will retail for $299.99, the GPSMAP 64s will retail for $399.99, and the GPSMAP 64st will retail for $499.99.