The Garmin Oregon: GPS with a Touchscreen Interface

GPS devices are about to get that much cooler (as if they needed any help) according to leaked information about the Garmin Oregon devices. Previously the Colorado series was top of the line, but it looks as if the new Oregon line will be even more impressive.

The Garmin Oregon has all the standard features of a typical handheld GPS device, that is, it can tell you when and where to turn until you arrive at your destination. That's not what makes this new device so cool. Following in the footsteps of the iPod Touch, the coolness factor starts at the 3-inch touchscreen.



When you look at the Garmin Oregon, you won't see any buttons, save for the power button on the side. This is especially cool, since the GPS will only display the buttons necessary for the current screen. No more generic all purpose buttons.

The Garmin Oregon will come in a few different models, depending on your intended use (or perhaps tax bracket, since they can cost up to $639.99 for the top model). The base model, the 200 comes with enough to get you from point A to point B with a standard basemap. The more deluxe models have the ability to exchange information with other Garmin GPS devices, so you can send your favorite waypoints, routes, etc. wirelessly. Included on the 400t model are 3D topo maps, which make it even harder to get lost.

Perhaps one of the coolest features of the Garmin Oregon, is its geocaching features. As someone who does enjoy geocaching on occasion, I know what a pain it can be to get the information onto the GPS unit by hand. It wasn't until recently when I got the Garmin Edge 305 that I was able to send the data to the device from the computer via the USB cable. I still had to print the information such as the description and hints and take the papers with me.

Now, with the Oregon series, avid geocachers can transfer virtually the entire geocache page onto the device. Gone are the days of printing out pages just to find your geocache.

You can see rankings and reviews for all GPS devices at TopTenREVIEWS.

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