Garmin Updates eTrex GPS Units

Garmin's new eTrex Legend H and eTrex Vista H GPS units offer better GPS reception for the outdoorsy crowd.

Satellite navigation gear-maker Garmin has announced two new eTrex GPS models aimed at the outdoorsy camping-hunting-and-fishing crowd. The eTrex Legend H and the eTrex Vista H are designed to be low-cost, reliable hand-held navigators specifically for outdoor and off-road use.

"The eTrex Legend and Vista models have long been considered standard equipment for anyone who wants to make the most of their outdoor excursions," said Garmin VP of worldwide sales Dan Bartel, in a statement. "Now, entry-level customers can get some of the latest features for the same price as the previous versions, making the units attractive for those wanting a rugged and reliable GPS for under two hundred dollars."

The two new units sport a 2.4-inch grayscale screen and now include a high-sensitivity GPS receiver, making it easier for the units to get a GPS lock even in ares with significant natural barriers or dense tree canopies. Both units also feature a USB interface, 24 MB (yes, megabytes, not gigabytes) of onboard memory for maps that can be sideloaded from a PC. The eTrex Vista H adds in a compass and a barometric altimeter.

Both systems ship with maps of North and South America that include major lakes, rivers, cities, interstates, and highways, railroads, and coastlines…but don’t offer the kind of detail that, say, urban-dwellers expect when getting voice directions to that hip new coffeeshop.

The eTrex Legend H carries a suggested price of $149.99, while the eTrex Vista H has a suggested price of $199.99.