Does anyone have any experience with the Garmin Oregon 400t, or know where any good reviews of it are? I'm wondering if the screen is as bright as the 76csx?

Thanks,
MikeB

The problem with the Garmin 400t, or more accurately a symptom of a problem in consumer electronics marketing and sales, is that so many of the reviews were done when the unit was brand new to market, so many of them are unfavorable.

These early reviews never waited for Garmin to get updates out which have made the unit a whole lot better than the original software.

That said, this shows a symptom of a bigger problem; releasing CE products before they are ready, and allow paying customers who want cutting edge gear to essentially pay for the privilege of being beta testers.

The screen should be brighter than it is, but that would kill battery life.

IMO, it's a good piece of kit that has a lot of bells and whistles, although many advanced GPS users say that it lacks features. I use mine for it's tracking and extensive built-in geocaching abilities (my family enjoys it, and getting more than 1 GPS was out of the question).

The forums at Geocaching.com have lots of info.

Edited by eastwa on 08/06/2008 08:15:58 MDT.

The Oregon specifically (200/400t, whatever) is not as bright as the 76csx with both on full bright.

But the software interface is such a leap from the 76 that it's a joy to use by comparison.

I had an occasion to play with it at the Garmin's booth during the European Outdoor 2008 show in Friedrichshafen.

Well, it's far from being an iPhone, interface-wise!

You can take a look at my Garmin Oregon preview on my web site if you wish.


ANATOLY IVANOV / PHOTOGRAPHY / DESIGN / PROSE

I was referencing the Colorado, not the Oregon, sorry.

That said, I imagine that the result will be the same; reviews of the unit too soon after hitting the market before Garmin has a legit chance at making improvements to the software resulting in unfavorable reviews.

Now whether this is Garmin's fault (releasing too soon before bugs have been squashed in their labs) or unit reviewers (not allowing the Garmin to adequately test and improve the device with a wide user base) is up for debate.

Personally, I think I'll wait till winter before reviewing the unit.

And my opinion is that Garmin is on a slippery QA slope.

Google around: you'll see crowds of unsatisfied owners of the Colorado. Not reviewers, owners.


ANATOLY IVANOV / PHOTOGRAPHY / DESIGN / PROSE