12.07.2007

More Triton News and Tips

We've heard rumors from a few people that Triton 200 series units are coming with PC connection cables! (Even though the packaging states otherwise). No clue as to how many are like this - but if you are weighing the purchase between a 200 and 300, take a peek inside the box first and perhaps save yourself some money for a new TOPO! product instead.

Amazon.com now has Triton 300s in stock for those that aren't close to one of the retailers listed in the previous post.

Here at the Hacker Lab we've been testing both the 200 and 300 and been pleased so far with functionality. You can load a pretty significant area of detailed National Geographic TOPO! maps on to the unit's built in memory - at least a (4) USGS quad area - approximately 200 square miles. The higher end units with the SD cards therefore, should be able to store a massive area.

Woodford

7 comments:

gpsmapper said...

Maybe the fulfillment house that left the cables out of the 1500 boxes accidentally put them in the 200s!

Anonymous said...

Can you link to a FAQ about TOPO!? Simple things like Software versions vs map upgrades? Are maps downloaded or do you get all software upgrades for a year too? Etc. -Pk

Woodford said...

Rich and PK - thanks for the posts. Interesting comment about the 1500s. I heard that some 1500s had shipped that weren't necessarily supposed to. I've been working my sources for intel on when the 400, 500, 1500, and 2000s should start shipping. I'll get a post up as soon as I have something at least mildly concrete.

As for the link to FAQs and such, no problem - watch for it. To answer some of your questions - TOPO! is sold in a few forms "Weekend Explorer 3D" and "State Series".

The Weekend Explorer packages are a great value $24.95 I think and contain detailed coverage for a regional area. For example the SF Bay Area or Denver Front Range. This equates to 400-500 USGS 7.5' quads. If you bought the maps from the USGS it's 1000s of dollars! This is a great way to get started if you have a Triton.

The State Series is a bit more expensive, but as you may have guessed covers an entire state, or in some cases a group of states, such as in New England. These kits are $99.00 each.

Important to note that in both cases - the TOPO! Application is identical. If you're using a Triton you'll want to download the latest application from the topo-triton website which is 4.4.1.

Fundamentally 4.4.1 isn't much different then the previous upgrade on the National Geographic website 4.2.8 - it just supports the Triton interface.

When you buy TOPO! you get free access to an online map and application update service. YES FREE! It doesn't appear to have a time limitation to it either. Just logon every once and a while and it will check your data and let you know if new maps are available - then just hit the download button and you're set to go. The application will notify you with an alert if there is a new version available. I just upgraded recently to 4.2.8 from 4.2.3. Also free.

Good idea on a more in depth post on the topic - I'll contact my insiders at NAT GEO and see if they can give me some stats on the site.


Woodford

granger said...

What is the best choice for street maps for my Triton 1500?

granger said...

Another question...how do I find out the memory capacity of my 1500? Or do I just start moving the TOPO series into the unit via the cable connection until it burps and says 'full'?

Anonymous said...

Hi, do anyone know how to make georeferenced maps to work with the triton series...

Since they can use the national geographic raster it could be usefull to be able to make and upload our own maps...

ricahrdsv said...

I've just purchased a Triton 300 (e-Bay purchase) and unfortunately didn't do enough research beforehand. What I need to know is can I find Canadian maps to upload to it. TOPO doesn't seem to have any and the Magellan maps only seem to support SD card units. Any hints?