GPS Tracklog

Garmin Forerunner 405 deal - In stock

GPS Now, one of our favorite vendors, has just received a shipment of the long-awaited Garmin Forerunner 405. They are actually $20 cheaper than Amazon for the model with a heart rate monitor (HRM), and Amazon has yet to receive them.

Unfortunately, they came in late in the day, so they won't ship till Monday. You might want to move fast if you want one, because their email notification on these is going out to more people than they have units for. They received only sage green models (both with and without HRM) today, but they hope to get the black ones in next week.

UPDATE: They now have the black models in as well.

Get the Forerunner 405 at GPSNow.com.

Garmin Edge 705 deal now shipping

Okay bikers, here's a unit we've been waiting for since last August. The Garmin Edge 705 has finally arrived, and one of our favorite vendors, GPSNow, has it in stock. Not only that, but they're selling it for less than Amazon is selling the 605. And wait till you see the package deals:

• Garmin Edge 705 with heart rate package - $499.99
• Garmin Edge 705 with heart rate package and speed/cadence sensor - $529.99
• Garmin Edge 705 with heart rate package, speed/cadence sensor and City Navigator NT - $599.99

Discounted Garmin Colorado 400t

UPDATE: Read our Garmin Colorado 400t review.

One of our favorite vendors, GPS Now, has received a shipment of the Garmin Colorado 400t and is offering it for $529.95. This is a bit of a surprise, coming a few days ahead of the anticipated end of REI's exclusive, which was supposed to run until February 11.

The Colorado 400t is very similar to the Colorado 300 I reviewed the other day, the main difference being that the 400t comes with pre-loaded topo maps of the entire U.S.

Garmin Colorado 300 in stock

UPDATE: Read our Garmin Colorado 300 review

One of our favorite vendors, GPSNow, just received their first shipment of the brand new Garmin Colorado 300 handheld, and they've discounted the price to $439.95 with free shipping.

These guys are great about getting things out the door quickly too. Weekday, non-holiday orders placed online before 5 p.m. central time ship the same day.

The Garmin Colorado 300 is the same unit as the 400 series, without any pre-loaded maps. This is ideal for those of you that already own Topo U.S. 2008, which comes pre-loaded on the Colorado 400t, expected at dealers in mid-February.

How to find the best GPS deals at Amazon

Amazon is notorious for changing prices daily (hourly?) on hot items like GPS navigators. So how do you stay on top of the deals there?

My advice is to follow the wisdom of the crowds. Check out their bestselling GPS navigator list, which is updated hourly. The best deals are almost certain to rise to the top.

For example, right now, the number one and number two units on the list are the nuvi 660 and nuvi 350. Amazon is offering the Garmin nuvi 660 for $399.99 and the Garmin nuvi 350 for $329.97. These are better deals than I can find anywhere else right now -- in the case of the nuvi 660, much better. So bookmark this link to the GPS bestseller list and watch for those deals.

Price reduction on Garmin nuvi 700 series

I received an email this morning from one of our favorite vendors, GPSNow.com, letting me know that Garmin has reduced their pricing on the nuvi 700 series.

This is a huge drop in Garmin's minimum resale price on the nuvi 760, which was $799 before. Here are the new prices at GPSNow:

• Garmin nuvi 750 - $459.95
• Garmin nuvi 750 with MSN Direct receiver - $559.95
• Garmin nuvi 760  - $579.95
• UPDATE: GPSNow has the Garmin nuvi 770 in stock at a price of $729.95.

Deal on a Garmin nuvi 750 with MSN Direct

One of our favorite vendors, GPS Now, has a couple of great deals on the Garmin nuvi 750. The really interesting one gets you the nuvi 750 and an MSN Direct receiver with 12 month subscription for $599.99. Basically, this gives you everything available in the nuvi line except for Bluetooth and European maps.

And if you don't want the MSN receiver, you can get the nuvi 750 alone for $499.95. On top of that, shipping is free on these units, and if you order by 5 p.m. Central Time weekdays (excluding holidays) you get same day shipping. Here's a link to their Garmin nuvi 750 page.

I'm amazed at these prices, considering that I paid $750 for my nuvi 660 a year ago!

NOTE: While Amazon prices are notorious for their fluctuation, I've noticed that they are listing it as in stock and sold by The Sharper Image, but for $100 more!

New Garmin handheld rebates and what they may mean

Garmin announced three new handheld GPS rebates today. The first is a $50 rebate (PDF) on the Garmin 60Cx and 60CSx, good from July 28 to December 31, 2007. Speculation on what this means follows below.

The other two rebates are good only at Dick's Sporting Goods retail locations. One is a $30 rebate (PDF) on the eTrex Legend Exploration Pack, valid from July 29 to December 31, 2007. The other is a $30 rebate (PDF) on the new eTrex Venture HC Adventure Pack Bundle. That promotion runs from August 1, 2007 to August 1, 2008.

The most interesting rebate here is the one on the 60 series. Perhaps this tells us that Garmin will be introducing a new high-end handheld line for the holidays. If so, we may see a product announcement at the Outdoor Retailer trade show next week, competing with an expected announcement from Magellan. What electronic goodies might Garmin add? Options include pre-loaded topo maps, a tri-axial compass, color satellite imagery, personal locater beacon and/or a weather radio receiver. Drool.

The usual Garmin rebate limitations apply: Rebate coupons are not valid for purchases made at auctions and rebate coupons are redeemable only by residents of the U.S. and Canada.