The Garmin eTrex

  Jessica Playing With The Garmin eTrex 
  Originally uploaded by fredwilson.

The Gotham Gal's mom got the kids a Garmin eTrex as a hanukkah gift. She figured they'd love the GPS/map combo for our trip to Italy. It was a great gift.

Jessica figured out how to use it and we've found it handy at times, but it could be so much better.

Jessica wants to build the killer "travel GPS system". She figures if you combined a handheld GPS with something like the Luxe guides or maybe Jargol, you'd have a killer product.

As it stands now, the eTrex is useful but not the killer app.

Comments

[druce]

I thought the pda-based electronic tour guides in the Doge's palace a couple of years ago were pretty cool...why not add ability to listen to a podcast audio tour of wherever you are?

[Michael Morton]

I think if Garmin combined the eTrex with the services suggested, they would miss their target audience of backpackers and hikers. I believe their target audience could benefit from the inclusion of rural mapping system. But I believe anything that deals with the fashion industry would not benefit the targeted end user.

However if your target audience is teenage girls, then...

[howard lindzon]

I will invest 25k in her fund. whats it called :) ?

Meanwhile Garmin hits all-time high because the killer apps will be created by others for use ON Garmin

[howard lindzon]

I will invest 25k in her fund. whats it called :) ?

Meanwhile Garmin hits all-time high because the killer apps will be created by others for use ON Garmin

[BeenThere]

Come on geeks, just buy yourself a travelguide . Anyone knows how to use it and it never runs out of power ;-)

If you are lost, find the nearest corner and look up the street names in tha travelguide...

Might not work in Venice, but fortunately that town is one-of-a-kind. But on the other hand, it's a delightful experience to get lost there :)

[John Zeratsky]

Garmin already has the product you want, in the Nuvi. Unlike the eTrex, it's designed for urban use — touch screen, draggable map, pre-loaded city guides for the entire U.S. or Europe, integrated MP3/video player, etc. It's a little pricey, but absolutely killer. They really nailed the user experience.

[JayR]

A navigation device in Italy? What fun is that?

[Jim Fobes]

the activity that young surveyors, trekkers and others engage in that's closest to what your daughter wants to do is called "geocaching. " you hide prizes at a specific sedt of notable long-lat coordinates along with a pen or pencil and notebook, and then announce the begining of the game. And in the end the journey is always the reward-- except there is no Sgteve Jjobs in this adventure.

Best
Jim Forbes
the son of a son of a son of a son of of sailor/shipsmater turned surveyor since the world was flat and there were only straight lines.