Garmin Intros Dakota Handhelds
By Amy Gilroy -- TWICE, 6/26/2009 1:30:00 PM
Olathe, Kan. — Garmin introduced its lowest-priced touchscreen-based outdoor GPS units, called the Dakota 10 and 20.
Slated to ship in August at respective $299 and $349 suggested retails, the units offer 20-hour battery life, a 
worldwide base map, 2.6-inch touchscreen and high-sensitive GPS receiver, said the company. The devices are aimed at users from hikers to families at a theme park.
The units are based on Garmin’s Oregon interface. They offer 850MB of internal memory and can store up to 1,000 waypoints, 50 routes, 2,000 geo-caches and an active track log of up to 10,000 points. Both the Dakota 10 and 20 weigh 6.75 ounces.
The Dakota 20 adds a 3-axis compass, barometric altimeter, a MicroSD card slot for extra maps and memory storage, and wireless unit-to-unit connectivity for sharing waypoints, etc., with users of other compatible models.
The devices work with optional maps for turn-by-turn directions on city streets, Blue Chart G2 for marine charting, and Topo U.S. 24K and 100K map software, said Garmin.
