There are many reasons why the compact car segment is gaining momentum, most importantly better fuel-efficiency. But you might be wondering how smaller cars stack up against their bigger siblings when it comes to infotainment. The new Volkswagen up! is a great example, showing that you don't have to sacrifice your infotainment options when opting for a smaller car: The next-generation maps + more portable infotainment
device from Garmin provides a comprehensive
infotainment package, including navigation, a media player, vehicle information
and Bluetooth hands-free capabilities. maps + more live  adds connected services, such as real-time traffic and
weather information, local search provided by Yelp as well as safety camera
warnings. Users simply connect their smartphone to the device via Bluetooth to
enable the services[1], utilizing their existing data
plan. The portable device features a five-inch touchscreen and is fully
integrated into the vehicle. maps + more live is available now as a factory-installed
option for Volkswagen up! vehicles in Australia and Europe. 

“maps + more live packs the features of a fully integrated
infotainment system into a portable device that is connected, can easily be
updated and provides excellent value,” said Peter Schubert, vice president
automotive OEM at Garmin Würzburg GmbH. “We’re thrilled to partner with
Volkswagen on such an innovative project and look forward to delivering our
leading infotainment technology to Volkswagen up! customers.”

To learn more, read the full press release here.

Source: Garmin
Read more here:
Garmin Portable Device for VW up! Redefines Infotainment for Compact Cars

Attention all Android users!  Did you
know that there's a Garmin fishing app exclusive to the Android operating
system?  Fishing
My-Cast provides the information that you need on your smartphone for a
great day of fishing.  

Once you’re out fishing, you can document
your entire trip in the trip log.  Not
only can you mark the position of where you caught your fish on the map screen,
you can log all the important information regarding your catch: length, weight,
lure type and color, structure and more. 
And the app will record temperature, depth, weather conditions, time and
date automatically, allowing you to move on to your next catch.  Worried that your friends won’t believe what
you caught?  Take a picture and attach
it.  

Not only can you plan your trips based off of weather and local fishing activity, Fishing My-Cast will also provide tide information and sun/moon position.  Once you’ve picked a day that looks like the fish might be biting, you can focus on hour-by-hour information to help determine the ideal time to get out on the water.  

Fishing My-Cast is a great way to record
(and brag about) any fishing expeditions and pull them up whenever you want to show them
off.  Fishing My-Cast is $4.99 in the Google
Play Store and requires Android version 2.2 (Froyo) or better.  Happy Fishing!

Source: Garmin
Read more here:
Go Fishing with Fishing My-Cast for Android

We’re pretty sure this
isn’t the typical path to competing at the world championship level, which
makes this triathlete’s story nothing short of amazing. About two years ago,
Lauren Olson, a Garmin software engineer based in Arizona, took up the sport of
triathlon. This young lady has laid down some impressive performances in
distances ranging from Olympic to half and full Ironman triathlons, with every
stroke, second and step of her swim, bike and run recorded by the Forerunner
910XT multisport watch.

We caught up with Lauren
after she returned from Belfort, France for the ITU Long Course World
Championship. That’s Lauren centered behind the American flag — third athlete
from the left — in the team photo. Lauren reported that this year, the swim
portion was cancelled due to extremely cold conditions. Here’s Lauren’s race
recap: This year’s competition went better for me than last year, mostly
because it was so cold and wet, the swim was canceled and it was run as a
duathlon. My first duathlon was a world championship…no pressure! I love
swimming, but I am not great at it so I was pretty happy. Everything about this
race was epic. The runs were on a trail system, which basically turned to a giant
mud pit. And the bike course was on part of the route for the Tour de France, which
included 2,000 ft of climbing in less than 6 miles. On the descent, we were
getting sleeted on, and having to navigate these sharp switchbacks…just epic!
Unfortunately, on the second run, my back really started hurting, probably from
the monster climb on the bike. I was the first American female, and within
reach of medaling up until the last 8 km or so, when I really fell apart. I
ended up placing 6^th in my age group, 39^th female
overall, and the 2^nd American female.

I’m thinking any instance
of “epic” in Lauren’s race report would be the equivalent of “grueling,”
“hairy,” or “I may not make it out alive” in my vernacular. And if you think
this Garmin athlete is slowing down or taking some time off anytime soon, think
again. Lauren is gearing up to compete in Ironman Coeur d’Alene on June 23 and
she’s racing in honor of her best friend Kristen. “My friend did this race last
year, and then less than a week later was diagnosed with MS. I’ll be raising
money for the National MS Society.”

Please visit Lauren’s
fundraising page and consider a donation to help find a cure for MS so that
triathletes like Kristen won’t have to abandon their passion. Best of luck to
Lauren and my favorite blogger, Dimity McDowell from Another Mother Runner and all
other athletes competing at Ironman Coeur d’Alene next weekend.

Here’s a look at Lauren’s Garmin
Connect data from the World Championships.

Source: Garmin
Read more here:
Peg’s Posts: Garmin triathlete competes at world championships

Source: Garmin
Read more here:
Team Papotanic Wins Sertoma with a 49.76 lb. Kingfish

This year's BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship just wrapped up a couple of weeks ago and participation from colleges all across the United States was strong.  It goes to show how important bass fishing is from not only a collegiate perspective but from a young adult's perspective as well.

The Championship was a two-day, two-angler team format.  The winner was determined by heaviest accumulated weight per team and the two highest finishing teams earned School of the Year points for their college.

We were proud to be a part of the registration and festivities and got to meet many of the up-and-coming anglers that participated in the Championship.  Check out the registration video below and find full results from the tournament here.  

Source: Garmin
Read more here:
2013 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship

Flight Information System-Broadcast (FIS-B) offers pilots an
alternative option to receive a variety of graphical weather products. And the
best part? It’s free! Even though the weather services are free, the concept of
how FIS-B works is complex and often reminds me of how hard it was learning
airspace as a Private Pilot!

FIS-B weather is principally intended for General Aviation
aircraft and strictly for advisory use only. Aircraft must be equipped with a 978
MHz Universal Access Transceiver (UAT) to receive airborne weather. FIS-B is not
compatible with 1090ES avionics which are limited to receiving traffic
services.

As part of the NextGen
airspace modernization program, the FAA has activated ADS-B traffic and weather
services in over 500 stations around the country to date. By 2014, it is
projected the entire United States will be covered by over 700 ground stations.
When using an ADS-B receiver such as the GDL
39 coupled with the Garmin
Pilot or GDL 39 Utility applications, the geographic location of these
stations is available. Even further, time stamps within both of these
applications are displayed next to each weather product so you can be sure you
are viewing current weather!

While equipping your aircraft with the ability to receive
FIS-B weather is not mandatory, all aircraft that operate in Class A, B, C, and
E above 10,000 feet must be ADS-B ‘Out’ compliant by January 1^st,
2020. The GDL 88
is a perfect solution that not only complies with the 2020 mandate, but also
gives you access to free weather! FIS-B is just one component of ADS-B and
while strictly a supplement in your aircraft, it has the ability to enhance
situational awareness and add an additional layer of safety to every flight.

Just when you thought the days of receiving pre-flight
weather briefings are a thing of the past, it should be noted FIS-B weather is
strictly for advisory use only and may not be used to comply with any
regulatory requirement. Pre-flight weather briefings and/or in-flight weather
updates still must be obtained through FAA
approved sources.

While the concept of ADS-B is not easy, Garmin is committed
to helping all pilots understand its intricacies. Stay tuned for next week’s
post regarding the second component of ADS-B: Traffic!

To learn more about FIS-B and ADS-B, visit Garmin’s ADS-B Academy! 

Source: Garmin
Read more here:
Lucy’s Logbook: Using the Flight Information System – Broadcast Weather Services