Whether you’re shopping for a gift or getting acquainted with your new purchase, we want you to know as much as possible about the Garmin you’re checking out. That’s why we’re always adding more quick feature-specific tutorials to our online learning center. These helpful step-by-step videos bring to life the features and functions of Garmin’s products, to help you out before you hit the stores or after you’ve hit the power button. Our newest videos focus on the Dakota series of touchscreen handhelds, which are perfect for hiking, camping and geocaching with your family and friends. From acquiring GPS signals to navigating to your destination, Jake walks you through the process with vivid screenshots and scenic examples. And keep checking the learning center, because Oregon tutorials are right around the corner. 

But our learning center isn’t just for fans of flannel and fleece. Runners, cyclists and gym-goers can learn about the FR60 fitness watch, Forerunner 405′s GPS-based features or the various cycling options for Edge 705. Golfers can focus on improving their game with the touchscreen Approach G5 and its more than 10,000 preloaded courses. Pilots can reach new heights with information about flyGarmin, Pilot My-Cast and GPSMAP 696. Boaters and fishermen can find new depths with Garmin’s Marine Network. And businesspeople and travelers alike will appreciate the navigation options at their fingertips with nüvifone G60. But no matter your hobbies, we wish you all a safe and happy holiday season.

Energy, enthusiasm, intelligence and curiosity. That’s what local Boy Scouts brought to a Kansas City park the past couple weekends, and all I had to supply were some basic Garmin handhelds and a little know-how. OK, my know-how wasn’t even needed, because as soon as these youngsters got their hands on a GPS device, they were off and running. We recently supplied local troops with a few dozen lean and green Geko units – our tiny-yet-tough outdoor handhelds – as the Boy Scouts consider adding Geocaching as a merit category. If the past two weeks are any indication, they’ll be earning their badges in record time. Here are a few pictures taken Sunday, when the local NBC affiliate joined us as the Scouts learned about the Geko, the new touchscreen Dakota and the Oregon 550t with built-in camera – all while discovering limited-edition Garmin geocoins. As I mentioned on the air, I’m all for any activity that gets kids (and adults, for that matter) more engaged with the environment, education, recreation and technology. And the timing was perfect, as it gave me yet another reason to give thanks this holiday season that all of those elements add up to a good day at the office (or the park…).  

There are only four weeks left until Christmas and if you haven’t begun your shopping yet, it’s time to start. Don’t panic. We’re here to help. Every Wednesday between now and December 25, we’ll give you a few ideas for those you love who need a sense of direction — pilots, boaters, runners, cyclists, golfers, hikers, drivers, geocachers, cell phone users, and hunters, just to name a few. This week we’re focusing on those who love to be on the water.

If you’re looking for the ultimate gift to outfit the helm, give the gift of touchscreen and put put a GPSMAP 5215 under the tree. Any boater would love the true “big picture” navigation offered on the huge 15″ screen of this network plotter. This touchscreen MFD is sleek, super-bright and easy to use – the perfect gift for the boater who wants functionality at their fingertips. If space at the helm is an issue, the new GPSMAP 546 is a compact chartplotter, that packs a lot of punch.    

If the boater in your life already has a full electronics suite at the helm, we recommend the GPSMAP 640- a full-featured marine chartplotter and an on-the-road navigator that comes ready to go with preloaded BlueChart g2 data and City Navigator NT road maps for North America. This amphibian navigator is powerful and portable, and with 5.2-inch touchscreen display, your boater will always know the way whether they’re on land or at sea.

If it’s stocking stuffers you’re after, give your boater the gift of planning with our latest marine trip-planning software – HomePort. This PC application lets boaters plan and organize routes from the convenience of their computer and gives them the ability to view map details such as underwater hazards and hidden obstacles – a gift that even the most experienced navigator will appreciate!

For more information about Garmin’s marine product line, check out the Garmin Marine minisite, or you can always visit our Chicago Store, or marine dealer for closer look.

This note landed in our inbox last month. We waited to publish it because we had a good feeling about Gary, who shared the story of his steady improvement and credited his Garmin Forerunner. Here’s his note, with an update at the end.

I just started running in this spring. I ran one marathon in 2007 but did not know what I was doing. My friend suggested that I buy a Garmin Forerunner 205. I got one in April. I tacked on 900 hundred miles on the watch before I started having problems with it. I sent it back to Garmin and they sent me a new one 2 weeks before the Steamtown Marathon. I got the new watch 5 days before Steamtown, it worked awesome. It has worked awesome every since. I ran a 3:32:19 for Steamtown. It was a PR by 57 minutes. Amazing. I missed Boston by 12 minutes but on Sept 13, I qualified for NYC Marathon. I am doing Harrisburg Marathon on November 8th. I am going to see if I can make my goal time and PR again.

I really want to thank Garmin for giving me a new watch. It helped me mentally. I love my watch. It has taken my running to a different level. I was lost without it. I keep a blog of my running at sweat365.com. My name is Brooksrunner. Thanks again, Garmin

UPDATE: We kept an eye out for Gary at the Harrisburg Marathon, and we were thrilled with his results. You can read his in-depth race report, but we’ll spoil the ending by saying that Gary’s training with his Forerunner paid off with a new personal-best of 3:20:29 and a spot in the Boston Marathon. Congratulations, Gary, stop by our booth in April and say Hi!

Signs of my addiction: Packing for a long weekend getaway to Phoenix, the first items to go in the suitcase are my running shoes, shorts, running shirts, socks and water bottles (for cycling and running). Not to mention three Forerunners and a nüvi. Now I’m set for a relaxing vacation. My husband has finally come to terms with my addiction and knows that when it’s just the two of us on vacation, we’re going somewhere warm and recreation-friendly. And by recreation, I don’t mean go-carts or golf carts (no offense to Caddy Carl), though we were surrounded by plenty of lush courses during our stay in Scottsdale. I prefer recreation that requires “me” power — biking, hiking, running. My husband picked the perfect place for us to stay in Scottsdale. We were less than a mile from a multi-use trail, which was ideal for some morning runs and even a short bike ride.

There are lots of reasons to love Garmin Connect, and one of my favs is that I can easily upload my activities to the site when I’m traveling. Better yet, I can use the Explore function to search for runs, rides or even hiking routes that other Garmin Connect users have uploaded. Not only does this give you an idea of where to find these great routes, but you can view all sorts of data for that activity. It’s what Garmin Connect does best—recording elevation, distance, timing and more, so you get a real-world picture of the route before you set out to explore it. Our last day in Phoenix, we made a quick stop at Papago Park outside Tempe. Didn’t have much time for our hike, but we did take in some beautiful sights with the sun setting over the mountain ridge. Alas, the setting sun signaled the end of our vacation and time to get back to reality. Would’ve loved to have stayed a few more days, especially when I saw signs at a nearby marina for Ironman Arizona, which is this weekend. I could’ve cheered on my friend Mike and some other triathletes from this area. Another time perhaps. I’ll be back to the sunny southwest again. And I’ve given my husband fair warning of my vacation wish for our 20th anniversary: hiking the Grand Canyon. He said he was thinking beach time, maybe Waikiki. We have a few years to see who wins out. I’ll keep you posted.