Garmin 2007 Annual Report Download - page 16

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Clear away the mud and dust, then you’ll see it’s a Garmin. Our
wide array of handheld GPS navigators for outdoor exploration is no
stranger to the elements. Hikers, climbers, snowmobilers, geocachers
and even soldiers trust Garmin to lead them to adventure and then
back home again.
Garmin experienced steady growth in the outdoor and fitness market
in 2007. Product sales were driven by upgrades to the Rino®and eTrex®
lines. High-sensitivity GPS receivers were added to most units,
allowing users to readily acquire and maintain a GPS fix even in
challenging environments with heavy tree cover and canyons. We
also added expandable memory, which allows customers to use SD
or microSD cards to add additional cartography to the units.
The new Astro™dog tracking system was announced at the
Consumer Electronics Show in January 2007, and word-of-mouth
in the outdoor community continues to create demand. The Astro,
a combination of a handheld GPS receiver for the owner and a
transmitter collar/harness worn by the canine, is designed to help
hunters keep tabs on their dogs. It shows where the dogs are and
even tells if they are running, sitting, treeing or on point.
The Astro has also proved useful in conservation research. Garmin
provided several Astro units to the nonprofit Rolling Plains Quail
Research Ranch, located near Roby, Texas, to help researchers survey
the quail population of the entire 4,700 acre ranch. Pointing dogs
were outfitted with Astros to record the dogs’ movements and the
locations of any bobwhite and scaled quail coveys.
In 2008, Garmin expects to continue to develop innovative products
with new feature sets to address the demands of the recreational
market. Handheld GPS products will include larger screens, and
improved mapping data and user operations.
On the fitness front, Garmin introduced our first non-GPS fitness
watch, the Forerunner®50. This Forerunner is smaller than its
predecessors and measures distance and pace with a foot pod
rather than GPS. Aimed at the fitness-minded consumer who is
more interested in burning calories and keeping fit than in training
for a marathon, the base model sells for under $100.
Forerunner 50 uses innovative ANT+Sport™technology to wirelessly
send information between the watch, foot pod, heart rate monitor,
speed/cadence sensor and computer. The ultra-low power wireless
network extends about 10 feet around the device. ANT+Sport
technology was invented and is distributed by Garmin’s subsidiary,
Dynastream Innovations, Inc. for use in Garmin products and by other
companies as well. Garmin intends to use this wireless technology in
several upcoming products including the Edge®705, the Forerunner 405,
the Colorado™and in remote controls for other units.
Garmin reached thousands of runners and fans as it sponsored and
supported marathons in cities such as New York City, Las Vegas,
Nashville, Los Angeles and San Diego. In October the Garmin store on
Chicago’s magnificent mile held special events in conjunction
with the Chicago Marathon. In preparation for the race, customers
were able to train with the Garmin running group, ask questions of
running experts and download course maps to their Forerunner 305s.
Pace team leaders at the Chicago Marathon and other races used
Forerunners to keep their groups of runners moving at the goal pace.
I’ve made it a mission to get
my family cycling to better
health, and all of us were
Garmin-equipped on this ride.
J.M., TESTIMONIALS PAGE 22
OUTDOOR AND FITNESS