If Garmin is feeling the heat from GPS-enabled tablets and smartphones, it’s not taking the competition lying down. This week Garmin rolls out the GLO, a new self-contained GPS receiver that links to Android and iPad tablets via Bluetooth, wirelessly providing position updates up to 10 times a second. Remote GPS gadgets for tablets aren’t new, but Garmin equipped GLO not just with GPS, but with a receiver for Russia’s GLONASS system. That puts another 24 satellites on the table for rapid time to first fix and more robust position sensing once the location is calculated.
“Whether you’re driving through an urban canyon or flying an airplane at any altitude, GLO ensures that your mobile device maintains a strong, reliable GPS signal,” says Garmin’s Dan Bartel, VP of worldwide sales. Garmin is clearly targeting the tablet market, which have siphoned at least some sales from Garmin’s line of dedicated portable GPS navigators. The company is offering a GLO-for-aviation package that includes a mount, power cable and free six-month trial of Garmin’s recently updated Pilot app for iPad and Android tablets. The GLO itself can be powered from ship’s power or an internal battery with a 12-hour duration. Garmin says GLO will be available in August for $99 and the GLO for Aviation package is available immediately at a suggested retail of $129.
