The DeLorme Weblog

UPDATE: The PN-40 is Now Available

We’re all excited about the October release of the PN-40. Here are some highlights about this new GPS:

Earthmate PN-40
GPS for Serious Outdoor Adventures

DeLorme’s blazing fast, feature-rich new handheld GPS—built on the PN-20’s rock-solid design for unbeatable reliability in challenging outdoor conditions.

• NEW! Super high-sensitivity 32-channel Cartesio chipset by STMicroelectronics delivers near-instantaneous signal acquisition and ConstantLock™ satellite retention
• NEW! Dual-core processor for rapid screen re-draws, even with large aerial imagery files
• NEW! 500 MB of onboard Flash memory (1 GB total)
• NEW! 3-axis electronic compass with included accelerometer performs when held in any position—while in motion or standing still
• NEW! Sensitive barometric altimeter for reliably accurate altitude readings
• NEW! Supports SDHC high-capacity SD cards—32 GB or higher
• NEW! Fast USB 2.0 data transfer to internal memory or SD card in device
• NEW! More detailed onboard base map data for the U.S., now with secondary and connector roads (along with major highways and thoroughfares for the entire world)
• 65K-color daylight-readable TFT screen for clarity in any light conditions
• WAAS-enabled for accuracy within 3 meters
• Topo USA 7.0 software with complete U.S topo and street maps included—no extra purchase required. Also displays USGS 7.5-min quads, aerial imagery, and NOAA nautical charts via online download from DeLorme
• PN-40 scheduled for Fall 2008 release

I know, pretty exciting news! We’re fired up here in the building too! Devices haven’t worked their way through the company yet so you can imagine the jockeying for position that goes on when new units come in from manufacturing. I was lucky enough to get a device for the design process so I’ll pass along a few observations on the speed improvements from early use… The multi-core processor is really quite impressive. I’ve evaluated lots of devices over the years and am excited to say that I haven’t seen one pan and zoom the map as quickly as the PN-40. Map redraws really are instantaneous.

As an example, I’ve been driving with high resolution color aerial imagery displayed on my device and have been tracking at a scale of 80 ft (very high detail) and haven’t noticed any lag time in map redraws… and that was traveling over 40 mph. While the color aerial imagery was impressive on the PN-20, I was never satisfied with the redraw time for imagery when traveling much faster than an average bike ride.

An additional example for those with experience with the PN-20… taking screen shots is also practically instantaneous. Here are a couple of screen shots I took while driving home last night… notice the speed and the map scale!

That’s about all I have right now… expect more updates as the digital compass and barometric altimeter come on-line and we start exploring how much map data can be stored with the large internal memory and the SDHC card support. Keep an eye on our web site for marketing announcements as well. Like I said, we’re all very excited about the new device and will be sharing more info as we work on the project.

Thank you,
Chip