[Wildlifewriter]

As a longtime Garmin-watcher, I often think that one one of the most interesting facets of observing this US-based company is the general uncertainty about what it is going to do next.

Within any given time period, Garmin are quite capable of marketing a brilliantly-designed and manufactured unit (e.g. the eTrex Summit) and then releasing a firmware upgrade for it which, if installed, means that the unit will completely cease to function when switched on. Other products - often the best in the range, such as the iQue 3600 - are produced after a huge R&D effort, and then left almost completely unsupported with no further development.

But perhaps the most unpredictable department in all of Garmin's empire is Cartography.

When will a mapping upgrade be available this year? William Hill will give you odds, but Garmin's own estimates are the stuff of fantasy. Cartography Department spend the months between releases changing map product names around so that unwary customers have the maximum chance of ending up with a CD or DVD which is incompatible with the device they own.

I gave up contacting Garmin's tech support number years ago, because I find it distressing to hear young men (and women) weeping down the phone.

However, all's well that ends well because the latest upgrade to City Navigator Europe V9 (not to be confused with City Navigator Europe V9 NT, which is completely different) has become available. This is the CNEurV9 on DVD, by the way - not the other CNEurV9 on memory card, which is different from the other two and not compatible with units that don't store maps on memory cards even if they do.

If in doubt, please consult your dealer - and much good may it do you.

The full details are available here...

http://www.garmin.com/cartography/mapSource/email/pdfs/CNEuropeV9DVD.pdf

... which, astonishingly, is a 1.77MB pdf file in twenty different languages (not including NT) for your downloading pleasure. Those with a dial-up connection will have hours of fun waiting for it to appear. There's even a section about the mapping in English - I just haven't found it yet.


-Wlw

[HighlandNick]