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Rylo’s 360-degree camera lets you decide what shots you want later
There are quite a few 360-degree cameras on the market now and they cover a range of needs. For professionals and major VR buffs, there's the Samsung 360 Round and for more casual videographers there are a slew of options from companies like Ricoh Theta, Garmin and Samsung. But there's now a growing market for those wanting to shoot high quality 360-degree video and decide later on during editing what images to focus on and what to cut out, minimizing how much effort is required during the actual video-capturing process. For that, there's the GoPro Fusion, the Insta360 and, as of today, the Rylo.
Garmin Speak puts Amazon Alexa in your car
Gamin's GPS devices already feature voice control, but if you'd prefer to have Alexa onboard, its latest product is more your jam. The GPS device maker has just released Garmin Speak, which it says is the first in-vehicle device with hands-free access to Alexa. It's a tiny little thing, measuring just around an inch-a-half with a LED light ring and an OLED display that shows turn-by-turn directions. You can talk to the voice assistant through it the same way you'd talk to Alexa through an Echo: just say "Alexa" and follow it up with a voice command.
Fitness wearables will live or die by their apps
This week at IFA, some of the biggest players in wearables launched their latest smartwatches. From Fitbit's debut Ionic to Samsung's Gear Sport, these fitness-focused watches also run the companies' own proprietary platforms, each offering their own app selection. For them to succeed, Samsung, Fitbit and Garmin, which also unveiled a new watch at the show, must now race to stock their stores with the best apps. That's good news for smartwatches in general, because the influx of wearable apps could do for smartwatches what it did for smartphones years ago.
Garmin Vivoactive 3 hands-on: More than just a running watch
Garmin's image as a niche fitness brand catering for a group of hardcore athletes does the company a massive disservice. Because the newest generation of its Vivoactive and Vivomove watches have the potential to be some of the best on the market.
Garmin's latest smartwatch can buy your post-run drink
Garmin's smartwatches are still largely focused on fitness, but they're learning a few new tricks -- and in one case, they don't need your phone to do it. The company has unveiled a trio of Vivo smartwatches headlined by the Vivoactive 3 (far left), which introduces Garmin Pay. As the name suggests, it lets you make tap-to-pay purchases without your phone, much in the same way you would with an Apple Watch. If you want to buy an energy drink as the reward for a long run, you don't have to carry anything in your pockets. The technology requires an eligible credit or debit card from MasterCard or Visa, so you'll want to check the support list before you leave your phone behind.
Garmin crams 5K and AR into its latest 360-degree camera
Thanks to the steady growth of VR, 360-degree cameras are now the latest object of lust for videographers. Yet with many of the more mainstream options outputting low res videos, Garmin's taking aim at videophiles with its newly announced 360-degree camera. The Virb 360 will be able to capture video at up to 5.7K at 30 frames per second. As well as the impressive resolution, Garmin promises budding videographers smooth, rapids-enduring footage thanks to its 4K Spherical Stabilization tech. In a bid to make your videos' audio feel equally high end, the Virb also features four built-in microphones. In a nice touch, the camera also uses GPS tech to allow users to create their own 360-degree augmented reality overlays. Unsurprisingly, all this tech doesn't exactly come cheap, with the Virb 360 setting consumers back a wallet-damaging $800 --$300 more than Nikon's KeyMission 360. Still, at least it's far more affordable than its 8K competitors.
The best car GPS
By Eric Adams and Rik Paul This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer's guide to the best technology. When readers choose to buy The Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here. After spending more than 70 hours researching the latest car GPS models and testing the top contenders over 1,200 miles of rural, suburban, and urban orienteering, we recommend the new Garmin Drive 51 LMT-S as the best in-car navigation device for most people. It's easier to use and more driver-friendly than the competition.
Garmin's new Vivosmart tracks reps and stress
Garmin's vivosmart 3 is here and it's packing guided breathing exercises, automatic rep counting in the gym and a supposed five-day battery life. Working in concert with the Garmin Connect mobile app, the vivosmart 3 will automatically label the exercises you've done in addition to counting them. But for now it sounds a bit on the limited side. Ars Technica reports that Connect isn't the best at telling between two different weight-training exercises yet, but given enough time (and app training) it will be able to discern between deadlifts and dumbbell curls.
Garmin's Forerunner 935 smartwatch knows how hard you work out
Two months after updating its Fenix line of multisport fitness watches at CES, Garmin revealed its latest GPS-enabled timepiece, the Forerunner 935. However, unlike the Fenix family, which was designed more for general outdoor adventuring, this new tracker is built specifically for serious athletes looking to get the most out of their training.
Garmin's watch-app store finally gets Uber and a few other big names
Garmin already offers a bunch of cycling computers and fitness wearables like the Forerunner series and newly updated Fenix line, which can help guide you through your workout with minimal trauma. That said, the smartwatches in particular have yet to find much love beyond their original niche use as fitness-first wearables. The company hopes to change that at this year's CES by announcing the release of a number of third-party apps from big-name players including Uber and Trek. But is that enough to catch the industry-leading Apple Watch and all those Android Wear watches?
Garmin's newest 'Drive' navigation systems focus on road safety
Whether you're on the open road or just trying to make it to work in one piece, getting where you're going is hassle enough -- even when there isn't traffic to be stuck in. Garmin's latest iterations of its Drive GPS navigation systems will soon be receiving a host of features that will deliver live updates and easier-to-follow directions in hopes of changing driver behaviors for the safer.
Garmin's satellite hand-helds make it really hard to get lost
Garmin isn't just using CES to show off new fitness watches and software updates. The company also used the massive tradeshow to unveil two mobile devices designed for international travelers and backcountry explorers alike. The InReach SE+ and inReach Explorer+ rely on Iridium satellite coverage from Garmin's DeLorme acquisition to provide two-way messaging and worldwide GPS coverage.
Garmin's outdoorsy Fenix5 smartwatches are pretty small
Smartwatches, especially those designed for the rigors of outdoor adventuring, tend to be on the beefy side. But at CES this week, Garmin announced three smaller-form-factor iterations to its Fenix smartwatch line called the Fenix5. At 1.6 inches to 2 inches in face diameter, they're up to a half-inch smaller around than the previous Fenix3 line.
Demand for wearable tech is growing (but not for smartwatches)
If you were hoping the smartwatch market would bounce back from its recent slump when a slew of new models hit the market, you're about to be disappointed. IDC estimates that wearable device shipments grew ever so slightly (3.1 percent) in the third quarter of 2016, but that fitness trackers were almost exclusively responsible for the increase. Fitbit, Garmin and other activity band makers improved their shipments by the double digits, while the smartwatch world actually shrank.
Garmin fitness trackers now have Strava's safety system
A slew of Garmin fitness trackers today have access to Beacon, Strava's safety feature that allows users to send their location to friends in real-time while they're out on a run, hike or bike. Strava is a social networking app built for athletes, and it launched the Beacon service for premium members in August. With today's news, Strava premium members can share data between Beacon and Garmin LiveTrack on the following devices: Fenix 3, Edge Explore 820, Edge 520, 820 and 1000, and Forerunner 230, 235, 630 and 735XT.
The 12 best tech gifts for sports fanatics
Chances are there's at least one die-hard sports fan in your life. And look, even if your idea of game-time small talk is "Hey, how about that local sportsball team" you can still get them the perfect gift. Whether they're big NBA addicts, avid runners or trying to perfect that spiral and become an NFL quarterback, we've got you covered. And you don't even have to betray your tech-geek roots to do it. There's plenty of ways to get your game on while simultaneously getting your geek on. High-end TVs deliver football in 4K glory while wearables like the TomTom Adventurer let you turn that epic hike into epic reams of data. Check out the gallery below to see our 12 techie gift recommendations for sports fans and athletes. For our full list of recommendations in all categories, don't forget to stop by our main Holiday Gift Guide hub.
Smartwatch shipments dropped ahead of new models
The smartwatch market isn't quite as red-hot as it looked in recent months. IDC estimates that smartwatch shipments fell by just shy of 52 percent year-over-year in the third quarter of 2016, with the biggest names often being the hardest hit. Apple was still the top dog, but its shipments fell almost 72 percent to 1.1 million. Samsung's shipments were virtually flat, while Lenovo and Pebble saw their unit numbers drop sharply. Interestingly, the only company in the top five to see a big surge was Garmin -- its shipments more than tripled to 600,000. Should the industry be worried? Not necessarily.
Garmin's Vivofit Jr. rewards kids for being active
Garmin has painted the Vivofit band in lively colors and shrunk it down to create its first activity tracker for kids. Vivofit Jr. can track steps and sleep, as well as how long your kid has been moving, just like the band for adults. And, yes, it can also be worn in the pool. However, since it was still made with children in mind, its companion app comes with some extra features: gaming aspects and the ability to monitor multiple kids' activities.
Garmin's spendy Fenix Chronos is a tax on golfers
I'm a fan of Garmin's Fenix smartwatches. I've been wearing the Fenix 3 for about a year, and, for me, it has a solid balance between battery life (two weeks), training tools, smart features and good old basic horological tasks. The only addition I'd like is all day heart-rate monitoring -- something added in the Fenix 3 HR. The Fenix line has never been cheap -- the 3 starts at $499, and the 3 HR, $599 -- but the new luxury Fenix Chronos will test most wallets, starting at $899. For that extra $300 you sure are getting a nice looking timepiece, but glance at the spec sheet, and you'll see some surprising downgrades. In their place are new golf features that track your putts per round, greens and fairways hit plus average distance.
Garmin's newest smartwatch slims down, but packs on features
After going high-end with the Fenix Chronos, Garmin is getting back to its core focus with the new Forerunner 35, a feature-packed smartwatch and all-day activity tracker. This latest addition to the Forerunner line packs GPS tracking, a high-contrast display and Garmin's Elevate wrist-based heart rate monitor into a sleek new design with up to nine days of battery life.
