1. Colorado: One GPS, Many Maps
2. Specifications
3. Colorado Overview
4. Getting to Know Colorado
5. Navigating to a Destination
6. Map Page
7. Geocaching
8. Whereigo (“Where I go”)
9. Tracks
10. Others
11. Pros
12. Cons
13. Conclusion

1. Colorado: One GPS, Many Maps

Garmin offers four Colorado models to choose from:

* Digital Elevation Model

All 4 Colorado models are identical in terms of hardware, and all three 400-series models have the same retail price of $599, while the 300 model retails for $499.

The 300 and 400t include the “Digital Elevation Model” (shaded relief) World Base Map. Garmin believes the Colorado is the first outdoor handheld GPS to use this level of resolution. The 400t version comes with built-in TOPO maps for the U.S., and includes a detailed 3D elevation perspective (looks almost like a photograph).

The 400c version is geared towards boating, and ships with coastal waters maps for the coastal U.S. and Bahamas. The 400i comes with maps of inland, lakes, and navigable rivers.

All four Colorado models can be upgraded to use additional maps. The Colorado has 3GB of internal memory, but there’s only about 120MB of unused space, so you’ll need to buy an SD memory card if you plan to use additional maps.

Garmin’s additional maps are available on DVD and can be transferred to the Colorado via a PC, and Garmin also sells maps on SD cards ready for use in their GPS units. Additional maps range in price from $29 to $299, depending on the map and coverage area, and are available via Garmin’s website and other online retailers.

2. Specifications

• Size: 5.5″ H x 2.4″ W x 1.4″ D (14 x 6.1 x 3.6 centimeters)
• Weight: 5.9 ounces (167.26 grams) without batteries installed
• Display: 1.53″ x 2.55″ backlit color TFT display (240 x 400 pixels)
• Case: Rugged, metal-plated, waterproof to IPX7 (submersible)
• Temperature Range: From -4 to 158 Fahrenheit (-20 to 70 Celsius)
• Receiver: 12 channel WAAS enabled/High Sensitivity
• Acquisition Time: <1 second (warm), <33 seconds (cold), <36 seconds (autolocate)
• Antenna: Built-in Quad Helix
• Compass: Accuracy: +/- 2 degrees, resolution: 1 degree
• Altimeter: Accuracy: +/- 10 feet, resolution: 1 foot, Range: -2,000 to 30,000 feet
• Power: Two AA batteries (alkaline, NiMH, or lithium)
• Battery Life: Up to 16 hours
• Map Storage: Internal or SD Card

3. Colorado Overview

Figure 1: Garmin Colorado, Front

The Colorado feels extremely well built and sits nicely in the palm of your hand. The unit is constructed of matt finished metal and is framed by a thick rubber material that protects the unit from getting scuffed during outdoor use, and also helps keep water/dust/etc. out of the sensitive areas. Note that the Colorado is waterproof rated to IPX7 (can be submerged in water).

The large, 1.53″ x 2.55″ (3-inches diagonally measured) backlit color TFT display occupies almost all available surface area. Compared with other Garmin handhelds, the Colorado has a larger display.

An innovative scroll wheel / joystick (Garmin calls this the Rock ‘n Roller) sits at the top of the unit, and is flanked by left and right soft keys.

The antenna is quite short, making it easy to cary the Colorado in your pocket.

Figure 2: Garmin Colorado, Rear

An included carabiner clip slides onto the mounting spine on the back of the Colorado, making it easy to clip the GPS onto your clothing or a backpack.

Figure 3: Garmin Colorado, Top

To turn the Colorado on or off, press and hold the Power key. Press and quickly release the Power key to turn on the backlighting.

Figure 4: Garmin Colorado, Top

A protective rubber “weather flap” keeps the USB and external GPS antenna connector safe from the elements. The rubber flap is attached to the Colorado, so you won’t need to worry about losing it.

Figure 5: Garmin Colorado, Left Side

The Colorado measure 1.4″ thick. The back of the case has a slight curve to it, making the unit sit comfortably in the palm of your hand.

Figure 6: Garmin Colorado, Right Side

Figure 7: Removing the Battery Cover

To remove the battery cover, lift the latch and slide the cover off the back of the Colorado

It takes a fair amount of force to get the cover off the back of the Colorado, but it’s easy once you get the hang of it.

Figure 8: Installing the Batteries

The Colorado takes two AA batteries. Battery life on the Colorado is excellent – up to 16 hours if you’re using lithium batteries.

Figure 9: Colorado’s SD Card Slot

The SD data card slot is located on the bottom of the unit, as shown above. Note that the SD slot is only accessible when the protective battery cover is removed; during normal use the SD slot is protected from water, dust, etc.

Garmin sells additional maps on SD data cards, or you can use your own data card and purchase Garmin’s maps on DVD and transfer the maps via a PC.

SD cards can also be used to store images, which can be then be viewed using Colorado’s included Image Viewer.

Figure 10: Using the Rock ‘N Roller

Garmin calls Colorado’s scroll-wheel/joystick combo controller the Rock ‘n Roller. Designed for easy one-handed use, the Rock ‘n Roller rotates clockwise and counter-clockwise, and can be used to navigate menus and lists on the Colorado and zoom in or out on the map. The button in the center of the thumb wheel is the enter key. Pan the map or highlight a menu item by pressing up, down, left, or right.

This new controller is a major improvement over previous Garmin handhelds and a welcome enhancement.

4. Getting to Know Colorado

Figure 11: Adjusting the Backlighting

Once the Colorado is powered up, briefly pressing and releasing the power key brings up the System Status page, shown above. Rotate the Rock n’ Roller to adjust the backlight level. This page also displays the date, battery level, and GPS signal strength.

Figure 12: Scrolling Through Menus

When navigating a list on the Colorado, use the Rock ‘n Roller to scroll to the item you want to select and press the enter button in the center of the wheel to select it.

Figure 13: Entering Text

Entering text on the Colorado can be time consuming; rotate the Rock ‘n Roller disc to the character and press enter to select it. For spaces between words, use the _ (underscore) character. Press DONE (the upper right soft key) when text entry is complete.

Figure 14: Shortcuts

Most features of the Colorado are accessed via the Shortcuts menu, shown above. Press the right soft key any time it is labeled Shortcuts, and rotate the Rock ‘n Roller to view the available applications.

Use the Shortcuts menu to view the map, compass, mark a waypoint, access options, and other features depending on the currently selected profile.

Figure 15: Profiles

Profiles are a quick, convenient way to optimize the Colorado’s settings from one type of activity to another. Colorado ships with the following five profiles pre-defined:

• Recreational
• Geocaching
• Automotive
• Marine
• Fitness

Depending on the profile, Colorado changes various settings and available options to suit the intended use. For example, in Geocaching mode the Colorado displays TOPO maps and has a dedicated Geocaching icon on the Where to? menu. When set to Automotive mode, however, the maps change to display roads instead of trails, and directions are displayed in turn-by-turn style.

Here’s a table explaining which options are available via the Shortcuts menu for each of the five profiles:

Additional profiles can also be created to suit your own particular preferences.

Figure 16: Waypoints

Waypoints are locations you want to save for future use, or to share with others. To mark a waypoint on the Colorado, rotate the Rock ‘n Roller wheel from the Shortcuts menu and select Mark Waypoint, as shown above.

Figure 17: Saving a Waypoint

The Colorado automatically assigns waypoints a three-digit number. This can later be changed to a name of your choosing.

A handy shortcut to saving a waypoint is to press and hold the enter button.

5. Navigating to a Destination

Figure18: Where To? Menu

You can enter a destination address either via the Where To? icon, shown above, or by choosing a point on the map.

Most of the time you’ll be using the Where To? method. To enter a destination, select Shortcuts > Where To?

Figure 19: Preferred Search Category

Choosing Where To? from the Shortcuts menu brings up the search category menu, shown above.

Different destination types are available depending on the current profile, or mode, the GPS is operating in. For example, in Geocaching mode there’s an option for choosing a Geocache as a destination. The following destination types are available from the Where To? menu:

• Recent Finds – displays a list of recently found destinations
• Waypoints – displays a list of waypoints stored on the Colorado
• Tracks – displays a list of tracks stored on the Colorado
• Geocaches - displays a list of downloaded geocaches (from geocaching.com)
• Routes – displays a list of routes stored on the Colorado
• All POI – displays a list of Points of Interest

Figure 20: Setting the Search Area

By default the Colorado searches for destinations near your current location. If you want to search near a different location press Shortcuts > Where To? > Options (left soft key) > Search Near…

You can then choose to search near:

• A Recent Find
• A Waypoint
• My Current Location

Figure 21: Begin Navigation Page

Once a destination has been found/entered into the Colorado, start navigating by pressing Enter from the Begin Navigation Page, shown above.

Figure 22: Stop Navigation

When en route to a destination, the Shortcuts menu displays a Stop Navigation icon, shown above. To cancel the current trip, choose this icon from the Shortcuts menu, as shown above.

6. Map Page

Figure 23: Map Page

The map screen is accessed by pressing Shortcuts > Map.

Use the Rock ‘n Roller wheel to zoom in and out on the map. Pressing and holding the enter button creates a waypoint, and the left/right/up/down joystick can be used to pan around the map.

7. Geocaching

Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game that has gained popularity over the past few years and combines outdoor activities with GPS adventure. Geocachers seek hidden “treasures” using GPS coordinates posted on the Internet by those hiding the geocache. You then use a GPS to go and find the treasure, sign the log book, and possibly retrieve some small price and deposit a small prize in return.

Geocaching is a wonderful activity that combines high-tech with outdoor activity, and exposes you to new trails/places you might not have otherwise discovered. It may not sound like much of a challenge to find hidden treasure if you know the exact coordinates, but it’s more challenging than one might assume.

Using the Colorado for Geocaching is a bit like using a cannon to kill a fly; with so many advanced features available, the biggest challenge is keeping all the options straight and figuring out how to use only the features you need.

Figure 24: Garmin’s Communicator Plugin

Transferring Geocaches to a GPS can be a tedious, time consuming task. Thankfully, Garmin has developed a browser plugin that makes it possible to transfer Geocaches from geocaching.com directly on to the Colorado and other Garmin GPS units. It’s not required to use the plugin, but it sure makes life easier. The plugin is available for Mac or PC, works in IE or Firefox, and can is a free download via Garmin’s website.

Figure 25: Installing Garmin’s Communicator Plugin

Installing the Communicator Plugin is easy and takes about a minute to complete. No reboot is required, although you do need to quit all running browser windows for the installer to work.

Figure 26: Download to GPS Icon

Once the plugin has been installed, connect the Colorado to the computer via the included USB cable, and Geocaches can be transferred to the Colorado by clicking on the “Transfer to GPS” icon, shown above.

Another advantage of using Garmin’s plugin to upload geocaches to the Colorado is that all accompanying data is also transferred, including a detailed description of the cache, hints, and more, effectively making Geocaching a paperless activity since you no longer need to bring printouts of the geocache from geocaching.com.

Geocaches can also be manually entered into the Colorado, if desired.

Once the Geocaches have been transferred to the Colorado, they are accessed by selecting Shortcuts > Others > Geocaches(if you’re in Geocaching mode, Geocaches also appears directly on the Shortcuts menu).

Figure 27: Geocache Page

After choosing a preferred geocache from the list of available caches, the Geocache Page appears, shown above. In my testing I found that most geocaches didn’t transfer over to the Colorado with all the available information. For example, the Geocache shown above in figure 27 includes basic information like the cache name and coordinates, but some other caches include difficulty and terrain ratings, the cache size, and a detailed description of the cache.

I’m not sure if this is a bug with the pre-release version of the Colorado I tested, an issue with the browser plugin, an issue with the caches I tried to transfer, or a combination of issues.

Figure 28: Compass

When navigating to a destination, the Compass page guides you to your target with a graphic compass display using a red pointer, as shown above.

I had to calibrate the compass before the red arrow would appear. Calibration is simple and easy: the Colorado prompts you to turn clockwise slowly in two full circles until the compass is calibrated. Move too quickly and the Colorado instructs you to slow down. Once calibrated, the red arrow appeared on the compass screen and directed me towards the destination. The manual says you may need to re-calibrate the compass if the GPS is moved long distances or subjected to sudden temperature changes, or after the batteries have been changed.

The compass ring displays your heading and the pointer shows what direction you should be headed. Speed, distance to next turn, ETA, and remaining time are also displayed on this page.

Figure 29: Trip Computer

The trip computer is available is Automotive or Recreational mode, and displays various statistics regarding the current trip, such as current speed, average speed, maximum speed, trip odometer, and more.

The trip computer page can be customized and has the following settings available:

• Reset – Reset the trip data
• Big Numbers/Small Numbers – view fewer/more fields with larger or smaller numbers
• Change Data Fields – choose which data you want to display on this screen
• Restore Defaults – reset the data fields to the factory default settings

8. Whereigo (“Where I go”)

Colorado is the first GPS I’ve seen that’s compatible with Whereigo gameplay. Whereigo (pronounced “where I go”) is a new location-based adventure game invented by Groundspeak, and combines Geocaching with role-based characters, puzzle solving, and elaborate story lines.

By combining virtual and real-world elements, Whereigo aims to bring geocaching to the next level by creating an outdoor adventure game in which a GPS is used to guide you to physical locations and you interact with virtual objects and characters. More detailed information on Whereigo’ing is available at www.whereigo.com.

Whereigo games are called “cartridges”, and must be downloaded onto the Colorado via a Mac or PC.

The Colorado includes a Whereigo tutorial that explains the basics. To access the Whereigo tutorial select Shortcuts > Others > Whereigo > Whereigo Tutorial.

9. Tracks

Whenever the Colorado is turned on and receiving GPS satellite signals, it is creating and storing track logs, which can be archived and shared with other users.

Figure 30: Using Tracks

To use Tracks, select Shortcuts > Where To? > Tracks, as shown above in figure 30.

Figure 31: Tracks Page

After choosing Tracks from the Where To? menu, archived and loaded Tracks are listed.

Figure 32: Viewing a Track on the Map

Tracks can be viewed on the map, elevation profiles can be viewed, or the track can be navigated by choosing Go.

To archive the current route for future use or sharing with other users, press the left soft key for Options > Archive.

10. Others

Despite it’s confusing name, the Others menu is home to several important features on the Colorado, including the wireless sharing feature, a 3D map view, sunrise and sunset times, hunting & fishing information, and more.

Figure 33: Accessing the Others Menu

Like most everything else on the Colorado, the Others menu is accessed via the Shortcuts menu.

It can be confusing knowing what applications are located on the Shortcuts menu and which ones are accessible via the Others menu. Depending on the active profile, applications may move from one menu to the other. Note that when an application is added to the Shortcuts menu, it is removed from the Others menu.

Figure 34: Others Page

Figure 35: Share Wirelessly

Choosing Share Wirelessly from the Others page brings up the screen shown above.

The Colorado can wirelessly share waypoints, routes, tracks, and geocaches with other Colorado GPS units.

Figure 36: 3D View

Colorado GPS models that have DEM (Digital Elevation Model) maps can render 3D maps. The Colorado 400t has the ability to display a 3D view of the map, as shown above.

To display the 3D map, select Shortcuts > Others > 3D View

Figure 37: Calendar

The calendar is accessed by selecting Shortcuts > Others > Calendar, and displays sunrise and sunset times we well as the phases of the moon on each date. The Rock ‘n Roller can be used to move through the dates.

Figure 38: Hunt & Fish Page

The Colorado contains an almanac that predicts the best times for hunting & fishing on a given date. To view hunting and fishing predictions, select Shortcuts > Others > Hunt and Fish.

You can view predictions for a different date by using the Rock ‘n Roller to scroll to a different date. Predictions for other locations can be viewed by pressing the Options soft key and choosing a different location.

Figure 39: Route Planner

The route planner can be used to create and save a specific route, either for turn-by-turn navigation in the car, or point-to-point navigation off road.

Figure 40: Alarm Clock

The Alarm Clock can be used to configure the Colorado to automatically turn on at a specified time. To set the alarm clock select Shortcuts > Others > Alarm Clock and set the time you want the Colorado to turn on using the Rock ‘n Roller.

Figure 41: Calculator

The Colorado includes a standard and scientific calculator. To use the calculator, select Shortcuts > Others > Calculator.

Figure 42: Stopwatch

Colorado includes a stopwatch capable of recording lap time based on distance or by pressing a button.

Figure 43: Area Calculation

Colorado’s Area Calculation feature can be used to calculate the size of a specific area. To use this feature, select Shortcuts > Others > Area Calculation, and press Enter to start the process, then walk around the perimeter of the area you want to measure.

Press the Options soft key on the page to change the measuring units used to report the area size.

11. Pros

• Beautiful looking device that’s rugged and fits nicely in the palm of your hand
• Rock ‘n Roller scroll wheel/joystick is easy to use
• Extremely well built
• Bright, 3-inch screen can be easily seen, even in bright, direct sunlight
• Support for Whereigo cartridges
• Supports automotive, off-road, marine, geocaching, and fitness uses
• Can be paired with an optional Garmin Heart Rate Monitor for fitness use
• Can be paired with an optional Bike Cadence Sensor for cycling use
• Ability to wirelessly transfer waypoints and routes to other Colorado users
• Ability to transfer tracks, routes, and waypoints to and from your computer
• Larger display than previous Garmin handheld units
• SD card memory easier to deal with than microSD used on previous Garmin handhelds
• Excellent battery life
• Easier to use than previous Garmin handhelds
• Digital Elevation Maps can be rendered in a 3D map view
• Excellent tracklog support
• Includes electronic compass and altimeter
• Waterproof to IPX7 standards (can be fully submerged)
• Reliable – never crashed and didn’t notice any bugs during testing
• Good customer support

12. Cons

• Expensive
• Mysteriously named menus
• Cumbersome Route Planner
• Slight learning curve
• Some overlap between features can cause confusion

13. Conclusion

Colorado is Garmin’s newest handheld outdoor GPS aimed at outdoor, marine, and fitness enthusiasts. Available in 4 versions, the 400t model includes 3D elevation perspective and ships preloaded with U.S. topographic maps. Additional maps can be purchased from Garmin. Colorado is also the first GPS to support Whereigo (“where I go”), groundspeak’s newest GPS-based activity (the same folks who made geocaching popular).

Colorado’s use of profiles makes it easy to switch the GPS from automotive to marine, recreation, fitness, or geocaching mode, automatically re-configuring the menus so that the handheld is optimized for the chosen activity. Colorado supports paperless geocaching, displaying all relevant information about a given geocache so that you can leave the printout at home.

The Colorado weighs 7.3 ounces, runs up to 15 hours on two AA batteries, includes an electronic compass, barometric altimeter, and has an SD slot for loading additional maps. The Colorado displays air temperature, and can be paired with a heart rate monitor and/or speed and cadence sensor for fitness training.

With a suggested retail price of $599, the Colorado 400t isn’t cheap. But it performs extremely well and is ideally suited to the outdoor enthusiast looking to buy one GPS that serves many purposes. The Colorado is a major upgrade from previous Garmin handhelds, and is significantly easier to use than Garmin’s GPSMAP 60csx.

The Colorado uses Garmin’s own GPS receiver instead of SiRF’s high performance StarIII receiver. In side-by-side comparison testing, the Colorado performed identically to the SiRF-equipped Garmin GPSMAP 60csx, quickly locking on to satellite signals and maintaining solid reception.

Handheld units are still harder to use than models designed primarily for in-car use, like Garmin’s popular nuvi models. But they’re also much more versatile and capable devices, and it’s well worth the effort it takes to learn how to fully use the Colorado. Those already familiar with handheld GPS units will find Colorado easy to use and extremely powerful.

Those looking to replace their in-car or boating GPS will want to invest in additional, more detailed maps from Garmin, as only the base and topo maps are included on the 400t.

Overall there’s very little to complain about on the Colorado 400t. Well built and easier to use than previous models, Colorado raises the bar on what to expect from a handheld GPS.