Nat Geo Maps at Sacramento Sportsmen's Expo

The International Sportsmen's Expo in Sacramento opens tonight and National Geographic Maps will be there!

You can see demos of our TOPO! software, see how it works with GPS handhelds including the new Magellan Triton units and learn the latest about our forthcoming Trails Illustrated maps of northern California public lands.

Kevin Lance and Jeff Bell - Tech Support/Customer Service - at ISE Sacramento
So come to ISE Sacramento at CalExpo tonight through Sunday and see the best maps for sportsmen!

Nat Geo Maps at CES

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES), going on now in Las Vegas, has been all over the news. Hundreds of new product announcements are timed for this show. Once upon a time, this show was mostly about stereo equipment. Now with electronics embedded in so many products, attendees see everything from refrigerators to cars there. The Engadget blog has had more than 400 posts in the last several days!

We're excited to be there for the first time in some years, demonstrating TOPO! and how it works on a Magellan Triton GPS.

NGMaps Sales Manager Alisha Daniels demos TOPO! + Triton at CES

Taking the fast track

From the Westchester County, NY Journal-News:

BEDFORD HILLS, January 3, 2008 - A 32-year-old Californian whose rental car got smashed by a Metro-North train last night was issued a minor summons for causing the fiery crash that stranded railroad commuters for hours.

Bo Bai, a computer technician from Sunnyvale who said he was merely trusting his car's global positioning system when he steered onto the tracks, was cited for obstructing a railroad crossing, officials said this afternoon.

He got stuck, tried unsuccessfully to reverse and finally abandoned the 2006 Ford Focus minutes before it was slammed by a northbound Metro-North Harlem Line train, MTA police said.

(read the full story)

I think a growing number of people are satisfied to follow the audible directions from a GPS, or turn-by-turn directions printed from a web site, and lack the desire to know where they are along the way to their destination.

I still have a need to visualize the geography of my trips by looking at a map. How about you?

Thanks to engadget

Outdoor recreation maps - great things on tap

We're cooking up some great things for outdoor recreation map users this year.

mapXchange, our site for downloading trail and other map overlays to use with TOPO! will enjoy a major upgrade this spring.

Look for an announcement about this and other TOPO! news January 22nd.


Trails Illustrated will continue its march across northern California this year with great new maps.

And based on the success of National Parks Explorer 3D, Southern Appalachian Mountains Explorer 3D and Adirondack Park Explorer 3D, we're also working to make more TI maps available digitally.

New Triton Tech Info is Live

New instructions for using TOPO! with Magellan Triton is now live at topo-triton.com along with details on how to contact us for support.

I hope you find a Triton + TOPO! under your tree!

Idiot Proof?

A member of our sales team called today and I mentioned I was in the midst of testing updated instructions on transferring TOPO! maps to Triton, having unboxed a 1500 unit.

He asked, "So you want to see if it's idiot proof?" I didn't take umbrage. He knows I'm not exactly a GPS power user.

The good news is the directions worked easily. We're just fine tuning them and some additional tips and will have them on the web in a day.

Since this was my first time handling a Triton I'll say I liked the feel of it, loved the screen, especially the touchscreen operation. And the TOPO! maps I transferred looked great.

Meanwhile, Magellan informs us that the flood gates have opened and many more Tritons will soon be washing into stores near you.

Question about Magellan Triton Delays

A Contours reader writes:

What is your view on the matter of the non-availability of a GPS-device (Magellan Triton) which is praised on your own web-page?

While we are not happy that the release has been delayed, more models are shipping to more stores each week. This is a new line that will be a standard for some years and so we view the delay as a short term disappointment.

While our relationship with Magellan is not exclusive, we are working closely with them and promoting the Triton line because they are the first company to do what thousands of our users and dealers have been asking GPS manufacturers to do for years: Allow them to transfer TOPO! maps to their handhelds.

Where to buy Triton GPS

Last month we let you know the exciting news about a new line of GPS handhelds that will be the first to support tranfer of TOPO! maps to view and track on-screen.

Magellan's Triton units have begun shipping. A report on where to find them appears here today.

Maps Lead to Adventure

That headline is a motto we've used for some time. But right now it's literally true.

Now through December 31st, purchase one of our outdoor recreation map software products and qualify for a one-year subscription to Adventure Magazine.

Participating dealers will have tear-off coupons for submitting your claim. Online retailers will have a PDF redemption form. You can also find it here.

The offer applies to the TOPO! State Series, Weekend Explorer 3D, Back Roads Explorer 3D, National Parks Explorer 3D and our other outdoor map software products.


Where to buy:

Retail

Your local independent outdoor specialty shop.

REI

Sportsman’s Warehouse

Eastern Mountain Sports

Joe’s Sports

Academy Sports & Outdoors

L.L. Bean

Bi-Mart

Bass Pro Shops/Outdoor World

Gander Mountain

Sport Chalet

Great Outdoor Provision Co.

Blue Ridge Mountain Sports

Hudson Trail Outfitters

Online

National Geographic Online Store

REI.com

GeoMart

Swiftmaps

Digital Map Store

Offroute.com

The GPS Store

GPS Now

Map Outfitter

Software-Maps.com

Amazon.com

Concise Atlas of the World, Second Edition

National Geographic Books has just released the National Geographic Concise Atlas of the World, Second Edition, a condensed yet complete world portrait.

This edition includes more than 3,000 updates, 32 new pages of expanded content, and 500 maps, charts, graphs, flags and illustrations. All the maps are fresh, newly researched and state-of-the-art, reflecting the latest changes in the world. Topics covered are informative, relevant and interesting, providing readers with the most current geographic knowledge and global trends.

Smart navigational features and intuitive design elements make reference searches easy and quick.The atlas opens with beautifully rendered, up-to-date, thoroughly indexed, political and physical maps of the world. World thematic maps follow, presenting plate tectonics, climate and weather, oceans, population, religion, energy and the economy. Health and education, environmental stress, and conflict and terror are also covered, providing a review of the increasingly complex issues we face today.

A newly compiled time zone map is added, as well as a special section on the United States, providing more in-depth coverage, including population changes, most prevalent religious groups, risk to property from natural disasters, and national parks and reserves. The full-color physical and land cover maps enhance and enrich readers' understanding of Earth's natural features.

New continental maps cover water availability, dominant economies, energy consumption, population density, climate and natural events such as earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis. Country profiles provide valuable and useful facts for all 193 independent nations of the world. Never-before-published satellite mosaics depict the Earth in high resolution from hundreds of miles above.

It's a fantastic value at $24.95.

160 pages

350 color maps, graphics, satellite images, and photos
10 1/4 x 13 1/2
Softcover

ISBN: 978-1-4262-0196-7