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

Framed and Mounted Maps

A framed or mounted wall map can make a great gift. There are several retailers who offer our maps enhanced in this fashion.

The National Geographic Online Store has a nice selection of framed NG maps.

Maps.com, 4 Corners Maps, McMaps.com, Omnimap and SwiftMaps offer mounted NG maps as described below:


Art.com has a number of framing and mounting options for NG maps.

And if you are in the vicinity of a Sportsman's Warehouse store, they stock our Classic World, Executive World and Executive USA mounted maps.

Triton GPS Units are shipping

The long-awaited Triton line of handheld GPS units from Magellan have begun shipping. Not all models are in stores yet but we know some have arrived as we've heard from people who have bought them and are beginning to upload our TOPO! maps to their units.

Check out topo-triton.com for more details, links to a how-to and free upgrade for Triton users.

Watch a video about the top-of-the-line (not in stores quite yet) Triton 2000.

Looking for a map-related gift?

If you're a member of Costco, Sam's Club or BJ's Wholesale, look for the National Geographic Deluxe Map Collection.

It's a boxed set of 30 reference maps, including the world, continents, and selected countries, regions, space and thematic titles.

Onion Made Us Cry

A column by Al Lewis about the satirical newspaper The Onion in today's Denver Post mentions their new atlas, Our Dumb World.

Says Onion CEO Stephen Hannah, "Our atlas is doing better than anything Rand McNally or National Geographic has done in a while. They are not on the bestseller lists."

We realize it's The Onions role to tweak, but the truth must out:

For the record, book bestseller lists do not take account of the many thousands of National Geographic world atlases purchased by our members through the mail. And if they included all the Wal-Marts and gas stations that sell road atlases, Rand McNally's would be perennially on the top of the list as they move millions every year.

Among the Onion's many subjects of ridicule in their atlas: our famous Afghan girl. Well, we're really not crying, but permit us to sniff!