August 15, 2000

Garmin® Data Cards Get Smarter, Faster, Better

OLATHE, Kan. – Garmin International, a leading manufacturer of navigation and communication electronics, introduces two new value-added accessories for its eMap®, GPSMAP® 295, and StreetPilot®(R) series of GPS devices.

Using Garmin's new line of higher capacity data cards and its new USB Data Card Programmer, consumers can now store significantly more map data and download mapsets faster from Garmin's exclusive line of MapSource® CD-ROMs.

Garmin is adding a 32-megabyte data card to its stable of removable memory cards for its popular line of mobile electronics. Currently, Garmin offers data cards with 8MB or 16MB capacity, which allow users to store high-density mapsets from Garmin's cartography CDs. The 32MB data card will be available in August with a suggested retail price of $225.

By Thanksgiving 2000, Garmin will offer even higher capacity data cards - 64MB and 128MB memory cards with MSRPs of $349.99 and $549.99, respectively.

In anticipation of these new removable memory cards, Garmin is also introducing its USB Data Card Programmer for the fastest possible transfer of map data. Since the baud transfer rate is 10 times faster with this new device, downloading the street map for New York City from the MetroGuide® U.S.A. CD or a cross-country route from the Roads & Recreation CD will only take a matter of seconds. And because it connects directly to your USB port (rather than the serial port connected to your GPS device), it will save the GPS unit's battery life for travel time.

To utilize the USB Data Card Programmer, you will need a PC with a Pentium processor, a recent version of Windows(R) operating software, and the purchase of a Garmin MapSource CD-ROM. The USB Data Card Programmer will be available in August with a list price of $79.99.