After a very successful experiment called "Colorado" and the subsequent continuation of the line in the face of the Oregon project, Garmin presented a new portable gadget to GPS lovers - the GARMIN Dakota 20. A tourist navigator is an integral part of travelers and simple fans of outdoor activities, which in some cases is extremely difficult to do without.
Choosing the optimal and really necessary gadget for a hike sometimes turns into a lottery - lucky or unlucky, so let's try to consider the novelty from all sides, taking into account the opinions of experienced specialists and reviews of ordinary device owners.
Package
The box, where the GARMIN Dakota 20 navigator is conveniently located, surprises with its small size. But nevertheless, the following things fit perfectly inside:
- the device itself;
- long and pleasant to the touch lace;
- disk with manual for the gadget;
- instruction in book version in Russian and in five other languages;
- USB-adapter for connecting the navigator to a computer;
- warranty card and booklets withadvertising and somewhere useful information.
Glamorous and stylish carabiner, as in the case of "Colorado" and "Oregon", alas, no. There is no additional software on the disk or on micro-SD like cards and other useful programs either. But, in any case, internal memory is present (850 MB) and for correct operation we “pump” with GARMIN Dakota 20 maps. User reviews are approximately unanimous in their opinion regarding the applications used for navigation - these are “Roads of Russia. RF. TOPO 6.32.”
Appearance
The new Dakota, compared to the previous generation Oregon, looks like a kind of little sister. The weight of the device was significantly reduced, but this did not affect the ergonomics for the worse - the gadget fits perfectly in both male and female hands, and experienced hikers and lovers of eTrex series travel navigators will see a serious competitor: the dimensions of the GARMIN Dakota 20 are almost identical to eTrexom.”
The touch screen occupies almost the entire front of the navigator, and on the side, somewhere under the thumb of the right hand, just one button is conveniently located. It performs several functional actions: turning the device on or off, as well as changing the backlight level of the device or capturing the screen (depending on what to configure). Judging by the feedback from users, many people liked this minimalism - there is no need to get confused in the numerous buttons with inscriptions in a foreign language, or even without them at all.
Gamma selection is quite sensible, and the gadget looks unobtrusive and somewhereeven elegant - perhaps because of the stylish strip that runs around the entire perimeter of the device and has a copper-metallic hue.
Design and ergonomics
The black plastic of which the GARMIN Dakota 20 GPS is made, judging by the tactile sensations, has a rubberized base, due to this, the device does not slip in the hand or on a wet surface, which is very convenient.
The gray plastic that frames the screen looks solid and tough, protecting the device from all sorts of scratches and damage. In addition, the touchscreen of the device is additionally protected by high sides, which helps protect the screen in the “face down” position. At the same time, the USB port is also protected, equipped with a harsh-looking rubber plug that does not separate from the case, so you won’t be able to lose it.
At the bottom of the GARMIN Dakota 20 is an attachment for a special strap. This is one of the most important elements of the device, some kind of insurance against falling to the ground, into water, snow or somewhere else. The dimensions of the mount itself have increased slightly compared to models of previous generations, and if desired, the gadget can be attached not to the cord included in the device kit, but, for example, to a narrow sling. In any case, on the cover of the navigator you will always find grooves for the branded mount from Garmin with a carabiner.
In order to isolate the device from water, an elastic band is provided on the case framing the battery compartment around the perimeter, and a removable cover with a plastic rim is already pressed against it. Under the battery isa standard micro-SD slot that can "eat" almost all card formats, up to the latest SD HC class.
Screen GARMIN Dakota 20
Review, of course, cannot do without a comparison with the previous generation of navigators of the Oregon series. The previous navigator, of course, wins in screen size and resolution - the picture is smoother and more understandable, and there is more different data. But this is not a reason to classify the new gadget as poor relatives. You can work with the menu, compass or maps quite comfortably on the GARMIN Dakota 20.
Firmware from the manufacturer and variable from interested amateurs will help to slightly improve the display of the interface and individual details of the menu, maps and the same compass, so the functionality of the device and the perception of data from the navigator remains approximately at an average level. In any case, the ergonomics of the screen remained at its best, and no critical problems were noticed in the user reviews.
The only thing that the owners note as a fly in the ointment is brightness. The screens of the latest models from Garmin, including the Dakota, unfortunately, are inferior to the transreflective displays of previous generations. Here, a big plus goes into the treasury of the eTrex series from competitors. The GARMIN Dakota 20's backlight, set to the lowest level, is almost blind, but at high settings the screen comes to life, burning a significant part of the battery.
Additional screen features
Additionally, "Dakota" is equipped with a screen lock fromrandom touches, which is very convenient and in some moments very useful. When you turn off and then turn on the device, the backlight level returns to the default settings, and the timeout can be changed in the menu (the minimum value is 15 seconds).
In the "Oregon" series, backgrounds were made in the form of various pictures, such as raindrops, car wheels, ears of wheat, or other touching paintings. The GARMIN Dakota 20 (background change tutorial) offers several color gradient fill options. On the one hand, this is not bad: the monochromatic range is not full, the details of the menu are clearly visible, and it looks kind of more impressive. But, on the other hand, the last series allowed you to download your favorite screensaver from your computer so that it pleases the eye. The new Dakota, alas, is deprived of this opportunity.
Interface
There are no surprises or innovations here - the Dakota menu is absolutely identical to the functionality of the Oregon: clear and large icons like Windows platforms, convenient and quite intuitive. The display of menu items on the screen can be turned off, then there will be more free space.
The only thing that users complain about in their reviews is the lack of looping menu items, that is, when you get to the end of the list, you have to scroll back to climb to higher positions.
Customizable user profiles available, some owners worry about lack of built-in softwarefor viewing pictures (although why this function is needed in the navigator). In addition to working with the menu, you can customize the Motion Counter page by filling the function window with the necessary data according to your preference: coordinates, time, altitude, longitude, movement speed, distance to the next object, etc. - up to ten windows.
As an alternative to standard layouts with pictures, like a pedestrian or a car, it is possible to set up counters without unnecessary graphic style - it will be convenient for those who appreciate the information received in its purest form.
Localization
After the first turn on, GARMIN Dakota 20 immediately offers to “communicate” in Russian (coordinate points work). If someone is unlucky, then you can always set the interface language in the menu. Users in their reviews note that since the past generations, the translation has improved significantly, many spelling and other obvious language errors have been corrected. For example, "On" now translates correctly - "On", and not "On" as it was in the Oregon models.
When the navigator is connected to the computer or the signal from the satellite is lost, the user sees Russian, and not some other language. But for some reason, the stopwatch still counts not - as it should - seconds, but the time of day. Nevertheless, translators still have work to do, about 10% of the menu is still in English, like Sight'n'Go. If there is no desire to wait for a custom translation, then you can always download amateur firmware for the navigator from unofficial sites - there amateurs corrected everything and somewhereeven added their own chips and all sorts of lotions.
Work offline
The eTrex hiking gadgets remain the undisputed leader in power consumption, which manage to stretch the battery life at medium intensity up to 30 hours, and this is on one set of simple alkaline batteries.
Naturally, the Dakota, with its touch screen, is not able to master the performance of the eTrex, but nevertheless, the manufacturer assures us of a 20-hour operation of his device, which is quite good (in any case, better indicators of past generations of navigators).
It's worth noting that ambient temperature has a significant impact on battery life, so don't be surprised if your device doesn't last more than 12-15 hours in late fall.
Stress test: cold
Judging by the cost, the GARMIN Dakota 20 navigator (the price is about 20 thousand rubles) must withstand fire, water and much more. For the purity of the experiment, the “marching” conditions were provided to the gadget by an ordinary refrigerator. The appliance was turned on and left for exactly one hour in the freezer section at -15 degrees.
After the allotted time, it turned out that such a low temperature did not affect the device in any way - it continued to work properly, and travel through the menus and maps took place without any jerks and delays. The only thing to complain about is the reduced battery charge.
Stress Test: Water
With such seemingly childish adventures as falling into a small puddle, the Dakota gadgetdoes it quite calmly. According to the manufacturer, the new navigator is able to withstand immersion to a depth of 1 meter and stay there for half an hour. "Field" tests at the bottom of an 80-liter aquarium for the same 30 minutes showed that the device did not suffer at all and works, as before, without freezes and any brakes. Water could not penetrate either the USB dongle or the battery compartment.
Summing up
The GARMIN Dakota 20 navigator (price for February 2016 - 20 thousand rubles) is considered the younger "brother" of the Oregon series, so travelers with reasonable and more or less moderate needs will fully appreciate it.
Pros of the model:
- platform supports raster maps;
- convenient touch controls;
- small dimensions;
- intelligently thought out device ergonomics;
- normal translation of the interface into Russian;
- a solid amount (for the navigator) of internal memory;
- micro SD card support;
- support for wireless protocols with other Garmin navigators;
- built-in three-axis compass.
Cons:
- faded backlight;
- cannot be used in tandem with a laptop as a GPS receiver;
- sometimes problematic loading (adaptation) of maps into the device;
- small screen;
- no useful software included;
- gadget manual could be more detailed.
