Garmin D2 delivers wrist-friendly GPS for pilots

Garmin has almost everyone covered in the watch category: runners, hikers, swimmers, even golfers have their own wrist-worn devices from the consumer GPS pioneer. Now pilots can be added to the growling list of people with their own specialty Garmin wearable. The D2 Pilot Watch includes all the basic, but essential, functions of those old-school aviator watches, like those from Breitling, along with a bevy of advanced features. For one, you can load a flight plan on it and monitor your position on a moving map displayed on its tiny monochrome screen. There's also a dedicated NRST button that uses the built-in GPS to guide you the nearest airport in the case of an emergency. It can also track ground speed, time to destination, altitude and there's a compass display with a horizontal situation indicator (HSI). And, of course, it plays nice with Garmin's stable of other products, like its Pilot App and VIRB action cam. The press release claims the D2 is expected to go on sale in November for $449, though, the Garmin online store currently has it listed for $470. Regardless, we don't anticipate this popping up on the shelves of your local Best Buy.

Press Release

Garmin® Announces D2™ Pilot Watch, First GPS Watch Designed for Aviators
8 OCTOBER 2013 @ 6:00 AM / AVIATION /

OLATHE, Kan. /October 8, 2013/Business Wire - Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced another aviation first, a premium GPS watch designed specifically for aviators. D2's features include Garmin's signature direct-to and nearest navigation functions, as well as a built-in altimeter with adjustable baro setting, altitude alerting capabilities, display of both local and Zulu/UTC time, and the ability to seamlessly integrate with the Garmin Pilot™ app, VIRB™ action camera, and more.

"In addition to the ability to provide global navigation solutions right on your wrist, D2's seamless integration with other Garmin products makes it an essential piece of equipment for every cockpit," said Carl Wolf, Garmin's vice president of aviation sales and marketing. "D2 is as rich in style as it is in features and with the wealth of information it provides, every pilot will want one."

D2 meets the needs of global aviators by offering a worldwide aviation database. Pilots can easily press and hold dedicated buttons for quick access to perform direct-to, nearest functions, as well as create fly-over waypoints of their current locations. Additionally, pilots can load flight plans and create waypoints, similar to the capability found in our popular portable GPS products. Other features include the option to assign customized data fields to display GPS ground speed, GPS track, distance, estimated time enroute, bearing, glide ratio and much more. D2 features altitude alerting which notifies pilots when they reach or leave a preselected altitude, helping to ensure the desired altitude is maintained in-flight.

Pilots can navigate precisely and accurately with D2, which offers a built-in WAAS GPS, highly accurate altimeter with an adjustable barometric setting, compass with an HSI, and moving map page. With the option to set up vibrating alerts within D2, pilots are easily reminded of critical operations such as when to switch fuel tanks in-flight or any other time sensitive operation.

D2 enriches every flying experience when integrated with select Garmin products. Pilots may conveniently build flight plans and create waypoints within the Garmin Pilot app on compatible Bluetooth® (BLE) devices and easily upload them to D2. Additionally, D2 will remotely control Garmin's HD action camera, VIRB. When connected to VIRB, D2 has the ability to remotely start and stop video, view elapsed time for active video recording, as well as capture high quality still photos – even when video recording is active.

Availability for D2 is anticipated in November at a price of $449.00*.

Garmin's aviation business segment is a leading provider of solutions to OEM, aftermarket, military and government customers. Garmin's portfolio includes navigation, communication, flight control, hazard avoidance, surveillance, and other products and services that are known for innovation, reliability, and value. For more information about Garmin's full line of avionics, go to www.garmin.com/aviation, www.garmin.blogs.com and http://twitter.com/garmin.

About Garmin
Garmin International Inc. is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation. Since 1989, this group of companies has designed, manufactured, marketed and sold navigation, communication and information devices and applications – most of which are enabled by GPS technology. Garmin's products serve automotive, mobile, wireless, outdoor recreation, marine, aviation, and OEM applications. Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit Garmin's virtual pressroom at www.garmin.com/pressroom or contact the Media Relations department at 913-397-8200. Garmin is a registered trademark and D2, VIRB and Garmin Pilot are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.

All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Via: Wired