Menus can be more quickly navigated custom messages can be typed much faster and your entire contact list can be accessed.Įqually important, Earthmate gives your phone the functionality of a conventional handheld GPS device.
#GARMIN INREACH MINI BLUETOOTH#
The functionality and user-friendliness of the inReach Mini greatly improve when it’s paired via Bluetooth to a smartphone using the free Earthmate app. The 0.9″ x 0.9″ display does not have a grid map (like the SE+) or color topo map (like the Explorer+). The Mini can also store 500 waypoints and 20 routes. Request a weather forecast for a current or future location.Broadcast its location to an online map, at 2- or 10-minute intervals and,.Send and receive messages with other inReach devices.Send custom messages, using a painfully slow virtual keyboard.Send preset messages (set beforehand in the inReach online portal).When used independently of other devices, the inReach Mini can: Connects via Bluetooth with free Earthmate smartphone app and with some Garmin devices.Service plan required ($12 to $100 per month).Garmin did not show it at the last Consumer Electronic Show or Outdoor Retailer, both in January, nor did it seed the Mini for testing with major outdoor media outlets like Outside and GearJunkie. The Mini appears to have launched with just a press release.Īccording to the Garmin website, the Mini will be available in “5 to 8 weeks,” or mid-June to early-July. I would have thought that such a noteworthy product would be launched at a press or industry event, but I don’t think that was the case here. Many long-distance and ultralight backpackers will gravitate to this device as well - they’ve been asking Garmin for a Mini-like device for a while now. I’m specifically thinking of trail runners and cyclists. The Mini also has functionality that not even the larger SE+ and Explorer+ have, such as compatibility with other Garmin devices like the Fenix 5 GPS watch.ĭue to its size and weight, I would expect the inReach Mini to gain traction with user groups that would never consider the SE+/Explorer+. When paired to a smartphone via the Earthmate app, however, most functionality is fully regained. To achieve its weight and size, some secondary features had to be sacrificed, like navigation and battery life the new virtual keyboard is even more painstakingly slow. it can send and receive text and emergency messages anywhere in the world, using the Iridium satellite network. The Mini retains the essential inReach function: two-way satellite messaging, i.e. Its more comparable to the SPOT Gen3 than the other inReach units. The inReach Mini weighs just 3.5 oz (100 grams) and measures 4″ x 2″ x 1″ (5 cm x 10 cm x 2.5 cm), making it about half the weight and size of Garmin’s two existing inReach devices, the inReach SE+ and inReach Explorer+. This new device is noteworthy for two reasons: 1. Garmin dropped a big surprise this morning: a new addition to its popular inReach line, the inReach Mini. It will be available in late-June/early-July 2018. The new Garmin inReach Mini is half the weight and size of the existing inReach SE+ and Explorer+.