Garmin (GRMN) ARM Unveils Dog Tracking Device Astro 430

Worldwide provider of navigation, communications and information devices Garmin Ltd’s (NASDAQ:GRMN) unit Garmin International Inc. has added a new product, Garmin Astro 430, to its GPS dog tracking system.

The new dog tracking handheld will be on sale in July starting at $449, with an additional cost for each dog’s tracker.

Astro 430 comes with new and enhanced capabilities. This new device can now track up to 20 dogs at a range of up to nine miles, while the previous ones could only track up to nine dogs. It also updates their location every 2.5 seconds. The tracker can be used in conjunction with the new DriveTrack 70 LMT, a seven-inch touchscreen dashboard navigator that tracks dogs from inside a vehicle.

Moreover, the new tracker is compatible with other Garmin products, including its fenix 3 GPS watch. When afield, important information like a dog’s distance, direction and other vibration alerts can be viewed on any Garmin fenix 3 GPS watch using Astro 430. This tracking functionality is also available for existing Alpha 100 handhelds as well.

Additionally, the Astro 430 comes pre-loaded with TOPO U.S. 100K mapping and a free one-year subscription to BirdsEye Satellite Imagery. The device includes many features, including 1:24K scale TOPO mapping, pre-loaded BirdsEye, public/private land ownership boundaries and data, food/fuel locations and more. Astro 430 also provides important Hunt Metrics like distance traveled, time afield and an automatic accounting of how many times a dog has treed or pointed game.

With all these features combined, Garmin Astro 430 is capable of providing valuable statistics in evaluating a dog’s performance, thereby increasing the adoption rate of Garmin’s dog tracking products.

Garmin has been making efforts to increase its share in the outdoor market on the back of its new products. It is seeing particular success in this segment because of the many new products it has introduced that are gradually expanding its markets and enabling it to enter new categories.

The latest launch will help it to expand its market share in the Outdoor segment, which focuses on developing technologies and innovations to enhance users’ outdoor experiences. In the last reported first quarter, the Outdoor segment was down 35.7% sequentially and 1.3% year over year due to seasonality.

The company’s golf, dog tracking and training products and GPS-enabled watch for hunters and outdoor enthusiasts should continue to drive sales through the year.

Garmin currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the technology sector include Jason Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:JASN) , Kopin Corporation (NASDAQ:KOPN) and Research Frontiers Inc. (NASDAQ:REFR) , each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).