"Great excitement in the German and international geocaching blog scene. For a few hours, on Monday evening from about 20 GMT Clock Garmin's new platform www.opencaching.com online. Shortly after 23 clock then the fuss was over and the page no longer accessible. The short time to see what you could have looked good in, it was already cached registrations and publications possible and the basic functions seemed to work perfectly already. The import of their own discoveries and their own caches as GPX files was already possible.
The fast shutdown of the site suggests that there is someone with the release of a little action premature. However, it is assumed that the page will be available again soon. Then surely accompanied by a large media contingent and promotional activities.
Long-term caches may recall that once belonged to the domain www.opencaching.com Opencaching project. She was even the first domain of the project. After various disputes and lack of tangible results, the interest dwindled to an alternative platform, thus leaving the domain owner contract - intentionally or unintentionally - coast again. 2004, then fell to a domain domaingrabbers the chance and use the secure domain. It should be by September 2010 show the domain to take a new owner could. Garmin acquired the domain for an undisclosed amount. The last known desired retail price of the former owner but was $ 10,000.
The Garmin plans to pursue its own platform, has been speculated in various circles for months. A few weeks ago I heard this "rumor" for the first time, though, we could muster little tangible information.
Garmin That would start its own platform, but is ultimately less surprising than it seems at first glance. Already after the Wherigo-flop and Ground peaks shift to the recommendation of other GPSr had the suspicion that between Garmin and Groundspeak not the very best may be the ratio. Thus, prior to 4 weeks from the Garmin GPS "GPS Devices Featured" area located on geocaching.com. At least since the removal of Groundspeak logos from Garmin devices (with the publication of the last firmware update) and the purchase of the domain opencaching.com should all signs point to confrontation.
Groundspeak for the situation but it could be far more precarious than for Garmin. We can not afford Garmin and Garmin users to 'interfere' in any way - Garmin, however - as the market leader in mobile GPS devices - has sufficient market power and sufficient budget to press their own platform in the market " . 'This is certainly the biggest difference between Opencaching.com and free projects like Opencaching.de (and the other country pages).
Whether it be enough to eventually peak at Ground depends on market position significantly from scratch, not least of which sums Garmin is willing to invest. Also how to user requests received will not be undecidable."
