Filed under: GPS, Portable Audio, Portable Video, Transportation

With Sharp throwing down a svelte in-car LCD ready to display nearly any automotive statistic (or roadtrip route) you’d ever need, and Chrysler planning to offer the MyGIG do-it-all device on upcoming vehicles, Panasonic is tossing in its own rendition to keep the competition on their heels. The Strada CN-NVD905U is an in-car navigation / head unit that boasts a 7-inch touchscreen, 30GB hard drive, built-in DVD / CD player, NAVTEQ mapping software, and support for Bluetooth handsfree operations. The trilingual GUI also touts automatic rerouting, and if you’re not already tuned into XM Radio, you can access Sirius’ real-time traffic data to avoid those crowded freeways on your commute back home. Additionally, it sports “iPod video connectivity” for rear seat and front passenger entertainment, but we’re sure all those snazzy movie functions are kept under wraps until you throw it in park. While there’s no telling how much dealers will end up charging for this in-dash machine, the Strada CN-NVD905U should start making noise (and keeping us on track) next Spring.

[Via Slashphone]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: GPS

NAND flash memory, 64MB of RAM, integrated speaker, SD slot, MP3 playback, USB 2.0 port, and a PDF / JPEG file viewer. Although no fancy connectivity options like WiFi or Bluetooth are found here, Holux claims “8 to 10″ hours of realizable battery life from the rechargeable 2600 mAh Li-ion cell, which would be fairly impressive if it refrains from erupting in your hand. Although we aren’t sure of details concerning pricing or availability, we don’t expect the GPSmile 52 to deviate too far from all its oh-so-similar competitors when it hits store shelves.

[Via NaviGadget]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: GPS

If you’re scouting a run-of-the-mill GPS handheld, and have the itch for something a bit different than those Garmin and TomTom units already on shelves everywhere, f-tech’s got your solution. The same folks who brought you the (partly) solar-powered Solar 7 GPS unit have toned things down with the NAV 550 Professional Navigator, as it resorts to just the basics when leading folks around. Powered by a 400MHz Samsung RISC microprocessor, the device provides turn-by-turn voice guidance and boasts integrated smart2go maps, a 3.5-inch touchscreen, SiRF Star III antenna, SD slot, stereo speakers, and a (presumably non-explosive) rechargeable Li-ion battery. It also sports a headphone jack and USB 2.0 connectivity, while touting the ability to “operate indoors” by receiving “tracking signals down to -159dBm.” Although pricing and availability details have yet to surface, we’re fairly certain this ho hum offering won’t dent the travel budget too bad when it hits North America.

[Via NaviGadget]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: GPS, Handhelds

Averatec, a company known best for churning out laptops (and UMPCs as of late) has triangulated a route into the portable navigation market. The Voya 350, its first attempt in the lucrative GPS arena, is a handheld-sized unit that packs all the standard features you'd expect in such a device, and unfortunately not a whole lot more. Powered by a 300MHz Samsung CPU, 64MB of RAM, and operating on Windows CE.net, the Voya 350 displays turn-by-turn guidance while utilizing the usual NAVTEQ maps shown on the 3.5-inch TFT touch-screen. While no built-in hard drive is included, you can store excess data using the SD / MMC slot. Semi-noteworthy features include the 4 hours of battery life you can rely on while trekking in the rough, and weighing just 6 ounces, it makes for an easy tag-along. Although countless similar units have been available for quite some time, it's not really as if one more unit is going to water down the GPS receiver market aymore, so if you're hunting around for a portable nav device that's a tad easier on the wallet than other offerings, the Voya 350 -- albeit under-featured -- looks like a solid value, and can be located now for around $400.

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Filed under: Digital Cameras, Robots

Perhaps worried that their bid proposal for insect cyborgs will never pan out, the wacky minds at DARPA are now looking at the humble maple tree to provide inspiration for their future fleet of tiny surveillance drones. The agency has just awarded Lockheed Martin a 10-month contract to develop maple seed-shaped UAVs known as remote-controlled nano air vehicles (or NAVs, for short) that can be deployed from a hovercraft and whirl around urban battlefields snapping pictures and confusing enemies who have never seen a maple tree. DARPA is stipulating that the single-blade NAVs be equipped with a self-stabilizing wireless camera, yet weigh only 0.07 ounces and be capable of traveling 1,100 feet with the help of an onboard chemical rocket. Seems like a lot to ask from such a minuscule device, but the $1.7 million DARPA is shelling out will probably be enough of an incentive for Lockheed to get the job done.

[Via Boing Boing]

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Filed under: GPS

If the maze of budget navigation units has you all turned around, you probably haven’t even looked in Lowrance’s direction; while primarily known for it’s aquatic endeavors, the iWay GPS nav systems are formidable alternatives to more familiar names like TomTom and Garmin. The affordable iWay 250c has a meager 3.5-inch 320 x 240 touch-screen display, NAVTEQ maps, adjustable white LED backlighting, and just for kicks, completes a trifecta of functions by acting as a JPEG viewer and MP3 player. You won’t, however, have the luxury of a hard drive, as the SD slot is your only storage option. While on your merry way, expect detailed turn-by-turn guidance via on-screen alerts and the obligatory robotic voice cues. The iWay 250c is certainly not laced with features, unlike its tricked-out sibling, but priced at $349.99 it’ll cost you less than half as much.

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Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Windows Mobile, GSM, GPRS, EDGE

Previously, we’d mentioned three crucial details about HTC’s rumored Artemis: it’d lack 3G, the d-pad would be replaced or augmented by a trackball, and GPS would be on-board. Newfound specs appear to confirm what we’d known thus far, and now we have a possible rendering of the device to fuel the fire. All the new deets seem believable enough; we’ll apparently get 128MB of ROM and 64MB of RAM, quad-band GSM / EDGE, 802.11b / g, a 2-megapixel shooter, MicroSD expansion, and an FM radio when she drops sometime this quarter. A little more exciting than the Oxygen, if we do say so ourselves.

[Via phoneArena]

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Filed under: Peripherals, Software, Palm, Palm OS, Windows Mobile

It looks like Palm was inspired by Garmin’s Mobile 20 Bluetooth GPS-sportin’ cradle for Treos, releasing its own variation on the theme this week. Their “GPS Navigator Smartphone Edition” includes the cradle itself along with TomTom’s NAVIGATOR 6 software and US / Canadian basemaps loaded onto a 1GB SD card. Happily, the cradle is SiRFstarIII-based, giving us some confidence that the cradle is worth at least a good chunk of its $299 asking price. The kit is available immediately and should hook up pretty effortlessly with all 650 and 700-model Treos.

[Via Geekzone]

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Filed under: Handsets, ASUS, Windows Mobile, GSM, GPRS

If you’re willing to trade the P525’s honest-to-goodness numeric keypad for an embedded SiRF Star III GPS antenna, ASUS is about to drop your hookup with the upcoming P535. The Pocket PC Phone Edition device is rumored to come packing some serious heat with an XScale humming along at a generous 520MHz, Bluetooth 2.0, 802.11g, a 2-megapixel cam, and a miniSD slot in the event that 256MB of internal flash doesn’t cut it for you. No word on release, but without GSM 850, 3G, or EDGE on board, we’re not getting too worked up about it.

[Via Pocket PC Thoughts]

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Peripherals

Sure, speakerphone setups that broadcast your incoming calls through your vehicle’s sound system aren’t hard to find — if you purchase a factory installed option, that is. But TomTom is looking out for you folks who’ve added a nav unit after the fact, and aren’t exactly fond of using the pitiful excuse for an integrated speaker to listen in. While concrete details are slim, GPSReview has it that a Car Connect device should be coming down the pipeline to complement the company’s GO 510 and 910 GPS devices — as well as the motorcycle-friendly RIDER edition — real soon. The unit hardwires into your vehicle’s audio / lighting system, and transmits the turn-by-turn guidance, nav alerts, and most importantly, handsfree calls to your car’s speakers. The device will even inform your TomTom GPS when it’s time to switch from day to night mode as you toggle your headlights. Although there’s no word on pricing (or whether this mysterious handsfree liaison will even hit the market), those fearful of a little DIY action need not apply.

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Windows Mobile, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

Just when we thought HTC couldn’t physically stuff any more receivers into their Trinity, here we find out that the HSDPA Pocket PC has GPS guts crammed in there, too. The catch? They’re turned off for the time being. From what we can gather from Google’s oft-comical translation services, HTC discovered very late in the game that the GPS subsystem didn’t play nice with Qualcomm’s GSM chipset; rather than hold the release, they decided to disable the nav functionality for the time being and press on with the launch. Worry not, early adopters; a software update is promised for early next year that’ll iron everything out, making the Trinity a solid alternative to its GPS-enabled (but 3G-impaired) Artemis sibling.

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Software, Nokia, Palm, Cingular, Palm OS, Symbian

After initially announcing availability on a handful of devices last month, Cingular and TeleNav are expanding their partnership by bringing navigation to the recently-launched Nokia E62 (and, oh yeah, the Treo 680, too — though there’s no specific mention of Big Orange involvement on that one). The software package rings in at $6/month for 10 trips and $10/month for unlimited use, offering all the same navigational features that you’d find on TeleNav’s previous Cingular offerings — the 8125 / 8525, Treo 650, and HP hw6925 — with a couple of added bonuses on the E62: the new “fuzzy search” feature, as the name implies, completes user entries based on predictive logic and previous searches, while 3D maps also make an appearance for the first time. Sorry, 680 users… maybe next version.

[Via Slashgear]

Read - Nokia E62
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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.