If you can afford the hefty price tag, the Garmin Nuvi 660 is a solid-performing and versatile GPS device that offers all the navigation basics, tools for the world traveler, Bluetooth, and more.

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]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

---

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!

The Rand McNally GPS Navigator is a nice portable navigation system for those who love road tripping, but its maps and interface could use refinement.

Filed under: GPS

We should start off by saying that growing and selling marijuana for a living isn’t the best idea — besides being illegal, it doesn’t look very good on your resumé, and the lack of a 401k option is detrimental to your retirement plans. And if you’re absolutely dead set on a career in chronic cultivation, driving around with 18 pounds of the stuff in your trunk is something that you’d want to avoid. But a gentleman in Racine, Wisconsin named Dean Brown must be far dimmer than the average dope grower, because not only was he caught with a car full of freshly-harvested wacky tobacky, he was actually stupid enough to have stored the coordinates of all his grow sites in a portable GPS receiver hanging around his neck. After sheriff’s deputies discovered the huge stash in Brown’s car, they proceeded to plug all of the locations from the nav unit into Google Earth, giving them a handy map that has led to four separate plots of pot so far. As a repeat drug offender, Brown faces up to 59 years in prison and a steep fine for his latest brush with law, although there’s slight chance that he’ll get off if the arresting officers are unable to pull themselves away from their marathon screening session of “The Wizard of Oz” synced up to Pink Floyd’s “The Wall.”

[Via 27B Stroke 6]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

---

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

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]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

---

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]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

---

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

Despite some performance glitches, the TomTom Rider is a solid navigation system for motorcyclists, with good Bluetooth integration, but we recommend swapping out the included Bluetooth headset for a higher-quality one.

The Magellan RoadMate 2000 offers basic in-car navigation for an affordable price.

The Magellan RoadMate 2200T packs some of the latest navigation features into a nice, sleek package, but it hits some speed bumps with its slow route creation and recalculation.

The Averatec Voya 350 offers a nice basic navigation system for an affordable price, but its design and interface need some fine-tuning before it can compete with the big boys.

Offering just the navigation essentials and accurate directions, the TomTom One is an affordable and easy-to-use in-car GPS device for first-time buyers or anyone who wants a no-frills nav system.

The TomTom One offers first-time buyers and minimalists a basic navigation system.

The Pioneer AVIC Z-1 is an impressive all-in-one aftermarket head unit incorporating most of today’s in-car technology features. Despite a few usability glitches, it is a competitively priced car tech package.

Though the Magellan RoadMate 3000T lacks some of the advanced features of its competitors, it’s a good value and offers some nice navigation features and an accurate receiver.

The Mio C310 brings navigation and entertainment features together in one compact and affordable package.

Filed under: GPS

It looks like LG is poised to muscle its way into yet another product category -- in Europe, at least -- with the new LN710 in-car navigation system. Running on Windows Mobile CE.Net 5.0, the SiRF Star III-powered model features a 300MHz processor, 4-inch, 320 x 240 pixel display, 64MB RAM / 32MB ROM, and an SD slot for loading up maps from the included CDs -- not too bad, but nothing that Garmin, TomTom, and friends will lose any sleep over. It's not exactly clear who's getting this model or when they'll be getting it, but we did see it on a German website for about $467 (including a 1GB card; packages with 256MB, 512MB, or 2GB cards will also be available), so that should give you some idea of the pricing structure.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: GPS, Portable Audio, Portable Video

As portable GPS devices are doing more and costing less, fewer people are stopping at unknown gas stations for directions and more GPS companies are beefing up their product lines. Taiwan-based company d-Media has released an upgrade to their older G3 model, predictably named the G4, which we'll probably never see here in the US. That said, the new unit boasts a 4-inch 480 x 272 TFT touch screen, IR remote, microSD expansion slot, voice recorder and Bluetooth. Not wanting to fall behind the media-obsessed times, they 've also crammed in support for MP4 video, MP3 audio and digital photos your passengers can enjoy when the unit isn't giving you directions in one of its 16 compatible languages. According to the product page, all that plus features like e-compass and G sensor, which help keep those directions coming even when a tunnel takes you out of satellite range, make this a device you "can't take your eye off." Wait, doesn't this thing go on your dashboard?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: GPS

Thomson (or if you’re a Yank like us, RCA) has found its way into the handheld GPS market, and is poised to release two new models in the fall. The GPS 420 (pictured), which is designed primarily for in-car use, will drop (in Europe, of course) this September or October, loaded with a 4.2-inch 16:9 touch screen and carrying a €500 price tag. The pedestrian-oriented GPS 280 will boast a 2.8-inch screen that can be oriented horizontally or vertically, and should be available sometime in November for a semi-affordable €400. Other hard specs on these SiRFStarIII-based devices are few and far between, but judging by the picture in the source link we assume video (DMB anyone?) and audio playback will find their way into the mix as well. We’ll keep you posted when we get more info, unless we get sidetracked daydreaming about Archos’ upcoming antenna-packed GPS powerhouse. 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Though a bit sluggish, the Navman iCN 750 is an innovative image-based navigation system, offering an integrated camera and accurate driving directions.

Filed under: GPS

RoadMax and TeleType both look to be trying to lower the barrier of entry to in-car GPS navigation, each company recently announcing units that’ll retail for less than $400 US. RoadMax’s VMax 361 is the cheaper of the two, running just $349 and offering up a pretty no-frills approach, with a 3.5-inch touch screen, voice prompt navigation, 2D or 3D viewing options, and an SD card pre-loaded with maps of the US and Canada, and should be available in August or September. TeleType’s Windows CE-based WorldNav 3100 GPS comes in a little higher at $399, also packing a 3.5-inch screen but offering a bit more in the way of extras, including support for most audio and video formats you could ask for (including DivX and Xvid) along with 2D or 3D navigation and pre-loaded maps of the US and Puerto Rico. A premium version is available for $459 that adds a choice of male or female voice guidance (the basic version is female only) and more than 12 million pre-loaded POIs as opposed to just 3 million on the standard model.

[Via MobileWhack]

Read - RoadMax VMax 361
Read - TeleType WorldNav 3100

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

The Garmin StreetPilot c550 offers accurate driving directions, integrated Bluetooth, and real-time traffic info in one slick package.

Filed under: GPS

Remember those new Navman GPS units launched back in March featuring integrated digital cameras for the new NavPix system? Well, PocketNow got their hand on the top-end iCN 750 in-car navigation system to see just how useful downloading location-mapped pictures can be. The unit’s “pretty GUI” was up and running right out of the box thanks to the US maps coming pre-loaded on the 4GB internal hard drive. Nice, right? Only thing is, data stored on that relatively slow disk drive (instead of flash memory) resulted in “sluggish” screen-to-screen transitions. Still, the highly touted NavPix feature was so useful for navigation that the reviewer claims it will be emulated “much like the iPod clickwheel” soon enough. High praise indeed. In fact, we should expect Navman to start offering guided city tours whereby you can download an itinerary of coordinate-tagged photos for your destination city — just tap the picture and hit “go” to navigate to a point-of-interest. The iCN 750 would have pulled more than the 4/5 overall rating had it included 4GB of flash memory to speed things along, a non-reflective coating to help out in direct sunlight, and a battery indicator right up front on the main menu. All in all, a pretty sweet setup for the $700 beans required to take this high-end navigator home.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Those looking for a dedicated GPS device in the car and on foot will find the Garmin Quest 2 delivers in portability and performance.