EGO Drive 4.3-inch GPS unit looks pretty, loves your phone

Raytel is bringing a new GPS navigator to CES 2008 next week in Vegas, but decided to share the details a few days early. The EGO Drive sports a 4.3-inch touchscreen with stylus, 3D maps, voice recognition and multiple user profiles, but where it really shines is in phone compatibility. Bluetooth features include hands-free calls, text-to-speech SMS reading, phone voice commands, A2DP and AVRCP audio streaming, and DSP tech for cutting down on noise and echos while you're zooming along. There's also an external knob for operating the unit without taking your eyes off the road. Media support is plentiful, and you can augment built-in memory with SD cards. No word on price or availability just yet.

[Via NaviGadget]

[Juice @ Dec 31st 2007 11:06AM]

Looks sweet. Ever since all those Ford EDGE with "Sync" commercials have been airing I'm feeling the need to implement the BT phone support in my car.

Price?

[DataGuy @ Dec 31st 2007 1:40PM]

"No word on price or availability just yet."

My guess, based on the feature set, is that it's going to be in the $600-700 range.

[Paul in Maryland @ Dec 31st 2007 12:23PM]

Why are all GPS diaplays longer than they are wide? Given that we could be driving East-West or North-South, wouldn't a square make more sense?

[DataGuy @ Dec 31st 2007 1:38PM]

Well, most GPS default to having the map spin, with the position icon always facing straight up/ahead.

Widescreen helps out with the icons that are normally placed on the sides of the display, such as turn indications, zoom, etc. that tend to clutter up the normal aspect displays. On non-GPS functions, such as option screens, address books, on-screen keyboards, song listings, etc., widescreen is really nice.

[Paul in Maryland @ Dec 31st 2007 1:59PM]

OK, that makes sense. I was just thinking that air-traffic-control displays measure 20 by 20 inches (square); but on those displays, there's so much real estate (2,048 x 2,048 pixels) that the icons don't get in the way.

[DataGuy @ Dec 31st 2007 2:03PM]

I'm pretty sure the state troopers would pull you over if you had a 20" square GPS display on your dash! ;)

[GETYOID @ Dec 31st 2007 4:47PM]

Yet another incredibly over-hyped and unnecessary item (the GPS). Just another thing to distract drivers AND to grab a few hundred from your retirement. Read a map, use your brain and remember the roads and directions to and from -- just like the old days.

[0110000101111000011001010110101001110010 @ Dec 31st 2007 5:25PM]

If we did everything the same old way, we'd still be using horse and carts

[DAZA @ Jan 1st 2008 2:46AM]

Maybe if you live in a country or city with a grand total of 5 streets you can use a street directory. GPS navigation systems makes travelling to large cities a lot easier and quicker, perhaps even safer.

Also, did you ever think that using a navigation system may be cheaper than buying street directories? If you were to get every street directory for every city in every state of your country how much would that cost you?

[GETYOID @ Feb 7th 2008 6:53AM]

And everyone is tracking everything you do, everwhere you go, everything you buy and when....... nice. Keep not caring.

[EGO Maniac @ Jan 2nd 2008 6:29PM]

The EGO DRIVE will retail at $799 and will be available late February/early March '08. For more information on the EGO DRIVE and additional EGO products, you can visit http://www.egohandsfree.com/