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Star Wars-themed GPS steers Japanese geeks away from the dark side
As if George Lucas wasn't already milking his money-printing franchise for all it's worth, comes this GPS gem out of Japan. To the (presumed) delight of fanboys everywhere, navigation maker Dinos has inked a licensing deal with Lucasfilm that conjures up an all-out, Star Wars-themed car nav system. From the orchestral theme music at startup to the voice guidance performed by the original Japanese VO actors (Darth Vader and C-3P0 only), the 5-inch LCD mount is pretty much the memorabilia stuff of a grown-up, scifi geek's wet dream. There's even a mode selection option to let users pledge their allegiance to either the "Empire" or the "Rebels," in addition to 20 different custom vehicle indicator icons. Sounds fluffy enough, but the unit also does double duty as a OneSeg TV tuner and can even be used as a standalone set. It's on sale now for 39,800Yen (US$507), but unless you're living in the Land of the Rising Sun, this import's just kitsch for kitsch's sake.
NTT DoCoMo unveils the Drive Cradle 02 that turns your tablet into a jumbo GPS
NTT DoCoMo is announcing its Drive Cradle 02 that turns five-to-seven-inch tablets into GPS units. Pairing up with the network's Drive Net navigation service, the hulk of plastic will pair with NEC's Medias Tab N-06D, the Galaxy Note and the 7-inch Galaxy Tabs to help you reach your destination -- assuming you don't get caught sneakily playing some Angry Birds at 80mph. It'll go on sale in Japan this Friday, June 29th and will set users back 315 yen ($4) per month.
New Magellan RoadMate GPS units navigate by landmarks, steer clear of pesky traffic cameras
It's been a long while since Magellan comprehensively updated its RoadMate GPS mapping units, so the company's making up for lost time in style by introducing no less than seven new models in one shot. The RoadMate 2210, 2210T, 2220-LM, 2230T-LM, 5220-LM, 5230T-LM (pictured) and 5235T-LM all bring in a new Landmark Guidance option to give directions based on landmarks, not just those occasionally impenetrable street numbers. Traffic Camera Alerts are just as new and help you stay on the sunny side of the law when speed cameras and traffic light cameras are nearby, albeit at the cost of $30 a year after the first year is up. As Magellan is wont to do, the new GPS range is dictated by screen size and what features you'll get for life: the 2200- and 5200-series units carry respective 4.3- and 5-inch screens, while the LM and T badges signify lifetime map updates and traffic alerts. The range's prices start off at $100 for a RoadMate 2210 and scale up to $170 for a fully decked-out 5235T-LM.
TomTom Go Live Top Gear edition brings Clarkson onboard as navigator, Stig speechless
We'd assume a sizable share of fans may consider themselves God's gift to road navigation, but that hasn't stopped TomTom launching a special edition Top Gear flavor of its GPS device. Navigation is narrated by the voice of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson, directing clueless drivers "with the aid of 32 satellites... and me." The in-car navigation unit is priced at $269.95, including a one-year subscription to traffic updates and incident reports from TomTom. Alongside Clarkson's familiar tones are some extra Top Gear car icons and Stig mode, where the GPS will remain entirely silent. It'll also point out race tracks featured in the show, plus any nearby speed cameras. With its main man behind you, how could you possibly lose your way?
TomTom sends HD Traffic update to all Live models, extends Traffic Manifesto to US (video)
TomTom CEO Harold Goddijn announced at a NYC event last night that the company's HD Traffic service, previously only included with the Go 2535 M Live, would be available on all U.S. Live models, including the Go 740 Live and XL 340 Live. Traffic updates will be one component of the subscription-based Live, which will also see a 50 percent price drop, to $60 per year. This is all part of TomTom's grand Traffic Manifesto, which aims to cut traffic by five percent overall. Achieving this rather lofty goal in the U.S. would require 10 percent of the country's drivers to be using Live, which transmits real-time traffic data using a dedicated AT&T SIM. The company says drivers using the service themselves can expect to see travel times reduced by up to 15 percent. Our commute often involves a pajama-clad hike from the bed to the desk, so if you're currently a subscriber who drives to work, let us know if Traffic is making a dent in your travels.
TomTom shows signs of life with Traffic Manifesto, aims to shorten European travel times by 5 percent
We're actually surprised that TomTom's still going strong after Google and Nokia unleashed their free satnav offerings many months ago. If you need some convincing, try this: following the launch of its Go Live 1000 series earlier this month, TomTom has just published a manifesto on its mission to encourage "better use of existing road capacity," and eventually "reduce journey times for everyone by up to 5 percent where there is traffic." Actually, by "everyone" TomTom means Europe, and according to its computer simulations, this would apparently require 10 percent of the continent's drivers to be hooked up to its HD Traffic active load-balancing service. There's no time frame given here, but it'll probably be awhile -- in the video after the break, CEO Harold Goddijn admits that out of TomTom's 45 million drivers, only about 1 million (or 2.2 percent) are currently connected to its live services. That said, this figure might get a little boost once TomTom starts providing free traffic data to radio stations and TV channels as part of its manifesto (in return for some cheap publicity, of course). On a related note, TomTom has also just rolled out HD Traffic 4.0, touting its "higher accuracy, reporting up to 200 percent more traffic jams during rush hours than previously." Existing HD Traffic customers from eight nations -- including Switzerland -- need not fiddle with anything to utilize the new service, and by year's end seven more countries will join the party. Meanwhile, we're still waiting on TomTom's own take on the App Store -- who knows if the company will even survive long enough to reach its goals. We kid, we kid. Or do we?%Gallery-103666%
