Magellan's been on somewhat of a hiatus since being taken away by MiTAC, and while an unassuming FCC find has shown that it's still alive and well, we're thrilled to see the company's second actual product announcement in over half a year. The RoadMate 1475T is, for all intents and purposes, a refreshed RoadMate 1470 with a traffic receiver, though said traffic receiver works without any monthly fees. It features a 4.7-inch WQVGA anti-glare display, AAA TourBook listings, six million POIs, spoken street name guidance, highway lane assist, QuickSpell and NAVTEQ maps of the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. Not too shabby for just $299, wouldn't you say?

Just a month ago, Garmin came clean with the nüvi 1390T as part of its 1300 lineup, and today we're being formally introduced to the numerical successor. The nüvi 1490T sports a chassis that's some 25 percent slimmer than most nüvi models and an expansive 5-inch touchscreen. As with other new Garmins, this one also arrives with free lifetime traffic alerts and lane assist with junction view. Other expected amenities are also included, namely multiple-point routing, automatic time zone transition and a speed limit indicator that displays speed limits for most major roads. As insinuated, an integrated traffic receiver comes standard, and there's even an ecoRoute feature that suggests the most fuel efficient path. Finally, prospective buyers can count on Bluetooth technology for making and receiving handsfree calls, and the support for optional CityXplorer maps makes this suitable for the pedestrian in you, too. Expect it on store shelves everywhere this July for $499.99.

[Via GPS Tracklog]

We haven't heard a peep from Magellan since MiTAC took over its consumer products division, and quite frankly, we're still waiting for a little trumpet blowing. Sneakily, said company has just launched the well rounded RoadMate 1470 on Amazon, which packs a 4.7-inch touchscreen, NAVTEQ maps of the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, multi-destination routing, highway lane assist, spoken street names, AAA TourBook and a Roadside Assistance menu. Motorists looking for live traffic updates can plug in the optional Traffic Link device, but those kosher with doing things the old way can procure just the PND right now for $229.99.

[Via GPSTracklog, thanks Rich]

Nextar has been pretty steadily adding newcomers to its Q4 family of navigators, and it's not about to let up now with CES just around the corner. The latest member, the Q4-LT, touts a 4.3-inch touchscreen, built-in speaker / antenna, text-to-speech support, 2D / 3D NAVTEQ maps of the US and Canada, 1.6 million POIs, an MP3 / JPEG player, rechargeable battery and of course, free traffic updates for life. Hope you're not too fond of the feature set, though, 'cause it won't even be available for purchase until Q3 2009 for $249.99.

UC Berkeley has been working on using cellphones to track traffic for some time now, first under the the decidedly less expansive Mobile Century project, and now under its new Mobile Millennium project, which has the backing of Nokia, NAVTEQ, and others. It actually first kicked off earlier this year, but it looks like it's now about to take another big step forward, with the researchers set to open things up to the general public -- or the general public in Northern California, at least. The idea here is to collect data from folks with GPS-equipped cellphones and combine it with existing traffic data, and then in turn make that information accessible via cellphone to let you plan out the speediest route. According to the researchers, the software will work on both Nokia and non-Nokia phones, but it seems that they've only tested it on the E71 and N95 so far (you can also view real-time traffic data on your computer). More details will apparently be announced when this new stage of the project officially gets underway on November 10th, but those interested in taking part can already register by hitting up the read link below.

[Thanks, Eric M]

Update: In case you're wondering about the potential privacy concerns here, UC Berkeley has said that it has built privacy safeguards into the system from the beginning to ensure that no data can be tied to a particular phone, and it also notes that users can control the service themselves and, of course, shut it off anytime they don't want traffic data to be transmitted.

Sure, Garmin's new nüvi 500 series can get you from point A to point G on paved and well-lit highways, but that's not the (whole) point here. Instead, these rugged (and waterproof) navigators are geared up to take to the trails, waterways and sidewalks with one-touch transitions between driving, bicycling, boating and walking modes. The 500 includes road maps and topographic maps for the lower 48 US states, Hawaii and Puerto Rico, while the 550 touts comprehensive street map coverage of the US and Canada. Both devices boast a 3.5-inch touchscreen, a removable, rechargeable battery, Garmin's "Where Am I?" feature and geocaching support to boot. As for USers, you'll find the 500 and 550 on sale in Q3 for $499.99, while those across the pond will see the nüvi 550 land this September for £299.

[Via GPSTracklog, thanks Rich]

It was already all but a done deal once the shareholders gave the thumbs-up and EU regulators gave the go-ahead, but Nokia has now announced that it has officially wrapped up its acquisition of NAVTEQ -- a move that, coincidentally, comes just a few days after TomTom and Tele Atlas finalized their own deal. As you might expect, both Nokia and NAVTEQ have nothing but praise for the $8.1 billion deal, with Nokia President and CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo saying that, "Nokia and NAVTEQ together make a powerful combination, and customers will benefit as the transaction enables NAVTEQ to accelerate its expansion into new regions and introduce innovative new content." NAVTEQ President and CEO Judson Green further added that, "Nokia has a deep understanding of the requirements for the industry," before dishing out the usual line about how the deal will benefit the customers most of all.

In the brave new world of GPS, Nokia and NAVTEQ are one as are TomTom and Tele Atlas. At least that will be the picture within 5 business days. With the European Commission's "unconditional approval" granted, Nokia can now close the deal on its planned, $8.1 billion acquisition of NAVTEQ.

What makes the whole thing a bit more interesting is that Google signed a long term agreement with Tele Atlas on Monday which gives it access to Tele Atlas maps for use in any of Google's mobile, desktop, and on-line offerings. A move likely to put Android in even greater competition with Nokia which opted out of the Open Handset Alliance. Good times.

Read -- EU approves acquisition
Read -- Google's deal with Tele Atlas

Coincidence is a funny beast, is it not? On the very same day, releases have been put out touching on both of the major navigation deals that have long since been pending. To kick things off, we've got TomTom and Tele Atlas in quite the celebratory mood, as TomTom intends for Tele Atlas' listing on Euronext Amsterdam and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange "to be terminated as soon as legally possible." Can't blame a brother for wanting what's his, right? Moving on, we're hearing that Nokia will receive clearance from EU regulators "to buy digital map supplier NAVTEQ, as no formal charges are to be levied against the deal." It's also noted that the time for sending a statement of objections has passed, so from the outside looking in, it seems the two can at least move forward with their plans.

[Via Washington Post]

Read - TomTom / Tele Atlas deal
Read - Nokia / NAVTEQ deal

It may have won approval from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and NAVTEQ shareholders alike, but it looks like the EU's European Commission needs a bit more time to think over Nokia's acquisition of the company, and it's now launched an "in-depth" probe into the matter. According to Reuters, the Commission said that the "proposed merger raises serious doubts with regards to ... competition concerns," although it was quick to add that the decision to open the inquiry does not prejudge the result of the probe. Among other things, the probe will apparently attempt to asses whether the purchase would affect the cost of maps for other companies providing navigation services on cellphones. If all of this has a familiar ring, it should, because it wasn't all that long ago that the EU launched a similar probe into TomTom's similar acquisition of map-maker Tele Atlas.

There's just something magical about listening to a British dame tell us exactly how many meters remain before we make our next turn, but we're not so sure we'd be down with only that. Nevertheless, NavStar is hoping that you won't mind the loss of visual aids when navigating to your next destination, as its Voice Navigator ditches the screen entirely and doles out guidance via auditory cues. Granted, the concept sounds at least halfway decent, but judging by a video of the unit in action, we can't say we're thrilled. The firm is, however, aiming to integrate "freshly updated NAVTEQ map data" to its servers each quarter, which should enable US drivers to take the most efficient routes as new roads open up. Hit up your local RV dealer for a demonstration, but set the expectation bar low, okay?

[Via GPSTracklog]

Maybe they were just full of holiday cheer, or maybe they just felt like the match really was made in heaven, but whatever the case, NAVTEQ shareholders "overwhelmingly" voted to approve the Nokia acquisition announced in October. The affirmation will reportedly pave the way for the $8.1 billion deal to go final shortly, as antitrust regulators already signed off on it last week. Yep, looks like NokTEQ will be coming your way soon.

The European Commission has just opened an investigation into TomTom's proposed purchase of Tele Atlas, claiming that consumers could be hurt by a GPS hardware maker owning one of the two major digital map providers. Specifically, the so-called "in-depth inquiry," which will be concluded no later than April 17th of next year, stems from "serious doubts that the acquisition by TomTom of Tele Atlas might...lead to a significant impediment of effective competition within the EEA." With Nokia going after NAVTEQ and Garmin having given up on Tele Atlas, this investigation clearly makes sense from the free market standpoint, as the Dutch firm is not likely to slip past without at least committing to fair map licensing terms for other PND manufacturers. In response to the Commission's announcement, TomTom decided to extend its offer for shares of Tele Atlas until March 31st, 2008, with the option to issue another extension if certain conditions are not met.

[Thanks, Daniel]

We've got two new SatNavs from Pharos for you: the Drive GPS 250 (pictured) and 150. The 250 lists for $300 and features a 4.3-inch touch-screen display and North American NAVTEQ map pre-load (on 1GB SD card) riding atop a WinCE OS, SiRFStarIII GPS receiver, and 7-hour battery. Expect the the Drive GPS 250 and $200 entry-level 150 to pop at the usual retail locations in "the coming weeks" ahead.