Like your smartphones with a little heft to them? Check out Motorola's new VC6096, an oversized Windows Mobile 6.1 device for those with inventory (and employees) to track. The 4.85 pound behemoth is intended for dashboards, not Dockers, and features a wealth of connectivity to ensure your workers are never offline, like HSDPA, 802.11a/b/g, and Bluetooth too. It also offers SAE J1708 and J1939 ports for communicating directly with the systems of whatever vehicle you mount it in, and a SiRFstarIII GSC3ef/LP GPS chipset for pinpointing exactly where your last shipment of widgets was delivered. The front sports a 6.5-inch VGA touchscreen and a backlit 65-key keyboard, while inside hides 128MB of RAM plus 256MB of flash for storage and a 624 MHz XScale PXA270 processor, a faster version of the same chip we've seen before in other shop-minded portables. Price isn't set, but this could be the must-have gadget for your fleet in '09.

[Via NaviGadget]

Reincomm just announced the new iriver NV Life, the official name of its M20 prototype. New in that they've done away with the big, navigation pad of the original NV in favor of a more sleek, easily portable SatNav device with PMP functionality. Still, it's a near spec-for-spec clone of the bigger, bulkier NV. Available in either 2GB ?328,000 (about $367) or 4GB ?358,000 (about $400) capacities, the SiRF Star III GPS device dedicates an SD slot to maps and second to augment the onboard flash. Inside, the WinCE 5.0-based device packs an FM-transmitter, DMB TV (with GPS PiP support), and a wide selection of codecs synonymous with the iriver name. The only downside is the display: 800 x 480 pixels spread across 7-inches of glass. On par with the industry but pretty poor when compared to cellphones which offer the same resolution on 2.8-inch displays.


[Via Akihabara News]

If you've bought a GPS unit in the past year or two there are decent odds it's based on the SiRFstar III chipset, which has been about as good as it gets since it arrived on the scene a few years ago. Now there's a new chip on the block, SiRFprima, which could have GPS aficionados kicking those SiRFstar III units to the curb. The unit boasts "industry leading" GPS performance, and is the first of its ilk to be able to work with GPS and Galileo signals simultaneously. InstantFixII -- which promises 5 second start times -- is built in as well, along with 3D acceleration for the fancy new maps hitting the scenes, and the capability to work with external devices like touch screens, DVD players, video cameras and so forth. While no one feature is revolutionary, the fact that SiRFprima will be wrapping up all these features into a cute little package for GPS manufacturers to slap into their units without a worry -- which should start happening in the second quarter of this year -- is surely cause for celebration.

Korea loves 'em some 7-inch all purpose media players. Here's another, the W-700 series from their homegrown Inkel. We're talking DMB, SiRFstar III GPS with real-time TPEG traffic data, and all the media your person can set dancing on that Samsung 800 x 400 pixel display. Under the hood you'll find WinCE 5.0, 128MB of memory, and a dual-core processor to keep applications and media snappy. Prices start at ?470,000 or about 500 US bucks.

Sure, your phone has GPS capabilities, but who wants to carry around a receiver everywhere you go? Well, what if the receiver were tiny... and your key ring? That's exactly what Proporta is proposing (ha ha) with its latest "world's smallest" (the company's claim, certainly not ours) GPS receiver, the Freedom. The ultra-compact device does in fact function as a key fob, in addition to being a SiRF Star III-equipped receiver which can interface with whatever friendly device you happen to have nearby. The Freedom will last you nine hours on a single charge, connects with up to 20 satellites, and plays nice with Bluetooth devices, making your navigational world slightly more enjoyable. The little guy is available right now for €99.95, or $129.99.

[Via theunwired]

GlobalSat, purveyors of fine GPS-related products such as a stylish GPS watch and the child-tracking, parent-worrying GPS "phone", has launched a new Bluetooth receiver sure to make your teeth chatter with excitement. The BT-359C is the latest and greatest the California-based company has on offer, featuring a SiRF Star III low-power chipset, Bluetooth 2.0, and a built-in ceramic patch antenna. The receiver can be coupled to PDAs, or laptops via its "Serial Port Profile", and provides faster acquisition times and improved accuracy in "urban canyons" (which we're pretty sure is fancy GPS-speak for "cities"). The BT-359C will be sold at AT&T retail locations, and is available now online for $159.99.

Yukyung's got a new Viliv PMP navigator set for launch in S.Korea: the X2. Looking every bit like the P2 found bouncing around the US, the X2 replaces its predecessor's hard disk with either 4GB or 8GB of solid state flash while introducing SiRFstar III navigation and SD/SDHC expansion. Of course, it also packs a DMB receiver for Korean mobile TV which they'll certainly trim if this thing ever comes Stateside.

The iriver NV -- as in NaVigation, initially outed as the M10 -- is now up and official. Chances are, if you're in the market for a PMP, the NV's got your needs covered. The 7-inch, 840 x 480 LED backlit LCD packs T-DMB television; SiRF III GPS; 2 SD slots (1 reserved for navigation maps presumably); a USB 2.0 host jack; FM transmitter; a "GPS Camera" which presumably GPS tags its 1.3 megapixel photos; and plenty of media support including OGG audio and DivX video among the usuals. All that in a sleek slab of kit which will more than likely never leave the S.Korean market in its current form.

[Via Akihabara News]

Because you can never have precise enough location data when traipsing around the woods with the fam, Garmin has upgraded its Rino 520 and 530 GPS receivers / two-way radios with the highly-accurate SiRFStar III chip: meet the 520HCx and 530HCx. Like their predecessors, both models feature a 14-mile range (in an open field, we assume), built in basemap of the Americas, FRS and GMRS capability for chatting or transmitting coordinates between devices, and the rather impressive ability to hang out one meter underwater for up to 30 minutes without any ill effects. You also get a miniSD slot for loading additional urban and topographical maps, and if you step up to the 530HCx, a seven-channel weather receiver, electronic compass, and barometric altimeter. Look for these units to hit stores sometime next month, with $450 and $500 pricetags -- both of which are lower than the initial MSRPs of the earlier, less-precise Rinos.

[Thanks, Allory D]

Looks like Pioneer is on the verge of announcing a followup to their AVIC-S1 GPS receiver smartly dubbed, the AVIC-S2. In fact, it would appear that they went so far as to inadvertently publish the specs on their web site before pulling the page. No prob, that's what Google's cache is for. From what we can tell, the S2 builds upon the S1's 3.5-inch touchscreen, SiRF Star III GPS, Bluetooth, SD slot, and 2GB of on-board memory by introducing an MP3 player and optional TMC traffic receiver. Click the read link to check the cached data, while you can. Otherwise, we'll likely be checking this out up-close and hands-on at a CeBIT launch.

[Via GPSreview]

Trabbit's making a first appearance 'round here with this, their new TM-7000 all singing, all dancing PMP with GPS. With WinCE 5.0 at its core and a biggie 7-inch, 480 x 234 touch-screen display, the device brings all the media goodness you'd expect from a South Korean PMP: a T-DMB TV tuner, SiRF Star III GPS, support for DivX, XviD, MPEG-4, AVI, and WMV video, and BSAC, MUSICAM (MPEG-1 layer II), MP3, OGG, AAC, ASF, WAV audio. Hell, the device even features picture-in-picture support for watching TV or video while using GPS... and you know, driving. All in a relatively slim 19.8-mm slab. Unfortunately, there's only 64MB RAM / 64MB ROM with additional memory supplied by SD card support. No word on pricing or availability but like most of these PMPs, it'll likely remain tethered to Korea.

[Via Akihabara News]

Step aside Garmin and TomTom. While you two have been slugging it out in court, LG has prepped four GPS units hell-bent on muscling their way into the burgeoning North American navigation market. The LG LN790, LN740, LN735, and LN730 will all see their formal debut next week at CES. All four feature a 450cd/m2 bright touch-screen display, SiFR Star III chipset, turn-by-turn voice guidance, and pre-loaded maps of the US and Canada including millions of POIs. The top-o-the-line Bluetooth-enabled LN790 features a 4.3-inch LCD and an RDS-TMC (Radio Data System - Traffic Message Channel) antenna for updated traffic information along your route. And like most of their GPS devices long available in Korea, LG delivers plenty of personal media playback options with support for music, photos, and videos. When you arrive at your destination you'll get an additional 4-hours or so of playback off the integrated battery. From there, the features begin to tail off with the LN740 dropping-in a 4-inch display while the LN735 and LN730 are both 3.5 inchers. All are expected to ship in Q2 2007 ranging in price from $800 to $350. The unit to the right is their latest model for Korea but should give you an idea of what to expect. We'll drop in a real pic once they're released.

Sure, a GPS receiver designed for in-car use is far from unique, but an actual geo-locator disguised as a car is an entirely different animal. AVing was able to sneak a peek at a new SiRF Star III GPS receiver that throws a unique twist on your more vanilla alternatives. Apparently manufactured under a "Gold Kiwi" moniker, the tiny vehicle also sports Bluetooth capability, but a built-in sound system and handsfree support couldn't be verified. While we have our doubts about these undercover receivers wheeling their way to American shores, you might want to double-check the undercarriage of the next Hot Wheels toy you buy -- unless, of course, you don't mind the far-fetched possibility of bringing an unsolicited tracking device into your home.

[Via NaviGadget]

Have at it kids, yet another 3.5-inch GPS navigator only this time from GlobalSat. The GV-370T is the latest SiRFstar III satnav device to deliver North American and Europe navigation along with MP3 and photo viewing capability (what, no video?). Powered by a Samsung SC2410 proc running WinCE, the GV-370T features 64MB Flash ROM / 64MB SDRAM with SD expansion for maps, a 1200mAh Lithium-ion rechargeable offering up to 2-hours 15-minutes continuous operation or 100 hours standby, and 3.5-mm stereo jack for music on the go. Not the prettiest girl on the block but she probably won't cost ya much either whenever GlobalSat manages to turn 'er out.