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iGo's electric Fatbike takes the grunt-work out of climbing
We realize that the market for a nearly $4,000 bicycle is going to be fairly limited -- especially when it's made for serious off-roading -- but bear with us for a moment. The iGo Electric Fatbike is a bit different than the electric two-wheelers we've seen before because, for one, well, it's a fatbike. Meaning, it's specially designed to tackle both snow, sand or other soft terrain with relative ease. To make those typically undesirable substrates (or maybe just the road to your favorite deli) a little easier to get across, the iGo will match your pedal input with its electric motor and 12Ah Panasonic battery. Pedal faster and you'll get a bigger boost, slower and it'll cut back on the push; there are an adjustable ten levels of power assistance, too. The designers seem pretty far along on the process and say they're hitting Kickstarter to setup their new assembly facility and complete the first production run. Want in? All it takes is 3,595 Canadian dollars.
Advent intros the OTOCAM3 multimedia navigation system for Toyota Camry
Advent's new auto soundsystem team-up with Audiovox hopes to juggle enough other tasks to stand it out of from the crowd of infotainment offerings jostling for space inside your car. Alongside connectivity to Pandora through iPhones, the OTOCAM3 includes iGo Primo navigation software, Navteq US and Canada maps and a Parrot module built-in with an external microphone. The whole system is steered through an eight-inch touchscreen and can hook up with vehicle metrics like fuel mileage and tire pressure. While Pandora functionality will arrive in Q1 2012, any Toyota Camrys bought during the holidays or shipped before then will still get the feature through firmware upgrades. Navigate down for the full press release.
Navigation app sales and Verizon friendliness
There's a flurry of GPS related news today, so let's get right on with it. First, one of our favorite nav apps, Navigon, is having a pretty big sale to celebrate its milestone of 2 million sales worldwide. If you've been lusting after a Navigon app, there's a 4-day, 50% off sale beginning today. Regional versions for the US are $14.99. The US-Canada app is $29.99. The USA-only version is $24.99. Current users can take advantage of the promotion as well, with prices for in-app purchases of Traffic Live, Panorama View 3D and Zagat Survey for MobileNavigator iPhone at 25 percent off. On the TomTom front, that excellent nav solution is on sale for $34.99 for the US version. The US-Canada app is $39.99. The sale has no end date. TomTom also notes that new iPhone users on Verizon will be seeing a "connect to GPS" warning when they start up. TomTom advises users to just hit continue, and all will be well. The glitch doesn't affect your navigation and will be fixed ASAP.
Switched On: Stowaway from the PDA era
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. Their screens lacked color and their apps lacked Internet access, but one thing the PDAs of yore had in common with the smartphones of today was text input that couldn't compare to a full-sized keyboard. The challenge, of course, is that full-sized keyboards generally aren't very good traveling companions for pocket-sized devices. In 2000, a startup called ThinkOutside addressed the issue with the first Stowaway keyboard, an ingeniously designed folding keyboard that used the dock connector of Palm PDAs to create a touch-typing experience that fit in your pocket. (Stowaway designer Phil Baker is the author of the book From Concept to Consumer, which explains how ideas become products that get built overseas and ultimately sold back here). ThinkOutside went on to create versions for PocketPCs, infrared (to accommodate incompatible dock connector standards) connections, and then finally Bluetooth. The company was eventually purchased by accessory maker Mobility Electronics, which renamed itself iGo after its flagship power adapter product, and eventually cancelled the Stowaway. At the time, PDA sales were sinking and relatively few handsets supported Bluetooth; most of those that did supported only the profiles needed for headsets and speakerphones, not keyboard input.
iGo unveils green power supplies, drives stake through vampire power
The cats at iGo are making their first-ever CES appearance next month, and they're bringing a suitcase of new gadgets with them, including three devices -- a laptop charger, a surge protector, and a wall outlet -- they say will reduce the power used when attached devices are in standby or off mode with automatic shut-off and recovery. Additionally, iGo will introduce a not-as-green netbook charger that, like its wallMAX predecessor, lets you simultaneously charge your phone, PMP, camera or other device. Rounding out the showcase are various assorted accessories like a card reader, laptop cleaning kit, and international travel adapter. We know you're simply dying to check out that triumvirate of awesome.
iGo intros everywhereMAX, wallMAX multi-device chargers
It looks like those in need of a replacement power adapter for their laptop, or those simply looking to streamline their device charging now have a couple of new options to consider from iGo, which has just introduced its everywhereMAX and wallMAX multi-device chargers. Each of those come equipped with iGo's dualpower accessory which, much like Lenovo's similar offering, will let you charge a cellphone, MP3 player, digital camera or other device while your laptop charges, and the everywhereMAX takes things one step further with additional adapters that'll let you plug into an auto outlet or airline seat. From the looks of it, you'll get eight different power tips for some of the most ever-present laptops with each charger, with additional tips available on the company's website. Those will run you ten bucks apiece, while the everywhereMAX and wallMAX adapters themselves will set you back $140 and $100, respectively.
Whirlpool's centralpark system reels in iGo charging solution
Though Whirlpool managed to pick up a few new partners to make gizmos that played nice with its life-simplifying centralpark connection system back in January, there still aren't many options out there to make good use of it. Thankfully, the outfit has just lassoed in Mobility Electronics, which is all set to reveal its iGo charging station for centralpark refrigerators; the unit will enable users to juice up cellphones, DAPs, laptops and pretty much any other rechargeable gadget out there from the comfort of their own kitchen. The forthcoming device will obviously be compatible with every last iGo tip, theoretically allowing you to recharge "over 2,700 different gadgets with the simple switch of a tip." No word on pricing / availability, however.[Via CNET, thanks Yossi]
Video: Nav N Go's iGO My Way 8 GPS -- iPhone, iPod touch edition
Here we go, the first honest to goodness GPS solution for the iPhone. Having already brought the solution to the PSP, Nav N Go have now worked their iGo My Way 8 magic into Apple's touchscreen devices. The prototype on display at CeBIT supports turn by turn directions and location finding via a WiFi key or fob. The WiFi key receives the GPS data and retransmits over WiFi while the fob offers the option to directly attach the unit to the iPhone or iPod Touch's docking port. Expect to hear more about these official 3rd party apps during our coverage of Apple's SDK launch event later today.Update: Reader Owen S. just noted that Nav N Go is using Gomite's adapters to receive the GPS signal. [Thanks, Andras]
Asus' R300 navigator surfaces, gets spec'd
Nearly a month ago to the day we were taking a peek at leaked information regarding two upcoming Asus navigators, and now it seems that we've got more concrete data on the smaller of the two. Reportedly, the R300 will be packin' a 3.5-inch touchscreen with a 320 x 240 resolution, SiRFstarIII GPS chipset, an FM transmitter, Bluetooth 2.0, handsfree capabilities, a 400MHz Samsung 2440 processor, 64MB of SDRAM, a microSD expansion slot and a rechargeable Li-ion for taking things off-road. Additionally, it'll be available in silver or white and boast USB connectivity, Windows CE.net 5.0, an integrated music / video player and maps covering France. We're still hearing that it'll ship next month for a currently undisclosed price, but check out one more shot of the unit posted after the break.[Via NaviGadget]
MyGuide Splash S navigation system shows off at CeBIT
Joining the array of GPS systems showing off at this year's CeBIT is MyGuide's Splash S, which doesn't really strive to be different outside of its tethering abilities, but gives us all one more option in the saturated 3.5-inch GPS market if nothing else. Encased in a rugged enclosure that can purportedly resist shocks and extreme temperatures, this navigation system touts a 320 x 240 resolution screen, 300MHz Centrality Atlas II processor, handsfree Bluetooth capability, 64MB of built-in RAM, integrated RDS / TMS traffic information receiver, an SD / MMC card slot, rechargeable Li-ion battery, music / video playback, an image viewer, and a copy of Windows CE to run the show. Per usual, no details regarding price or availability were divulged, but feel free to click on through for a few more snapshots.[Via NaviGadget]
iGo, Mapopolis, and TomTom navigation software compared
No doubt the top priority of anyone looking for a piece of navigation software for their Windows Mobile device is whether it'll get them from point A to point B without leading them astray; or worse still , leaving them stranded, having to rely on maps or -- gasp -- directions from strangers. Well, it looks like all three products tested by Brighthand from (iGo, Mapopolis, and TomTom) will manage to get you where you're going without much difficulty, but they did find some fairly significant differences between the trio. Perhaps the most striking is that iGo and TomTom use 3D maps, while Mapopolis goes at it in 2D -- whether that's cool with you comes down to personal preference, but the folks at Brighthand definitely dug the 3D ones more, finding them easier to follow. Where TomTom falls short is in the interface department, which basically looks like an early PalmPilot app. Still, that didn't stop them from giving the overall edge to TomTom, citing its reliability, accuracy, and useful extras like weather and traffic data. iGo is currently in beta but should be released in Europe shortly, while Mapopolis and TomTom are both available now for $100 and $150 respectively.
