locogps
Latest
locoGPS, now in WiFi flavor
If the thought of a black box jutting out of the bottom of your iPhone is too much to bear, rest easy, because it looks like a dock module isn't going to be your only option. The same company that brought us the original locoGPS is back at it again, this time with a wireless module that looks fit 'n trim enough to stow away neatly on a key ring. Wireless GPS modules are a dime a dozen these days, but what makes the so-called locoGPS Mobile Navigation Server so special is that it serves piping hot coordinates up via WiFI, not the usual Bluetooth, which is just fantastic considering that the iPhone's Bluetooth stack doesn't much like to talk to anything other than headsets. It even stores maps locally via an integrated microSD slot, which means you don't have to delete those Wiggles albums off the iPhone's storage after all. If all goes according to plan, we'll see the wireless locoGPS launch alongside its decidedly more wired sibling in June for €120 (about $183), nav software included.[Via NaviGadget]
GPS dongle coming for iPhone
We've posted a couple of times about "virtual" GPS solutions for the iPhone that depend on cell tower identification, but now The partfoundry has announced the real deal. They will be offering a GPS dongle for the iPhone based on the SiRF Star III chipset. Needless to say this will require a jailbroken phone and the software "will be open source/community based." They've already got a prototype working (video embedded after the jump) that can report its location and send it to the Google Maps application.No word yet on how the dongle will affect battery life. They're also working on the iPod touch, but support for it remains to be determined.The partfoundary GPS module is apparently available for purchase now at $89 and is due to ship in February. Check out the prototype video after the jump.[via Digg]
locoGPS hacks into the iPhone barrio
O sweet jeebus, could it be? Why yes, that's the "stylish plastic enclosure" promised for the partfoundry GPS module iPhone hack. At least, it's the first rendered appearance. Initially peeped over at Engadget Mobile on Friday, the newly named locoGPS module requires a Jail Broken iPhone to work. A new video shows the SiRF Star III chip doing its positional thing in support of Google Maps. The $89 hack remains on track for a February 2008 release -- you know, around the time when the official SDK launches and presumably... hopefully, an official iPhone GPS module is announced. Video after the break.
