swgps
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Asus intros GPS-equipped U3S laptop
Asus looks to be keeping busy on the GPS front these days, with it now following up its just-introduced navigators with what it claims to be the "world's first mainstream notebook PC with integrated GPS capability." That particular distinction goes to the company's new U3S laptop, which relies on NXP Software's swGPS system for navigation duties. Among other things, NXP's system does all the necessary GPS signal processing entirely in software, which not only allows it to be much smaller, but also opens up the possibility of fairly significant software upgrades (including support for Galileo). From the looks of it, the laptop itself is also no slouch, with the usual Centrino Duo-related goods and some unspecified discreet graphics under the hood. Just don't expect "mainstream" to mean "cheap," with the laptop set to run €2,300 (or $3,200) when it's released later this month.[Via NaviGadget]
NPX and Mango team up for Mango Research Magic 380 portable GPS unit
NPX's swGPS tech isn't just for making photo location tagging easier, it's also powering Mango's 380 portable navigation unit, claiming to provide better performance and accuracy through software location processing, eliminating the traditional GPS baseband processing chip. Otherwise, the 380 sounds pretty traditional, with a Samsung touchscreen, stereo audio and an optional external RDS/TMC module for real-time traffic and data services. Supposedly the swGPS tech allows the unit to be slimmer than your average device, but we don't have the dimensions on hand to confirm that. No word on price or availability either, but Mango was showing this off at CeBIT, so it shouldn't be too far off.
NXP Software's swGPS SnapSpot tech for GPS photo tagging
Sony got a good jump on the industry with its proprietary GPS-CS1 device for geotagging Cybershot pics, but NXP Software's new SnapShot is playing catch-up at PMA this week, and it looks like the company has a compelling offer. SnapShot reduces power consumption of GPS tagging by separating the capture and the processing of GPS signals, allowing the chip to be only turned on for a short time while obtaining a signal, and then having that data processed by your computer to be imbedded in your photos as they download. Of course, this means you'll have to run your pics through the swGPS software, which can be a bit of a hassle, but no more a hassle than having a GPS module half your battery life. Unfortunately, what NXP doesn't have is a product: they're showing of a credit card-sized accessory module, which could also be easily embedded into a camera, but they're leaving it up to other manufacturers to take the ball and run with it. Until then, we always have our hacks.
