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EU's Galileo satnav system orbiting way past budget, delayed until 2017
Up and running by 2014? Try 2017 at the very earliest. Such is the bogus news coming out of the European Commission today, as reported by the German Financial Times. Shockingly enough, the ill-organized Galileo navigation network has suffered from yet more delays, which have pushed it back by a further three years and even deeper into the budgetary red. An additional €1.5b to €1.7b will be required to complete the grand project, while fiscal recalculations now indicate that it's unlikely to ever turn a profit. Again, we are shocked. The total bill for European taxpayers is estimated to amount to somewhere in the region of €20 billion ($27.8b) when development, construction, and operation are all factored in. Ah well, it's a cash drain, but at least it'll divert funds from the EU's suicidal scheme of paying farmers to not farm. Every cloud has a silver lining, right?
TomTom shows signs of life with Traffic Manifesto, aims to shorten European travel times by 5 percent
We're actually surprised that TomTom's still going strong after Google and Nokia unleashed their free satnav offerings many months ago. If you need some convincing, try this: following the launch of its Go Live 1000 series earlier this month, TomTom has just published a manifesto on its mission to encourage "better use of existing road capacity," and eventually "reduce journey times for everyone by up to 5 percent where there is traffic." Actually, by "everyone" TomTom means Europe, and according to its computer simulations, this would apparently require 10 percent of the continent's drivers to be hooked up to its HD Traffic active load-balancing service. There's no time frame given here, but it'll probably be awhile -- in the video after the break, CEO Harold Goddijn admits that out of TomTom's 45 million drivers, only about 1 million (or 2.2 percent) are currently connected to its live services. That said, this figure might get a little boost once TomTom starts providing free traffic data to radio stations and TV channels as part of its manifesto (in return for some cheap publicity, of course). On a related note, TomTom has also just rolled out HD Traffic 4.0, touting its "higher accuracy, reporting up to 200 percent more traffic jams during rush hours than previously." Existing HD Traffic customers from eight nations -- including Switzerland -- need not fiddle with anything to utilize the new service, and by year's end seven more countries will join the party. Meanwhile, we're still waiting on TomTom's own take on the App Store -- who knows if the company will even survive long enough to reach its goals. We kid, we kid. Or do we?%Gallery-103666%
Swiss van driver gets stuck up a 'glorified goat track,' blames GPS
It's reassuring to know that while some things may change dramatically, others will and do stay the same. Overreliance on GPS is one of those highly consistent trends, as exhibited most recently by one Robert Ziegler, a full-time van driver and part-time goat track explorer. The unfortunate gent found himself growing increasingly uncomfortable with the directional instructions his satnav unit was handing out, but his hope was that "each little turn would get [him] back to the main road." Eventually, after having its fun, the GPS guide told Robert to turn around, but by that point he wasn't in a position to do anything other than call the local rescue services, who kindly airlifted him and his van back to more hospitable terrain. See a picture of the van's delivery to ground level after the break. [Thanks, r3loaded]
Google Maps Navigation comes to Canada and mainland Europe, remains free as a bird
Patience has had to be your foremost virtue if you were eager to use Google Maps Navigation outside the US or UK, but you might be in luck today as a sizable new batch of countries is getting the free turn-by-turn nav service activated. Googleites in Canada and most of mainland Europe will now be able to hear their Android (version 1.6 and above) giving them voice directions, and as an extra bonus, some nations are also seeing voice search activated, with Canada and German-speaking countries among them. Google's clearly not sitting on its laurels here, so why not power up your phone and let us know how well it finds its way around De Wallen? Update: The full list of countries has been made official now: "Today we're launching Google Maps Navigation version 4.2 in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland for Android devices 1.6 and higher." Google Search by Voice has also been confirmed, it's rolling out in French, German, Italian, and Spanish versions today -- with iPhone and BlackBerry compatibility to boot! [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Pioneer's Navi Robo waves you in the right direction (video)
Before you dismiss this as just another crazy idea out of Japan, hear us out. The newly developed, crab-simulating Navi Robo is designed to give drivers visual navigating assistance as a supplement to their GPS device. Its primary benefit, aside from helping the hearing impaired, will be in conveying instructions without requiring the driver to focus on it, as its eyes light up for attention and its "claws" vibrate urgently when an upcoming turn is imminent. Frankly, it looks both cute and functional, and we think kudos are in order for both Pioneer and iXs Research for coming up with the idea. They'll be taking their usual good time (read: a couple of years) to refine and develop the idea, but we've got video of the robot doing its thing right now -- you know where to find it.
Global Positioning Shocker: Magellan rolls out ten new RoadMates for Spring
Looks like Magellan isn't messing around with its new Spring lineup of RoadMate navigation units -- and by not messing around, we mean not changing things very much. Totaling ten units in all, the company's new lineup features models with 4.3-inch, 4.7-inch and 5-inch touchscreens, and seemingly similar specs across the board otherwise, with the biggest difference being the inclusion of lifetime maps, lifetime traffic, and Bluetooth on some models. Look for the whole lot to start trickling out to retail over the coming days and weeks, with about half of them already available on Amazon and directly from Magellan for between $169.99 and $299.99. [Thanks, Rich]
TomTom slips out XL 350, XXL 550 nav units for the US
Intrigued by those XL IQ Routes edition 2 navigation units TomTom rolled out for Europe back in March? Then it looks like you'll soon be able to get your fix in the form of the XL 350 and XXL 550, which recently turned up on TomTom's US website. In line with TomTom's usual naming convention, the XL 350 and XXL 550 pack 4.3-inch and 5-inch touchscreens (non-capacitive), respectively, and are each available with your choice of lifetime maps and traffic options. You'll also get 7 million POIs on each, along with advanced lane guidance, spoken street names, maps of the US, Canada and Mexico, TomTom's EasyMenu interface and, of course, the company's IQ Routes technology. Look for these to set you back between $169.95 and $259.95 depending on the model and add-on options.
TomTom strikes back with Darth Vader voice pack (video)
We guess TomTom was listening when we said it had to respond to Nokia's Own Voice app for custom turn-by-turn navigation instructions, as the Dutch company has announced a new Darth Vader voice pack. Following in the footsteps of such luminaries as Homer Simpson and Burt Reynolds, the Sith Lord has contributed his vocal stylings to the cause of guiding the lost and confused down the right path. Though it wasn't without hiccups -- check out the video after the break for the recording session -- the pack is now complete and ready for download, provided you have $13 handy to smooth the transaction. Yoda, C3PO and Han Solo packs are set to follow in the coming months. May the farce be with you.
TomTom reveals plans for App Store in battle against smartphone navigation
You know how TomTom is moving to a WebKit-based UI with its new flagship Go Live 1000 satnav? Well, there's good reason for it. While TomTom called it a "platform for innovation" at Tuesday's press event in Amsterdam, going so far as to show a few in-house developed prototype apps for Facebook, Wikipedia, and live street cams, it stopped short of revealing its true plan: an app store it can cuddle and call its own. Pocket-lint had a sit down with TomTom CEO Harold Goddijn who revealed TomTom's plans to launch the app store by the end of the year. Apps that will easily migrate to its in-car platform, and to and from other WebKit based devices. In essence, it's TomTom's consumer-focused survival plan against free turn-by-turn offerings from Google and Nokia. While there's no doubt that dedicated satnav devices offer greater functionality and better performance compared to their part-time smartphone navigating competitors, selling the average consumer (not hardened road warriors) on the need for two devices won't be easy. Besides, are Facebook updates really that critical when driving? Pics of the Wikipedia and street cam sample apps after the break.
TomTom rolls out Urban Rider motorcycle GPS
We didn't get a glimpse of this one when we checked out TomTom's new Go Live 1000 navigation unit earlier today, but the company has also just introduced a new GPS device for motorcycle enthusiasts: the Urban Rider. This one sticks fairly close to the company's previous RIDER units, but apparently simplifies even further with a revised interface designed to allow easier operation with gloved hands -- yeah, you can bet this screen is resistive. Otherwise, you can expect features like TomTom's IQ Routes and Map Share, along with advanced lane guidance, and a promised six hours of use from the battery -- that larger battery comes at the expense of an SD card slot this time around, though. No word on a release over here just yet, but this one will be available in Europe next month for €249 (or about $330).
TomTom Go Live 1000 taken for first test drive (video)
We've just returned from a ride with the TomTom Go Live 1000. In general, the device met our relatively high expectations set by a purported flagship navigator from the likes of TomTom. Unfortunately, the prototype unit guiding our vehicle was limited to a scripted demonstration on pre-selected routes. And when we did veer off course thanks to an unhelpful, but rather posh, voice guiding us to turn left a bit early, it took about 8 seconds for the ARM 11 device to reroute -- not bad but not exactly the 0 seconds we were promised during the pitch. Again, we were told that this was the result of using a prototype device... though it must be a near production-ready model given the summer launch timeframe. The unit also wasn't equipped with the automatic volume adjustment that raises and lowers volume based on the ambient noise around it. We did witness the Webkit UI in action and it does seem significantly improved based on our brief 15 minute test ride with it. However, it was still cumbersome enough to give our tour guide (a TomTom quality manager) fits as he tried to jump between 2D and 3D navigation modes. And the capacitive touchscreen was a mixed bag: at times it seemed to require the kind of finger mashing usually reserved for resistive screens; at others it was a bit too sensitive to effectively target street names from a pick list while being jostled about on a Dutch road (accidentally brushing the display selected the entry either above or below the street desired). As bad as all this sounds, we had the good fortune to have a Garmin nuvi 1690 in the vehicle with us to go head-to-head, flagship-to-flagship, and the Go Live 1000 was the clear winner in getting us back to our starting location. Check the Go Live 1000 in action after the break.%Gallery-91899%
TomTom Go Live 1000 to offer capacitive touchscreen, WebKit-based UI
TomTom has just outed its new flagship PND, the Go Live 1000, and wouldn't you know it, it's the first of the company's stable to offer a capacitive touchscreen. This comes mere days after Garmin updated its lineup with capacitive options. The 1000 is a little slimmer than its predecessors, but its major feature is "instant" route planning and re-planning once it has a satellite lock -- the industry's fastest. Achieved using a custom-built Broadcom GPS module, that capability is backed up by a 500MHz ARM11 CPU (yawn), 4GB of storage, 128MB of RAM, a new WebKit-based UI, and 12 months of free TomTom Live services. Beginning in June, this suite of services will be rolled out to 33 countries across Europe, featuring local information about petrol prices, services and weather, while its headline HD Traffic -- which tracks congestion on secondary roads as well as motorways -- and safety camera alert features will come to only 16 nations. It's a decent year-long freebie to have and TomTom promises it'll cost less than €50 ($67) per annum thereafter. That's more reasonable than the previous $9.95 monthly cost, but still not price-competitive with Google and Nokia's offerings. There's also a SIM card slot, but don't expect to be developing new modes of sidetalking, it's most likely there purely to facilitate all those data transactions. Check out the new UI in the gallery below and expect the TomTom Go 1000 Live to show up in Europe some time this summer.%Gallery-91890%
ComScore: European cellphone navigation on the rise
In Europe, it was a good year for cellphone GPS -- ComScore, an organization that tracks painful sounding concepts like penetration and market share, just reported that an estimated 21 million Europeans stopped to ask their phone for directions last year. That's up 68 percent from the 12.5 million who did so in 2008. With two-thirds of mobile map users saying they accessed their phone GPS in a moving vehicle, ComScore thinks the stats suggest phones might replace standard PNDs as well. Too soon to tell, perhaps, but judging by recent events, we expect 2010's numbers will be stellar nonetheless. Haven't tried smartphone GPS yourself? Direct yourself to our comparison guides and see what you've been missing.
Vodafone's Wayfinder is first victim of free smartphone navigation services
Back in January 2009, as Vodafone was preparing to close a £20 million ($30 million) deal to buy Swedish mapmaker Wayfinder, it was seen as a bold move from a carrier intent on entering the apparently lucrative market for location based services. Fast forward to the present day -- past the bit where free Google Maps Navigation destroyed TomTom and Garmin share prices, and past the introduction of free turn-by-turn navigation to Nokia's Ovi Maps -- and you'll find Wayfinder gently sobbing into a handkerchief as it permanently closes up its doors. Vodafone's Anna Cloke gives us the reason for it with devastating concision: "We could not charge for something that others gave away for free." So there we have it, the paid navigation services deathwatch has its first fatality, and it's the unfortunate nature of the beast that plenty of others will be following suit, unable to resist the destructive effects of the free and ubiquitous services now on offer. [Thanks, Chris]
Nokia and Alpine integrating handsets into cars, bringing Ovi Maps to your dashboard
What's the one biggest hurdle to throwing out your dedicated GPS nav unit and going ahead with the free turn-by-turn navigation offered by your smartphone? If your answer was that most phones don't have the great big screens or easy installation systems of some satnav devices, look out, because Nokia's about to shake up your world all over again. Alpine has just announced its partnership with the Finnish giant aimed at integrating Nokia handsets -- complete with free Ovi Maps navigation -- into car dashboard systems. Yes, that means you can use your superb six-amp speaker system to boom out music or voice nav instructions from the phone, as well as your in-dash 7-inch LCD for showing you the right way home. There's further interaction with widgets keeping an eye on your fuel levels and engine condition, leading to location-based services such as the phone notifying you of the nearest and cheapest petrol station. Connectivity is done over either USB or Bluetooth, and Nokia promises that this Terminal Mode will be showing up in its phones in the very near future. The sooner the better, we say.
Solar flares set to wreak havoc on GPS signals
The sun's activity isn't usually a hot topic around these parts, but when it threatens to derail satellite navigation services around the world, it must surely take center stage. UK researchers have corroborated Cornell's 2006 warning that our solar system's main life-giver is about to wake up and head toward a new solar maximum -- a period of elevated surface activity and radiation. It is precisely that radiation, which can be perceived in the form of solar flares, that worries people with respect to GPS signaling, as its effects on the Earth's ionosphere are likely to cause delays in data transmission from satellites to receivers and thereby result in triangulation errors. Still, it's more likely to be "troublesome than dangerous," but inaccuracies of around 10 meters and signal blackouts that could last for hours are being forecast in the absence of any intervening steps being taken. So yes, you now have another reason not to trust your GPS too much. [Thanks, Mike]
Nokia updates N97 with free Ovi Maps, just as promised
It was only a week ago when Nokia shook us with its free turn-by-turn navigation update, but the poor old N97 got left out in the cold. Not any more though, folks! In fact, the new Ovi Maps for N97 was delivered one day earlier than promised, and can be found "through the software update client in the device." Thanks, Nokia, but don't forget your N900 fans, too. [Thanks, @old_no_7uk]
Nokia Ovi Maps with free turn-by-turn navigation hands-on
Now that we've heard the big news from Nokia's London press event, it's only natural to get our hands dirty with the upgraded Ovi Maps. The preloaded map does indeed load much quicker than its old network counterpart, and hey, did we mention it's free too? Enjoy the photos and video after the break with your breakfast. %Gallery-83599%
MyFord Touch coming to 2011 Ford Focus
The 2010 Detroit Auto Show has just kicked off and Ford's plans for the 2011 Focus have been made official. While others might care more about the 155bhp or new six-speed dual-clutch transmission, we're best pleased by the inclusion of the MyFord touch control system. This setup was designed to drag the car dash into the modern touchscreen era, and our comprehensive hands-on revealed it to be a most impressive bit of tech. Two displays flank the analog speed gauge, but the pièce de résistance is an 8-inch, 800 x 480 optional screen landing in the center of the dash. Endued with a web browser, it'll connect via 3G or 4G modems and concurrently act as a WiFi hotspot. Add in a bunch of forthcoming apps and compatibility with any Bluetooth device, and you've got a tech lover's dream system. The next generation Focus should enter production near the end of 2010, giving us a full year to write a "vroom, vroom" app for our smartphones.
Galileo sat-nav system back on the map, said to be 'up and running' by 2014
Remember Galileo, Europe's proposed GPS-like satellite navigation system? It's back in the headlines, and according to the Telegraph, UK-based Surrey Satellite Technology and Germany's OHB System have jointly secured €566 million (that's $815 million in US currency) to build 14 more satellites. The funding continues until 2013, whereby 22 satellites will be order. Full satellite navigation requires 27, and ultimately the European Union wants 32 technological waypointers. Launch date? Apparently 2014 -- we're hopeful, but this road has been wrought with delays before.
