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Pharos drops a pair on America: Drive GPS 250 and 150
We've got two new SatNavs from Pharos for you: the Drive GPS 250 (pictured) and 150. The 250 lists for $300 and features a 4.3-inch touch-screen display and North American NAVTEQ map pre-load (on 1GB SD card) riding atop a WinCE OS, SiRFStarIII GPS receiver, and 7-hour battery. Expect the the Drive GPS 250 and $200 entry-level 150 to pop at the usual retail locations in "the coming weeks" ahead.
GPS leads driver into tight spot, stays wedged for three days
Every few months, we happen upon yet another story involving a motorist who simply believes that their GPS system would never, ever lead them astray. This go 'round, a Czech lorry driver continued down an incredibly narrow lane at the request of his sat nav, and even though his ginormous camion was clearly too large to make it around the 90-degree turn, he threw common sense to the wind and continued onward. Needless to say, his ride ended up wedged so tightly he couldn't reverse his way out, so he decided to set up shop for three whole days rather than calling for "an expensive weekend rescue." Interestingly enough, the fellow managed to acquire food after befriending a couple that lived nearby, and while we're sure he uttered Michael Scott's words in a different tongue, we've little doubt that "the machine knows!" was heard by nearby wildlife shortly before this situation turned sour.
TomTom's Go 920 T flagship navigator announced
There it is, TomTom's Go 920 T navigator. TomTom's high-ender is said to include new "Enhanced Positioning Technology" for a more continuous navigation experience and pre-installed with what they call, "the most extensive map of Europe and North America." The portable satnav features a 4.3-inch, 480 x 272 pixel display; 400MHz CPU; 4GB of internal flash with SD expansion; RDS-TMC traffic receiver; FM transmitter; 5 hour Lithium-polyer battery; and Bluetooth all stuffed into a 118 x 83 x 24-mm unit. They've even tossed in a Bluetooth remote control for chatty backseat drivers. Expected sometime in Q4. %Gallery-6578%[Via Golem.de, thanks David R]
TomTom GO 920 on the way?
Whenever a manufacturer is rumored to be upgrading its top-of-the-line device, we wanna know about it, so GPS Review certainly had us intrigued with word of a successor to TomTom's popular, hard drive-equipped (and once-infected) GO 910 in-car navigation system. While perusing the manual on the recently-released GO 720 CD, one of the editors stumbled upon a set of files named go520.link, go720.link, and go920.link -- which besides the unit in question, most likely refer to a European-only product as well as what we now suspect to be an upcoming flagship model called the GO 920. Obviously no specs or details of any kind are available beyond this tantalizing clue, but now that we have an idea of what to look for, we're gonna be breathing down your neck for more info, TomTom.
Sanyo intros NVA-HD1700DT double-DIN navigation system
Sanyo's taking a break from releasing all those projectors to focus on its in-car lineup, as it introduces a well-spec'd double-DIN navigation unit dubbed the NVA-HD1700DT. The head unit sports a seven-inch QVGA display, built-in DVD player and 30GB hard drive, and even a 1Seg TV tuner for catching up on sitcom reruns whilst stuck in traffic. Additionally, you'll find an FM tuner, 43-watt x 4 amplifier, and an integrated GPS antenna to keep you headed in the right direction. Unfortunately, there's no word on whether an Americanized version of this system will make its way over, but those in Japan can pick one up later this month for a staggering ¥285,600 ($2,332).[Via Impress]
GPS guidance could be delivered through audio cues
While we recently saw just how important listening to your DAP could eventually become when trying to shuffle through menus and playlists, a team of researchers at Swansea and Glasgow Universities are hoping to throw GPS into the mix while we're at it. Essentially, DAP / PMP owners would be able to program a destination into their handheld, and if headed in the right direction, music would be delivered in a perfect stereo split. Heading off course, however, would shift the volume to one ear or the other, providing auditory cues of which way to turn in order to get back on track. Moreover, customized POI preferences could be programmed in so that users could be given an "aural nudge" when passing by something that the device knew would pique his / her interest. Hey, we're down with anything that allows us to focus more on our surroundings and less on that pesky display, but this stuff should probably come with some sort of disclaimer before being loosed on the GPS-obeying UK crowd (we kid, we kid -- sort of).
Another Brit puts complete faith in GPS system, nearly perishes
Alright Britain, we've given you quite enough passes on this whole "blind faith in GPS" thing, but now we're going to need an explanation. In yet another case of a British individual nearly losing their life thanks to a complete and utter lack of common sense, a 20-year old Birmingham University student was following a GPS' directions to Carmarthenshire for the first time, only to have her vehicle destroyed by a speeding train while she watched. Oddly enough, the dame followed the route onto an "unmarked" (saywah?) railroad crossing, but rather than actually contemplating the situation, she proceeded to lift the nearest gate, drive her vehicle squarely onto the tracks, and then went to lift the far gate in order to cross what she reportedly thought was "a normal farmers' gate." In the meantime, a train made its way in her direction, and while she admitted that she considered getting back into the vehicle in an attempt to move it, thankfully she didn't follow through on any more unbelievably bad decisions. Needless to say, the car was trashed along with the GPS, but perhaps the most comical part is the fact that the lady has vowed to never use a navigation system again in protest for it nearly killing her -- we'd suggest staying off the roads altogether.[Via El Reg]
Hackers next target: your in-car navigation system
We hate to break it to you, but that oh-so-reliable GPS system that you simply obey each day could eventually lead you down a dark, perilous path. No, we're not referring to the blind faith drivers who throw caution common sense to the wind and drive directly into sandpiles and bodies of water, but a new discovery has found that the unencrypted data that's beamed to drivers everyday via RDS-TMC navigation systems could be undermined with relative ease. Andrea Barisani, chief security engineer with Italian consultancy Inverse Path, has claimed that the wireless signals could not only be intercepted, but incorrect directions could actually be used to lead motorists into a trap, direct traveling competitors away from a sales presentation, or create a massive gridlock by instructing the weary working crowd to all take the same "detour" home. It was noted that some firms are already looking into more secure methods of delivering such critical information, and considering the lessons we've already learned about GPS-addicted drivers, the updates can't come soon enough.[Thanks, Andrea B.]
Pioneer launches AVIC-D3BT NAV head unit, handles DVD / iPod
Hot on the heels of England posting SAT NAV warning signs to help motorists rely less on their GPS and more on the read ahead of them comes Pioneer latest, are the firm is unleashing a UK-based head unit that does a little navigatin' while holding down your multimedia demands. The AVIC-D3BT is a double-DIN unit that boasts a 6.1-inch touchscreen display, Bluetooth for handsfree calling, and a slick "iBus" iPod interface that actually gives users an on-screen scroll wheel to mimic the control scheme Pod users know so well. Additionally, it'll come bundled with European maps, 12 million POIs, multicolor illumination to customize the glow, and will play nice with MP3, WMA, AAC, DivX and even DVD discs. Slated to hit British stores in mid-March, the AVIC-D3BT is listed at £1,300 ($2,538), but savvy shoppers should it a few hundred pounds cheaper if snooping around.[Via Pocket-Lint]
UK posts signs to ignore navigation systems, avoid perils
Once upon a blue moon, we can only assume that the advent of GPS meant easier navigating for all, as humans thought less about finding a map and more about focusing on the road. Apparently, blokes (and dames) over in England need to revert back to the paper-based method, as the government has been forced to erect warning signs in specific areas in order to get folks to pay attention to their surroundings. Odd as it may sound, the "Do Not Follow SAT NAV" cautions have actually quelled accidents on a narrow road in which drivers of wide vehicles were blindly driving themselves into a literal pinch. The vivid yellow signs have been posted in Exton, near Winchester in Hampshire, and embarrassingly enough, we wouldn't doubt if more make their way around given the Brits' long history of choosing outdated GPS instructions over common sense.
Pioneer announces AVIC-D3 satnav pricetag
Unlike earlier news, this isn't a completely new product from Pioneer: instead, the company is merely making good on their promise to reveal the AVIC-D3's price at CES this week. If you can wait until March this year, $1000 will get you a 6.1-inch touchscreen LCD, satellite navigation with up to "11 million points of interest," optional XM NavTraffic integration (with the GEX-P10XMT), XM / Sirius satellite radio compatibility, Bluetooth support, digital audio file playback (with direct iPod connectivity), and CD / DVD playback. You certainly can't say that they're not spoiling us with specs.
Swedes envision greener navigation routing
We can all agree that having a navigation system at all helps the environment out, since you'll be headed right where you need to go (well, most of the time, anyway) rather than spinning your wheels trying to figure out what's what, but a group of Swedish researchers have envisioned a plan that could actually help drivers cut down on emissions without even requiring them to hop in a hybrid. Instead of sorting your routes by criteria like "shortest distance" or "near food," Eva Ericsson at the Lund Institute of Technology in Sweden would rather you follow the path of least resistance, which would channel through the most efficient pathway depending on traffic, time of day, and speed limit. The team has trialed various routes and estimates that its thrifty approach to navigating provides fuel savings of "near four percent," but commercializing the idea has some tall hurdles ahead. A spokesperson for NAVTEQ insinuated that re-mapping the current roadways based on these scenarios is practically infeasible, and the idea only becomes marginally plausible if drivers were to volunteer en masse to use their vehicle as a "probe" device that could track and record data as they drove, slowly covering larger areas. Of course, folks aren't apt to cruise around for hundreds of miles (and burn through multiple tanks of fuel) on a whim, but with the right marketing approach, it's possible to turn an entire fleet of vehicles into one giant guinea pig.
The BMW commuter train
One more reason to trust common sense over the little voice coming out of your nav system.[Thanks, Max G.]
When growing pot, don't leave the crops' coordinates in your GPS receiver
We should start off by saying that growing and selling marijuana for a living isn't the best idea -- besides being illegal, it doesn't look very good on your resumé, and the lack of a 401k option is detrimental to your retirement plans. And if you're absolutely dead set on a career in chronic cultivation, driving around with 18 pounds of the stuff in your trunk is something that you'd want to avoid. But a gentleman in Racine, Wisconsin named Dean Brown must be far dimmer than the average dope grower, because not only was he caught with a car full of freshly-harvested wacky tobacky, he was actually stupid enough to have stored the coordinates of all his grow sites in a portable GPS receiver hanging around his neck. After sheriff's deputies discovered the huge stash in Brown's car, they proceeded to plug all of the locations from the nav unit into Google Earth, giving them a handy map that has led to four separate plots of pot so far. As a repeat drug offender, Brown faces up to 59 years in prison and a steep fine for his latest brush with law, although there's a slight chance that he'll get off if the arresting officers are unable to pull themselves away from their marathon screening session of "The Wizard of Oz" synced up to Pink Floyd's "The Wall."[Via 27B Stroke 6]
Dotel's Navi Box brings GPS to your in-car A / V system
Although a lot of in-car entertainment systems come equipped with navigation these days, you were unlucky enough to have to pimped out your fleet of luxury vehicles before the bubble burst, and now that all your loot's all gone, you're one of the only people rolling around in a GPS-free Lambo. Well, friend, all is not lost, as we've just stumbled upon an external GPS receiver from Korean manufacturer Dotel that eschews the fancy Bluetooth radio for a good old-fashioned wired connection; this means that you can hook the Navi Box DOTN120 to any in-dash unit with a screen via RGB or composite A / V cables. On the specs tip, this device runs Windows CE.Net 4.2 powered by a 300MHz Samsung processor, sports 64MB of RAM / 32MB of ROM (expandable to 1GB), pumps out QVGA resolution, and features an IR receiver and GPS port for use with an optional remote control and external antenna, respectively. You also get an SD slot to store your maps and multimedia content, so you can load up some MP3s and videos to complement your collection of CDs and DVDs. Unfortunately there's no word on pricing or availability here, but we imagine that you won't have to pawn too many more possessions in order to get your hands on one.[Via Navigadget]
Nokia to offer GPS solution for 770 Internet Tablet
Besides being quite a handy portal to the internet while you're out and about, Nokia's 770 Internet Tablet is about to acquire some navigation functionality as well, thanks to an upcoming hardware and software suite from Navicore. Called the Nokia Navigation Kit, this bundle will include the Navicore Personal 2007 software, an unspecified Bluetooth GPS receiver, and a car-mount rig, priced at €199; for the equivalent of $248, you're getting TeleAtlas- and Navteq-based maps of continental Europe and the UK, although if you live elsewhere in the world (like we do), you'll have to shell for additional street-level map packs. Since Navicore's software will also run in UIQ 3, it can presumably be used on other S60- and S80-powered devices to boot. Not content with giving love to just Nokia owners, Navicore has also released a Bluetooth receiver that will work with any smartphone or laptop equipped with the proper software, giving you the power of SiRFstar III in a 30-gram package. You can check out the diminutive receiver after the break, although since it's really just a rebadge of Holux's GPSlim 240, there's a good chance that you've seen it before...
TomTom sues Garmin, but surprisingly not for patent infringement
As you probably already know, there's nothing we love more around here than some intense courtroom drama (our Series3 is already at capacity thanks to 24/7 Law & Order), so we were excited to learn that the age-old grudge match between GPS kings Garmin and TomTom is about to enter a thrilling new chapter. To quickly recap the events so far: American manufacturer Garmin sued its Dutch rival over patent infringement in February of this year (something about technologies designed to calculate which streets are important enough to a driver's route to be displayed), after which TomTom countersued with infringement claims of its own. Garmin then fired back at TomTom in August with yet another patent claim, but instead of continuing this amusing game of tit-for-tat, TomTom decided to go after its rival in familiar territory, filing a suit in The Hague that accuses Garmin of copying the look and feel of its devices. As The Register notes, Garmin and TomTom split the US market 50.8% / 26.9% and the European market 16.7% / 30%, respectively, so the stakes in this battle are pretty high, with each company fiercely trying to one-up the other on its home turf. Since all of these legal proceedings will probably take years to get sorted out, your best bet is to just sit back, enjoy the show, and don't let either combatant lure you off a cliff or into a big pile of sand.
MaxField's Max Track: "world's fastest satnav" device
Looks like Maxfield is getting ready to expand their portable A/V product portfolio to now include GPS navigators. According to Pocket-Lint, Maxfield just unveiled Max Track which the company claims is the "fastest satnav on the market." We have no idea how they're measuring that claim as they are certainly not the first WinCE 5.0 based GPS device to sport a Samsung 400MHz processor. We can only imagine they are using a chipset faster than the ubiquitous SiRFstar III. What we do know is that the 260-gram Max Track comes pre-loaded with Max-Navigator 5 software and features a 320x240 pixel, 3.5-inch touchscreen, stereo speakers, and a 1GB SD card stuffed full of Western European or even North American maps judging by that picture above. All our questions, including price, will be cleared up soon enough as the Max Track is schedule to ship in Autumn. [Via Pocket-Lint]
Switched On: Dashing through the slow
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment: Last week's Switched On explained how Dash Navigation's use of wireless technology intends to teach the GPS bloodhound some new tricks, but the company plans to primarily use its new design to tackle two of the hottest trends in portable navigation. Many GPS units now offer real-time traffic information based only on incident reporting, and the devices are not very intelligent about weighing the traffic in alternative routes to determine the fastest path. As a result, you could drive off of the freeway and into the fire. In contrast, Dash's traffic esimates are based on traffic flow. It begins with a historical database of what traffic speeds are like for sections of highways at specific times of the day. Beyond that, Dash GPS units act as probes, reporting back on actual speed of cars on those segments. This clues in those who come after them about construction and other aberrations from traffic patterns. To do this effectively, though, Dash must take advantage of a network effect; the company estimates that a few thousand Dash units should provide good coverage of major roadways within large cities. While the Dash unit includes a point of interest database, it can use its connectivity to query a local search engine such as those offered by Yahoo! and Google, leveraging the efficient if fallible semantic categorizations that these Web-based local search engines offer. Typing in practically any word will return listings, even if they are not in the title of the business. For example, typing "burrito" might return local Mexican restaurants that have them on the menu. Dash is also exploring RSS feeds -- a natural fit for this kind of device -- as well as enhanced business listings that might include, for example, hours of operation.
Switched On: Dash puts wireless in the driver's seat
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment: No one would ever accuse the Dash team of low self-esteem. "What the TV did for entertainment and the cell phone did for communication, Dash will do for driving." the company's Web site crows, A more accurate analogy for Dash, though, would be what TiVo did for television, that is, give consumers a greater degree of control over the media or information they're trying to manage in a contextually relevant way. Dash plans to achieve its five-star impact rating via a portable GPS device. The portable GPS market shifted into high gear a few years ago when Magellan offered a hard disk inside of its Roadmate 700 units. Consumers no longer had to deal with cumbersome PC downloads; street-level maps of the whole country could be pre-loaded. A year later, a gigabyte or two of flash memory is enough to include street-level maps for the United States. Magellan representatives recently noted that it plans to switch completely from hard drives to flash in the next generation. The TomTom Go 910 can even hold maps of the U.S. and Europe for those leisurely drives across the Atlantic Ocean.
