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The UK buys a 45 percent stake in broke satellite startup OneWeb
It's part of the government's post-Brexit plan to replace the EU's sat-nav system.
China launches GPS-like Beidou satellite services across Asia-Pacific region
China has kicked off commercial and public services of its Beidou satellite navigation system across the Asia-Pacific rim in earnest, after finishing trials it started last year. Civilians in the region as far away as Australia are now able to navigate using the satellites to a distance of 30 feet and speeds as low as 0.5 mph -- comparable to (WAAS-less) GPS, according to officials. Currently the nation has 16 navigation satellites aloft along with four experimental models, and expects to provide worldwide coverage by 2020 when it'll have as many as 40 additional units in orbit, according to China Daily. China launched the project in 2000 to avoid reliance on the US GPS system, and joins that service, Russia's GLONASS and eventually Galileo in the EU at the sat nav soirée. Check the source for the party line. [Image credit: Xinhua]
New Magellan RoadMate GPS units navigate by landmarks, steer clear of pesky traffic cameras
It's been a long while since Magellan comprehensively updated its RoadMate GPS mapping units, so the company's making up for lost time in style by introducing no less than seven new models in one shot. The RoadMate 2210, 2210T, 2220-LM, 2230T-LM, 5220-LM, 5230T-LM (pictured) and 5235T-LM all bring in a new Landmark Guidance option to give directions based on landmarks, not just those occasionally impenetrable street numbers. Traffic Camera Alerts are just as new and help you stay on the sunny side of the law when speed cameras and traffic light cameras are nearby, albeit at the cost of $30 a year after the first year is up. As Magellan is wont to do, the new GPS range is dictated by screen size and what features you'll get for life: the 2200- and 5200-series units carry respective 4.3- and 5-inch screens, while the LM and T badges signify lifetime map updates and traffic alerts. The range's prices start off at $100 for a RoadMate 2210 and scale up to $170 for a fully decked-out 5235T-LM.
Newcastle University preps in-car GPS for the elderly, helps grandmum get home safely
Most Engadget readers will have grown up with GPS, but the UK's Newcastle University has realized that many in the older generation might be first-timers and unfamiliar with all those keep-lefts and turn-rights. Development is underway at the school for a new satellite navigation system that would be easier and more intuitive for your grandfolks, with features that include calling out direction changes by landmark names, limiting turns to the safer variety and keeping the route off of high-speed motorways. When this might come to your local high street shop isn't known, but the university has a £12 million ($19.5 million) research grant to help sort that out.
Google offers Floor Plan Marker app to businesses so they can improve indoor mapping
Are folks still getting lost in the faux marble expanse of your airport or shopping mall, even after you've uploaded the floor plan to Google Maps? Then maybe it's time you went the extra mile and improved indoor mapping using the official Floor Plan Marker app. It instructs you to walk around the "entire surface" of your place of interest, while gathering position data from GPS, public WiFi signals and cell towers. Once added to Google's database, this extra info will allow the familiar blue dot to function on your customers' Android phones even when your actually-concrete building gets in the way of their satellite signal. The app's already available at Google Play, so go ahead -- make the schlep now so that others don't have to.
Nokia Car Mode for Symbian Belle now ready for download
Nokia loves motorists and is showering them with gifts over at the Nokia Store to prove it. Well, one gift at least: the free-of-charge Car Mode app, which helps to transform your Symbian Belle smartphone into a turn-by-turn sat nav, with all the power of Drive, traffic updates, Music and voice calling presented in a more dash-friendly manner. (Did we just say 'Symbian'? We didn't mean to.) The other offering is Car Mode with MirrorLink, priced at £17.99 (roughly $28), which we took for a bump-free ride back at Nokia World, and which repeats the smartphone's screen on compatible systems such as Toyota's Touch Life. Head to the source link to claim your prize.
EU to launch first two Galileo satellites today, as sat-nav system lurches forward
The EU's Galileo satellite navigation system has been beset by delays and budget overruns in recent months, but its future is looking slightly brighter, now that its first two satellites are primed for launch. The European Space Agency is expected to send the satellites into space today, as part of a long-term project that will cost an estimated €7 billion (around $9.6 billion). Slated to take off from Kourou, French Guiana, the pair of satellites will ride on the back of a Russian rocket to an altitude of nearly 15,000 miles, where they'll test system functions both in space and on Earth. If all goes according to plan, they'll also become Galileo's first operational satellites, paving the way, officials hope, for many more to follow. In fact, the European Commission is looking to complete the 30-satellite constellation by the year 2019, with two scheduled to launch during every quarter, beginning in 2012. The idea, of course, is to offer Europeans an alternative to US-operated GPS, with a free consumer service scheduled to launch in 2014, followed by a more precise, paid service in 2020. Nevertheless, budgetary concerns loom large over the project, which, according to the EC, has already racked up a development and deployment bill of over €5 billion ($6.8 billion), since 2003. The commission will present a finalized proposal to EU member governments by the end of the year, in the hopes of obtaining that extra €7 billion, though it may face more acute criticism, considering today's dour economic climate. It remains unlikely, however, that Galileo will be totally shut down, as the EU says it could bring in an extra €90 billion over the next 20 years.
Pioneer's AVIC-ZHO9-MEV, the first satnav for hypermilers
Are you the switched-on environmental type who plans your Prius journey around how much air resistance you're likely to encounter on the way to Whole Foods? Rejoice! Now you can stop worrying and learn to love your car stereo if you purchase Pioneer's newest Navigation Unit designed specifically for electric vehicles, the AVIC-ZHO9-MEV. Hiding behind that easy to remember (and decidedly catchy) name is a device that estimates your car's remaining battery, power consumption and opportunities for energy regeneration, planning your routes accordingly. Expect to be detouring down lots of short hills with slow moving traffic at the bottom, or maybe it'll just give up on the whole idea of roads and demanding you switch to train tracks. It also has the usual things you'd expect from such a unit, so you can play DVDs on the 7-inch display, receive digital TV and radio and play MP3, WMA and AAC discs. The unit drops in Japan in 'late July' with an RRP of 246,750¥ -- around $3,038.11.
TomTom user data sold to Dutch police, used to determine ideal locations for speed traps
We like it when the accumulated speed data from GPS devices helps us avoid traffic incidents and school zones. As it turns out, though, there are some other uses for the same stats. Dutch news outlet AD is reporting that such data captured by TomTom navigation devices has been purchased by the country's police force and is being used to determine where speed traps and cameras should be placed. TomTom was reportedly unaware its data was being used in such a way, but if the police would only agree to sell the data on the location of its speed cameras and traps back to TomTom, why, this could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Update: TomTom has issued a statement, which we have embedded after the break. To be totally clear all this data is being collected anonymously and the police have no idea exactly who is speeding, just that speeding has taken place. Update 2: We have an English-language video from TomTom CEO Harold Goddijn embedded after the break. In it he says that the company will "prevent that type of usage" of the navigation data going forward. So, no need to turn off the 'ol GPS when you're late for work tomorrow morning.
Early mid-week shocker: research says we are overly reliant on GPS
Well, this can't be good, but it's certainly not surprising, either. Researchers have concluded that people living in developed nations have become overly reliant on satellite navigation such as GPS devices, and that the results can be... dangerous. Anyone with a think tank could probably figure this one out on their own, but the research shows that such over-reliance on the devices can produce some bad results when said devices inevitably fail out. The report goes a lot father than warning individual drivers, however, and says that systems such commercial airline traffic and those which direct train doors to open also rely on the US-based GPS system, which are all vulnerable to widespread failure should the system encounter any interference or downtime. The report does suggest further development of backup systems -- such as the European-based Galileo system, but essentially concludes that the vulnerabilities are likely to remain. Comforting, huh?
EU's Galileo sat-nav system's budget overruns continue, European Commission asks for an extra €1.9 billion
The European Commission has just completed its mid-term review of the EU's Galileo satellite navigation system and -- surprise, surprise -- they found that they need an additional €1.9 billion ($2.56 billion) to finish the system. This latest budget recommendation ups the cost an extra €200 million ($269 million) since the Commission's last report, and cites larger development and more expensive launch vehicles for the increase. The EU remains optimistic that Galileo will provide a financial windfall when completed -- but given its estimated €800 million ($1 billion) per year operating costs, constant delays, and competition from Russia, China, and good old-fashioned GPS, we're not so sure we agree.
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?
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]
Next-gen dashboards get Tegra 2, Moblin, Atom, we go hands-on
Intel Atom processors, capacitive touchscreens, NVIDIA Tegra 2 graphics, Moblin installs... sounds like a suite of hot next-gen ultra-portables, right? Think again. Those are just some of the technologies used in the dashboards of cars that will be appearing on showrooms in the coming months and years, dashes that were largely on display at CES -- minus the cars themselves, usually. There we were treated to mobile glimpses of Google Earth, Pandora, and Slacker Radio on the go, plus the ability to lock and unlock your car via Ye Olde Internets. It's the future, and it's coming soon, so click on through already and get a sneak peek.
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.
EU's new EGNOS GPS system goes active
The EU's Galileo satellite positioning project has been lost in a haze of paperwork for a while, but there's finally some positive news to report: a "precursor" system called EGNOS launched last week, which will provide free positioning over most of the 27 EU states. The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service, as it's charmingly called, consists of three satellites, four control centers, and around 40 positioning stations, all of which combine to take signals from US GPS satellites and enhance them to provide position information that's accurate to six feet, compared to around 60 feet for GPS alone. That means satnavs in Europe are going to get more accurate overnight, as most major brands are already EGNOS-ready -- too bad better navigation won't keep drivers in the UK from careening into rivers and damaging bridges.
NAVIGON dizzies with navigation options, then gets us pointed in the right direction again
Do you like having a plethora of navigation choices, Jefe? You'll love NAVIGON's offerings unveiled at last week's IFA, then, a suite of devices that spans from the low end to the high, all featuring pedestrian navigation -- in case you don't already look enough like a tourist. The most affluently wealthy sightseers will be nervously clutching the 8410 or 8450 Live models, both of which offer 5-inch capacitive displays made of honest to gosh glass, Real City3D offering "photo-realistic" navigation, and optional DVB-T reception to catch some Simpsons re-runs when you get lost. On the next step down are the 4.3-inch 6310 and 6350 Live, which lose the glass screen, fancy rendering (though certain landscapes and buildings are still 3D), and digital tuner. Next are the 3.5-inch 2400 and 2410, which sport up to four hours of battery life when wandering untethered around the city, while the 1400 and 1410 models round out the lineup on the low-end. The two Live models, the 8450 and the 6350, offer wireless traffic, weather, and even speed camera updates across 32 nations in Europe; a tidy bundle for those exploring the continent, but at €79.95 ($115) per year you're certainly paying for it. On the hardware side prices start at €129 ($185) for the 1400, then run all the way up to €499 ($715) for the 8450 Live.
EU reaches agreement on Galileo satnav, Spain goes home angry
The European Union's next generation satellite navigation system has finally gotten to green light from all involved parties... except Spain. As we reported in July, the project had gotten the high five from US interests, but the works had been stalled as Spain fought to maintain a control center in Madrid. In the end, 26 of the 27 member states of the Union decided to move forward with the project, declining Spain's request, and leaving them to bow out of the agreement. As of now, there will only be control centers in Germany and Italy, but the project will begin to move forward once again, with a launch slated for 2013. Says EU Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot, "Galileo will become the spearhead for European technology." We're all for the new system, but we hope a few satellites don't spark another Thirty Years' War.
Russia launches three GLONASS navigation satellites
It's a bit behind schedule, but Russia's GPS-challenging GLONASS satellite navigation looks to have just taken a fairly big step forward, with three satellites now on their way into orbit after hitching a ride on a Proton-K booster rocket that blasted off from Baikonur, Kazakhstan earlier today. According to Reuters, this is also the first launch of a Proton-K rocket since launches were suspended in September, after a booster failed and spilled highly toxic fuel into the Kazakh countryside. No word if Russia still expects the entire GLONASS system to be ready by 2009 as it has said earlier, but it has five more satellites to launch by the end of the year if it wants to keep up the pace it set out for itself.[Photo courtesy of RussiaToday]
Europe's Galileo satellite navigation system at a "dead end"
Europe's answer to GPS, Galileo, may be making some technological progress these days, but it looks like it still has some serious challenges of another sort to overcome if it's going to move forward as planned. According to the BBC, the main problem at the moment is that the consortium of companies building the system have yet to agree on a single company structure to oversee the ambitious endeavor, and they're now about the run against the May 10th date that had been set to get things sorted out. As a result, the European Commission is now reportedly planning to put forth new proposals to completely overhaul the project, which could see an increased cost to taxpayers in the EU. Whatever the problems, the parties involved had better not waste too much time getting their act together -- we hear the Russians are coming on strong with their own challenge to the GPS throne.[Thanks, Stewart]
