SiRFstar III
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Magellan's waterproof Toughcase wraps GPS module, extended battery around your iPhone
There are iPhone cases, and then there's Magellan's waterproof Toughcase. Priced at $199.99, it's actually just as expensive as a new iPhone 4 on contract, and double the price of an iPhone 3GS (which it actually houses). So, what does two Benjamins get you? Most would argue "not nearly enough," but argonauts may beg to differ. The case meets IPX-7 waterproof standards, enabling it to be submerged at a depth of one meter for up to 30 minutes, and there's also an integrated 1,840mAh battery that's able to "double the life" of your iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS or second / third-generation iPod touch. Moreover, there's a built-in high sensitivity SiRFstar III GPS chipset for superior GPS reception, and nothing here prevents consumers from accessing the touchscreen. 'Course, the sex appeal of your iDevice goes right out of the window once you strap this monster on, and there's no official support for Apple's newest iPhone, but it's hard to knock the approach here.
SiRFprima GPS receiver platform boosts sensitivity, adds 3D acceleration
If you've bought a GPS unit in the past year or two there are decent odds it's based on the SiRFstar III chipset, which has been about as good as it gets since it arrived on the scene a few years ago. Now there's a new chip on the block, SiRFprima, which could have GPS aficionados kicking those SiRFstar III units to the curb. The unit boasts "industry leading" GPS performance, and is the first of its ilk to be able to work with GPS and Galileo signals simultaneously. InstantFixII -- which promises 5 second start times -- is built in as well, along with 3D acceleration for the fancy new maps hitting the scenes, and the capability to work with external devices like touch screens, DVD players, video cameras and so forth. While no one feature is revolutionary, the fact that SiRFprima will be wrapping up all these features into a cute little package for GPS manufacturers to slap into their units without a worry -- which should start happening in the second quarter of this year -- is surely cause for celebration.
Inkel's WideTouch W-700 series of 7-inch PMPs with GPS
Korea loves 'em some 7-inch all purpose media players. Here's another, the W-700 series from their homegrown Inkel. We're talking DMB, SiRFstar III GPS with real-time TPEG traffic data, and all the media your person can set dancing on that Samsung 800 x 400 pixel display. Under the hood you'll find WinCE 5.0, 128MB of memory, and a dual-core processor to keep applications and media snappy. Prices start at ???470,000 or about 500 US bucks.
Mio announces 4 GPS units: the P360, P560, C620, and C230
It sure took 'em awhile but the Mio P360 and P560 GPS / WinMo 6 PDAs jobbies have been announced for IFA. They've even got few friends: the 4.3-inch C620 (and C620t with TMC traffic receiver) pictured above and C230 chubster. Judging by the machine translated text, we expect all five to sport the same 400MHz processor and SiRFstar III GPS receiver. We'll update you with more as it rolls in. For now, peep the pics after the break.
Yukyung's Viliv X2 PMP navigator: the P2 all grown up
Yukyung's got a new Viliv PMP navigator set for launch in S.Korea: the X2. Looking every bit like the P2 found bouncing around the US, the X2 replaces its predecessor's hard disk with either 4GB or 8GB of solid state flash while introducing SiRFstar III navigation and SD/SDHC expansion. Of course, it also packs a DMB receiver for Korean mobile TV which they'll certainly trim if this thing ever comes Stateside.
Garmin updates Rino GPS radios with SiRFStar III
Because you can never have precise enough location data when traipsing around the woods with the fam, Garmin has upgraded its Rino 520 and 530 GPS receivers / two-way radios with the highly-accurate SiRFStar III chip: meet the 520HCx and 530HCx. Like their predecessors, both models feature a 14-mile range (in an open field, we assume), built in basemap of the Americas, FRS and GMRS capability for chatting or transmitting coordinates between devices, and the rather impressive ability to hang out one meter underwater for up to 30 minutes without any ill effects. You also get a miniSD slot for loading additional urban and topographical maps, and if you step up to the 530HCx, a seven-channel weather receiver, electronic compass, and barometric altimeter. Look for these units to hit stores sometime next month, with $450 and $500 pricetags -- both of which are lower than the initial MSRPs of the earlier, less-precise Rinos. [Thanks, Allory D]
GlobalSat's GV-370T GPS navigator with MP3 playback, of course
Have at it kids, yet another 3.5-inch GPS navigator only this time from GlobalSat. The GV-370T is the latest SiRFstar III satnav device to deliver North American and Europe navigation along with MP3 and photo viewing capability (what, no video?). Powered by a Samsung SC2410 proc running WinCE, the GV-370T features 64MB Flash ROM / 64MB SDRAM with SD expansion for maps, a 1200mAh Lithium-ion rechargeable offering up to 2-hours 15-minutes continuous operation or 100 hours standby, and 3.5-mm stereo jack for music on the go. Not the prettiest girl on the block but she probably won't cost ya much either whenever GlobalSat manages to turn 'er out.
Airis' GPS-enabled T610 and T620 PDAs won't break the bank
We're not sure who's still snatching up these old-fashioned "personal digital assistants" (or PDAs -- for you kids out there, they're like smartphones without the phone; weird, right?), but apparently some people are still interested in do-it-all devices that don't really do it all, so Spanish manufacturer Airis has broken off two new GPS-equipped models on the cheap. As far as cellular-free handhelds go, the Windows Mobile 5-powered T610 and T620 are pretty feature-packed, each sporting a 400MHz Samsung CPU, 3.5-inch QVGA display, 64MB RAM / 128MB ROM, Bluetooth 2.0, SiRFStar III satellite receiver, and a regular SD slot to hold your maps and various multimedia swag. On top of all that, the T620 also throws down an 802.11b/g radio, making it even more attractive than some of the pricier Garmin iQue models that we've seen. Best of all, either unit can be picked up for a song, with the T610 priced at €220 ($278) and its big brother going for a very reasonable €289 ($365). Still, without the ability to pull in live traffic updates like a PocketPC phone loaded up with TomTom, we'd probably take a pass here (man, are we spoiled).[Via Digital-Lifestyles]
