Category: Satellite Navigation systems
Tom Tom sat nav for the iPhone arrives
The company claims that the app bears all the hallmarks of its popular GPS systems. It includes Tom Tom's IQ Routes technology which the maker claims is the fastest and most accurate route planning system available.
Mio Navman announces Spirit TV range
We gave you a sneak preview last month but now it’s official. The first satnav with a built-in TV is here. Actually the first two satnavs with built in TV are here as there are two different sized versions – the Mio Navman V735 which has a huge 7-inch screen and its little brother, the V505 which has a 4.7-inch screen.
Apart from the unique TV function, there are plenty of other features to justify the price of £299 for the V735 and £229 for the V505.
Navigation-wise it’s got everything you’d expect from the Mio Navman brand including TruMaps, smart economical routing, traffic data and safety camera data. There’s also a nice walking navigation side to the device with built-in 2D city maps specially designed for pedestrians.
Like other Mio Navman devices it also includes the NavPix geo-tagged photo navigation feature. This feature, combined with the walking navigation maps will come into its own on city breaks.
But you’re not really interested in all that are you? You just want to know about the TV aspect to the device. Well, it’s pretty straight forward – it has a built-in DVT tuner that will work right across Europe. In the UK that means you could pick up the complete Freeview spectrum, signal permitting. There’s a built-in aerial and there is also a socket to plug in a stronger aerial if required.
Obviously it’s not designed to be used whilst driving – that would be very naughty.
Check out our preview video:
For under £300, these models have come in a bit cheaper than we expected. Get yours direct from Mio Navman.
Nav-Mat: the latest superhero?
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s….the Nav-Mat – the latest “crime-fighting device”.
This is one of the strangest satnav accessories that I’ve come across. Its makers claim that “tell-tale sucker marks on windscreens” are one of the major reasons for satnav theft.
So they’ve come up with the Nav-Mat, which basically looks like a beanbag for your satnav. It sits on the dashboard, therefore preventing those “tell-tale sucker marks”. Apparently “the contoured and weighted, anti-skid underside stops the device from sliding and, unlike traditional window mountings, leaves no suction marks on the windscreen”.
It’s available here for a bargain £19.99 (plus £5 p&p). Alternatively, buy some window wipes here for 99p.
RUMOUR: Sony working on Android based Walkman and PND?
Reports from Japan indicate that Sony are looking at more than just mobile phone handsets in terms of utilising Google’s open source operating system, Android.
Rumours of an Android based Walkman and also a personal navigation device (PND) are true, according to an analyst speaking to Japan’s Nikkan and should hit the market next year.
The thought of two of the biggest tech institutions teaming up may seem terrifying for some but it could be great news for consumers. With Sony already attempting to connect the user experience between its existing products, the possibilities when you throw Android into that mix could be monumental.
(via Engadget)
Mio Navman launches Spirit 300, 500 and Flat – hands on VIDEO
The forces of Navman and Mio have united to form the imaginatively titled company known as Mio Navman. Well, it could have been Navman Mio, couldn’t it? Whichever way around, this personal navigation device conglomerate has launched a range known as the Navman Spirit.
We’re looking at three core models with a few variations in between but essentially, we’re talking about the 3.5-inch Spirit 300, the 4.7-inch Spirit 500 and the 4.7-inch ultra thin Spirit Flat. Each comes with a GPS link to the ATIS traffic service to keep you warned of any hotspots as they happen and your route guidance will adjust accordingly.
You get Trumap views, meaning there’s more of a 3D angle on the display for a more obvious look at the road; NavPix photo navigation using images uploaded to the system by the community and they’ve added a walking mode too.
One of the nicer new touches is the Explore mode which lets you take a quick look at what attractions are in your local area and the larger models feature a Google search. It works by Bluetooth with your mobile and using whatever data services your phone can manage – tethering, basically but you only get that with the Spirit 500 and upwards.
The most important improvement for me, though, is the touchscreens which actually work this time around. They’re smooth, effortless and you can change between the Spirit Slide Touch or button press only.
They’re all out this month, starting from approx £120, but the real gem of the show was the Navman V735 prototype that they saved till last. Take a look…
And, yes, that does mean it’ll pick up all 36 Freeview channels.
Mio Navman Store
If your Sat Nav told you to jump off a cliff, would you do it?
Are you one of those lunatics that spends more time watching the virtual reality of your sat nav’s screen than actually looking at the road? You’re in company. Robert Jones followed instructions from his Sat Nav until half his car was dangling off a cliff.
He only stopped because a wire fence preventing him from getting any further – completely ignoring the fact he was driving down a dirt track three metres wide. The police have charged him with driving without due care and attention, and he describes the incident as a ‘nightmare’.
(via BBC)
MWC 2009: Nokia takes the wraps off the 6710 Navigator and 6720 Classic
This is the Nokia 6710 Navigator, newly announced at MWC 2009 in Barcelona. It’s almost more of a satnav than a handset, because it’s packed with all sorts of mapping technology.
It comes with ‘drive and walk’ navigation, as well as full regional maps, a dedicated navigator button on the front of the phone, a touch area for zooming in and out, and a large display tuned to daylight viewing conditions.
Maps with Ovi will allow users to plan a journey on their PC and then sync it with their device, and the inclusion of a compass will mean that you won’t get lost when you fly south for the winter. In the box comes a car holder, and there’s also a car-mounted speakerphone available.
As for the 6720 Classic, it’s got noise cancellation and a curved design that Nokia claims will significantly improve call quality. Good battery life, “high-speed” internet, which I’m presuming means HSDPA, and TV-out capability.
No more specs than that yet, I’m afraid, but we do have prices and release dates.The 6720 Classic will show up in Q2 at an estimated price of €245 (£220) and the 6710 Navigator will appear shortly after in Q3 for not much more – just €300 (£270).
Econav Sat Nav: The tree-hugging satnav
Driving green is totally different to driving fast, and the Econav, from Vexia, knows it. The Econav will deliver you exactly the same speed, traffic and gear change info as a regular sat nav, but instead of showing you the fastest way to go, it’ll show you the most economical.
For example, if you’ve got a carful of people, then it’s going to be much better for you to use a motorway than country roads. It’ll take into account your car, fuel and occupancy level. The manufacturers claim that it’ll pay for itself in reduced fuel usage within six months. The price? £200. If you’re not often in a hurry, then it could be worth a look.
Vexia (via ShinyShiny)
Garmin-Asus announces new generation of nüvifone: M20 and G60
Garmin-Asus, the tech company alliance that to me sounds more like an airborne disease, has announced two new additions to its nüvifone range of mobile phones.
If you remember, the company announced its first mobile phone about this time last year, and its newly announced G60 offers very much the same functionality as that handset — namely 3.5G (HSDPA), 3.55-inch touchscreen display, location-based everything (email, SMS, photo sharing, social networking, going-to-the-toileting — nah, not really), built-in accelerometer for exciting screen reorientation, lots of sat-nav stuff (as you’d expect from Garmin) and advanced web browser.
Garmin and Asus team up for satnav phone
Garmin, maker of satnavs, and Asus, maker of the Eee PC, are teaming up for an assault on the smartphone arena. They’ve just announced an alliance to design, manufacture and distribute location-centric mobile phones. They’ll be called the Garmin-Asus nüvifone series, and will be on the market before the end of the year.
The idea is pretty simple – when you’re in the car, it goes into a dock and works as a satnav, but when you get out, you take it with you and it works like a phone. Garmin already has a product that does this – the nüvifone, which will be rebranded as the nüvifone G60 and delivered in the first half of this year. Beyond that? Well, we’ll have to wait and see.
GarminAsus
More on the nüvifone: Garmin’s first mobile phone with web browser and navigation | Garmin to launch Android mobile, too
