NaviGadget

One of readers was nice enough to send us a few screenshots from a Flash animation for the new TomTom RIDER 2. Apparently the animation - which was live for several hours this morning - was put up on the site a bit earlier than planned. While we have no info on the specs, it looks like the mount has been completely redesigned.

Currently there’s no sign of a new RIDER on TomTom’s website. We’ll have to wait a bit more until it is officially announced.

Keomo is getting ready to release their first navigation system for only €179 ($230) in May this year. This low end device not only does GPS navigation but also can play your multimedia files allowing you to watch your videos, listen music, view images and read e-books.

The on-board navigation software is Smart2Go and the maps are provided by Navteq. For €179 you’ll get regional maps but if you are willing to spend another 40€ you can get maps for all Western Europe.

Here are some more specs for the new Keomo GPS navigation system:

• Display: 3.5 inch TFT LCD QVGA
• CPU: ARM9 core Samsung 300MHz processor
• SDRAM: 64 MB
• NAND Flash: 32 MB
• OS: Windows CE 4.2
• GPS: SirF Star III chip set

This is a great price for a good looking device that only measures 20mm thick and has a decent GPS receiver as well as a decent navigation software. We can’t wait for Keomo to load some Northern America maps on their systems and ship’em here to U.S. … via

We now have a much nicer picture and full details about the new Sony NV-U92T. Even though we mentioned bluetooth last time and it is right there on the picture there’s no mention of it from Sony.

Here are the main highlights of NV-U92T:

• depth of just 20mm
• ultra-wide 4.8-inch touch screen
• linear display of route waypoints
• Gesture Commands
• Position Plus*
• 2GB flash memory
• Memory Stick Slot (yikes)
• TMC receiver

*Position Plus: This technology ensures accurate, uninterrupted routing even when GPS signals are temporarily compromised. This can happen when a vehicle is travelling beneath a tunnel or bridge, between tall buildings or under trees with dense foliage that can obscure satellite signals. An acceleration sensor and pressure sensor interpret vehicle motion to assure more stable, reliable positioning information.

Sony’s new PND (personal navigation device) NV-U72T is expected to be available in throughout Europe in June 2007. NV-U72T will come with 2GB flash memory that includes maps of 21 Western European countries.

A new thing Sony is trying out with their new nav-u series is a different kind of windshield mount that folds and fits onto itself:

The beautifully portable NV-U72T and NV-U52 include an ‘all-in-one’ cradle and suction cup that folds neatly into the body of the unit for transportation or storage. With no cradles or suckers left on show, both units can be slipped into a bag or briefcase for maximum convenience and peace of mind when your vehicle is left unattended. Attaching to a dash or windscreen with a single push, the advanced suction cup mechanism simplifies hassle-free mounting anywhere in the vehicle.

Another convenient feature would be their “gesture command” which lets you sketch a simple figure on the screen with your finger in order to tell the device to take you to a frequent destination such as home, parking, or gas stations (or “petrol” as Brits would say).

TMC receiver capability on this new device puts the T in NV-U72T, allowing drivers to avoid traffic jams. While traffic message channel is free in most European countries, Brits and the French will have to purchase an activation key.

The NV-U72T uses a 3.5″, specially coated anti-glare screen that is also finger print proof (don’t ask us how that works). Even though we’re not sure how much NV-U72T will cost we do know that the cheaper model, NV-U52, will cost only 249€ leaving out TMC and replacing Europe coverage with only regional coverage.

At Sony Media Experience 2007 the Japanese brand presented a new range of personal navigation devices.

Nav-U82 and Nav-U92T both have a 4.8″ screen which is quite unheard of in portable GPS navigation electronics. Most main stream brands only go as big as 4.3″. Anything larger is usually made for in-dash systems.

Both devices feature “Position Plus”, which helps improve your location info by considering acceleration, in order to interpret the position of the vehicle for places without proper GPS signals such as tunnels.

Other new characteristics of Nav-U82 and Nav-U92T are their slim design only measuring 2cm’s thick (0.8 inches) and a new windshield mounts which are much smaller than their predecessors.

Just like Nav-U51 and Nav-U71T, these new PNDs feature “gesture commands” which by drawing a preset symbol on the screen makes it possible to directly reach functions such as “go home” or “find nearest gas station”.

Common features of Nav-U82 and Nav-U92T:

• Integrated GPS Receiver with GPS SiRF III
• 4.8″ touch screen with 32K colors at 480×272 pixels resolution treated with anti-reflecting material and an automatic light sensor to adjust brightness
• Intel PXA 270 processor at 300 MHz
• Hands Free Bluetooth Kit ??
• integrated 512MB flash memory for Nav-U82 and 2 GB for Nav-U92T
• Memory Stick Duo Port
• 1200 mAh Lithium-Ion Battery for 3 hour run-time
• Mini USB 2.0
• RDS-TMC traffic receiver integrated into windshield mount (Standard on Nav-U92T, optional on Nav-U82)
• A customized version of Navigon MobileNavigator 6 as navigation software
• Navteq maps
• Weight: 250 G
• Dimensions : 14.5 x 8.7 x 2cm

While the specs are not finalized both are expected to include hands free bluetooth kits. It’s a shame that the Japanese giant still chooses to use their proprietary Memory Stick Duo and not the new SD memory standard.

The Nav-U82 will be provided with maps of certain European regions depending on where its sold. On the other hand Nav-U92T is provided him with maps of 21 countries of Western Europe, namely Germany, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, San Marin, Sweden, Switzerland and the Vatican.

Both will be available in Europe in May 2007 and will be sold for 349€ for the Nav-U82 and 499€ for the Nav-U92T… via

The BeeLine GPS from BigRedBee is a small (1 1/4″ x 3″), self contained, battery operated GPS telemetry device. GPS coordinates are assembled into an AX.25 packet and transmitted over an RF link to a remote decoder. Originally designed for high power rocketry and high altitude baloons, this device has a range of more then 10 miles and makes use of standard amateur radio receivers to decode and display the location of the remote transmitter.

It also contains non-volatile memory to log coordinates for later download and analysis with progams such as Google Earth. Check out this screenshot of a rocket’s path to 17,000 AGL (above ground level) in Google Earth.

Other uses of BeeLine GPS includes RC airplanes, UAV’s, hot air balloons, and so on. If you are interested be prepared to present your amateur radio operator’s license along with $260.

Paroos G-100 is a multi-functional, portable gadget you may want to carry with you while being involved in outdoor activities. Thanks to the GPS chip on board it will tell you exactly how much you’ve traveled, your speed, and altitude. It is also an MP3 player with (only) 512MB of storage space - which will be have to be shared with your tracking data you may have stored. But don’t worry if you don’t have too much space left for your own music library for you can always switch to an FM station.

The G-100 also allows for some training options:

Plan a daily distance you will run and how fast you wish to run. The distance can be entered before starting to run or adjusted while running. Once the distance is entered your arrival time is calculated. Paroos G-100 will vibrate if you reach upper and lower limit of your speed. Your progress will appear on the screen.

It comes in three colors; white, silver, and black. You also get the armband. No word on pricing or availability.

If you own one of these Garmin C510’s (or C530’s) you must have realized that it doesn’t speak street names (a.k.a “text-to-speech”) - but this is a standard feature on the C550 and C580. Well, this advanced Garmin user (Phillip Hornby) has posted full instructions on how to hack into the C510 - download the sound files from Garmin after deleting some unnecessary files, and do a permanent install so your changes stick.

Here is a quote for some encouragement:

So to continue our example, connect the C510 in its conventional Mass-Storage-Mode and copy the \Garmin\Voice\English_British_Emily.VPM file to \Garmin\Voice\000.NEW. Also copy \Garmin\Voice\English_British.sum to \Garmin\Voice\English_British_Emily.sum.
You need to end up with the following new files in the \Garmin\Voice directory :-
English_British_Emily.vpm This is your new TTS voice file.
000.NEW (they’re zeroes)This is a copy of the file listed above (eg English_Britsh Emily.vpm)
English_British_Emily.sum This is a copy of one of your original .SUM files

Go ahead and give it a try… Come on… via

GlobalSat came up with a new design for a portable GPS navigation device and showcased it at CeBIT 2007 last week. Named GV-380; the new device features a 4.3″ touch screen which can be used to view DVB-T channels as well as navigation guidance.

Couple more pics after the jump…
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Here is a new ruggedized tablet PC: Algiz 8. You may think the name maybe more suitable for a Hungarian pop-star but Algiz 8 is actually more capable. It comes with 802.11 a/b/g support, integrated bluetooth 2.0 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate), and depending on your budget you can also choose to add GPRS/CDMA connectivity.

Algiz 8 features a 1,0 GHz ULV M Processor, 40 GB Hard drive and 512 MB to 1 GB RAM. Microsoft’s Windows XP Professional operating system runs all the applications well known to PC users, including Calendar, E-mail, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

If you are in the market for such a device it is very likely that the amount of time you can spend on the field without interruption is crucial - that’s why battery capacity becomes very important. Algiz 8 made no sacrifices in this area in included a 2-Cell hot swap battery from SAFT with 5800mAh capacity.

Another optional feature is integrated GPS. Why else would it be on Navigadget?

We’re not sure how much such a device will cost but it is very likely that you’re not in one of their target markets. It is designed mostly for security personnel, service technicians, and construction workers… via