NaviGadget

Dutch inventors from Arnhem-Nijmegen University designed this indoor navigation system for those elderly people in nursing centers who seem to get lost a lot.

Instead of relying GPS signals which provide poor or no coverage indoors this system uses Wi-Fi to get a position fix. Keeping in mind the computer skills of people over 55 this experimental navigator was only fitted 5 buttons. As far as user interface they used big icons for things such as ‘bathroom’ or ‘cup of coffee’ to help them navigate throughout the building… read »

Magellan’s two way connected GPS navigation system Maestro 5340+GPRS is already available for pre-order for only $1200!!!

Maestro 5340 is the most expensive GPS navigation system you can buy from Magellan which offers a 5″ screen, text-to-speech, Bluetooth, live traffic information, advanced voice command for menus and addresses, 3D landmarks and 1,400 additional building displayed in 3D, MP3 player, video player, new screen and case, and OneTouch interface. The +GPRS version gets you upgraded Google local search and live internet access. Without GPRS it costs $1000.

Magellan plans on shipping the Maestro 5340 late April and there’s still no information on how much they’ll charge for the GPRS service. Also don’t let the slim profile fool you. The GPRS module is quite bulky and the FM traffic receiver is integrated into the car charger.

SnowRanger from Mountain Dynamics is a set of maps that can be downloaded to Garmin or Magellan branded GPS navigation systems.

They have the resort maps for 64 North American ($75), and 420 European ($300) ski resorts which include everything from trails, chairlifts, parks, lodges, parking lots and much more.

North American version runs on both Magellan and Garmin whereas European maps currently only work on Magellan navigation systems. Also you can buy regional maps for most of the regions if you don’t feel like paying too much.

They work on Garmin Nuvi’s too. All you have to do is insert the SnowRanger memory card into your device, and check the box on the next screen to show ski maps. When you are on or near the slopes your nuvi will start showing the correct map.

We have talked about the LG KT610 before mostly because it has GPS capabilities. A French site had a close encounter with the device in Barcelona and took lots of pictures too.

South Korean LG made a surprise at the last Mobile World Congress in Barcelona by revealing their second smartphone under Symbian S60 behind the “KS10″ and named “KT610″. This one is new as it has a form factor close to that of a Nokia Communicator.

Offering a full QWERTY keyboard, the KT610 of LG uses Symbian OS operating system with the S60 3rd edition Feature Pack 1 software interface. It features two screens, the main one measuring 2.4 inches and has 240×320 pixels resolution, and the more compact second (1.45 inches) only offering 160×64 pixels resolution.

Finally the KT610 has compatibility with triband GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS and 3G+ (3.6 mbps) networks , has a GPS receiver, and a 2MP digital camera. It has Bluetooth 2.0 but does not have Wi-Fi. It has 64 MB of internal storage and more than one port for MicroSD memory card (not compatible with high capacity formats). LG KT610 is planned to be marketed in Europe in May 2008 for a price for the moment unknown.

As you know Navizon is as close as you can get to a GPS navigation system on iPhone. Earlier this month they released their second version of the software. Navizon 2.0 does what the previous version did but with a few more features and some cosmetic changes.

It displays a semi-transparent slider bar on top of the map which lets you choose if you want to update your position continuously or whether you want to see your buddies or not.

Another nice feature is that Navizon 2.0 can run in the background while you do other things with your toy:

This means that you can now display the location of your loved ones in real-time with the Buddy Finder and use our exciting new feature called the Navizon Alerts, which will let you receive an email each time you or one of your buddies enters a geographic area.

In case you still do not know about Navizon; it simulates a GPS by triangulating via cell tower or Wi-Fi access points. However Wi-Fi positioning only available with the full version which is free to try but costs a one time fee of $25.

See the video here:

Here is another GPS tracking device fitted with a GSM antenna to also serve as a mobile phone. Manufactured by Chinese Leader International this tracking system is a dual band mobile phone with a regular keypad as well as an emergency keypad that can be programmed to store 5 numbers. It also has a SOS button which automatically sends coordinates to the ‘guardian’ number.

Here is the full set of specs:

• GSM 900/1800Mhz or 850/1900Mhz
• 20 channels uNAV GPS module
• Embedded GSM antenna
• Embedded GPS patch antenna
• High sensitivity micro phone
• Standard cell phone keypads
• Independent redefined alarm keys and SOS key
• 128×32 PSTN display

This GPS tracker is designed to work using SMS messaging but in case of an emergency the microphone is also activated to transmit voice date too.

French brand mobile-devices is showing off their latest GPS navigation system Dreevo that combines messaging and tracking in one small device. What enables Dreevo the power to messaging and tracking is GSM/GPRS module of course. Such two way connected devices are becoming the next standard in GPS navigation. Take for example the Dash which is coming out at the end of next month or nuvi 780 which uses MSN Direct network, or Magellan’s Maestro 5340 which has unknown availability date.

Dreevo is ready for various useful features such as vehicle tracking, connected real time speed camera warnings, messaging via push mail, traffic information, and regular mobile phone use.

However mobile-devices seem to be an OEM, so you’re gonna have to wait for another brand to carry Dreevo on. No word on pricing.

Marbella of Taiwan has a new GPS navigation system in their lineup called NAV-8800. It has the slightly bigger screen at 4 inches and uses the super sensitive SiRF Star III GPS receiver.

NAV-8800 is quite multi-purpose offering various entertainment features such as photo album, a MP3 player, and a movie player. But the most exciting of it all is the built-in 2 megapixel digital camera - in case you don’t have one on your cell phone.

It doesn’t end here though. NAV-8800 also provides an AV-in interface. You can enjoy watching digital TV with the optional DVB-T box too. There’s also the support for rear view cameras.

We do not have any leads on the availability date.

adNav’s ad supported GPS navigation system is already out in few select locations and their website -adNavInc - has been up since we last mentioned adNav. adNav has already made the Boomerang available in New York, with additional cities and locations to follow in the coming weeks through partners including DoubleTree and Omni Hotels.

The device is an ad-supported mobile concierge system with built-in GPS navigation that targets hotels, airlines and car rental agencies for business. The idea is that when a traveller arrives at one of AdNav’s partner hotel or other locations, they are offered the Boomerang for only a few bucks per day. In addition to voice-guided GPS navigation, the Boomerang includes unlimited connectivity to the web through WiFi and cellular networks… read »

We’ve talked about the Sony PSP GPS navigation system numerous times before. Apparently the software was on demo at the Game Developers Conference recently. The GPS add-on (PSP-290) is not seen in this pic for it is a developers kit version it says our source:

However there were a bunch (7) GPS-supporting games that had been released in Japan on view, including Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops Plus & a couple of golf games. (And by the way, the reason you can’t see the GPS top-mounted aerial in the photo is this is a devkit PSP.)