Archive for June, 2008

Dash Express software update

Jun 30, 2008


Some of the cons we listed several days ago in our mini Dash Express review article has already been take care of with the Dash Express software update which was announced today. One of these features include MyRoute which learns from your driving habits.

As your drive from point A to B, Dash will automatically learn your preferred route. Next time you make that same journey, the first route choice will be a MyRoute,so you can compare your MyRoute to the computed Dash routes and decide which one is optimal.

Another ‘con’ we mentioned was delay in map rendering. We weren’t so sure if this could be enhanced with a software update but apparently it was since people at Dash now claim the maps will redraw more than 50% faster.

One more very needed feature was Search Along Route which is just a smarter way finding points of interest such that you won’t have to backtrack from your destination. Everytime you make a search the results are displayed with the distance from the current location, the distance from the route and the direction of the destination relative to the selected route.

Other nice enhancement include FasterFind which is a feature powered by SiRFInstantFix technology. Your Dash will now use over-the-air GPS satellite position information to get a fast GPS fix so you can start navigating in seconds.

Your Dash Express, which now costs only $300 will update when you turn it on when you’re within WiFi range.

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nokia 7510

Jun 30, 2008 , ,


Nokia 7510 Supernova is a new flip phone from Nokia with a push-to-open side key. The new Nokia 7510 comes in four different with fancy names such as ‘storm blue’, ‘red’, ‘emerald green’ and ‘espresso brown’ and features equally fancy light effects.

It has a 2MP camera with NIPS, LED flash, 4x digital zoom, and a large 2.2 inch QVGA display. Other features include an FM radio, MP3 player, and access to Nokia Maps 1.2 to navigate with free mapping, routing and local search, support of A-GPS.

The Nokia 7510 Supernova is quite affordable at 180 EUR and will be available in the fourth quarter of 2008.

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DIY GPS logger and tracker

Jun 29, 2008 , ,


If you are into DIY GPS gadgets of various kinds we got a new project for you.

This new GPS logger uses an Arduino board and has supports different GPS receiver modules. On the backside of this board is an SD card slot where it can record the coordinates in a simple text file. The total runtime of course depends on your battery and it can vary from 5 to 20 hours depending on how often you want to get position updates. There are some good instructions on this site including example code…

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i-station U7

Jun 29, 2008


Digitalcube of Korea just announced a new GPS navigation system called i-station U7, which apparently tries to assist you in hypermiling while showing you the shortest route to your destination.

i-station U7 can sense the incline of the road you’re driving on and also can help you be more fuel efficient by commenting on your driving style – which could get really annoying really fast :) As far as hardware there’s a 7″ screen with 800×480 resolution, receiver for digital TV channels, and 4GB onboard flash memory. Expected to be available in Korea next month for about 398,000KRW ($382)…

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PMP + GPS navigation system

Jun 28, 2008


What you see above is a portable media player integrated with a GPS navigation system from the Chinese company CDT.

Nothing out of the ordinary here except the external plastics which is made to look a little more rugged. The details are still unknown and will probably remain that way until a Western distributor decides to pick this unnamed device up.

All we can say at this point is that it features a 3″ LCD touch screen, and a 2 GB built-in flash memory…

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Mio Moov 380 almost here

Jun 27, 2008 , ,


Mio Moov 380 which we announced beginning of this month apparently just cleared FCC regulations meaning it will be hitting the store shelves in the U.S. pretty soon.

The main feature of Moov 380 is that it provides two way connectivity (just like Dash) with its integrated SIM card. However unlike Dash we don’t how Mio plans on providing GPS vitals such as real time traffic information or connect to the internet for that matter. Other unknowns include price, carrier, monthly fee, etc, etc.

But here are some hardware specs:

  • Display: 4.3″ TFT with touchscreen Flat Panel
  • Resolution: 480 x 242 Pixels (WQVGA)
  • GPS Chipset: SiRFstarIII
  • Battery Capacity: 720 mAh
  • CPU:Samsung 2443—400Mhz
  • Built-in Speaker
  • GPS Receiver: SiRFInstantFixII
  • Operating System: Win CE .Net 5
  • Network:GSM 900/1800/1900 SIM Card Slot
  • USB V2.0
  • Memory Slot:MicroSD
  • Microphone
  • Earphone Jack: 2.5 mm
  • Navigation Software: MioMap 2008

We’ll be sure to keep you updated once we know more…

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DeLorme Earthmate PN-40

Jun 25, 2008 ,


DeLorme just announced Earthmate PN-40, their latest handheld GPS device which boasts a speedy dual core processor, a new GPS receiver chipset, and spacious 500MB internal flash memory which can be extended upto 32GB thanks to the SDHC card support.

Expected to hit the market as early as fall of this year Eartmate PN-40 really focused on delivering high speed map redraws…

As an example, I’ve been driving with high resolution color aerial imagery displayed on my device and have been tracking at a scale of 80 ft (very high detail) and haven’t noticed any lag time in map redraws… and that was traveling over 40 mph. While the color aerial imagery was impressive on the PN-20, I was never satisfied with the redraw time for imagery when traveling much faster than an average bike ride.

Here are the rest of the features:

  • Super high-sensitivity 32-channel Cartesio chipset by STMicroelectronics delivers near-instantaneous signal acquisition and ConstantLock™ satellite retention
  • Dual-core processor for rapid screen re-draws, even with large aerial imagery files
  • 500 MB of onboard Flash memory (1 GB total hard drive)
  • 3-axis electronic compass with included accelerometer performs when held in any position—while in motion or standing still
  • Sensitive barometric altimeter for reliably accurate altitude readings
  • Supports SDHC high-capacity SD cards—32 GB or higher
  • USB 2.0 data transfer to internal memory or SD card in device
  • More detailed onboard base map data for the U.S., now with secondary and connector roads (along with major highways and thoroughfares for the entire world)
  • 2.2″ 65K-color daylight-readable TFT screen for clarity in any light conditions
  • Topo USA 7.0 software with complete U.S topo and street maps included—no extra purchase required. Also displays USGS 7.5-min quads, aerial imagery, and NOAA nautical charts via online download from DeLorme

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Nokia N78

Jun 25, 2008 , , ,


Nokia N78 was made official today, A-GPS integrated mobile phone featuring a 3.2MP camera with Carl Zeiss optics.

N78 will be available starting today at select electronics and wireless retailers, online retailers and at the Nokia Flagship Stores in Chicago and New York. Nokia N78 will sell for about 560$.

Here is a part of press release about important features:

Each Nokia N78 includes a free three-month trial navigation license for the Nokia Maps service, which enables users to calculate routing information, provides details on up to 15 million different points of interest, and gives audible and visual turn-by-turn directions from point A to point B. With the integrated A-GPS, users can ‘geotag’ images they capture on the Nokia N78 with location information. With this information images uploaded to Share on Ovi or other selected image sharing sites can include not only when the picture was taken – but also where the picture was taken, even displaying that information visually on a map.

For music fans, the Nokia N78 combines two exciting features – a digital music player and an integrated FM transmitter – to enable a complete audio experience. With storage for up to 8GB of music on an optional MicroSD memory card, a music collection can be easily shared and enjoyed in the home or car by playing it wirelessly through the FM radio.

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MING A1600 and MING A1800

Jun 24, 2008 , ,


Motorola just officially announced MING A1600 and MING A1800, one of which we had already talked about.

Motorola MING 1600

  • 2.4″ 262K color TFT display
  • touchscreen and stylus
  • Linux OS
  • quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
  • 3MP camera with continuous autofocus
  • microSD card slot (up to 4GB)
  • Bluetooth (A2DP)
  • microUSB port
  • FM radio
  • built-in GPS receiver

Motorola MING 1800

MING 1800 is almost identical to MING 1600 including the integrated GPS receiver. The only advantage 1800 has to offer is that it has two radios meaning it can connect both GSM and CDMA at the same time.

Both devices target the Chinese market. No info on pricing or availability…

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garmin mobile XT on Nokia N95

Jun 24, 2008 , , ,


If you want to run Garmin navigation software on your Nokia N95, such as the garmin mobile xt we’ve got good news for you.

This site has some instructions for you to follow. Even though we haven’t tried it ourselves here at Navigadget, it seems pretty easy.

Please let us know how it goes.

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