Clarion MiND – now a lot cheaper
Jul 31, 2009 clarion, google, gps navigation
Clarion MiND – since we last visited – has it’s own page now showing off its features. And even though it says you can grab one as low as $500, Amazon
What do you think of this price? Are you willing to spend $250 for a WiFi enabled device with a 4.8″ screen and 4GB of flash memory? It is also bluetooth enabled which is good – but it is only way to get wireless internet when you are not close to any WiFi hotspots. You’d have to pair it up with your phone to get connectivity. Anyhow – what can Clarion MiND do for you? GPS navigation, play your tunes, new traffic updates service, and Google Local search.
Tags: clarion, google, gps navigation
LG Chocolate: LG-BL40
Jul 30, 2009 gps navigation, gps phones
LG has confirmed their newest Chocolate a.k.a. LG-BL40. The first that catches your attention is here of course the 21:9 screen aspect ratio. It reminds us of a futuristic communicator, more than a phone. That screen actually measures 4″ diagonally and can support 800×345 pixel resolution. Of course a beauty such as this wouldn’t be complete without GPS, so we were happy to hear that the new LG Chocolate would be location aware.
Some other features of LG-BL40 include a 5MP camera, 3G network support, Wi-Fi connectivity, and a slot for microSDHC cards.
The new LG Chocolate will be available in 54 countries 3rd quarter of this year. U.S. better be one of those 54!
Tags: gps navigation, gps phones
Mio Moov M300 and M400
Jul 28, 2009 geotag, gps navigation, mio, moov
After its recent sat nav systems such as Spirit Moov series Mio just announced two new GPS navigation systems: Moov M300 and M400.
M300 is the smaller of the two and offers a 3.5″ screen with 320×240 pixels resolution. The numbers are 4.3 inches and a resolution of 480 x 272 pixels for the M400.
The M300 incorporates a map of France and is currently marketed at a price of 99 €. The M400 incorporates maps from 23 countries of Western Europe and is available at a price of 149 €.
Both come preloaded with speed radar locations and 1 year worth of free upgrades. Beyond that, it is € 30 per year for France.
The M300 and M400 also come with “local” Mio which lets you search for addresses, including restaurants and shops, from your PC with the Yellow Pages and load them directly into your GPS.
The M400 also offers the NavPix photo navigation: with its integrated photo album, you can view photos of tourist sites, beaches, hotels and restaurants and then be guided directly to the chosen location. You can also retrieve for free from sites NavPix and Flickr, offering more than one million geotagged photographs.
Also worth mentioning is that the M300 and M400 do not have the latest software – Moov Spirit – that is available on the Spirit Moov 300, 500, HF 500 and Moov Spirit V505 and V735 TV TV. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: geotag, gps navigation, mio, moov
SiRFstarIV is out
Jul 28, 2009 gps navigation, misc news
After acquiring SiRF just about a month ago, CSR is continuing their highly popular SiRF series with SiRFstarIV. This is not just plain old GPS receiver though. SiRFstarIV is a location aware architecture with self assistance (SiRFaware), and micro power GPS technology.
Advantages of SiRFstarIV is that it doesn’t drain your batteries, and it doesn’t need network aid to get a satellite fix. CSR claims their new platform can maintain better than hot start condition and therefore be turned off without worrying about startup delays.
SiRFstarIV has twice the search capacity of SiRFstarIII platform with enhanced sensitivity, ability to maintain hot-start condition while only using 50-500 microamperes, ability to support accelerometers and other sensors and DSP technology that searches for jammers and removes them prior to correlation for better GPS performance.
The first product from the new SiRFstarIV platform is called SiRFstarIV GSD4t and it is already out…
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: gps navigation, misc news
Amod GPS Photo Tracker review
Jul 27, 2009 google, gps navigation, gps reviews, gps tracking
Read the rest of this entry »
This is how I like to review things: Take it out of the box. Charge it/put batteries in it – then use it. No manuals, no quick start guides, no settings, no configurations. This is exactly what I did with the Amod GPS Photo Tracker.
Tags: google, gps navigation, gps reviews, gps tracking
Garmin nuvi 780 going for $200
Jul 27, 2009 gps navigation, nuvi
Garmin Nuvi 780 – which has an MSRP of $600 is now going for $200 on Amazon.
We say this is a steal specially when you think it was $800 when it first came out. Here is the link: Garmin nüvi 780
Tags: gps navigation, nuvi
nuviphone is here (well… in Asia) anyone still excited?
Jul 26, 2009 asus, garmin, gps navigation, gps phones, iphone, nuvi
After a loooooong wait, Garmin and Asus has finally made the Garmin-Asus nüvifone G60 available in Asia. (more precisely Taiwan on July 27; Singapore and Malaysia end of August.)
We still don’t have any details on the pricing but their press release say this:
In Asia, it will be available through carriers and retail channels. The nüvifone G60 is on schedule for delivery in Europe and the United States in the second half of 2009, and additional details about pricing, availability and carriers will be announced in the coming months
After all this wait how much would you be willing to pay for this phone?
Tags: asus, garmin, gps navigation, gps phones, iphone, nuvi
landrover’s iPhone GPS navigation app
Jul 25, 2009 gps navigation, gps phones, gps software, iphone
Now Land Rover has joined our list of iPhone GPS navigation systems. Their developers are not quite experienced as others in the fields, so you won’t be getting your dynamic turn by turn directions with this app. Nor will you know what street to take or anything like that. It just draws a straight line from your start point to your destination and calculates the distance for you. You know why? Because if you have a Land Rover Defender that how you’d drive. In a straight line.
We haven’t tested it but it seems like the app also lets you pick your own Land Rover – customize it, etc…
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: gps navigation, gps phones, gps software, iphone
Google Latitude on iPhone
Jul 25, 2009 apple, google, gps navigation, gps phones, iphone
Google just released Google Latitude for the iPhone. Google Latitude is an application that lets you share your location with your friends, kind of an extension to a social network.
Unlike other platforms Google Latitude for the iPhone is completely web based; per Apple’s request. So you don’t need to go the App Store to get this app. But dont worry. You still get all the functionality; such as adjusting your privacy settings for each friend – and even getting driving directions to another friend of yours on the map.
The catch is that since Apple doesn’t let any third party applications on the background, your position can only be updated whenever you login to the service. Your friends will have to rely on your ‘last known location’.
To start using this on your iPhone you’ll need to visit google.com/latitude. Make sure you bookmark it.
Tags: apple, google, gps navigation, gps phones, iphone
TeleNav for iPhone review
Jul 24, 2009 gps navigation, gps phones, gps reviews, gps software, iphone, telenav
Just recently I had a chance to review the new AT&T Navigator (powered by TeleNav) for the iPhone.
I’m usually a bread and butter kind of guy. I like simple things. The basic map application on the iPhone use to be sufficient for my needs, but being that its hard for me to drive and type addresses into my phone; I needed another solution. Not to mention that its illegal to play on your phone while driving. Not that I would do anything like that… So, I bought a cigarette lighter mount for my iPhone so that I can use Telenav, charge my phone and listen to my music via the car speakers.
Telenav’s user interface is very straight forward and easy to use. The Drive To selection allows you to choose from your favorites or places you recently looked up. The Business feature is really cool, and I used it quite often to find the cheapest gas in the neighborhood. You can type in names of businesses or select from business types, and Telenav will give you concise directions to the destination you select. The intersection “Call it” feature works very well when you have the phone to your ear or when you have a headset. However, trying to use the call it feature with the speaker phone can be frustrating when there is a lot of background noise. The system seems to misinterpret what you are saying. When the call it feature is selected the app switches to the phone and makes the call.
Once you have verified you destination and end the call, the app seamlessly starts up again. The app then gives you the options of starting navigation or saving the location to your favorites. One of the downsides of Telenav is that you cannot view the map in a landscape horizontal view like most stand-alone navigation systems. This is some what of a downside in my situation since the cigarette lighter mount that I have for my Honda Civic is mounted below the dash and its hard to see the street names. Not to mention that the most stand-alone navigation systems have bigger screens. If it could go horizontal it would alleviate this problem. I give this application an 8/10.
Pros
- Voice directions were good and very responsive.
- Graphics were very good for the iPhone.
- Gas prices were always accurate and up to date.
- Call it feature works very well and is very user friendly.
Cons
- Landscape map not available
- Automatically assumes that you can get into the HOV lane, should have a feature that lets you specify the number of people in your car.
–smitropa
Tags: gps navigation, gps phones, gps reviews, gps software, iphone, telenav
