Archive for 2010

GPS navigation and radar detector: PASSPORT iQ

Dec 30, 2010 ,


PASSPORT iQ is the new GPS navigation and GPS radar detector combo from Escort. The device will be showcased at CES 2011 which we’ll be attending so we can get you some more information there. But to cover some of the basics: the device is based on the successful PASSPORT 9500ix GPS + laser detector and the navigation system offers 3D maps, voice guidance, lane assistance.

The price is quite remarkable though. A whopping 650 dollars. I wonder how much it would cost to buy a navigation unit and a GPS radar detector separately though? Less than $650 I bet. But with that logic nobody would buy smartphones. Anyhow the price is a bit high if you ask us.

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Tron 60S/GPS EPIRB from Jotron

Dec 28, 2010 ,


What you’re looking at here (tilt head to the right) is the new Tron 60S/GPS which was just launched by Jotron AS. It is a new 406 Emergency Position Indication Radio Beacon (EPIRB) from the Norwegian company. Tron 60S/GPS is small and compact handheld which makes this EPIRB perfect for Float-Free and and Manual uses.

It uses a battery with 5 years service life, weighs 680 grams, and uses Fastrax IT500 22 channel GPS receiver.

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giveaway: GPS Kit iPhone app

Dec 27, 2010 , , ,


OK our first giveaway is a really cool iPhone GPS app from GPS Kit. We talked about them here on Navigadget and they were nice enough to give us five codes for the app. The app goes for $10 in iTunes (unless you win one here)

This is a pretty capable app and certainly is worth $10. Check out all the features here but here are some of the highlights of GPS Kit:

  • Real-Time Friend Tracking with “Radar”
  • Advanced Offline Mapping
  • Import Custom Map Tiles
  • Unlimited Tracks & Waypoints
  • Add Photos & Waypoints
  • Customizable Dashboard
  • Compass & Flashlight Utilities
  • Multiple Import/Export Options

And coming soon for ski season:

  • New Weather Station waypoints
  • Drop a station and get 12 weather variables for any location in the USA

OK, all you have to do is leave a comment for this post and subscribe to our RSS feed. Duplicates emails and IP addresses will be disqualified. Five days from now we’ll announce the winner and email them their iTunes code. After that we’ll continue our giveaways with the stuff we talked about here.

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Recon-Zeal Transcend goggles now shipping

Dec 27, 2010 ,


We’ve talked about the Recon-Zeal GPS enabled ski goggles before and apparently their store is ready to take orders.

They have the SPPX Polarized + Photochromic (transitioning) lens and the SPX Polarized lens. They have both models available for Canada here but for orders outside of Canada visit this shop where you can pick up the SPX model for $400.

To recap these ski goggles have a micro LCD display inside and are capable of displaying real time statistics such as speed, altitude, vertical, and total distance thanks to the integrated GPS receiver. It also reports on temperature has a stopwatch/chrono mode and a clock.

It can also act a logger keeping track of your average, max, min for each run with storage enough for several days. You can charge the device via microUSB, and display your path on Google Maps.

It operates in both English and French and display in either metric on imperial units – classic Canadian…

Read the rest of this entry »

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Wikitude Drive – Augmented Reality GPS Navigation

Dec 26, 2010 , ,

Check out this video from German made Wikitude. They just released the Android version of Wikitude Drive, an augmented reality GPS navigation system for GPS enabled smartphones. It was just launced in Austria, Germany and Switzerland but other countries are to follow.

If you’ve never heard of this before – it works by using the camera on the back of your smartphone and overlaying driving instructions on this live video feed. So instead of looking at a map you’re seeing the real world.

Is this really useful we’re not sure but it does look entertaining. What do you think?

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giveaways: NaviGadget cleaning out the garage

Dec 25, 2010 , , , , , , , ,


OK guys; merry Christmas. We haven’t done any giveaways for a while. We have some GPS stuff we need to get rid of. It’s all yours for free. We’ll do this one by one. Oh yes, what are we giving away?

A GPS backtracker from GPS X Guider to help you find your path, or campsite etc. A Cobra XRS 9960G Radar/Safety Camera detector with GPS so you won’t get any speeding tickets (I hope). An Enzym SG-350 GPS navigation device with text to speech. Another GPS backtracker – GF Q900, this time from QSTARZ. A small pocket GPS receiver for outdoor activities; from Storyish. A 60beat Hearth Rate Monitor with chest strap that gives you the best workout analysis on your iPhone when used with their GPS enabled LogYourRun app. The new Bike GPSport 260pro from Holux with ANT+ wireless technology. And finally the latest GPS travel recorder from QSTARZ: BT-Q1000XT. Wait; that’s not all. We’re also giving away 5 promo codes for GPS Kit iPhone App (not pictured above).

OK, that’s a lot. Stay tuned (subscribing to our RSS feed should help) We’ll get the first one started shortly.





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Unistrong Odin

Dec 24, 2010


Chinese Unistrong is getting ready to bring their latest GPS receiver into the country called Odin which just made it through FCC requirements. Unistrong Odin is a handheld mobile GIS solution that integrates a high sensitivity GPS antenna (plus support for an external antenna), 3MP digital camera, SIM card module for cellular connectivity, built-in bluetooth and WiFi, and an e-compass.

And all of this is packed into an IP66 casing which provides waterproof and dustproof for the most demanding field work.

A few of the other features include a gravity sensor, 2800mAh Li-Ion battery, barometric altimeter, and a microSD card slot.

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Holux GPSport 260 pro review

Dec 23, 2010 , , ,







People at Holux just sent us the new GPSport 260pro. This is a multi function GPS device for many outdoor activities such as biking, running, hiking, etc. We could go on and on about its numerous features and setup screens but we need to be brief here. And if you’re really looking for certain feature you can always download the user manual and have a look.

But here are some of the highlights. The pro version that we have comes with a heart rate monitor that wraps around your chest, a speed sensor to read the speed from the wheel, cadence sensor, and connects all the pieces together 2.4G ANT+ wireless technology which is super low power.

The hardware itself is pretty sturdy. The buttons are easy to operate, screen is to read. GPSport 260 pro has a 1.5″ screen with nice light blueish back light. The rechargeable battery holds 1050mAh which should last you about 18 hours with the back light off. It has 4MB of internal memory which can hold up to 160K waypoints. It has a buzzer alarm that you can setup for certain things such as speed, distance, or heart rate.

That’s not all though. Device is IPX-7 waterproof, has a barometer for more accurate altimeter feature, an electronic e-compass, and supports multiple languages (took us a while to switch to English from Chinese).

There are numerous operating modes. In Sport mode it shows various screens displaying everything from time, distance, speed, cadence, heart rate, altitude, calories, etc. In plot mode you can view your track, show a graph speed vs distance, speed vs time, altitude vs distance, and altitude vs time. In follow course mode you can trace back a track you’ve saved or go to point you may have saved. In training mode you select various goals or ranges such as heart rate, cadence, time, etc. Other modes are the multiple finder, pedometer, e-compass, and history.

I know we haven’t covered every single feature but after a day of use we found the GPSport 260 to be very easy to use. It communicates with the wireless sensors without a problem, battery life is very decent, all the menus are easy to navigate. The only downside is the black and white screen with not so much resolution. We still would definitely recommend this device.

And finally: We’ll be giving away the Holux GPSport 260 pro to a lucky reader very soon. Keep following Navigadget.

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spot HUG is GPS based security for your boat

Dec 21, 2010 , ,


Spot recently came up with a new GPS satellite based security system for boats. It is called spot HUG, and it just made it through FCC.The main features of this system include unauthorized movement notification, support for other sensors such as battery, high water, ignition, etc, and Spot messaging via satellites to ask for help in case of emergency or simply let your loved ones know you’re OK.

Here is how it works: You’ve got the keypad that wirelessly connects to the core tracker unit, and the key FOBs. When tracker detects vibrations it wakes up the GPS in spot HUG core tracker unit. Tracker gets a satellite fix and checks its position. If your boat happens to be out of the 500m security perimeter you’ve determined and there’s no key FOB around (or it has not been manually disarmed from the keypad) an alert will be sent to the asset monitoring center. And they in turn let authorities know about the unauthorized movement.

Another feature of Spot HUG is the Track Progress. This lets you save and transmit your location to your contacts in (near) real time for viewing on Google Maps.

The device itself costs $450. We don’t even want to know what the subscriptions fees are like… OK OK let’s check: The yearly for the basic service is $100 which includes SOS service (real emergencies), Help service (for non life-threatening situations), Check-In/OK service, and the custom message service. The track progress we just mentioned is $50/year. GEOS Member Rescue Benefit is $13/year.

What do you guys think? Worth it?

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Magellan reveals RoadMate 9020

Dec 20, 2010 , ,


Magellan quietly revealed RoadMate 9020 recently – a GPS navigation system with an unnecessarily large 7″ WVGA touchscreen and a battery life of 30 minutes (no seriously; that’s what specs say). It runs on a 533Mhz processor, supports microSD cards, and has a USB 2.0 port.

Some of it’s features include free lifetime traffic updates, highway lane assist, built-in AAA TourBook, text-to-speech, multi-destination routing. It comes with maps of United States, Canada and Puerto Rico pre-installed.

Magellan RoadMate 9020 is priced at $270.

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