NaviGadget

THP2 Personal Training System from Nury Tech of Korea is just what the name suggest it is. A digital and wireless personal training system. It contains a GPS pod, and a chest strap to measure your performance during your workout, and a even body fat scale to see how you’re doing in general. All the components talk wireless to each other and reports to a watch which then can transfer all the information to PC where the analysis happens.

The THP2 Personal Training System is expected to arrive to US later this year. Expect to pay around $180… read »

Inforemer-HDX is a GPS enabled golf management system designed by GPS Industries, successor to Inforemer. We’ve talked about many other GPS systems for golfers but this one seems to have the most features coupled with advertisements targeting the wealthy who spend their days golfing.

Inforemer-HDX combines GPS and wireless technology with powerful golf course management applications; designed for golf course operators.

Inforemer-HDX uses Windows and runs with open platform software. It uses Intel Strong Arm RISC Micro-controller and features Wi-Fi High-speed Wireless Network and Internet Protocols which lets their users fast access to rich online content and establish the golf course as a wireless Hot Spot.

The device also does two-way messaging to improve communications between players and the clubhouse. The GPS is also not any GPS but something called “Differential GPS” for more precise distance measurements.

To appear at your high end golf course soon…

Quarq is a GPS enabled trainer for cyclists. It just got the Australian International Design Award for the promise to revolutionize the way cyclists train.

Quarq works hand in hand with multiple sensors to record and display heart rate, power generated, exact location, temperature, cadence, torque, acceleration, and more. The device is made up of two pieces: Qranium and Cinqo. Qranium is the piece that attaches to your handlebar and carries the display and the GPS receiver; it does the computing part. Cinqo is the piece that attaches to your wheels to measure torque, power, etc.

Qranium - the computer and the display - uses 2.4 GHz digital wireless, is fully customizable, uses Linux OS, and runs on open source code. It comes with 512MB of memory. This will cost you only $995.

Cinqo - the power sensor - also uses 2.4 GHz digital wireless technology, is ANT+Sport compatible, has 10 Strain gages, and uses a replaceable CR2450 battery. Weighing only 130 grams it should not be too much of a hassle when climbing up hills. Cinqo sells for $1195. Yes, those prices are not typos.

More features of this high end trainer include waterproof, lightweight, and rugged body; and a 2.8″ backlit display module. It seems like a device only pros can afford… via

We have a few screen shots from the new Garmin Forerunner 405 that is expected to hit the market soon after April 21st.

This is the training page. You can set up two additional training “pages” and you can scroll through with a tap to the watch bezel. You can also choose up to three data fields to customize each training page. There are over 30 types of data you can display. We’re talking way more than distance, pace, elevation and calories. You can also view GPS accuracy, grade, lap distance, heart rate average, zone, % max and more.

This screen is the virtual partner. It gives you a virtual competitor for every training run. You pick your goal pace, then see how you match up to the virtual partner.

This is the heart rate page. It shows your heart rate and zone numbers as well as a chart that shows your progression at a glance.

The last screen shown here is the navigation page. Since the 405 is GPS-enabled, it has some basic navigation capabilities, including a feature that guides you back to your starting point. Nice for when you strike out on a run in a new city or if you like to “run outside the lines” once in awhile. read »

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.

It is one of those design competitions where students with lots of free time creative minds make up design futuristic gadgets. This one is called Vie - after the French word for ‘life’.

Vie - which fits on your hand like a glove - is designed for those who go out running/jogging/walking in the dark and apparently is aimed at keeping them safe from harm with its color E-ink screen that can display your location on Google Maps thanks to its GPS receiver. And if you are serious danger here is what it can do:

send a stress beacon in case of emergency to all VIEmates in the vicinity, or even straight to the police depending on urgency. A sign of heart failure automatically sends a SOS to the nearest hospital.

There are of course other features built-in such as the bluetooth hand shakes to transfer information, one handed operation with tactile feedbacks as the interface, and even an online community. And why stop there when you have no limitations such as cost, power consumption, wireless networks, etc. Vie, somehow, is also a health monitor and a personal trainer. All this with a simple watch battery… read »

uPro by uPlay is a brand new GPS enabled range finder that is expected to be debuted at 2008 PGA show.

uPro brings the best of GPS and laser technologies in this device and adds aerial images, video flyovers into the mix. In addition, uPro allows the golfer to get exact distances to and from any point on the course.

In something called a “Pro Mode”, uPro can actually render custom views of the course depending on the location of the player and update as he/she moves.

No word on pricing just yet. But do check a selection of golf clubs (irons and drivers) read »

Garmin Colorado 400i which we announced back in December has been made official by Garmin finally. The device is geared towards outdoor, marine and fitness enthusiasts who can control most of the functions of the device with a Rock ’n Roller wheel. Priced at $600, the Colorado 400i will specialize in anglers shoreline details, depth contours and boat ramps for U.S. inland lakes and navigable rivers.

Colorado 400i will run on two AA and will last about 15 hours on them. Other basic features of the device are the electronic compass, barometric altimeter and photo viewer. You can also load additional MapSource detail using the SD card slot.

Colorado 400i also displays air temperature and is able to connect to a heart-rate monitor or speed and cadence sensor.

Garmin today announced a GPS watch that actually is the size of a watch. Called Forerunner 405 this GPS watch is really not that bad looking meaning you can almost wear all day every day - something impossible to do with the older 305 and 205.

Expected to cost about $300, the Forerunner 405 can track your speed, distance, heart rate and location. The new user interface is a touch bezel on the face of the watch which makes navigating the menus easier. The bezel responds to tapping, holding or running a finger along it.

Like previous models Forerunner 405 also features the Virtual Partner whose pace you can adjust as you wish - which may defeat the purpose of a challenge for some people.

The watch itself does not come with a heart rate monitor but supports it, in addition to an optional speed/cadence bike sensor which can help cyclists monitor their pedaling cadence and wheel speed.

Another nice feature of Forerunner 405 is the connectivity:

Using ANT+Sport technology, the Forerunner 405 sends workout data to the user’s computer via automatic wireless data transfer… the computer automatically syncs with the Forerunner 405 as soon as the user enters the room… Runners, joggers, cyclists and hikers can send courses, goals and workouts to their Forerunner 405 before they begin, and then the data gets sent back to the user’s computer when the workout is over. Athletes can log their workouts, track their totals, set goals, share workouts with coaches, friends and family and participate in an online fitness community at Garmin’s online training site at connect.garmin.com

Continue to read »

MainNav is getting ready to introduce the new MG-950D at CES 2008. MG-950D is a bluetooth GPS data logger that has a lot functions that make it useful for hiking, biking, driving, and maybe even running.

It is similar to Garmin Edge 305 in terms of form factor but MG-950D also acts as a bluetooth GPS receiver, meaning you can share the GPS data with other devices. It uses a SiRF Star III GPS receiver and can store up to 120,000 waypoints. It can calculate speed and altitude while you workout and store that info so later on you can transfer it to your PC via the USB interface and view on Google Earth.

We have no information on pricing or where/when it will be available but we’ll investigate at CES 2008 for you.