The Eclipse AVN726E is a powerful tool that features well designed maps that come with elevation data as well as 3D buildings. The company has added some nice features to this product as well, including USB and iPod integration (though you do have to purchase a cable to do this) and DVD/DivX playback. It also features Bluetooth hands free calling, a feature becoming more popularly sought.

On the downside, if you hope to add traffic data to the device for navigation needs, it will require the Sirius satellite radio to be used. Still, this device is a nice, hands free calling tool that tells you where to go using audio and visual elements.

For the people planning to travel a lot soon, here is portable device you may find handy to bring along. Garmin unveils two new GPS devices, both combining powerful tools of Garmin’s eTrex series with the touch-screen technology of the newer Oregon line, albeit on a slightly smaller screen.

The Dakota 10 will feature a glove-friendly 2.6-in color touchscreen and weigh 6.75 ounces, and will last approximately 20 hours on a single set of batteries while the Dakota 20 adds a 3-axis tilt-compensated compass, a barometric altimeter, wireless connectivity, and a microSD card slot.

Pre-orders are now being welcomed at GPS city for this device which is set to debut on July 26. Prices start from $200.

“It’s exciting to see Garmin bringing the technology they’ve advanced so well in the Oregon to a new more affordable price point,” remarked Brenton Wingard, vice president of GPS City. Dan Bartel, vice president of global sales for Garmin agreed, adding, “As families and friends explore the outdoors, Dakota helps keep their adventures affordable and enjoyable.”

(Source) Press

Frankly we’re tired of all these announcements saying that Garmin-Asus is going to deliver a certain nuvifone in the near future. The latest one is saying that the G60 will arrive in August and it will apparently not be delayed to 2010. It looks like the Linux-related problems have been fixed and the device will be ready for commercial launch. The G60 is going to be followed to even hotter phone and they will run either Android or Windows Mobile. So what do you think folks? Will you trust Garmin-Asus again?

via Android Community

Magellan Roadmate 1475T

The Magellan RoadMate 1475T sports the new OneTouch favorites menu that places personally selected addresses and searches that are accessible by just a simple click. The Magellan RoadMate series also comes with searchable AAA TourBook listings comprised of AAA Diamond Rated restaurants and lodgings, as well as attractions, events and campgrounds, making it easier to plan your trip when you hit the road.

You can also access AAA-Approved auto repair shops and other businesses that offer AAA member discounts and Magellan assures you they won’t lead you on a wild goose chase as all listings include exact GPS locations. Retails for around $299.00

While others, read Garmin, are taking all the time in the world to launch the nuvifone, Mio is ready to launch its own GPS phone. The Explora K75 GPS phone is the phone in question and the company will ship it to you with its own Spirit GPS navigation software. The Mio Explora K75 GPS comes with features like:

• Qualcomm MSM7201A 528MHz processor
• Qualcomm gpsOne GPS chipset
• 3.5-inch 400×240 WQVGA display
• microSD memory card slot
• VGA CMOS secondary camera
• Built-in rotation sensor

Although Mio didn’t say when this new handset will be available and how much it will cost, we have the feeling you’re going to get it before the nuvifone.

via navigadget

We’re not sure what to think on this one. We’ve told you earlier that the nuvifone is coming only to announce later that Garmin is not quite ready yet for that to happen. We’re hearing now that the phone is on track for release in the USA and that’s going to happen very soon. Are we to believe Garmin this time? You know what happened to the boy who cried wolf one too many times, don’t you?

The Asian market is also supposed to get the phone this month or sometime in early July. Will this late nuvifone be able to fight against the Pre or the iPhone?

via twice

Garmin-Asus haven’t been that great at launching new phones on time but we’re willing to cut them some slack since they seem to work hard on their future handsets. While the nuvifone might not be that interesting all of a sudden, you should keep an eye on Garmin-Asus since they could launch an Android handset early next year. Their first Android phone should arrive in the first quarter of the year and we will be waiting for it nervously. Anyone anticipating a hot Android Garmin-Asus phone? Will it be launched on time?

via phonearena

Travel Honey

The four-in-one functionality of the Travel Honey GPS Location Finder from Chinavision make this USB GPS receiver a great choice for travelers, GPS enthusiasts or folks who can never remember where they parked their car

Some of the great features of this GPS Receiver + Location Finder + Data Logger + Photo Tagger include:

- Location Finder directs you to your saved positions

- Data Logger registers GPS coordinates, speed, and altitude as you travel

- Photo Tagger allows you share your geo-tagged photos on Flickr

- GPS Receiver lets you convert your mobile device into a GPS system

This GPS receiver is compatible with all major brands of GPS computer software however, this model does not come with any GPS navigation map software. Retails for around $54.00

Magellan Maestro 4700

The Magellan Maestro 4700 PND has now cleared the FCC and is the first new product in the GPS company’s Maestro series for many months.  Designed around a 4.7-inch touchscreen, the 4700 PND supports Bluetooth and voice commands. There’s also Magellan’s OneTouch interface, which pairs often-accessed addresses from the favorites list with some defaults, including an emergency location, together with common POI searches or records. 

Connections consist of a USB for recharging in addition to hooking the 4700 up to a computer, and a microSD card slot. The Maestro 4700 also supports traffic updates, though it requires a Traffic Link adapter which is sold separately. There’s no word on when we can expect to see this PND on shelves.

We are all aware that many motorists have gotten a big boost with the help of GPS devices and it looks like they are in for more aid as waze, Inc. unveils a new platform for creating and maintaining live maps in the United States. As we all know navigation is easier if you know where you are going and with these new guides, you can get to your destination faster and with lesser fuel consumption to boot.

“waze is a network of drivers who work together to save time - everyone contributes and everyone benefits. By aggregating the status of all connected wazers, such as GPS traces and active reporting of speed traps or road hazards, we can build and share back a real-time or ‘live’ map which reflects the current state of the roads, finds the best route and guides the waze members though it in their daily driving.”

The application, already widely used in Israel, will open to the general public in the coming months.

(Source) Press

We just don’t care anymore of the Asus-Garmin nuvifone will ever see the light of day. The phone has been delayed again and by the time it will actually be released we will be busy with lots of other hot phones. Garmin’s president and COO Cliff Pemble said in a conference call that the nuvifone G60 is complicated and that “bringing one to market that’s built totally from the ground up on a custom Linux platform is not an easy task.” I am sure he is right but the company had plenty of time to figure out a way to make the nuvifone happen. What’s more annoying is that the partnership with Asus hasn’t been that beneficial for the nuvifone yet. What phone will you buy instead of the nuvifone G60?

via Twice

We’ve talked about the nuvifone a bunch of times before but the phone hasn’t been actually released yet. We have been waiting for Garmin and Asus to finish whatever they were supposed to finish in order to launch the phone and it looks like all that waiting paid off.

The nuvifone G60 is scheduled for a June release which is a pretty bold move from Garmin and Asus. As long as the phone is coming out before the new iPhone it might stand a chance. We don’t have all the specs and there’s no pricing information either so we’d be looking forward for some confirmation from the parties involved.

What’s even more interesting is the fact that the G60 might be the first LiMo-powered phone from Asus, but like I said, we have no confirmed facts so far.

via Reuters

Do you need a new navigator for your new car? The Oregon 500 from Garmin is available in the UK but it will cost you $519. All that cash will get you a 3-inch touchscreen readable in the sunlight, waterproof casing, a built-in electronic compass, a barometric altimeter, AA battery support, USB connectivity, a microSD card slot, a carabiner clip and an integrated camera which comes with automatic picture geotagging. Considering all these features would you say that the price is about right or not exactly?

via handtec

While we had recently gotten word that the Samsung Propel Pro would hit AT&T March 19th, new announcements confirm that it will instead ship in April for about $150.

The Propel Pro sports a design not common to the current handset market, it has a slideout QWERTY keyboard along with a small joystick used as a pointing device. This compares with things like the Blackberry’s trackball, you get the idea.

Other than that, the Propel Pro will feature a 2.55-inch screen (no touch, sorry), GPS, WiFi, HSDPA, and EDGE. Coupled with Windows Mobile 6.1, a 528 MHz processor, a 3MP camera, and a battery for talk time up to 6.5 hours, the Propel Pro is sure to spurr at least some interest.

Koreans now have yet another option to choose from if they are in the market for an in-car navigation unit.  Landing in the low-end category of Thinkware’s 3D navigation devices, the iNAVI K3 provides all pertinent information in a 3D environment on its big 7-inch WVGA display at 800×480 resolution.  The screen can also turn into a portable TV as the iNAVI K3 has DMB receiver onboard or function as a video player for videos loaded on to a SDHC memory card of up to 8GB in size.  A SirF V6 chip boosts its navigation capabilities and it is aided by InstantFixII reducing the amount of time needed to lock on to satellites.  Also included are an mp3 player, a car diary, and a game for the kids on their ride to school.

No information on a release date yet but, as with most other Korean devices, this will be a South Korea only affair going for a price of 399,000 KRW (about $300).

(more…)

Mio has a new GPS phone ready for us and if you want to check it out live, it’s available at CeBIT. The K70 will offer you quad-band GSM, triple-band HSDPA/HSUPA, WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS, a 3.5-inch touchscreen display featuring a 400 x 240 WQVGA resolution, a 3 megapixel camera, a jog dial and Windows Mobile 6. The device is on display but it lacks a price and a date.

As Asus joined forces with Garmin, it had to cancel one of its expected Windows Mobile 6.1 handsets. The P565 has been canceled so you won’t see it arrive soon. It was supposed to sport a VGA display, HSDPA connectivity, and a high-speed 800MHz processor. The phone has made it to Germany and Poland but the French release was canceled.

So did Asus really cancel it because of its partnership with Garmin? Is there any problem with the handset? Neither Asus or Garmin have confirmed all this but we can’t help but wonder how come Asus launched a new handset by themselves, the P835 that we’ve shown you yesterday? And the P835 is just an Asus phone, not an Asus-Garmin one.

via GPSandCo

The phone here is an original Asus design and it has nothing to do with it’s partner Garmin. The Asus P835 is a Windows Mobile 6.1 phone. Is is upgradable to Windows Mobile 6.5 when the new OS will arrive?

In the mean time lets take a look at its features:

• Quad band GSM/GPRS/EDGE connectivity (850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz)
• Tri band UMTS/HSPA connectivity (900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz) for downloads up to 7.2 Mbps and uploads up to 2 Mbps
• 3.5 inch touchscreen display with 800 x 480 resolution
• On-screen QWERTY keyboard
• A-GPS
• Wi-Fi
• Opera Mobile
• 5MP autofocus camera
• Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR
• USB 2.0
• Qualcomm 7201A 528MHz processor
• 288MB SDRAM, 256MB ROM
• 4GB of internal memory
• MicroSDHC card support
• Talk time: up to 6 hours on 3G networks, or 7 hours on 2G networks
• Standby time: up to 350 hours
• 115 x 59 x 13.8 mm
• 148 grams

The phone should arrive in the following months and we’re still expecting a price from Asus for it.

Asus via EngadgetMobile.com

Asus said nothing regarding the price and availability of P835, but we’ll probably see the smartphone in stores in the next couple of months.

Need a new UMPC? What about a rugged one? Trimble has one available already. The Yuma UMPC comes with a sunlight-readable 7-inch WVGA touchscreen display, a 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor, a 32GB SSD drive, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, GPS, ExpressCard and SDIO slot expansion, and two geotag-ready cameras. The device will withstand a great deal of damage and it comes with both MIL-STD-810F and IP67 ratings. The Yuma will be available this April for an undisclosed yet price.

via outdoor rugged

Did it happen to you to have some of your precious packages lost by DHL, or any other transporter? Well then there’s no need to worry anymore! DHL, possibly the number 1 in shipping around the US (and going global), has implemented GPS trackable cargo containers, which basically means, you can check the global positioning of your goods. The GPS will give you the latitude and longitude of the container they are in so at least you will know they are moving.

These goodies in the picture, are the sensor packages that also verify shocks or vibrations and check for humidity, light exposure and temperature. Your packages can’t be more looked after than this. Unfortunately if the DHL guy gets your address wrong, this sensor won’t guarantee you’ll get your wrapped box after all. I guess we have to wait until the robots take over and human failure will be minimized. In the mean time I wonder how much the new GPS DHL service will cost.

via Boing Boing