Slashphone has posted a couple of images of the LG V9000, LG’s new all in one multimedia handset with integrated GPS.
Some of the features of the LG V9000 include
Network: GSM/GPRS/WCDMA Quadband
Display: 262k colors TFT (240 x 320)
1.3 megapixel camera
MP3 player
Bluetooth
Transflash card slot
GPS
TV-Watching
For more information visit Slashphone
Yahoo has released a new service called ZoneTag. This new service, or application, call it whatever you like, is currently compatible with the Nokia Series 60 handsets and allows users to easily upload their photos to Flickr and Geotag them. ZoneTag is getting the location information by detecting which cellular tower the mobile phone is using to connect. The Geotagging for the moment may not be extremely accurate but according to Yahoo!, the location information that ZoneTags provides will become more accurate as more users start using it. This is because the database will be constantly updated according with the information that users will provide such as ZIP codes or coordinates of the places where the pictures where taken.
There has been quite a lot of discussion lately about Google and VW joining forces to create a in-car 3D navigation system. However, after digging around a bit I have found that this wasn’t the first 3D navigation project. 3DVU, an Israel based company has in the past few months made quite a few announcements about partnerships with companies like Intel and Panasonic for the production of 3d navigation products.
According to the announcements made, Panasonic Automotive Systems will incorporate 3DVU’s visual map™ technology in the Panasonic Rear Seat Infotainment Center in an effort to combine location based information, entertainment and state of the art 3D visualization. Unfortunately the only image that I was able to find isn’t a real photo but an illustration (and a not so good illustration) and you can see it below.
You can read the Press release here or as a PDF file at 3DVU’s website
In addition to that, with another press release in the beginning of the month they announced that Intel was going to showcase the use of 3DVU’s Visual Map™ to PDA, PND, SmartPhone and handheld devices based on Intel® XScale® technology at the 3GSM 2006 in Barcelona. According with the press release
3DVU has overcome major technical barriers to enhance the mobile navigation experience by providing smooth continuous movements with 3D perspective over images with terrain elevation in such limited computing devices.
“Advanced 3D visualization of imagery and terrain elevation places heavy computational requirements on processors, particularly on mobile devices. Thanks to the next generation Intel® XScale application processor, 3DVU technology can offer significantly better performance and higher quality. The combination of Intel’s high performance processors and 3DVU Visual Map solution can significantly enhance user navigation experience” noted Isaac Levanon 3DVU chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
Here are a couple of illustrations from the PR.
You can read the PR here or as a PDF file at 3DVU’s website
3DVU, the past few months, has also secured several other partnerships in an effort to bring 3D reality to Navigation Systems. Here are the links to a couple more announcements.
Intermap-3DVU partnership
QNX-3DVU partnership
Siemens VDO, is another company that has joined the race for 3D navigation. With a press release in December last year, they have announced that they are working on the development of an automotive three-dimensional navigation system and that the development is already in an advanced stage and they expect it to start shipping in 2007. Siemens’s system is based on the open, freely scalable system platform TLA (Top Level Architecture).
Here are a couple of extracts of the press release that I found interesting.
One highlight of the 3D navigation system from Siemens VDO is the photorealistic representation of urban scenarios. With an eye to better orientation in large cities, the company digitalized numerous well-known structures and integrated them into the database with very precise real-life images. In addition, many buildings are constructed by the computer based on their floor plans. As a result, the monitor displays true-to-life images of entire streets that the driver can view from any desired perspective without distortion as if zooming with a video camera.
The next step in development will make driving with 3D navigation even more relaxed: intersection situations will become even clearer because the onboard computer will automatically simulate the entire scenario, even including lane markings and signage, photorealistically within a split second, and insert the planned route into the three-dimensional graphics.
Together with a camera, the navigation system would even be able to recognize traffic lights and signs and integrate them into the graphics. These kinds of functions and applications are possible only with Top Level Architecture (TLA) from Siemens VDO. With its standardized interfaces, this open, freely scalable platform offers the necessary flexibility to integrate new trends, developments, and technologies into vehicles quickly and efficiently.
Here is a picture of Siemens VDO 3D navigation system
And a closeup
I guess we will be seeing more companies in the near future creating 3D navigation systems. However, I am not entirely convinced yet that 3D representation of routes will actually be helpful, I guess I just have to wait and see.
Technorati Tags: GPS, Navigation, 3D, Siemens, Panasonic, 3DVU
One more review of the Garmin Nuvi 350 has appeared online. This time the Nuvi 350 was reviewed by PopGadget. PopGadget writes:
Unlike my old Garmin, the Nuvi was incredibly easy to set up — in that no setup is required. I literally took it out of the box, flipped up the antenna, turned it on and started using it. The only control on the outside of the device is the on/off switch, but the on-screen controls are so intuitive that I was able to use it without even looking at the manual. I can’t think of anyone who couldn’t figure out how to use this right out of the box (except maybe my mother). I like that the map gives you geographic context by zooming in and out: when you’re driving on one road for a long stretch, it zooms out to a broader view of the surrounding roads and towns, then when you’re in an area where you’re making turns, usually closer to your destination, it zooms in closer. You can also control the size of the map yourself by touching buttons on the screen.
This review was added to the Garmin Nuvi 350 Reviews Roundup post.
According to LinuxDevices, ImCoSys, a Swiss company has released a datasheet of a Linux smartphone with an integrated GPS receiver. This new device is expected to be showcased in CEBIT 2006 next month. Some of the features of the ImCoSys Linux smartphone include:
The ImCoSys smartphone is expected to become available in June with a retail price of 300 Euros
Via LinuxDevices
Technorati Tags: ImCoSys, Linux, Smartphone, GPS
According to the previous report we mentioned about the new Mitac’s Mio products from Mobinaute, Mio in addition to the P350 ans P550 is going to showcase two new GPS devices the Mio C210 and the Mio H610.
The Mio C210 that you can see in the image above is will be using the SiRFStar III GPS receiver. Its form factor looks a lot like the TomTom GPS receivers and Sony’s latest NV-U series. The C210 will come preloaded with European maps from Teleatlas and will be using Windows CE .Net 4.2.
The Mio H610(pictured above), besides it’s navigation capabilities is reported to also have multimedia features. According to the report it will be able to playback both movies and music. Like the C210 it will use the SiRFStar III GPS receiver and Windows CE .Net 4.2. It will come preloaded with maps of 25 European countries and tourist guides. Finally it is said to have an impressive battery life of 17 hours.
There are no reports yet about the hardware specifications of these two devices.
It looks like Mio is trying hard to become one of the major players in the GPS market in the years to come.
GPSInformation has reviewed the Magellan Roadmate 800 and report:
Overall this is a good autorouting product and provides an easy to use navigation screen with good attention to user interface features. The guidance was good but added extra messages that could get you in trouble. I found the autorouter was fast and it did a pretty good job most of the time.
The GPS was very sensitive and locked quickly. The included mp3 player was disappointing in that it could not be used while navigating.
Via GPSInformation
Technorati Tags: Magellan, Roadmate 800, GPS, Review
Mobinaute, a French site has posted images and details of Mitac’s Mio P350 P550, two new Pocket PCs with integrated GPS. The P550 will be powered by a 400MHz processor and will have integrated GPS using the SiRFstar III chip. Other features include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, an SDIO/SD/MMC slot. According to the reports it will use the Windows Mobile 5.0 as an operating system. The P350 is a lower end device compared to its big brother the P550. The main differences are that it won’t have Bluetooth and WiFi capabilities. These two new products are expected to be showcased at the CeBIT next month.
Volker Weber over at vowe dot net has posted a review of the Navman iCN 520, Navman’s upgraded version of the iCN510. Some of the key features of the iCN include:
iCN 520 key features:
· 3.5’’ high definition colour touch screen
· Downloadable speed camera locations
· Portable & user friendly
· 3D door-to-door navigation
· Voice-guided directions
· Rechargeable battery
Volker Weber reports:
What I am missing most is an advance A-B routing. How long would it take from point A to point B and how long is the distance. This feature has only been added to TomTom more recently so maybe Navman has something like this coming up.
Summary for now: Much better than expected. I will keep an eye on updates and new devices as they become available.
However, Navman at the iCN’s 520 page claims:
SmartST™ also provides deliver ongoing journey information including ETA (expected time of arrival), Distance to go for journey, Distance to go to next turn, Time to go and Miles/Km to go.
Mavromatic has posted a review of the Trackstick. The Trackstick is a USB GPS Tracker that records its own location, time, date, speed, heading and altitude at preset intervals. The information it collects are stored in its internal memory and can be outputted to the following formats:
Here is what Mavromatic writes
I think the TrackStick is a very cool gadget — and it works!. At about $300, it’s a bit pricy, but the small TrackStick, the impressive logging software and Google Earth integration make it worth it.
Technorati Tags: trackstick, review, gps, receiver, tracker
