Archive for March, 2006

Mexen’s Technology, the creators of the Navizon software announced today that they are releasing the API (Application Programming Interface) of the Navizon software. According to Mexen’s:

The API will make available the
positioning engine behind Navizon, allowing other applications to make use of
its dynamic geo-positioning network.

What does that mean for end users? Simply put, third party developers will be able to use the API for their own applications and make them Geo-aware. So we will probably see in the near features applications for mobile devices that will work differently depending on the location of the mobile device.

In addition to that they announced a couple of new features of the Navizon:

The Tracker allows members within a group to share their location with
other group members on an opt-in basis. This feature has been extremely
popular for businesses who want to track assets such as vehicles.

The Geotag allows members to post any information based upon a specific
geographic location. When other members will drive or walk nearby, they
will be notified of this post and the information it contains.

Technorati Tags: Navizon, API, GPS

Garmin has announced today the Garmin eTrex Venture Cx handheld GPS device. It is an entry level GPS device and will be the least expensive model of Garmin’s eTrex series when it’s released. The Venture Cx will come with a with a built-in Americas basemap. However, it is equipped with a microSD card slot and users can optionally purchase microSD cards pre-loaded with BlueChart marine cartography and MapSource Topo and inland lake maps. Some of the other features of the eTrex Venture Cx include:

- Display: 1.3”W x 1.7”H, 256-color, high resolution, transflective TFT (176 x 220 pixels).
- Waterproof Design (submersible in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes).
- Battery Life: Up to 32 hours with typical use using two AA alkaline batteries.
- Waypoints/Routes/Tracks: 500 user waypoints with name and graphic symbol; 20 reversible routes, 50 points per route. 10,000 point automatic track log; 20 saved tracks (500 points each) let you retrace your path in both directions.
- USB interface

The eTrex Venture Cx is expected to be available in March 2006 with estimated retail price of $249.99.

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, eTrex, Venture Cx

It looks like all the rumors about adding Sony adding a GPS receiver to the Sony PSP were actually true. Sony Computer Entertainment announced that the PSP will get a number of new accessories including a GPS receiver (PSP-290). This new version of the PSP will become available this fall.

Technorati Tags: GPS, PSP, Sony

Sorell NF1, the all in one device with integrated GPS that was announced earlier this year at the 2006 CES by the Korean company Sorell, will after all reach the American market. Sorell has reached an agreement with Audiovox and the NF-1 will be released in the US under the Audiovox brand name. Some of the features of the Sorell NF-1 include:

-2.2-inch screen 320*240 pixels (260k color)
-GPS Receiver (SiRF chip internal GPS module)
-1GB of flash memory
-USB 2
-SD card slot
-Media player: Mpeg4, MP3, WMA, OGG
-Picture viewer
-FM Radio

This specifications were taken from the korean site of Sorell and unfortunately my Korean aren’t that good and the site can’t be translated since the text is actually on the images, so if anyone speaks Korean and wants to add some more information or correct any of the above he is more than welcomed.

No information about availability or pricing is yet available

Press Release
NF-1 Product page

Technorati Tags: Sorell, GPS, PMP, NF-1, Audiovox

We have previously reported about the Mio H610. Now Mio has officially announced the H610 and more information about its specifications. The H610 is a GPS with PMP capabilities. It’s specifications include:

GPS Receiver (SiRFStar III) with internal antenna
CPU: Samsung S3C2440 (400 Mhz)
Windows CE.net 4.2
2,7″ transflective screen with a resolution of 320*240 (65k colors)
64MB RAM
Port MMC-SD I/O
MP3 Player (18h battery life)
Video player

This new GPS receiver will come with preinstalled maps of 24 European countries form TeleAtlas and a city guide.
No information yet about availability and pricing.

ViaMichelin has presented a new GPS receiver at the CeBIT 2006 the ViaMichelin X950T. In the aesthetics part, apart from the color (black vs grey) it looks identical with it’s little brother the ViaMichelin X930. Not much information about the hardware specifications of his new GPS devices are yet available. One of the main improvements is the inclusion of traffic management capabilities via TMC. The X950T will also include the ViaMichelin guide and the Green Guide which provide you with information about recommended hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions nearby, these information include addresses, telephone number, rates etc.
The ViaMichelin X950T is expected to become available in May, no information on pricing yet.

Via BestofMicro

Technorati Tags: Viamichelin, X950T, GPS

Eurotech, an Italian company has announced the a wrist-worn pc with integrated GPS called Wearable WWPC. This new, concept gadget can use both Windows CE and Linux as an operating system and is powered by a low power processor which isn’t defined in the product’s brochure. Some of the other features of WWPC include:

32MB ROM
64MB RAM
3,5″65k colors touchscreen
WiFi 802.11g
IrDA
Bluetooth v1.1
SD-card slot
L1 16-channel GPS receiver with active helix antenna

This new cool gadget isn’t available yet and no information about when it will become available has been posted.

Via Linux Devices

Mio has officially announced the Mio A701, a blen of a GPS device, PDA and mobile phone that runs on the Windows Mobile 5 platform. This new device has some really nice specifications that you can see below:

CPU: 520MHz Intel Xscale PXA-270
OS: MS Windows Mobile 5
GPS Receiver: SiRFStar III
Screen: 2.7″ TFT LCD (240*320) with 64k colors.
Memory: 128MB ROM, 64MB RAM
Tri-Band
SDIO Expansion slot
1.3MP Digital Camera
USB 1.1
Bluetooth 1.2

For more information you can visit the A701 MiniSite

Technorati Tags: Mio A701, GPS, PDA

Yakumo, a German company has presented at the CeBIT 2006 a new Pocket PC with integrated GPS, the Yakumo deltaX 5 BT Navigator 3 Europe. This new device is powered by the Samsung 2440 processor (300MH) and uses the Windows® Mobile™ 5.0 Software for Pocket PCs as an operating system.
Here is a list of the main features of this new GPS enabled device.

Samsung Processor 2440 — 300 MHz
512 MB ROM
64 MB SDRAM
3.5” TFT LC display, 240 × 320 pixel
SIRF Star III (20-channel)
Connector for external GPS antenna
Bluetooth, USB 1.1
IR
Integrated MP3 player
Integrated voice recorder
Supports both portrait and landscape view (2d and 3d)
Selectable day/night display mode
Navigation Software: Marco Polo Mobile Navigator 3
Prepared for TMC(via optional TMC cable)
Optimised routing for different vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, walkers and caravans
Manual section blocking

The price of the Yakumo deltaX 5 BT Navigator 3 Europe will start from 333 Euro

Technorati Tags: GPS, Yakumo, deltaX 5 BT Navigator 3 Europe

Pharos has introduced a new tiny and powerful (as they claim) GPS receiver based on the SiRFstarIII architecture, the Pharos iGPS-500. This new GPS receiver was designed specifically for Microsoft’s Ultra Mobile PCs (UMPC).

According to Pharos PR:

Pharos’ iGPS-500’s unique modular design allows users to add GPS positioning and navigation capability via the USB, CompactFlash, SDIO port or BluetoothTM wireless connection, making UMPC an excellent companion for business travelers and everyone on the go.

The iGPS-500 features the highly sensitive SiRFstarIII GPS architecture. With its rapid time-to-first-fix and high sensitivity, the iGPS-500 is engineered to meet the rigorous demands of wireless and handheld LBS applications, and provides superior location performance, both indoors and out. The iGPS-500 works seamlessly with Microsoft Streets & Trips 2006, AutoRoute 2006, and MapPoint software as does its predecessor, the iGPS-360.

The iGPS-500 is expected to start shipping in April.

Technorati Tags: Pharos, iGPS-500, GPS, receiver, UMPC