Automotive GPS at GPS Gazette

Since the ViaMichelin X930 started shipping to the USA at an extremely affordable price of just $199 I thought it would be useful to gather all the reviews that I could find in one place for easy reference. We have previously posted about the ViaMichelin X930 Review by pocket-lint, but since then more reviews have been posted and to be honest they leave me a bit confused overall.

Let’s start (please note the ratings within the brackets are added by me in order to calculate the average rating).

Pocket Lint awards the X930 with an embarassing 2/10 rating (20/100)

French Tom’s Hardware rates it with four stars out of 5 (80/100)

Italian Tecnozoom rates it 7/10 (70/100)

ComputerActive gives it an overall rating of 3 out of 5 (60/100)

French site Les Numeriques rates it with 4 stars out of 5 (80/100)

ZDNet.co.uk rates it 7.5/10 (75/100)

PC Magazine Gives it a rather low 2.5 out of five (50/100)

Average rating is 62/100
Please keep in mind that here are just the editorial reviews that I was able to find, at the URLs you will also come across consumer reviews.

Intellinav is a company that produces Navigation software that if I am not mistaken it was rebranded and distributed as iGuidance by iNav and Routis by Deluo. I appears that they also decided to enter the GPS market with the Intellinav All-in-one Navigation. This unit uses the SiRF Star III GPS module (20 channels, WAAS enabled) and has a 3.5″ color touchscreen with a resolution of 320*240 pixels.

Features and Specifications

• Processor: Samsung 2410A 266MHz
• OS: MS Windows CE.NET 4.2
• Memory: 64MB NAND Flash/ 64MB SDRAM
• Turn by turn voice guidance
• MP3 playback and Photo Viewer
• 1.2 million POIs
• Day and night modes for optimized viewing
• Preloaded with maps of USA, Canada, Puerto Rico and U.S Virgin Islands all in 1GB SD card
• Expansion Slot: SD Card
• PC Interface: USB 1.1
• Battery: Lithium-Ion 2000 mAH (5+ hours of battery life)
• Dimensions: 112×91x30 mm (LxHxD)
• Weight: 7.5oz (Approx)

Pricing and Availability

The Intellinav All-in-one Navigation is currently available and retails from $379.99 (at Newegg the lowest price I could find)

Intellinav All-in-one Navigation Images

A new personal navigation device from Globalsat has been released in the US market, the Globalsat GV-370. The GV-370 has all the features that we have learned to expect from the latest GPS units. It provides door to door navigation with voice guidance, 2D and 3D map views, and an integrated mp3 player and photo viewer. The unit comes preloaded with maps of North America on a 2GB SD card (Maps from Navteq).

Specifications

• Processor: Samsung S3C2410-266MHz
• GPS Receiver: SiRF Star III
• OS: WinCE.NET 4.2 core
• ROM Memory: 64MB (NAND Flash Memory)
• SDRAM Memory: 64MB
• Memory Card Slot: SD/MMC
• Screen: 3.5″ with a resolution of 240*320 pixels
• Battery: Built-in Lithium-ion rechargeable battery 1400mAH
• Antenna: Active external antenna (MMCX)
• Dimensions: 110mm(L)*86.8mm(W)*20.5/25.5mm(H)
• Weight: 183g

The suggested retail price of the GV-370 is $499.99, however there is an introductory offer that is valid until 02/10/07 and until then it will be selling for $359.95

Product Page

Holux has posted information on its website about a new GPS Unit targeting the automotive and personal navigation GPS market, the Holux GPSmile 53. Like the previous models of the GPSmile series it is equipped with the SiRFstar III and feature a 3.5″ screen while it is powered by the Samsung S3C2440A, 400 MHz processor and uses the Microsoft Windows CE. Net 4.2 Core Version as its operating system. Some of the other features and specifications include:

• Memory: 32 MB NAND flash memory and 64MB SDRAM memory for operating system and embedded applications.
• Weight: < 180 g
• Size: 95.5(L)x77(W)x22(H) mm
• Battery:Rechargeable 2400 mAh Li-ion
• Extension Slot:SD / MMC

No information about pricing and availability are available at this time.

Sanyo announced today two new Portable Navigation Systems, the Easy Street NVM-4070 and the Easy Street NVM-4050. As the naming of the devices suggests the NVM-4070 is the higher end model of the series. The additional features of the NVM-4070 compared with its little brother are:

• Real-time traffic data available through the Traffic Message Channel
• Image Viewer
• Plays MPEG4/Divx video clips
• Hands-free calling through Bluetooth equipped cell phone.
• Transfer MP3 and JPEG files wirelessly from Bluetooth equipped phone to NVM-4070
• Store up to 500 contacts for quick calling using Bluetooth equipped phone.
• Built-in FM transmitter to play music wirelessly from NVM-4070 over a car’s stereo

The common features and specifications of these two devices include”

• 4″ wide touch-screen display with anti-glare
• SiRF Star III GPS module
• 2D and 3D maps
• Turn-by-turn voice guided instructions
• Built-in GPS antenna
• Continental US and Canadian map data (Navteq) pre-installed on 2GB internal NAND Flash Memory
• MP3 Player
• Navigation Software: Navigon

The SANYO Easy Street NVM-4070 and NVM-4050 will be available in the U.S. in April 2007 at an MSRP of $599.99 and $499.99 respectively

dMedia is a Taiwan based company that has released in the past a few GPS devices such as the dMedia G3 and dMedia G4 and has received a bit of press attention when it presented a GPS ready phone the F2 that from what I can tell hasn’t been released yet. It appears that dMedia is going to present a new GPS device at the CES the dMedia G2. Don’t ask me why after the G3 and the G4 they are going back to G2, I have no clue (maybe they where afraid they were going to be sued by Apple if they used G5).

Some of the features of this new device are:

• Simple Touch Screen Operation
• Built-in Multimedia such as picture viewer, video player, voice recorder and music player
• Real-Time Traffic Information/ Traffic Message Channel (TMC)
• Embedded GPS antenna

That’s about all the information that are currently available, I guess we will have to wait for the presentation at the CES for more information.

Engadget reports that LG has prepared four new GPS devices for the US market that will be showcased at the CES. These are the LG LN790, LN740, LN735, and LN730 GPS navigators. All four of them will be equipped with the SiFR Star III chipset and will come preloaded with maps of the USA and Canada. As the names suggest the LN790 will be the higher end model of the line. It will have the largest screen (4.3-inch LCD screen) compared with the others and will come with a RDS-TMC antenna. Screen sizes for the rest of the models will be 4″ for the LN735 and 3.5″ for the other two while only the LN740 will come with a RDS-TMC antenna. All four of them will have multimedia features such as support for music, photos, and videos.

Pricing and Availability

They are expected to start shipping sometime within the second quarter of 2007 with prices $800 to $350

Clarion has announced today a new handheld Navigation In-Car Entertainment (hint that’s what the N.I.C.E stand for) with integrated GPS. Some of its features include a 4.3″ screen, a built-in SiRF Star III GPS antenna, 1GB internal memory and SD card interface, music player, image viewer and finally it should be mentioned that it is Real-Time Traffic (RDS-TMC) ready.
This new device is expected to start shipping in 2007 (I know that’s a bit vague) with a price of $500.

Press Release

Atlantis X-700 is a portable automotive GPS device with a 7inch screen by JJC (JJ Communications). Although not a really well known brand this GPS appears to have more than adequate features (at least on paper). Some of the features include door-to-door GPS
voice guidance (18 different languages), MP3 player, 2D or 3D view with pan and zoom functions, Day/Night mode, picture viewer and video player, 2 Video inputs for backup camera, DVD player or video games. The package also includes 1 Gigabite SD card with US map from Tele Atlas pre-loaded.

Specifications

• Windows CE.NET 5.0
• 400 MHz CPU
• 7″ widescreen TFT LCD
• Resolution 320*240
• 32MB Flash Rom NAND/64 MB RAM
• Dimensions: 7.3″x4.6″x1.5″

Atlantis X-7000 retails in the $700 range

Pharos has recently announced two new GPS devices, the Pharos Drive GPS 140 and the Drive GPS 135. Both of them come with build in maps US and Canada, the Pharos OSTIA navigation software an MP3 player and a picture viewer. The DRive GPS 140 is the higher end model as the name suggests and has a larger screen (4 inches compared with 3.5 of the 135) and bluetooth. It also uses Microsoft CE 5.0, while the Drive GPS 135 is running Microsoft CE 4.2. The last important change is that the 140 comes with a more powerful processor compared with it’s little brother (Samsung S3C2440 400 MHz vs Samsung S3C2410A 266 MHz).
Below are the specifications of the two devices: Continue Reading »