u-blox GPS technology in Navigon Porsche Design PND

Navigon has just rolled out a brand new high performance personal navigation device (PND) that was developed in partnership with Porsche Design, and this PND will be using u-blox’ ANTARIS 4 SuperSense GPS technology. The PND in question is the Navigon P9611 that comes in a rather diminutive 125mm x 82mm x 19mm package, tipping the scales at a mere 250 grams. You will get a whole range of hardware and software features within, among them a pre-loaded SD memory card, a USB cable, a car cradle, a charging cable and high quality audio playback for those who can’t live without music no matter where they go. In addition, Bluetooth connectivity is readily available for hands-free communication support, targeting Bluetooth-enabled handsets for you to keep your eyes peeled on the road.

Kenwood unveils Smart Interface

Kenwood recently paraded its prototype pen-shaped navigation system at the Tokyo Motor Show 2007, with old folks and beginners being the target market in order to get them familiar with its controlling navigation device. All you need to do is point it at a place on the map with the designated pen and the corresponding region information will show up on the navigation monitor. The big question is this - what happens to those folks who have no idea on how to read maps at all?

Source: AVing

Garmin GPSMap 76 Handheld GPS Navigator

This Garmin GPS System is made for the handyman that likes the marine life, aka driving boats. It doesn’t have much internal memory, only 8MB that are suppose to be used when adding more data from the MapSource CDs.
Other features include 500 waypoints + maps of rivers, lakes, worldwide cities, and more + computer that shows info about trip distance, average speed, and a timer.
Price: $160Product Page

Columbus unveils Ranger

Columbus Geographic Systems has just released yet another GPS navigation system so that you will be able to find your way to your parents’ home this upcoming holiday season without getting lost - not a very simple thing to do especially when you’ve been away from home for a couple of decades and many new buildings have sprouted up all over the place. Dubbed the Ranger, this offering from Columbus is the company’s most recent off-road navigation application.
Touted to be a robust navigation system that targets the fast-growing market for recreational, off-road and outdoor enthusiasts (that includes off-road driver, skier, hiker, mountain biker, or camper - but this is not a comprehensive list), the Columbus Ranger offers a cutting-edge navigation software that provides location-based, Global Positioning System (GPS) mapping, navigation, and information solutions for the off-road environment. It is capable of functioning across a wide range of devices such as a Car PC, a PDA, and even on other Personal Navigation Devices (PND). For those who rock it out with their cellphones, Columbus will cater for that group by offering Ranger for cellular phones before the first quarter of 2008 is over and done with.
Columbus also has your safety in mind by making the Ranger easy to use to reduce the chances of you getting lost, providing you with an exact geographic location to direct rescue services in the event of an emergency. This is especially important if you like to do solo camping and head off on your own - I just hope the device has enough juice to send an alert so that the necessary rescue forces will be able to zone in on your location and get you out of that deep ravine in time. According to Tsvika Freidman, CEO of Columbus, “There is increasing market awareness of the advantages of navigation and GPS tools, particularly for vehicle navigation systems. While existing location-based applications have focused on urban and street navigation, Ranger clearly provides the off-road enthusiast with an effective tool to enjoy the benefits of GPS navigation.”
Press Release

Virtual Cable Show's You Where You're Going

Now here is a GPS system that I could really get into. The Virtual Cable navigation system uses some type of projection technology to put a weird red ribbon directly on the windshield that tells you where to go.
I don’t know much more detail than that, but it has to do with using lasers and mirrors. Unfortunately, it only exists as a concept only, but inventor Tom Zamojdo is optimistic, and hopes to sell it for about $400 as some factory-installed option.
There isn’t much information on this on the website, other than what I said above. It also says that if there is an upgrade needed, it is not necessary for the user to get one without having to replace the entire windshield.
I, for one and am sure not the only one, want to rush this one into production. After all, if you use GPS devices these days, you constantly have to look down at the display, then the street you are on, and that brief moment of distraction could result in an accident.
So why not have the tech directly on the windshield, where you’re looking at it anyway? I’m wondering if this will lead to other kind of windshield projection technology, such as your radio station and such. I think they will go too far if they put video footage.

Zoombak Pet and Auto Locator

Gotta love that Hanson. They prophesized the Zoombak Pet and Auto Locator ten years before its release when they sang “Zoombak, Zoombak, Zoombak”. All right, I guess it was mmmbop, sorry.
Still, the Zoombak is worth singing about. The Zoombak is a GPS that is smaller than a deck of cards and weighs less than three ounces. Once it is activated, it releases a signal that someone can find 24/7.
It is perfect for the prevention of car theft. Since the Zoombak is small, it can go in the car virtually undetected. Then all you have to do is track the thief to his chop shop, and you can bust the thief in the act.
It is also good on pets, as it can be put on a dog’s collar unnoticed. Then if the dog gets out, it can be tracked within a few feet.
The Zoombak has a lot of great features including the way users can create a “safety zone” around the designated area. You can locate someone and receive updates via email, text message, or even from the website. In fact, it automatically updates a user when a GPS device will leave the safety zone.
If it is something you like, you can get it for about $199-249.

Get your own voice on your GPS

Gotta love driving these new cars with their GPS devices. With their mechanical voices saying “turn left”, “turn right”, or “next corner”. But it’s all so darn, oh I don’t know, impersonal. Can’t I have the voice that I want in there?
Well, if I go over to the Your PND website, I can do that. However, there are a few obstacles. Number one, I don’t know the language. The thing is that I need 7 euros (so that’s what in USD?) The other obstacles is the need of a microphone, but that is easily overcome.
If you can get through that, you can make some voice recordings, download them, then transfer them to your TomTom. That is a GPS system, not some weird innuendo, by the way. By the way, TomTom looks like the only GPS compatible with YourPND, but Garmin, Mio, and MyGuide will soon be ready to work.
Obviously, the possibilities are endless. I’m not certain if it is good to have your own voice on your GPS. Especially when you miss a turn. Maybe it would be good to have another person’s voice, like a famous celebrity. Like James Brown, Paris Hilton, or that one X-wing pilot from Star Wars: “Stay on target. Stay on Target!”
Source