Take a look at any mid-range cellphone these days and you get all sorts of extras such as WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, a generous color display (perhaps even with touchscreen functionality for smartphones), a memory card slot of some kind, MP3 and video playback, and the omnipresent digital camera. What else can cellphone manufacturers put in to place them ahead of the competition? Why, the answer lies in GPS of course. Falcom of Germany has recently released the Mambo cellphone which is actually a tri-band GSM/GPRS cellphone that comes with an integrated personal GPS tracker.

Boasting an integrated 20-channel SiRFStar III GPS receiver, the Mambo not only lets you know where you are, but it also features Bluetooth connectivity for hands free conversations. Don’t expect a slew of multimedia features to come with the Mambo as I suspect Falcom intends this to be more of a personal GPS tracker first and cellphone second. Still, being able to make and receive calls is always a good thing to have.

Falcom has included a panic button with each Mambo, where pressing this button will activate an automatic emergency response. The Mambo will use GPS signals to define your current position and send such information via SMS to a pre-programmed number over the GSM network. You can also opt for the Mambo to automatically call that number instead of relying on a text message. It is comforting to know that when used for right purposes, the Mambo can be tracked via email or in real time over the Internet. There is no word on pricing details as at press time.

Source: Navigadget