GPS gadgets

Magellan have refreshed their consumer hand held GPS lineup by taking the colour touch screen technology seen in automotive GPS systems and combining it with a ruggedised, waterproof case. "Waterproof" in this context meaning it’s too heavy to float, but it is rated to IPX 7 so it should take an accidental dunking for a few minutes with no ill effects.

The result is a range of units. The basic models have a mapping function and all the usual GPS goodies you’d expect (waypoints etc). The range topping Triton 2000 (pictured) increases the screen size to 2.7" and adds goodies such as a camera, voice recorder, expandable memory for detailed maps and a sensor suite such as a magnetic compass and altimeter.

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I believe I mentioned a few days ago an accident that occurred with a GPS device and an oncoming train. Just to let you know, I was able to use a GPS device to get me from where I was to CES 2008 in Las Vegas without any trouble.

While I CES, I found a GPS that was absolutely awesome: the Mio C720t. At first it seems like the C720t was just your average, run-of-the-mill GPS with a 4.3 inch TFT, landscape orientation, and text to speech. Blah, blah, blah, don’t all GPS devices have those?

However, the Mio C720t has some pretty amazing features. For example, the 2 Megapixel Digital Camera. I don’t know if there are many GPS devices with cameras, but I would have to say that this camera is unique. This one allows you to Geotag photographs, which will include the longitude and latitude coordinates.

The C720t also has some really fresh multimedia action, and is completely Bluetooth compatible. The C720t package also comes with real time traffic alerts, as well as 3 months of free service.

I believe that the Mio C720t was just released, and is the pride of the Mio collection. I believe the suggested retail price is about $499.

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Is it possible that we are beginning to trust our GPS devices more than our own eyes? It kind of reminds me of that scene in The Simpsons Movie where the government wipes Springfield off the map by removing it from the GPS devices.

I’ve heard of at least one accident that proves that we will do as the machine says. This happened when a computer consultant followed the instructions on his GPS and turned right. Of course, any driver with a GPS might do that, but this one ended up on some train tracks, and he was unable to remove himself from it.

To make matters worse, a train eventually came. Man, is that just Murphy’s law, or what? Despite the driver’s attempt to warn the engineer by waving, the train still hit the car at 60 miles per hour, propelling it a distance of 100 feet.

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It is interesting to note that Goodyear, the company that manufactures vehicle tires, is finally taking the plunge into the GPS market. The folks at Goodyear have already inked a deal with The NCC, and the result of this alliance would be eight rugged GPS navigation devices to be paraded at CES next week. Expect features such as Bluetooth connectivity, a remote control, hands-free phone calls, as well as tying in with MSN Direct to get the latest in live traffic updates, local gas prices and weather reports on your dashboard. These devices are also tipped to come with 4.3″ touchscreen displays, stereo speakers, text-to-speech navigation, audio and video playback, 2GB of internal memory and an SD memory card slot for expansion purposes. No idea on how much they cost though.

Source: Tech Digest

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We all know that the iPod line of portable media players (PMPs) are the most famous and ubiquitous at this point in time, but that does not mean that other consumer electronics manufacturers aren’t going to sit down and do nothing. The Maxian E900T from Korea is one interesting PMP that seems to come with everything but the kitchen sink. It is powered by the Windows CE platform, so you can tell from the operating system alone that there will be much more on offer other than the typical audio and video playback capabilities that you get with other standard PMPs. Let’s usher in the new year by checking out just exactly what the Maxian E900T has on offer.

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Garmin International does not want to be left behind in the High Definition race by making marked improvements to a couple of its popular marine radomes - the GMR 18 HD and the GMR 24 HD. Both devices will not only offer better target separation but clearer definition as well, especially in close ranges. According to Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales, “These new radar scanners process up to eight times the information of their predecessors, which helps take the guesswork out of identifying the precise location of targets. And unlike many competing products, these new units are completely backwards compatible with the current Garmin marine lineup.”

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The ATP GPS Photo Finder is for those who really want to geotag your pictures. Some of you may do this thing where you sync your camera’s clock to your GPS, then you have to manually sync them up later on.

Or maybe you don’t, because I don’t really geotag my pictures. However, if I were on a camping trip, and I wanted to know where I was so I could revisit it again, I think this ATP GPS Photo Finder would be a very useful gadget.

This Photo Finder works on AA batteries, and then connect it to your GPS device and camera. It can store up to 550 hours of location data, and 128MB of internal memory. You will, of course, have to make certain your camera is synced to the GPS time that the Photo Finder will display.

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Oh, does everyone have one of these Navigation Systems now but me? Oh, I feel so out of it, like when I was in fourth grade, and all the kids had an Atari 2600 but me.

Well, maybe could get my head in the game with the NX-7 GPS Navigation system. This great Korean product is super-slim, and it utilizes a super sensitive SiRF Star III GPS receiver.

Not only does it do all the functions of a GPS, but it can do many things a DMB receiver can do with by watching digitally broadcast channels. You can also do some serious multimedia features with a DVD video in port.

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