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.
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.
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.
You know if you have a directionally challenged person on your holiday gift list. They’ve called you on more than one occasion while they’re driving, they’re hopelessly lost and you have to not only figure out where they are but also where they need to be. I personally have had to do this with a family member and I actually had to go by landmarks, gas stations and national hotel chains in order to figure out where the lost soul was then calculate the route to get where they actually need to be by using Google Maps.
The perfect gift for this person is an automotive GPS unit. But which one do you choose?
If it were up to me, I would pick one of the models from TomTom based upon the new feature they’re offering. In a partnership of sorts with Google, they offer integration with Google Maps with any TomTom GPS unit. From the TomTom website: Read the rest of this entry »
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.
The definition of handyman can be seen as “a man skilled in various odd jobs and other small tasks” - something rare to exist nowadays. Right ladies?
Anyhow, the following 10 gadgets are suited for the almost-in-extinction handyman, from cookers to campers, and GPS lovers, we’ve got it all here.
The products are ordered by price, not by usefulness or multi-functionality.
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: $160
Product Page
If this Black & Decker existed 50 years ago, I bet it would be a hit for sure.
The Black & Decker Aligator Electronic Chain Saw has a 4.5 Amp motor, and a 4-inch cut limit. You can use it to cut small (or big) pieces of wood to use on your fireplace, unlike what happens while using a manual chain saw, you won’t get tired.
Take a big bite out of fallen trees, tree limbs and brush with the Alligator Lopper, a revolutionary new cutting tool that provides chainsaw-like cutting performance in an un-intimidating and easy to use tool. With its scissor-like action, the Alligator Lopper’s rugged metal jaws clamp onto logs and thick branches, as well as smaller tree limbs and vines and then saws through them with ease.
Price: $99
Product Page
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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
Hand Held Products is famous for its range of image-based data collection solutions for mobile applications, and the company has just dropped an announcement that it has equipped its Dolphin 7900 Mobile Computer with GPS technology. This upgrade makes the Dolphin 7900 the first and only industrial-grade mobile data collection solution to come with a fully integrated GPS chipset that is currently up for sale to the masses, while the rest of its competition play catch up.
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