The market in GPS devices offering various Sat Navs which give people turn-by-turn directions has been reacting dramatically to the news that Google will be offering the same functionality for free. Google have developed a live Sat Nav application for mobile phones and the forthcoming Motorola Droid will be the first phone to use the new app. Similar apps have traditionally been quite costly but Google have been developing their amazing free maps application on the web for quite some time and this was their next logical step.

The news has had an instant impact on the big GPS companies and both Garmin and TomTom suffered drops in share price. For Garmin it was almost 20% while TomTom’s drop was closer to 10%. This is terrific news for consumers and it is probably about time the market had a shake up. Mobile phones are becoming more and more diverse in terms of functionality and the Droid also looks set to be a real contender for the iPhone.

Can you even imagine driving throughout Europe without a GPS device? I wouldn’t. For that reason we have an interesting offer for you. Here’s a great in-car navigation device, TomTom XL V2 GB. The unit sports a 4.3-inch touchscreen LCD display, is bundled with the latest maps to keep on the road rather than seeing dead-end stops.

With loud and clear voice instructions, the ability to choose the roads you want to drive on, a fast rerouting feature, plug & go setup and EasyPort mount. TomTom XL V2 GB sure looks like the gadget that will get you safe at your destination after avoiding traffic jams on the fastest possible route. Price is close to $220 so if you’ve been looking for a deal for your GPS unit, you can check that out.

via EmpireDirect

Just the other day I talked about the GPS tracking device from LandAirSea and I wanted to make sure people got the right idea, because I’ve looked at a couple other videos and I understood that this is not just a vehicle tracking device. It’s more than that.

By all means it’s great to have it under your car sticked really nice because of a great magnet and knowing that it’s waterproof. It’s also great to know that 24 US satellites are moving in the sky to keep track of everything that moves, 24 hours a day, or the fact that all the data from these satellites can be so easily downloaded if you use USB connectivity and a computer. Or how nice you can spot it on Google Earth.

But I forgot to emphasize the “detective skills” it has. It even helped out the police officers to solve a murder case. The story short, George Ford was arrested in Chenango County for the death of a 12-year-old girl. He turned around recklessly and accidentally ran over the little girl. But the police had no real evidence, until Ford’s wife testified that she installed such a vehicle tracking device to see if her husband cheats on her.

Based on the information from the tracking key the police found out that the guy chased the little girl really and intentionally ran her over around 3:00 am. Authorities charged him with murder.

GPS Industries distributes a GPS enabled golf management system called Inforemer-HDX. The device is perfect for golf course operators. It comes with golf course management applications and supports two-ways communications between players and clubhouse. The Inforemer-HDX features Wi-Fi support for rich online content.

The Inforemer-HDX installs easy in any golf cart. Its management application shows the golfer all that he needs: the scores, the distances, the circuit map, the holes placement and the distance to hazards. On the screen you can find a dedicated area for advertising and a live score module.

The golf management system is a device destined for golf clubs because they can communicate a diversity of services and also monitor their players or course attendants. The device should be available soon.

Product page via Navigadget

Just because you paid a lot of money on your GPS navigator this doesn’t mean you are going to get to your destination (safe). To make the story short here is what happened to a truck driver that followed the instructions and got stuck on a “tractors only” road on Wednesday.

He truck was carrying timber from north Wales to Birmingham and managed to block the track at Halton in Wrexham county

“He knocked down branches on the way and damaged trees and is now well and truly stuck.”

The result is, farmer Margaret Evans became very sad because the truck stuck in her farm lane and she now has to use a two miles longer road to get to that particular part of her land.

The company that owns the truck, Maxi Haulage Ltd from Ayrshire, announced that the don’t provide sat-navigation on their vehicles, but the drivers use their own. More on that matter there was a big sign saying that the track was not suitable to heavy goods vehicles (HGV). How was the GPS navigator supposed to know it?

You’d better trust your own instincts, too, not just your GPS.

Source

Nokia has released the Nokia N82, as the company says “the latest multimedia computer optimized for photography, navigation and internet connectivity”. The N95′s successor, the Nokia N82 offers enhanced camera experience for photography enthusiasts along a powerful A-GPS and preinstalled Nokia Maps.

The N-series multimedia mobile phone has a powerful 5MP camera with Xenon flash and Carl Zeiss optics. Nokia claims it delivers excellent quality photos even in low-light conditions. The camera is able to record video footage at DVD-like quality.

Nokia N82 has only 2GB memory slot card, which I believe is a shortcoming for such a powerful mobile. It features Wi-Fi connectivity and supports the Ovi family of Nokia internet services, including Nokia Music Store, N-Gage games and Nokia Maps. Furthermore the A-GPS and the preinstalled Nokia Maps will help its users to navigate and to explore new places. The software includes over 15 million POI and offers the possibility to purchase additional features, such as city guides and longer subscription to the navigation.

The device is ready to sell at an unsubsidized retail price of about 450 euros (or $658).

Press release

Today Motorola has unveiled its new handheld mobile computer called MC70. The device is more suitable for enterprise use rather than consumer use. Motorola MC70 features a GPS module, thus it can be used for shipping transports, tracking and guiding workers on the field and other navigation related activities.

Motorola MC70 uses the SiRFStar III GPS receiver. It features Bluetooth, barcode data and signature capture, and supports EDGE networks. ALK provides the software for the GPS module.

Its design was conceived to create a device resistant to water, dust, mechanic shocks or in hard work conditions like cold or hot weather. We didn’t find information about the pricing yet.

via Navigadget