Motorola enters the Sat Nav market

Motorola are entering a crowed market place already domination by Garmin, TomTom and Route 66. Sat Nav on your smart phone. Their product called MotoNav, it comes with a nice looking bluetooth GPS receiver and the software on the memory card. Expected to be out in Q2 2007...

Using Sat Nav is safer

The good people at TomTom have published a study that claims using sat nav is safer...it states that:

• improves driver behaviour when driving through an unknown area
• heightens awareness and reduces stress
• people who use a sat nav have 12% less damage claims
• reduces miles driven by 16%
• reduces travel time by 18% when driving through an unknown area

largely i concur with this, I use a Garmin, so i guess the same is true for that product.

Garmin open up API to Fleet Management companies

Garmin have signalled an opposite strategy to TomTom with regards to vehicle tracking and fleet management. Where TomTom have their own solution in TomTom Work, Garmin are opening up the sat navs, to allow any other FM company couple their technology with it.

This is an interesting tactic, and could boost sales of the Garmin sat navs in the BTB market. Currently GPS-Buddy and Beacon Wireless are the only 2 companies providing this solution.

Blackberry with Built in GPS

Blackberry have entered the integrated GPS market with their new 8800. Looks a nice device but the GPS is only designed to work with Blackberry maps. There is also a microSD memory slot so you should be able to run 3rd party sat nav software.

As ever, batter power is the big issue. Any integrated GPS unit i have used has really drained the battery, which is not good for phone users.

Battle of the Logos

TomTom and Garmin have recently launched new Logos. Garmin seemed to have changed their image a lot, where TomTom are just getting a new logo...both of nice...let me know which one you prefer?