GPS Navigation etc...

TomTom Rider

2007-04-12T00:54:00.000-07:00

TomTom have launched a new Rider. I was going to post a piture of it, but it is exactly the same as the old Rider. I suppose they have fixed all the problems with the previous version, that more or less made the product unusable.

TomTom/Garmin and mobile handsets

2007-04-12T00:32:00.000-07:00

Rumour is that TomToma and Garmin are getting into the business of Mobile handsets. The mobile handset companies like Nokia and Motorola have started building in GPS to their handsets, so it makes sense for TomTom and Garmin to turn the tables.

I think TomTom and Garmin are in a good position to make quality handsets. Especially Garmin, who have much more experience with hardware.

Garmin nuvi 200

2007-03-08T04:04:00.000-08:00

Heard a rumour that Garmin are going to launch the nuvi 200 at CeBIT this year. This is going to compete head on with the TomTom ONE...I wonder what functionality they are going to take out of the 300 to reduce the price of it...

Sat Nav with a Sim card

2007-03-06T02:19:00.000-08:00

The new TomTom 715 is going to have an option to add a built in sim card. Interesting move, since some car companies tried this, and it did not take off. Basically, it is tricky to get your sim out of your phone etc...

This might be usefull for companies who have drivers on the road and do not want them to phone all their friends etc...it is probably easy to restrict the numbers that the TomTom can dial .

Still, I reckon it is more of a gimmick then an useful product.

TomTom DUO

2007-03-01T00:33:00.000-08:00

TomTom has a new nav product that is going to be launched in Cebit. It is called the Duo and is kinda like a grown up version of the TomTom ONE. This seems to have very similar features to the GO series, hands free calling etc...but can also connect up to the car radio using a FM transmitter. Looks like a nice device...but nothing spectacular from an innovation perspective...this is just like the nuvi 670.

Motorola enters the Sat Nav market

2007-02-19T00:39:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-16T00:47:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-12T03:12:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-12T02:51:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-07T06:26:00.000-08:00

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?

Vehicle tracking saves Bus

2006-12-08T00:19:00.000-08:00

Nice story from Canada:

An OC Transpo bus mysteriously disappeared while idling early yesterday at transit headquarters.
The mystery ended about 90 minutes later when Ottawa police found the abandoned bus near Carlsbad Springs and a 43-year-old man wandering nearby.
Police received a call around 3 a.m. that an OC Transpo bus was missing from the main terminal at 1500 St. Laurent Blvd.
A GPS tracking system helped police find the bus just before 4:30 a.m. at Leitrim and Hall roads. The man was walking around within 1 km of the bus, and after speaking with the man, police believed he was bus thief.
Jim Babe of OC Transpo security said it's the first time in his seven years with the transit authority that a bus has been stolen.

The driver left the bus running and went inside the building for a brief moment when the bus was taken, Babe said.
Const. Steven Desjourdy said it's common in the colder months for vehicles to disappear while drivers wait inside for vehicles warm up.
Still, it's "rare" that someone makes off with a city bus while it's idling, Desjourdy said.
Joseph Wilson of Norway Bay, Que., is charged with possession of stolen property over $5,000. He is scheduled to appear in bail court today.

Philips scraps plans for GPS Navigator

2006-12-05T07:08:00.000-08:00

Philips is not going to product a GPS Navigator after all. Probably inspired by the pigs arse Sony mande of their Navu, Philips are going to leave this market to TomTom and Garmin and all the other players.

I think the next phase will be the smaller GPS companies folding...and Garmin and TomTom establishing a strangle hold (even more so) over the market.

Rudy Provoost of Philips told analysts at a meeting that Europe's biggest consumer electronics producer would not enter the market for navigation devices, citing existing competition and the low profitability of introducing a new product in a saturated market

Bluetooth on Garmin nuvi

2006-11-30T06:22:00.000-08:00

I have started using the Garmin nuvi with BT as a handsfree car kit. Quite simply, it rocks. The installation...usability...and quality are all top quality.

This is a good feature, implemented in a very efficent way. It also means that i am using my sat nav all the time. Which is exactly what Garmin want.

GPS Navigation + Buddy finder + Buddy finder

2006-11-14T00:30:00.000-08:00

This new phone from Helios seems to have it all:

Bilt in GPS
Stereo Bluetooth
2 MB camera

It is also using Google maps, which is kinda interesting.

I wonder what the vehicle tracking company GPS-Buddy is going to do about this - they seem to be using their trade name.

Here is the link the Helios product page

Fleet Management and Wireless M2M

2006-11-13T08:17:00.000-08:00

Berg Insight have completed a report on the FM world in Europe. It looks very detailed and complete, but I do not have €1000 to buy it.

If anybody has the money to spend on it...let me know....

Here is the report

Best TomTom copy yet

2006-11-08T01:15:00.000-08:00

Yeur has launched a new GPS unit. This is the V410 and combined with look very like a TomTom GO - it also has an identical tech spec.

The screenshot of the software is also identical to TomTom's software. This is strange, because as far as I know, TomTom do not sell their software to 3rd parties.

I am sure there is a lawsuit pending!

Pocket LOOX N100

2006-11-01T02:27:00.000-08:00

It seems if Pocket Loox are targeting the PND market. This nice device looks more like a PDA, but it seems to be selling Navigation, Games, Music. It uses Navigon software, so should be a good product.

Pocket Loox have not shown anything interesting for a few years, but this product looks like it might have an inpact in the PND market.

For more info visit the N100 website

Nokia GPS

2006-10-31T08:36:00.000-08:00

Nokia are going to launch their own PND. Looks nice, and the pricing is going to be agressive. The first version is going to use Map 66 software, but I pressume they will use their own Gate5 stuff when they can.

Does not seem to have a GPRS modem built into it. Should hit the stores next year.

I thought that Nokia would go more for the smartphone with integrated GPS rather then the PND market...makes me believe that this product could be a bit of an after thought.

TomTom and Vodafone

2006-10-31T08:24:00.000-08:00

TomTom and Vodafone are joining forces to offer real time traffic info. This will be launched in the Netherlands by mid 2007.

This will use the location by measuring the distance of the phone to the nearest base station.

This is an interesting development, but I have heard lots of time, how location cannot be accurate if it is dependant on base stations. Sometimes it can be more then 200 metres out. This is why GPS has got so popular, because it is much more accurate.

Seems like a step back from a technology point of view...but lets wait and see.

25% of WCDMA Handsets Will Include GPS by 2008

2006-10-11T01:13:00.000-07:00

ABI Research who do a lot of work in this area are predicting that 25% of new handsets will have GPS by the end of the year. I have used the new HP Handset with GPS, and the GPS reception is very, very good. SO this is a growth area...in a big way...

Here is the press release

Navizon - does this work?

2006-10-10T08:05:00.000-07:00

Have some across a product called Navizon that offers peer to peer wireless positioning. Basically, you download it to your PPC or Smartphone, register online...and you can see yourself and your other contacts on a map. it works with GPS or Wifi or GPRS.

Not sure it would work well without GPS but I have not got it working at all. The concept is kinda nice, but the implementation is not good. Tried to get it working for an hour...but no joy.

If anybody has got this working, then please let me know!

Funny Sat Nav Parody

2006-10-10T02:09:00.000-07:00

You know Sat nav is becoming mainstream when they start doing comedy on it. I thought this was funny:

Racist Sat Navigater Spoof - video powered by Metacafe

More on TomTom and Johnson Controls

2006-10-10T00:37:00.000-07:00

TomTom and Johnson Control have teamed up to provide a “gateway” for new cars that allows TomTom navigation devices to work seamlessly with factory sound systems.
Johnson Controls has created a “Bluetooth mobile device gateway” that would allow TomTom users to verbally send commands to the TomTom unit. The gateway would also enable a TomTom device to notify the user that fuel is low and to offer directions to the nearest gas station.

Also, if the user selects a restaurant from the TomTom GO's list of points of interest, the device can automatically dial the restaurant's telephone number for reservations.
Johnson Controls is currently demonstrating this technology as an OEM offering for 2008 model year vehicles at the Paris Auto Show. The Bluetooth gateway would work with all TomTom GO products, which include the 910, 510, 700 and 300.

I think this is a 'nice to have' rather then a 'need to have'. I wonder if they have a bigger plan.

The power of Sat Nav!

2006-10-10T00:16:00.000-07:00

Quite a funny story on Reuters this morning:

BERLIN (Reuters) - An 80-year-old German motorist obediently following his navigation system ignored a motorway "closed for construction" sign and crashed his Mercedes into a pile of sand further down the road, police said Monday.
"The driver was following the orders from his navigation system and even though there was a sufficient number of warnings and barricades, he continued his journey into the construction site," a police spokeswoman told Reuters.
"His trip finally ended when he wound up crashing into a pile of sand," she added.
The driver and his wife escaped uninjured from the collision, which occurred on a motorway near Hamburg.

TomTom to integrate with Vehicles electronics

2006-09-29T06:15:00.000-07:00

Came across and interesting development today...TomTom are working with Johnson electronics. Johnson do a wide range of in car systems from opening you garage door automatically to Electronic energy management.

Not quite sure of how these 2 will work with each other, but it is an interesting development...if anybody has any ideas on this, please let me know.

Nokia N95

2006-09-26T08:17:00.000-07:00

Nokia are going to launch a new phone in Q1 2007. This phone is packed with packed full of nice features like a 5 mega pixel camera. But most interestingly for me, it has GPS and mapping built in. I cannot confirm what type of mapping, but I am guessing it is the Gate5 stuff that Nokia purchased last month.

There are more and more phone operators with GPS built in to their units... this is going to be a very active space in 2007.

Sydney Buses use Satellite Tracking

2006-09-25T00:37:00.000-07:00

All 4000 buses are going to be tracked via GPS, and project worth AUD$135 and will take 3 years to complete. What is interesting is that they are linking it up to the people who control the traffic light, and if buses are stuck in traffic, they can "green light" the buses...clever use of vehicle tracking and other systems...

More info can be found here

Gaurdian Test PNDs

2006-09-25T00:27:00.000-07:00

Guardian did a nice test of 5 PNDs - 2 TomTom's, 2 Navmans and a CarTrek. TomTom won easily, and even though it is a good article for people not familiar with these devices, I can never understand why these reviewers never include a Garmin...not comparing like with like...

Here is the article

The HTC P3300

2006-09-08T00:59:00.000-07:00

This is one of the first PDAs with a built in GPS unit I have seen being launched. It comes with TomTom Nav 6 auto installed and:

Microsoft® Windows Mobile® 5.0 PDA Phone with instant access to your emails.
Standalone GPS and TomTom NAVIGATOR 6 software.
Full range of connectivity with GSM/GPRS, Bluetooth® 2.0 and Wi-Fi®.
FM Radio for the latest news and entertainment on the go.
HTC RollR™ (Trackball/Trackwheel) for easy viewing and navigation

Looks really good and will be launched by Q4 2006. There will be lots of these types of products coming on the market in the next few months.

GPS Tracking for Pets

2006-09-08T00:16:00.000-07:00

I think this is kinda cute, and probably very popular...tracking for pets. It can track up to one mile and has Geo Fencing. Which is a great idea, so if your pet leaves the house or garden...you get an alert. I cannot find any pricing for this.

Here is the website for RomEO

Nokia acquire gate5

2006-08-31T09:28:00.000-07:00

Nokia have bought map and navigation software maker gate5. I have never heard of gate5 but this shows how the handset manufacturers are targeting navigation. I thought Nokia would get more benefit out of OEM deals with the Navigation companies like Garmin, TomTom and Route 66 (who specialise in mobile phone navigation). But it seems as if the Fins want to go it alone with navigation...could be a risk, but is probably more of a concern to aforemention Navigation companies. I am also sure that the resellers of the phones like Phonehouse would prefer to sell 2 seperate products - phone and navigation - thus getting more margin.

This purchase also clearly shows that Nokia will have GPS built into all their phones in the near future...can only be a good thing.

Here is the press release

Tele Atlas Map insight

2006-08-31T00:33:00.000-07:00

Tele Atlas have produced an online system for people to map errors. If you know of a missing street or POI or lots of other things, you can easily go online, point it out, and send it to Tele Atlas. Its a great idea, and it works really well. I immediately added the terrace that my house is on because it is not in the map...

It is called Map Insight and you can find it here

Ritz Carlton give guest GPS Devices

2006-08-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

The Ritz Carlton in Dubai are giving their guests the option to use a PDA with GPS and some for of navigtion software so they can explore Dubai with peace of mind. I have been to Dubai, and did not drive. The roads are fairly crazy there and i am not sure i would like to walk around with a PDA out in the open...draws attention to the tourist. Nice idea though...

Full story here

Garmin sues TomTom...again

2006-08-29T00:51:00.000-07:00

Garmin and suing TomTom, and this time it seems to be over the 'Audible turn by turn instructions'. Just in case you did not know, TomTom are also suing Garmin...so basically...the lawyers are making a killing out of it.

Here is the story

Dash Navigation

2006-08-28T00:56:00.000-07:00

There seems to be a new navigation player entering the US market. They are called Dash Navigation and have be acting in 'stealth mode' for the last 2 years. It seems as if their product has traffice built-in. Not sure if this makes it stand out from Garmins, because they have traffic built in - TMC. TomTom is still relying on GPRS to get its traffic.

Here is the website. it does not say much.

Short History of TomTom and GPS Navigation

2006-08-28T00:35:00.000-07:00

Nice articel by Business Week talking about TomTom and the navigation market in general. Gives a nice intro and history to TomTom from its days as Palmtop to its current success. Also, sets up the big battle between Garmin and TomTom

Here is the the story

Gizmondo reviews 3 PNDs

2006-08-25T09:13:00.000-07:00

The good people at Gizmodo have compared different reviews of the new TomTom One, Magellan Roadmate 360 and the Sony NV-U70. The TomTom came way out in front...but this not comparing like with like. The Sony unit is their first offering in the market and has been slammed by nearly every reviewer and Magallen are losing market share to TomTom and Garmin rapidly. I would have preferred to see the TomTom compared with a Garmin...

New Garmin Nuvi 660

2006-08-24T00:31:00.000-07:00

The FCC are currently testing the new Garmin Nuvi 660. It is fairly similar to the older Garmin Nuvi...but now has an FM radio and a wider screen. These are due to be sold by the end of next month:

Casio GPS Watch

2006-08-23T08:55:00.000-07:00

I think that Suunto also do GPS watches, but this is the first time i have seen a Casio version. Looks good.

I wonder what the battery is like on this watch because even though GPS chips are becoming smaller and smaller. They still use power.

All the same, good to see GPS chips in more and more personal devices.

They are calling the watch the GPR-100.

Transport Authority pays for Bus Tracking

2006-08-23T03:50:00.000-07:00

This is a bit strange, an independant bus operator gets a grant from the Authority to install a tracking system which:

"will be used to keep track of Trailways buses nationwide and allow law enforcement agencies to identify and track any company bus".

Apparently this will make the bus passengers feel more secure! Seems all a bit odd to me.

Read the article here

Google Mobile Maps

2006-08-22T11:14:00.000-07:00

It's only a matter of time before Google get involved in personal navigation in a more formal way. Their ability to deliver add content, and knowing where you are via GPS....is perfect for their business.

Google Mobile mobile heralds another move towards entering the navigation world:

http://www.google.com/gmm/index.html

I am not based in the US, so cannot test it, but if anybody has, then please let me know how you get on.

Revolutionary Energy Technology

2006-08-21T09:03:00.000-07:00

I know this has nothing to do with GPS etc...but it is interesting all the same. Not sure if these guys are for real...but even if the technology is a fraud, they are very good at marketing...this is causing a bit of a stir at the moement and will only get bigger:

http://www.steorn.net/frontpage/default.aspx

Will keep you posted if it is a fraud or not!

Very 'Personal' Navigation

2006-08-18T03:35:00.000-07:00

I think this is kinda cool but not sure if it will ever get out of the Lab:

http://www.medgadget.com/archives/2006/08/
system_for_wear.html

I guess it could be the future of how blind people can easily get around the place...

Garmin Increases Market share in Europe

2006-08-18T02:49:00.000-07:00

It seems as if Garmin is making all the righ moves in Europe...their market share is up to 16.7%. TomTom are still way out in from...but as TomTom make moves in the US, Garmin seem to be matching them in Europe.

Interesting article on it here:

http://kansascity.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2006/08/07/
daily42.html?surround=lfn

It is good to see that PNDs are still driving this market.