Mar 28
Magellan has announced that it has a new cloud-connected GPS device that has now launched for drivers. The GPS device is called the Magellan SmartGPS 5390 cloud connected navigation device. … Continue reading
Jan 06
Magellan Echo Smart Sports Watch
Posted in: Today's Chili
[CES 2014] It seems that those who happen to own the Magellan Echo Smart Sports Watch will be pleased as punch to hear the unveiling of new sporting app categories as well as the inclusion of new colors for the Echo Smart Sports Watch at this year’s edition of CES. These additional sporting applications will include the likes of golf, skiing, hiking, and other outdoor activities to its capabilities. Apart from that, the two new colors that offers more options would comprise of Dark Blue and Gray. Being an open platform, the Echo has been specially designed to work with any app which is able to leverage a ruggedized, sporty smartwatch.
It has now been confirmed that leading apps including Golf Pad, FreeCaddie and AllTrails will be offering support for Echo in the near future. Relying on Bluetooth Smart to hook up a smartphone and watch, it places the power of a smartphone right on the user’s wrist. The Echo is said to play nice with the iPhone 4S, 5, 5C and 5S, while Android fans will have to wait for compatibility issues to be worked out until slightly later this year. Are you stoked that Magellan’s Echo Smart Sports Watch has gotten such a boost?
Magellan Echo Smart Sports Watch original content from Ubergizmo. 
     |
Dec 11
This week the Magellan Echo is prepped and released for retailers across the united States, Canada, and throughout Australia and New Zealand with full intent on taking over the world of sports-related smart wearables through 2014. There’s a push for worldwide availability inside the year – imminently, that is, while the first wave comes now. […]
Oct 03
Just like fashion, whenever a new season kicks in, there is a change for your wardrobe. In the world of hunting or fishing, it would be new gear that tend to claim you could bring your game to the next level, never mind the fact that your technique and lack of expertise is what’s holding you back. But the marketers do not want to tell you that – no sir, so that they can shift more products. Or at the very least, this could be the train of thought for some of us. If you think that you have maxed out your skills and knowledge in hunting and would like to have a piece of gear that will enhance the next experience, look no further than the Magellan eXplorist 350H GPS which is now available in North America.
The eXplorist 350H handheld GPS will deliver the necessary features that a hunter wants, including pre-loaded detailed base maps with contour elevations and Game Management Units (GMU), Digital Globe satellite imagery for virtual scouting ability, hunting specific waypoints, and hunting geofences. All of these, are of course, stashed within a rugged, camouflage exterior that is also waterproof.
It is also nice to see the user-activated geofence feature which ensures that you are alerted whenever you approach any GMU boundary so that you will never venture beyond the area which you are permitted to hunt. The asking price for the Magellan eXplorist 350H stands at $249.99 a pop for those who are interested.
Pack Your Hunting Gear: Magellan eXplorist 350H GPS Arrives At The US original content from Ubergizmo. 
| |
Jul 29
Magellan Echo Smart Running Watch
Posted in: Today's Chili
So you are currently indulging in your daily exercise regime that has a careful balance of cardio as well as strength building sessions in order to keep up your fitness and maintain a prime physical condition regardless of your age. In the past, there weren’t too many tools that one was able to make use of in order to keep track of one’s progress, but fast forward to the 21st century, and we have a plethora of apps to accompany our smartphones as we pound the pavement or make like a hamster on a treadmill. Well, Magellan does not want to lose out on this market segment, having announced the Magellan Echo smart running watch which happens to be the company’s very first running watch that will make use of smartphone fitness apps to their full potential, where it is capable of wirelessly connecting them to your wrist.
Now that you are able to enjoy real-time fitness data that is streamed straight from your smartphone to the watch display, not to mention having the ability to remotely control connected apps, the Magellan Echo will ensure that you remain informed all the time, as well as remain in control regardless of the run.
Marking a first where a running watch is concerned, the Magellan Echo owner is able to simultaneously check out fitness data, notifications and achievements which are shown on your smartphone. Using Bluetooth Smart to hook up to your smartphone sans wires, the Magellan Echo will depict the elapsed time, distance and other fitness metrics with but a glance. Apart from that, the Magellan Echo will also ensure that users have control over a range of smartphone functions that will include start, stop or lap on your fitness app, apart from next song, play and pause on your music playlist.
Expect the Magellan Echo to be made available to the masses sometime in the fourth quarter of the year, with a recommended retail price of $149.99, or if you want it to arrive with a Bluetooth Smart Heart Rate Monitor, then do be prepared to fork out another $50.
Product Page
[ Magellan Echo Smart Running Watch copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Jul 24
Jun 23
It’s kind of hard to scope things out on Venus because the surface probes we send get obliterated pretty quickly by the heat. Pictures of Venus’ surface do exist, though, and this one shows "large circular domes" that look pretty darn hot. The domes are thought to be magma erupting through vents, in a process that happens on Earth too, called volcanism. Get it? Volcanoes? Get it? Okay. Moving on.
| |
Jun 14
Magellan SmartGPS review: further proof your phone is the only navigator you need
Posted in: Today's Chili
When speaking with executives from the Google Maps team earlier this year at I/O, I was reminded that Maps wasn’t even a product in 2004. In less than a decade, one of Google’s bright ideas has completely and unabashedly transformed the entire routing industry. (Avid readers will no doubt recall this graph, depicting real moves in the stock market moments after Google Maps Navigation was first introduced.) That development, coupled with the explosion in smartphone adoption across emerged markets, has left players like Magellan in quite the predicament. It wasn’t that long ago that dedicated PNDs (personal navigation devices) were the gift to get for the holiday season. And indeed, many units from Garmin in particular delighted me plenty over the years.
But the reality today is that PND makers have found themselves redundant. A few have resorted to innovating on the software side and nailing down partnerships with automakers and fleet-management firms in order to keep revenue rolling in, while Magellan has opted to create a new piece of hardware. That hardware, of course, is the SmartGPS. Rather than being a standalone PND suitable for mounting on one’s dash or window, the device works best when used in concert with an accompanying iPhone or Android app (sorry, Windows Phone and BlackBerry users). In essence, the company is hoping that by creating a product that extends the functionality of your smartphone, you’ll be inclined to hand over $250. After a week of road tripping through the US southwest, however, I’m inclined to believe differently.
Gallery: Magellan SmartGPS review
Filed under: GPS, Transportation
Source: Magellan SmartGPS product page
Feb 22
Dedicated GPS navigation devices have been around for quite some time already, although there is the very real and present danger of such a niche market to go out of vogue with the plethora of devices these days (smartphones and tablets, especially) that already come with their fair share of built-in GPS navigation capability, hence doing away with the need for a dedicated GPS device. Still, companies like TomTom and Magellan are still around, and the latter has decided to expand the worldwide availability of their Magellan Switch Series of crossover GPS watches across the pond, specially targeting athletes who run, bike, swim or participate in a wide range of outdoor activities. The Magellan Switch and Switch Up watches will be made available from this month onwards from select retailers and via Magellan’s European distribution network.
In order to offer more support for their European users, Magellan has decided to expand its Magellan Active website (active.magellangps.com) by throwing in more languages such as French, Spanish, German, Italian and Dutch, and of course, the mainstay, English. Magellan Active makes it a snap for multisport athletes who want to record their performance data on Magellan’s Switch Series, as it is easy to upload and track data online using intuitive charts, maps and metrics, all from a single location.
The Magellan Switch Series of crossover GPS watches will include some more innovative features including an ‘Activity Pacer’ which will tell runners should they be on target with their goal, while offering specific targets in order to attain the desired result. There is the Switch GPS watch which was specially designed for runners, and remains as a powerful fitness training device that has been packed with innovative features which will include nine customizable sport profiles, easy-to-read high resolution display, eight hours of battery life, a high sensitivity GPS receiver, 50 meter water resistance, and compatibility with ANT+ sensors.
The Magellan Switch Series will be available as of now from Magellan’s European distribution partners serving UK, France, Germany, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Benelux.
Company Page
[ Magellan GPS watches arrive in Europe copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Jan 07
Magellan’s smartGPS navigator has built-in Yelp reviews, syncs with your phone (video)
Posted in: Today's Chili 
It’s no secret that the GPS business has faced an uphill battle these past few years. Thanks to smartphones there’s less of a reason to invest in a standalone navigator, and while GPS companies have been selling mapping apps of their own, that doesn’t quite make up for plunging device sales, now does it? Well, Magellan has an interesting solution: the firm just announced the smartGPS, a dashboard navigation device that’s designed to work in tandem with an iOS / Android app.
Naturally, both the smartGPS and the app have turn-by-turn navigation, so you can use either when you’re in need of directions. But really, the device does so much more than that. Thanks to Magellan’s new cloud service, all of your data — recent destinations, etc. — will get pushed across your various devices, including the navigator and mobile devices with the mobile app installed. (There’s also a website where you can manage all of this.) By default, this syncing happens over your home WiFi network, but if you already left the house and are out of range, the smartGPS will instead use Bluetooth to talk to your phone. So what does this all mean? For starters, if you search for a restaurant on your phone, you can send it to your navigator so that you don’t have to enter the address manually (and we all know how annoying that is). What’s more, the navigator and app both have Yelp reviews and Foursquare offers built in, so if you wanted you could peruse reviews of cafes on your phone and then push the directions to the device.
As an aside, it’s neat to see user reviews built into a personal navigator, which isn’t exactly a typical feature. It also seems pretty well-implemented: there are big, yellow stars indicating the overall rating, so you needn’t worry about having to drive and read a two-paragraph write-up at the same time. By default, the driving map takes up the whole screen, so you can keep those Foursquare offers hidden if you find them distracting. The smartGPS will be available in March (price TBA) with applications for both iOS and Android. (Note: these won’t take the place of Magellan’s existing apps.) Turn-by-turn navigation will be a premium feature — an in-app upgrade. That’s all she wrote for now, but if you want to see the whole setup in action, we’ve got a demo video embedded just after the break.
Filed under: GPS
Who's in charge here?
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.