Hasta La Gadget!

It’s no secret that some of our US editors have been feeling a bit of tech-envy toward our cousins from the far East, who consider 7-inch PNDs commonplace. Doing nothing to allay those emotions, Hyundai has announced the Provia A7+, which is — you guessed it — a 7-inch GPS-slash-PMP soon to be available in South Korea. The device comes with an integrated TV tuner (DMB), 800 x 480 resolution, video and audio playback, Navi-in-Picture functionality, and USB and SD connectivity to expand its abilities to match your imagination. If this thing’s routing abilities are even half decent, it should sell like hot cakes in the middle of a particularly cold winter.

[Via Navigadget]

Filed under: GPS

Hyundai Provia A7+ GPS unit adds multimedia playback, looks irresistible originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A new application from AT&T brings voice activated, turn-by-turn navigation to the iPhone. That’s right, AT&T. Now you know that, take a guess as to how you might be paying for this application. A free “thank you” download to iPhone owners? No. An expensive but one-time payment of around $50? Nope.

AT&T, greedy-guts that it is, will charge you $10 per month for a rather pedestrian (ahem) GPS application, which makes it, along with Sirius Radio, one of the first apps to make use of the new in-application payments allowed in iPhone OS 3.

So what, exactly, do you get if you pay AT&T yet another $10 a month for your iPhone? First, the app is kind of voice activated: You can set a destination by talking to the unit, which is arguably the time you need voice control the least — at the beginning of a journey. The maps scroll by in 3D, as you’d expect, and there are voice instructions which issue from the iPhone. You also get routing around traffic problems and can search for nearby ATMs and the like.

Is it worth it? Well, you can buy a $40 (2 x $20) pair of apps that cover the whole of North America and do essentially the same thing without the monthly fee. But the up-to date maps and info it might make it worth $10 per month for many people. The problem, though, is that it’s AT&T, so this just looks like more money grabbing from the telco overlord.

Product page [iTunes]

Garmin’s already firmly entrenched in the GPS for outdoorspeople game with its Oregon line of handhelds, and now the company’s announced a new series, the Dakotas. Two models — the 10 and 20, respectively — have been launched. These bad boys supposedly have a 20 hour battery charge life, a 2.6-inch LCD (diagonally), and store up to 200 tracks. The higher-end Dakota 20 boasts a MicroSD slot, an electronic compass, a barometric altimeter, and wireless data transfer between compatible units. They’re expected in the 3rd quarter and will run you $299.99 for the Dakota 10 and $349.99 for the 20. Full press release after the break.

[Via GPS Tracklog]

Continue reading Garmin launches Dakota line of handheld GPS units for the great outdoors

Filed under: GPS, Handhelds

Garmin launches Dakota line of handheld GPS units for the great outdoors originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Now that Cheap Geek has gone upscale and become TechSaver, I’ve been ordered to remove all the geeky things from the office. Great, now what am I supposed to do with this box of light sabers?

1. You’ve got TV in your house and there’ll be TV where you’re going, but if only there was some way you could have video in the car, as well. Now there is. Geeks.com is selling a two-pack of 7-inch LCD car headrest color monitors for $137.99, and you’ll get free shipping if you use the code FREESTUFF at checkout. These are easy to set up and even come with a pair of remotes, perhaps for especially large backseats. They support PAL and NTSC systems, so I guess the idea is that you use them with a portable DVD player.

2. Speaking of car deals, look what you can get at 1saleaday.com. Until midnight tonight, it’s selling a refurbished TomTom One 3rd Edition for $49.99. That’s a terrific price on a dependable navigator. This GPS has a 3.5-inch screen and both U.S. and Canadian maps. Click the Specs button to confirm that this is a refurbished model, which isn’t immediately obvious. TomTom itself sells refurbs of this navigator for $99.95, so it’s still a great deal.

3. Why spend a small fortune on earbuds when you can spend $3? That’s the price for Techsunny iPod Earphones, which look exactly like Apple’s own earbuds. They’re going for $3 each with free shipping. Buy a couple to have on hand, just in case the headphones you have break.

It didn’t take long for Garmin to get into gear, once it acknowledged the firmware update had ultimately brought ruin to its nüvi 7×5 series GPS units. The company’s released a new software update that should provide a fix — it should be available now via its WebUpdater. If you’re one of those whose device won’t even turn on anymore, there’s also a support section online for requesting a return authorization to have it repaired under warranty. Garmin acknowledged a few other devices that may be affected, including 800 series, 8×5 series, zūmo 660, and GPSMAP 620 / 640. Those will all be getting updates “in the near future.”

Continue reading Garmin issues patch to exorcise brick from 7×5 series GPS

Filed under: GPS

Garmin issues patch to exorcise brick from 7×5 series GPS originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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