Hasta La Gadget!

Just a month ago, Garmin came clean with the nüvi 1390T as part of its 1300 lineup, and today we’re being formally introduced to the numerical successor. The nüvi 1490T sports a chassis that’s some 25 percent slimmer than most nüvi models and an expansive 5-inch touchscreen. As with other new Garmins, this one also arrives with free lifetime traffic alerts and lane assist with junction view. Other expected amenities are also included, namely multiple-point routing, automatic time zone transition and a speed limit indicator that displays speed limits for most major roads. As insinuated, an integrated traffic receiver comes standard, and there’s even an ecoRoute feature that suggests the most fuel efficient path. Finally, prospective buyers can count on Bluetooth technology for making and receiving handsfree calls, and the support for optional CityXplorer maps makes this suitable for the pedestrian in you, too. Expect it on store shelves everywhere this July for $499.99.

[Via GPS Tracklog]

Filed under: GPS

Garmin intros super sleek 5-inch nüvi 1490T navigator originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola’s navigation line certainly isn’t the firms most notable, but the Garmins and TomToms of the world are probably taking notice after an intriguing quote from product line manager Blake Bullock. According to TWICE, Mr. Bullock stated that Moto was “absolutely making a bigger play” in the PND arena. Specifically, he mentioned that it could “bring something new to the table with Motorola’s vast experience in wireless connectivity,” noting that it has “aspirations to combine the best aspects of 3G smartphones with PNDs [to] create optimized experiences for consumers.” ‘Course, we’ve no clue as to when, where and how the company will get its hands dirty with a web-savvy GPS unit, but considering its current state of affairs, we’d say yesterday would be a great time to get things rolling.

[Via GPS Tracklog, thanks Rich]

Filed under: GPS, Wireless

Motorola looking to produce a connected GPS unit? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Do you like apples? Well I’ve got amazing bargains on tech deals. How do you like them apples?

1. Jet-setters, here’s a deal for you. Get the power and ease-of-use of a Garmin GPS for only $137.68 (with free shipping!) and use it in both the U.S. and Europe. The Garmin Nuvi 270 offers maps for both locations, as well as software that a frequent flyer will appreciate, including a world clock and currency converter. It also includes JPEG photo-viewing software, so you can show off your pictures on its 3.5-inch screen. Get it from Amazon.

2. Let’s do the math: Pentax Optio Z10; 8 megapixels, 7X zoom, $342.20 original price, your price: $90.99. It all adds up to savings. Ugh, corny. Anyway, it’s a steal, and the camera also includes face recognition and shake reduction. Amazon’s got a great price on this one.

3. Sing, sing a song. Sing out loud; sing out strong. Not around me, please, but sing to your heart’s content with the iLive CD-G Karaoke System with iPod Dock. Best Buy has it for only $49.99. It’s sure to enliven any party. Please don’t invite me to that party.

Bonus Deal: Amazon would like to give you over 700 MP3s for free. Say thank you.

We tell ya, the Archos 5 is becoming more inviting by the week. Late last month we saw a much-wanted high-def video plug-in come to light, and now an even newer firmware is adding a few more fantastic amenities. For starters, the v1.6.53 software adds GPS car holder support — something the Archos 605 acquired last April. Essentially, it enables the device to comprehend map and routing data piped in via the hardware mount, and we should point out that it arrives with TeleAtlas maps for eight regions of Europe, North America and Russia. Additionally, users will definitely spot an all new file browser with drag-and-drop and multi-selection functionality, not to mention the TV Snap-on app that enables the unit to store several different channel lists. For the full changelog and to get that download rolling, give the links below some lovin’.

[Thanks, Christopher]

Read – Firmware v1.6.53 changelog
Read – Firmware download page

Filed under: GPS, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Archos 5 firmware adds GPS car holder support, new file browser originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Apr 2009 12:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been a while since we heard anything from Sanyo on the Gorilla tip, but according to the company the venerable PND will see three new models hit the scene on April 24. These bad boys will feature two gyro (velocity) sensors and an acceleration sensor, allowing the device to keep an accurate account of your location — even when GPS reception poor. If that isn’t enough for you, the new Gorillas sport an 8GB SSD (twice that of their predecessors) and an optional rear view camera for your vehicle. Prices have yet to be set in stone, but it’s believed that the NV-SD730DT, featuring a 7-inch LCD display will fetch ¥90,000 ($899), while the NV-SB540DT (5.2-inch display, plus tuner for real-time traffic updates) and NV-SB530DT (the 5.2-inch model, sans tuner) will run for ¥70,000 ($700) and ¥65,000 ($650) respectively. No word yet on a Stateside release.

Filed under: GPS

Gorilla: Sanyo’s acceleration tracking, camera packing, hominid-themed PND originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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