Camera-packin’ Garmin Oregon 500 navigator on sale in UK

Wouldn’t you know it? That leaked Garmin Oregon 500 is indeed a real, bona fide product, and it’s on sale now for argonauts over in the UK. The outdoorsy navigator officially boasts a rugged 3-inch sunlight-readable touch panel (400 x 240 resolution), a tough, waterproof casing, a built-in electronic compass, barometric altimeter (seriously!), AA battery support, USB connectivity, a microSD card slot and a bundled carabiner clip to really set it apart. Oh, and there’s also an integrated camera for automatic picture geotagging, which seems to be a pretty rare commodity in GPS units these days. We’re not quite sure it’s rare enough to justify the lofty £353.97 ($519) price tag, but thankfully that’s not our call to make.

[Thanks, Jordan]

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Camera-packin’ Garmin Oregon 500 navigator on sale in UK originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Apr 2009 12:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Archos 5 firmware adds GPS car holder support, new file browser

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

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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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Mio’s C523 V2 navigator aims to route motorcyclists

Not that it’s impossible to find a GPS for motorcyclists or anything, but your options are certainly limited. Mitac’s Mio branch is looking to give hog and crotch rocket riders one more alternative with the 4.3-inch C523 V2, a somewhat varied version of the 2007 original. The included “rider mode” supposedly enables motorcycle riders to not spend as much time glancing at the screen, though we suppose the tweaked interface could still work for folks in traditional motorcars. Crazily enough, the unit also supports 1seg digital TV tuning in Japan, though we wouldn’t recommend checking out your favorite programming whilst dodging those much, much larger automobiles whirring around you. Pricing is set for ¥44,800 ($446), but there’s no indication of when (or if, even) this will head stateside.

[Via NaviGadget]

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Mio’s C523 V2 navigator aims to route motorcyclists originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2010 Range Rover gets 12-inch ‘dual view’ touchscreen

We’ve seen dual view prototypes for ages now, but you can bank on said technology (dubbed Parallax Barrier) being front and center on Land Rover’s forthcoming flagship vehicle. Announced today at the New York Auto Show, the 2010 Range Rover will arrive with a 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system that puts off different images depending on the viewing angle. In order words, the driver can check out the route to grandma’s house while the lucky soul riding shotgun peeks a DVD — in theory, at least. The navigation system is HDD-based and also includes a USB socket and a dedicated iPod port. Land Rover even spruced up the voice activation system, giving motorists the ability to voice their concerns about climate and volume (and get instant results). Check the full snippet just past the break.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

Continue reading 2010 Range Rover gets 12-inch ‘dual view’ touchscreen

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2010 Range Rover gets 12-inch ‘dual view’ touchscreen originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 09:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Magellan launches 4.7-inch RoadMate 1470 navigator

We haven’t heard a peep from Magellan since MiTAC took over its consumer products division, and quite frankly, we’re still waiting for a little trumpet blowing. Sneakily, said company has just launched the well rounded RoadMate 1470 on Amazon, which packs a 4.7-inch touchscreen, NAVTEQ maps of the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, multi-destination routing, highway lane assist, spoken street names, AAA TourBook and a Roadside Assistance menu. Motorists looking for live traffic updates can plug in the optional Traffic Link device, but those kosher with doing things the old way can procure just the PND right now for $229.99.

[Via GPSTracklog, thanks Rich]

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Magellan launches 4.7-inch RoadMate 1470 navigator originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 09:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NavGenius PND looks like a GPS, is really a covert location tracker

Those sadistic souls over at Lightning GPS are at it again, making the lives of parents and promiscuous children awesome and horrible, respectively. Just in case NavTrac’s RTV10 PND isn’t enough to keep your mind at ease when Johnny (and his track record of poor decision making) is out and about, there’s the newly announced NavGenius. At first glance, this here navigator is about as vanilla as they come, but underneath the shell is a dedicated tracking module which enables the owner to monitor every turn, stop and donut from the web. Heck, you can even re-route vehicles from any connected computer, and the owner can get an SMS should the driver exceed a certain speed or break a customizable perimeter. All that’s required to shatter the last pinch of trust you actually had with your offspring is $599.95 up front and $39.95 per month for the tracking service — which you only pay until they wise up and take a Louisville Slugger to the device.

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NavGenius PND looks like a GPS, is really a covert location tracker originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Apr 2009 05:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NavTrac’s RTV10 PND does GPS tracking, two-way messaging

Can’t say we’ve ever heard of NavTrac, but we are digging the differentiation seen in its RTV10 portable navigation device. Hosted up by LiveViewGPS, this unique navigator not only provides the usual turn-by-turn guidance to get you from point A to point Z, but it also includes a GPS tracking function (for fleet managers and suspicious parents) as well as two-way messaging functionality. While it’s not truly a “connected GPS,” this one does provide more communication with the outside world than most, and if you’re curious of the specs, it features a 4.3-inch 480 x 272 touchscreen, built-in speaker, 4GB of internal flash memory, 64MB of DRAM, a SiRF Atlas III GPS module and a rechargeable Li-ion. Sadly, this no-namer won’t run you cheap, as the unit itself rings up at $599 while the subscription to the aforementioned communication services will knock you back another $39.95 per month. Full release is after the break.

Continue reading NavTrac’s RTV10 PND does GPS tracking, two-way messaging

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NavTrac’s RTV10 PND does GPS tracking, two-way messaging originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TomTom intros ONE 140 and XL 340 series, ships GO 740 LIVE

TomTom decided to bust out a pair of announcements this morning, so we won’t waste any time getting right to the crux of it. That splendiferous GO 740 LIVE, which was introduced at CES this January, is finally shipping in the US of A. If you’ll recall, this is TomTom’s first connected navigation system, which can download real-time traffic information, fuel prices, weather reports, etc. If you’re intrigued, you can snag one now with three months of LIVE Services for $399.95. Moving on, we’ve got four new systems entirely: the ONE 140 / ONE 140s (3.5-inch display; 140S announces spoken street and place names) and the XL 340 / XL 340s (4.3-inch display; 340S includes speech functions). Each of these include the company’s IQ Routes technology and Advanced Lane Guidance, features that were previously reserved for higher-end PNDs; furthermore, the new crew also includes maps of Mexico. Catch ’em all this month for $179.95, $199.95, $229.95 and $249.95 in order of mention.

[Via GPSReview]

Read – GO 740 LIVE now shipping in US
Read – ONE 140 Series and XL 340 Series

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TomTom intros ONE 140 and XL 340 series, ships GO 740 LIVE originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Apr 2009 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Another UK driver nearly dies from following GPS instructions

It’s a meme that never gets old, wouldn’t you agree? As the world gathers ’round again to chuckle at an all-too-faithful GPS user in the UK, we’re looking this time at a man who literally drove his BMW to the brink of disaster while following his sat nav down a skinny, steep lane on the way to imminent death Todmorden. As the story goes, his navigation system apparently told him to drive directly into a fence just before the road fell off of a cliff, and considering that the 43 year old bloke uses the GPS for his job, you’d think he would have the whole “follow the leader” thing down pat. At any rate, the poor fellow did manage to survive, though he won’t soon shake the “driving without due care and attention” charge. Nor the embarrassment.

[Via Switched, thanks Alan]

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Another UK driver nearly dies from following GPS instructions originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Mar 2009 02:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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XRoad G-Map iPhone navigation map gets reviewed, patted on the back

While the world waits for a tried-and-true navigation app from Apple, XRoad is taking advantage of the situation by offering up its G-Map app in the interim. Kicking Tires decided to take the new software for a spin, and while the map quality took a pretty harsh beating, the overall offering was highly praised. More specifically, not every street name was present during testing, meaning that you had to rely implicitly on the turn-by-turn instructions if you weren’t familiar with your surroundings. Outside of that, however, it seemed to nail all the important points. Accuracy, routing, ease of use and design were all smiled upon, and it seems critics gave the street name snafu a bit of a break with the hope of future updates solving the issues. If you’re still a touch hesitant to drop your hard-earned cash, give that read link a gentle tap.

[Thanks, Ronald]

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XRoad G-Map iPhone navigation map gets reviewed, patted on the back originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Mar 2009 23:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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