Hasta La Gadget!

After learning that TeleNav would be releasing dedicated turn-by-turn GPS navigation for one of our favorite devices — the G1 — we got more than a little excited. Thankfully, we’ve had a chance to take the software for a spin before its February 24th release date, and these are our findings.

• The software is really snappy, snappier than a lot of dedicated GPS units we’ve used.
• Finding satellites can be a major pain sometimes, and the signal can drop while you’re driving (see video), which could be a major headache if you’re on a trip and you really don’t know where you’re going.
• The app doesn’t seem to eat up much space (it occupies 4MB on the device), so it appears to be pulling map data OTA. That’s a good thing if you’re worried about filling up your G1, but bad if you need info quickly or you’re not in a data-gettin’ spot.
• We experienced a crash while it was fetching satellites. The software is still being tweaked from what TeleNav tells us, so we’re going to assume that won’t be an issue once it’s on the market.
• The traffic, restaurant, and gas station services are top notch and pretty speedy (once it figures out where you are). Since a lot of GPS units aren’t pulling live data on surrounding businesses or traffic / weather info, this is a nice touch.
• The speaker volume on the G1 is probably a bit quiet if you’re cranking on a highway — that could be an issue if you’re really relying on what Stephen King calls “the GPS voice.”
• As expected, it’s a power hog, so plan on having an adapter in the car if you’re going to get any use out of this.

Continue reading An Engadget adventure with TeleNav’s G1 GPS software: hands-on, impressions, and video

Filed under: GPS

An Engadget adventure with TeleNav’s G1 GPS software: hands-on, impressions, and video originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Garmin has announced the Windows-Mobile-powered nuvifone M20, the second handset in the nuvifone series after the G60, in a preview ahead of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week. The nuvifone M20 runs Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional and sports a 2.8-inch touchscreen full VGA (640-by-480-pixel) LCD, 4GB or 8GB of storage, and an HSDPA 7.2 3G data radio.

In addition, the handset features the same level of satellite navigation as Garmin’s standalone units, according to the company. It comes preloaded with maps and points of interest for North America as well as Eastern and Western Europe. It also features Connected Services, a suite of online applications and data from Garmin-Asus that adds location intelligence to navigation, phone and browser functions, for real-time traffic information, White Pages, weather, flight status, local events, and movie times.

Finally, the nuvifone M20 works with Ciao, a location-based social networking service that keeps owners in touch with their friends and family. No word yet on pricing or availability; expect an announcement from Garmin sometime in the first half of this year on that front.

Automaker navigation could get cheaper with a hybrid navigation unit developed by Harman International for Mercedes-Benz. It’s partly integrated into the car and doesn’t require the automaker to lock in a navigation design three years in advance. Harman made the announcement in a quarterly financial statement that was reported by TWICE. It’s described as a two-piece solution: a cradle-mounted screen with controls plus a hidden processor unit that also includes Bluetooth and music storage. Harman says the device will first appear in eight Mercedes-Benz models in the second half of 2010, mostly likely meaning 2011 models.

If that ’92 Riviera is getting a bit long in the tooth, Alpine’s got a trifecta of ways to simply spruce it up rather than take on an all-too-burdensome new car payment. Both the IVA-W203/P1 and IVA-W505/P1 are double-DIN head units with touchscreen displays (6.5- / 7-inches, respectively), support for iPods / sat ratio / HD Radio / Bluetooth, preloaded NAVTEQ maps of the US and Canada, a foursome of map viewing options and text-to-speech for good measure. For those with single-DIN gaps in the dash, there’s the all new IVA-D106, which offers up a slide-out 7-inch touch panel, 18-watt x 4 amplifier and support for navigation via the optional NVE-P1 drive. All three systems are available as we speak for $1,100, $1,400 and $350 in order of mention.

[Via NaviGadget]

Filed under: Portable Audio

Alpine delivers trio of new in-car navigators originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Jan 2009 10:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lookie here — we’ve got yet another new entrant into the portable navigation market, but thankfully, Cydle has decided to differentiate a bit with the inclusion of HD Radio support. The company’s one and only model (for now, anyway) is the T43, which features a 4.3-inch touchscreen, the latest version of Cydle 3D Map and Cydle XE Map, HD Radio support, real-time traffic via the traditional RDS-TMC as well as the newer HD Radio-based method and Bluetooth for good measure. It’ll reportedly hit Best Buy shelves in the not-too-distant future, though there’s no price mentioned.

Filed under: GPS

Cydle introduces T43 navigator with Bluetooth, HD Radio support originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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