Jun 25

TechSaver: LCD Headrests, TomTom GPS, Replacement Earbuds

Posted in: earbuds, gps, LCD, Today's Chili, tomtom

LCDCarHeadrests.jpg

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.

No Comments | Tags: ,
Jun 17

Homer Simpson Joins TomToms Cast of Characters

Posted in: gps, Today's Chili, tomtom

homer.JPG

Would you let this man direct you from Point A to Point B?

Homer Simpson is the latest “celebrity” voice to join the TomTom GPS voice lineup, the GPS maker announced on Tuesday. Users can visit the TomTom site and download the voice for $12.95, or €9.95 in Europe.

As you might expect, the voice of Homer (actually voiced by Dan Castellaneta) provides some occasional commentary, such as: “Take the third right.” “We might find an ice cream truck! Mmm…ice cream.”

TomTom already offers seventy official voices for its navigation devices, although user-based uploads can add more.

“Celebrity voice downloads are one of the many features TomTom offers to our customers to personalize their driving experience,” said Jocelyn Vigreux, president of TomTom, in a statement. “With Homer Simpson’s voice helping them to navigate their trip, TomTom customers will not only travel safely and with less stress, but will also be highly entertained along the way.”

The voice was licensed by Locutio Voice Technologies and Twentieth Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising (Fox Licensing).

No Comments | Tags:
Jun 16

TomTom’s Homer Simpson voice skin is just like the real thing, without the Duff’s

Posted in: gps, Today's Chili, tomtom

Well, let’s be frank. The Knight Rider GPS, while brilliant, is a bit of a stretch. Isn’t it a little sad to be living out your boyhood fantasies of excitement and danger vicariously, behind the wheel of your ’92 Buick Roadmaster station wagon? On the other hand, perhaps you’re ready to put away your childhood dreams and hit the road in a manner more befitting your average schlub. The official Homer Simpson voice skin for the TomTom GPS features the voice of the iconic cartoon dad, including such gems as “Take the third right. We might find an ice cream truck! Mmm…ice cream.” Psyched? We bet you are. Priced at $12.95 — check out an audio sample after the break, and then hit the read link to pick it up it for yourself.

Continue reading TomTom’s Homer Simpson voice skin is just like the real thing, without the Duff’s

Filed under:

TomTom’s Homer Simpson voice skin is just like the real thing, without the Duff’s originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

No Comments
Jun 04

Cheap Geek: Portable HDTV, TomTom GPS, Iomega Portable Hard Drive

Posted in: gps, hdtv, Today's Chili, tomtom

HaierHLT71.jpg

When Ben Franklin founded this column, it was called “Poor Richard’s Reasonably-Priced Technological Enthusiasms.” It told where to buy a lightening rod for only a nickel.

1. Usually I feature inexpensive HDTVs that cost at least $500, but this one goes for $105.99 (with free shipping) from Buy.com. That’s because this Haier HLT71 LCD TV has a 7-inch screen and is portable. Put a TV anywhere you want one: on your treadmill, in the bathroom, or right next to the kitchen sink. It offers a sharp, clear picture and a compact remote.

2. Again with the inexpensive GPS navigators. If you have a car, but don’t have a GPS yet, what are you waiting for? NewEgg.com is selling a recertified TomTom XL 330 for $109.99, with free shipping. But wait, you also get a $20 mail-in rebate, bringing the price down to $89.99. That’s an outstanding price for a name brand navigator with a 4.3-inch screen.

3. Make your data portable with the Iomega Prestige Portable Hard Drive. You get 320GB of storage in an ultra-compact shape, all ready to pack in your bag. Buy.com has it for $69.99, with free shipping. I love that it doesn’t require an external power supply, and it features Iomega’s Drop Shock technology, making it extra-durable.

No Comments | Tags:
Jun 03

TomTom announces special edition “White Pearl” nav system

Posted in: navigation, Today's Chili, tomtom

Navigation systems don’t often get the same special edition treatment given to cellphones and other gadgets, but TomTom looks to be doing its small part to change that, and it’s now announced its new “White Pearl” edition nav unit. As you might expect, however, apart from that eye-catching exterior, this one is basically just a re-purposed version of one of TomTom’s existing devices — a TomTom ONE IQ Routes edition, in this case. While the specs no doubt remain the same, TomTom has at least gone so far as to add a new start-up screen that fills out the design, not to mention a few new, totally not obvious special points of interest like “Places to be seen” and “Shop ’til you drop.” No word on a release ’round here, but it looks like folks in the UK will be able to pick one up this month for £179.99, or just about $300 even.

Filed under:

TomTom announces special edition “White Pearl” nav system originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 06:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

No Comments
May 21

TomTom brings costly connected services to mid-range XL LIVE

Posted in: gps, live, nav, navigation, Today's Chili, tomtom

In theory, we’ve no qualms with TomTom’s LIVE services. Sure, they’re over-hyped, overpriced and generally slow to react, but they’re definitely nice extras on an otherwise vanilla PND. That said, we simply can’t (and won’t, ever) justify the crazy monthly rates for having access to basic information that even a dumb smartphone could find. Nevertheless, TomTom’s doing its darnedest to push those very services to the masses by trickling ’em down from the GO 740 LIVE to its popular XL model. Folks across the pond can pick one up next month for €219 ($301) or €249 ($342) depending on whether you need a regional model or one with 42 European nations, but you’ll still be asked to shell out €9.95 ($14) per month if you want those LIVE services.

Gallery: TomTom brings costly connected services to mid-range XL LIVE

Filed under:

TomTom brings costly connected services to mid-range XL LIVE originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 May 2009 11:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

No Comments
May 21

Tweetlog: TomTom GO 740 LIVE

Posted in: gps, Today's Chili, tomtom

TomTom740.jpgTomTom GO 740 LIVE: Directions? Check. Live traffic? Check. Google Search? Weather? Voice recognition? Check, check, check. (http://tinyurl.com/orhawa)

No Comments | Tags:
May 20

Video: Tele Atlas’ photorealistic city models to aid navigation, terrorism

Posted in: Google, gps, maps, navigation, Today's Chili, tomtom, video

Navigation devices are everywhere and just keep getting better and better thanks to the 3D maps provided by the likes of Tele Atlas (owned by TomTom) and NAVTEQ (owned by Nokia). Now Tele Atlas is announcing its photorealistic “Advanced City Models” destined for in-car and portable navigation systems and mobile devices. In June, Tele Atlas will release 40 maps based on BLOM arial imagery for cities across Europe — hundreds more cities, including those in North America and Asia, will be available in 2010. Remember, Google already has laid ink to paper to give it rights to Tele Atlas maps for use in Google’s mobile, desktop, and on-line offerings. And with Tele Atlas maps loaded on PSPs and navigators from Pioneer, Mio, and of course TomTom, just think of this as a hint of what’s to come.

Continue reading Video: Tele Atlas’ photorealistic city models to aid navigation, terrorism

Filed under: ,

Video: Tele Atlas’ photorealistic city models to aid navigation, terrorism originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 May 2009 06:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

No Comments
May 19

Cheap Geek: TomTom GPS, Coby Music Player, Portable XM Radio

Posted in: gps, mp3 player, NeXus, samsung, Today's Chili, tomtom

tomtom-one-130s.jpg

If you think paying a dollar-and-a-half to see all the trees in a tree museum is still too expensive, you might be a cheap geek.

1. A $60 GPS? Here I thought $100 was a super-cheap price for a navigator from a major name, and then a $60 one appears. RadioShack is selling refurbished TomTom One 130 navigators for $59.99 after rebate. The One 130 has some nice extras, such as the ability to download map changes from other users when you connect it to your computer. This is the lowest price I’ve seen on a big-name GPS, so grab one while they’re available.

2. Buy.com has a Coby 1GB music player for $28.95, including shipping. I wouldn’t want to use it for my main music player, but if you’re looking for a lightweight player for working out or to take to the beach, it could be useful to have on hand. It plays MP3 and WMA files.

3. Speaking of portables, getting XM satellite radio on-the-go has never been so cheap. Amazon is selling the Samsung YP-X5X NeXus for $29.95 through its partner retailers. It plays not only XM but can also record up to 25 hours of content, and you can use it to play MP3 and WMA files from your music library.

No Comments | Tags:
Apr 09

Tweetlog: TomTom One 140-S

Posted in: gps, Today's Chili, tomtom

TomTomOne140S.jpgFor $200 you’d expect to get from Point A to Point B–and that’s about it. TomTom’s One 140-S (http://tinyurl.com/c6todl) makes it okay to expect a lot more.

No Comments | Tags: