Image from Mobilecrunch

I was reading through Techcrunch/Mobilecrunch this morning and came across Nokia’s announcement first unveiled in the UK that Nokia is launching free Ovi Maps with Navigation.  A US announcement is scheduled for later today according to Mobilecrunch. Continue Reading

Photo courtesy of Slashgear

Motorola brings a whole new lineup to CES with some new phones and accessories. Their biggest announcement comes to us as the Motorola Backflip with MOTOBLUR. This new Multimedia powerhouse brings all the latest features in an Android smartphone with the addition of the MOTOBLUR content delivery service. MOTOBLUR organizes all your favorite friends, feeds and messages and streams them to live widgets for immediate reply, so you can focus more on the information thats coming rather than who is sending it. It only takes a few simple clicks to update your status on your favorite social media site right from “happenings” widget on your homescreen. More after the break.

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Since its initial release, I’ve been suggesting that people watch the Mobile Maps products from Sygic. They had an interesting approach to navigation software and they seem very committed to making their products better. Now they’ve released Mobile Maps North America version 8.01 and refreshed the look and feel of parts of the app. Lets look at it it a little closer…

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Its time once again for a Google news round up!  All the Google news, condensed in one place!

• There is a Google press event on January 5th.  Supposedly, this will address all the questions surrounding the Nexus One phone and Google’s Android strategy going into 2010.
• Nexus One news: According to Engadget– pricing is $179.99 subsidized from T-Mobile, $529.99 unsubsidized. Availability is said to be January 5th, same day as the press event.
• Nexus One news:  Terms of Service have been leaked.  You can read them here.
• Google is getting “caffienated”.  Codename Caffiene is a new way to index the Internet. Google has been testing it since last summer in one datacenter, and is now getting ready to push it out across all of Google.  What we will see? Nothing new.  Its all “behind the curtain” and just means our internet searches will b e faster.
• Google has released a new version of its City Tours service called Travel Tours. According to the article from Tech Crunch, “Google is releasing an updated version of Travel Tours that takes advantage of the Walking Directions built into Google Maps. Google’s blog post on the release also notes that you can now import Google ‘My Maps’ into City Tours. My Maps, which launched back in 2007, allow you to manually tag your own points of interest on a Google Map. This means you’ll now be able to build out a map of all the landmarks you’d like to see on your trip, then import those into City Tours to get an optimized itinerary.”  This service is all a part of Google Labs.

Thanks to CNet, Engadget, Tech Crunch, and our own Francis Scardino for assisting with this round up.

Do you have a GPS in your car? I do, and sometimes it gets to be too much in traffic; between stop and go, lights, construction, and the sound of my GPS droning away, it can become a bit overwhelming. I’ve even been known to threaten to throw the yappy thing out the window a few times, when it all becomes too much.

According to a Tech.view column in the Economist, it might not be me. Apparently we can only process so much information at once, and beyond that the brain simply cannot take it all in clearly. So as GPS gets more and more complicated, we may not be able to take full advantage of the extra details when we really need it (while driving). Instead, GPS units should become less complicated, providing only the broadest details necessary.

The whole article is a great read, and after you look it over, come back here and share your thoughts! Do you use a GPS in your car? How much detail is too much, and how much is just right?

Via The Economist

Remember how cool it was when you first got your GPS unit?  3D graphics, voice-guided turn by turn directions, the list of features just went on and on.  Then, the love affair just continued to dim bit by bit, day by day with that same inhuman voice droning out left and right turns.  Then GPS manufacturer TomTom got the idea to incorporate downloadable celebrity voice “skins.”  Want Homer Simpson to give you directions to the local donut shop?  No problem.

Sometimes, though, ol’ Homer just isn’t who you want helping you along those long road trips.  Nope.  Sometimes you want to take the drive a little more laid back.  OK, a LOT more laid back.  Sometimes you’d rather just have the wisdom of Snoop Dogg guiding you to your next business meeting or neighborhood Starbucks.     As the video above shows, that dream is now a reality. Snoop will not only get you to your destination — he’ll thank you for the smooth ride with gems like“Thanks for the ride mayne. I had the time of my life! Ooooweeeee!!”

[via Kreative Souls]

Amber Alert GPS is a tiny matchbox sized GPS device used to track the movement of your child. According to the manufacturer you slip the GPS into your child’s backpack (or other article that stays with them) and can then track their location for up to 24 hours. There’s also several  interesting features like speed, temperature and remote audio monitoring that are offered as well. For the last few weeks I’ve been putting this to the test and using it to track my kids. Here’s what I found. Continue Reading

Amazon has this Garmin Nuvifone G60 available for $99 after the obligatory 2 year service agreement. The phone’s primarily for Garmin lovers who prefer the interface of their beloved GPS device over  competing smartphone’s with similar (free) services. The 3.5-inch anti-glare, resistive touchscreen display is big enough to easily see your maps – and there’s 65K colors and 272 x 480 WQVGA resolution. Given that some of the early Droid reviews have given meh reviews to the map feature maybe the Garmin will have a fighting chance competing against free.

Garmin Nuvifone G60 via Gearsponsor Logicbuy

This is the tale of how I almost stopped using my iPhone as a GPS unit and how the right app and a better idea of how to use it changed my mind. Here is what happened.

When the iPhone gained its GPS capabilities I was excited to use is for navigation. Using Google maps worked well enough but certainly was not a replacement for standalone unit. Then a host of new third-party GPS applications began to appear and I became more excited about using the iPhone as my only GPS unit. That didn’t last very long. I was heading to a wedding I was officiating in New York when things went more than a bit array. Continue Reading

As promised the Garmin Nuvifone G60 is up for sale on the official AT&T site. After 2 year contract this device will set you back $399 less a $100 mail-in-rebate. Just think how happy you’ll be to use the built-in Wi-Fi, 3.2 MP camera, voice-guided GPS and touchscreen. Fast forward a week and imagine how pissed you’ll be as you realize that pretty much any modern phone on the market offers this (plus apps) for less. Caveat emptor – or at least have some dignity and wait for Amazon to change their “currently unavailable” status and post a reasonable price (like free) for this. It’s worth noting that users of the Nuvifone will also be hit up for a $5.99 monthly added service fee so they can view traffic, access white pages info. More after the jump.
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AT&T Wireless has announced, via a press release, the upcoming availability of the Garmin nuvifone G60.  The device will be available for purchase starting October 4th and it will be exclusively for AT&T Wireless customers only.

Back in April Wayne posted a video demo of the device in action.

The nuvifone G60 combines a top notch GPS navigation system, with voice, data and mobile web.  It’ll come preloaded with maps and tons of points of interest for the North American market as well.

The phone also features, 3G, Wifi, a touch screen Qwerty keyboard, 3 MP camera with auto focus, and more.

The G60 will sell for $299 with a two year agreement after a $100 mail in rebate.  Nuvifone Premium Connected Services which includes traffic updates, white pages, weather, movie, local events and fuel price content are available for $5.99/month after a 30-day trial.

You can read the entire press release here.

Here’s a deal on a brand new Magellan automotive GPS. For only $99 (normal price around $300) you’ll get this 4.3 inch Magellan 4040 GPS navigation device. There’s built-in AAA travel information including member roadside assistance details. Bluetooth capabilities allow you to link your compatible Bluetooth phone to make and receive hands-free phone calls as well as sync numbers and contact information. Traffic information is available as well as voice command (additional fees apply).

Magellan 4040

Someday Soon, Inhalers Such As This One May Be "Smarter"

At one of my former jobs, my then-manager once told me that a cousin of his had suddenly died from an asthma attack.  Saddened as I was for his loss, I became more concerned about my own wife, who suffers from asthma as well (the adult onset type, or as she likes to call it – “a parting gift from Philip Morris”).

According to the Center for Disease Control, as of 2007 Asthma affected over 16 million people in the United States.  And the number of cases is increasing.  For years, scientists have been researching into the environmental factors that contribute to asthma.  But to solve a problem, one must first understand a problem.  To do that one needs to have data – LOTS and LOTS of data.
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The following is a review submitted by Nan Palmero – Chief Inspiration Officer at SalesBy5. Telenav, as most of you may know, is the software behind many of the branded GPS applications found on AT&T Navigator and Sprint Navigation. The Telenav Shotgun is their first entrance into the crowded stand alone GPS space. Fortunately, though, Telenav has a few tricks up their sleeve to differentiate their device from the sea of other GPS devices out there.

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One thing that I saw come out of CES was this cool little Z10 projector from Nextar; it literally fits in the palm of your hand.

This little projector is capable of 640×480 and is based on LCOS technology.  LCOS, or Liquid Crystal on Silicon, is the technology being used in most micro projectors and the small modules being made to add to new cellphones.  This allows you to have a very small and pocketable projector. Continue Reading