Garmin and their Garmin Blog are kicking off a contest for the summer which sounds pretty good and the ultimate prize is a new Garmin Nuvi 200. (More infor on the Nuvi 200 line - I reviewed the Nuvi 250.) The contest basically has you sending in a picture of yourself using a Garmin GPS while on a great summer adventure. Each week they pick the best who gets to move onto the final judging at the end of the summer. From among the best, they choose the ultimate winner at the end of the summer to win the prize.
I have had a lot of readers write in about replacing their batteries on their Garmin Nuvis, including the 350, 360, 660, 680. I asked Garmin about this, and they came back indicating that while the battery on the Nuvi line is not consumer replaceable, it is serviceable by them. However, these batteries are expected to last up to 1,000 cycles, which could put you out several years before you encounter issues depending on usage. I have no doubt that they stand behind what they make, considering that they have been in the business a long time and are still servicing GPS units that are 10 years old. See if you can get other consumer electronics companies to service a 10 year old piece of equipment.
It was only a few months ago that the Nuvi 660 crashed through the $700 barrier, and I am happy to see that it has broken through another milestone price, it's now on sale at Amazon for less than $600; $597.24 to be exact at this writing, with Free Shipping.
I still think the Nuvi 660 is the best all around automobile navigator that I have used, and am glad to see more people are going to get a chance to experience it at a new lower price. If you are unsure about the unit, you can read my review of the Nuvi 660.
Nice find on Amazon here, the new Harmon Kardon GPS-300 unit in a pre-order mode at the site. This follows their GPS-500 model that was previously announced. Keeping with the heritage, the Harmon Kardon units are geared towards audio capabilities, and offers a glimpse of album art when your MP3 is playing on its 4" widescreen.
The unit does spoken word direction sets and comes pre-loaded with maps of the US. It should ship in a few weeks for $399.
Garmin took a nice step up and released news that they are going to get cozy with webiste and other software developers by releasing and API library to allow developers to better "talk" to GPS units. So for instance, you used to have to download waypoints from Geocaching.com to your computer and then upload them to the GPS. Now by clicking on the Garmin logoed button, the website will talked directly tot he GPS and send the coordinates of the next cache directly to the unit.
There are six current API's, one of which supports location based services, so it's no surprise that these GPS enablers were announced in coordination with the Where 2.0 conference that is happening in San Jose.
Press release, including details of the APIs after the jump...
We’ve talked a lot about traffic feeds here at GPSLodge.com and I am looking forward to the future developments in traffic reporting to help make my life better by keeping me out of traffic jams and wasting time. Well, if you don’t have a traffic capable GPS in your possession you may still get high quality traffic feeds on your mobile phone.
Jim, one of our readers here at GPSLodge.com, pointed out the fact that Weather.com mobile has extensive traffic coverage that has Inrix written all over it. Weather.com is running a traffic service module by TCS, and one of their offerings is TeleAtlas traffic feeds.
In a spot check of a few cities, you can get some very good coverage (Boston is GREAT), and having it bookmarked on your browser-enabled mobile phone allows you quick access to current conditions. It’s not going to route you around traffic, but it will sure give you an idea of what’s up in your area.
To be clear, the regular internet site for Weather.com is running Traffic.com data, which has its own advantages, but for me in Boston, the broader coverage is essential.
So, Hit this link to Weather.com mobile and then enter in your own city to see what the coverage is and see if it can help you out.
This Memorial Day weekend, I thought I would offer a quick listing of the hands on reviews that I have done here at GPSLodge. Thought you might want to take a look at some of the units you may be considering. I have personally tested all of these. Generally I use the units for at least 2 weeks while taking weekend trips commuting or running test routes.
Sure I have my favorites, but that might not suit what you need in the way of price, or features. Anyway, I will still say that I like the Garmin Nuvi 660 the best out of all the GPS units I have used. The price has come down dramatically and is only around $600 at this writing. So while it’s a premium priced unit on the market, and it's an excellent unit worth consideration.
So you think you're into Geotagging/Geocaching, etc? How about Angelina Jolie and her recent Tat' that gives the coordinates of the countries where her four children were born.
This little wonder allows you to pre-program emergency numbers into the unit and then in case of emergency, it will text message those numbers your location (Lat/Lon coordinates). Simple enough and easy to use. I wonder if this thing gets activated when it's stuffed into a backpack full of pens, books and such like a mobile phone without a key lock engaged?
This chapter of the same book takes place in North Carolina where a geocache was attached to a Starbucks sign. The cache was being hidden at the time when some "Muggles" came by and noticed the activity, got nervous and called the police. After the police learned that there were no explosives, they logged into Geocaching.com and recorded their visit...... well maybe they did everything right up until that last part.
Telenav recently did a survey of drivers and they found that 72% don’t check traffic before hitting the roads, and in many of the top metro areas, that sounds like they are ready to hit the proverbial brick wall once they get on the roads. Memorial Day weekend, people are going to suffer trying to get to their weekend away, and annually the average American commuter spends 47 hours in traffic each year!
Well TeleNav is one option to check traffic on your mobile phone while on the road.
"The benefits of providing a service to drivers that allows them to avoid travel congestion are immeasurable," said HP Jin, TeleNav president, CEO and co-founder. "With such a solution, not only can road warriors spend less time driving, but their lifestyles could also potentially be improved, both physically and mentally."
Some nice "Rumors" are coming out on Garmin and their plans for an updated eTrex line. Garmin recently updated their RINO 530 HCx with high sensitivity GPS chips and it makes sense to roll that innovation in to the rest of the line that has not already been upgraded (The 60 CSx already has high sensitivity receivers in them).
A lot of discussion is going on about the inclusion of a SiRF star III chipset in these, but Garmin's mode recently is to go with "high sensitivity" chipsets which may be sourced from other vendors. In my usage I have not found a noticeable difference in regular usage when the SiRF star III chipset was swapped out.
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So with the new wider TomTom ONE XL sporting a widescreen and the new TeleAtlas maps, I thought I had to give the unit a try, and try it right away. I liked the TomTom ONE when I reviewed it last year, and only had a few minor complaints besides the lack of accurate maps. The TeleAtlas map issue has been broadly fixed in my point of view, having used the Mio C220 for the last couple of weeks which is loaded with the new maps.
The 4.3 inch screen should give a better overview of the road ahead with more streets and information on display. The TomTom ONE XL is also traffic ready and can receive traffic feeds via the TomTom PLUS services via your Bluetooth phone. It features QuickFix technology that allows it to find satellites fast (as long as you connect it to your computer once per week).
I look forward to checking this unit out over the next few weeks. Stay tuned for more impressions on the TomTom ONE XL.
So, while a true GPS chip isn't making the cut on the new iPhone, it is apparently slated for the next generation model being readied for announcement at Macworld or maybe a year from now. Too bad, I was hoping that an upgrade would come very quickly on the heels of the first release....
It's being reported that the unit will contain a high sensitivity chipset, which may include the SiRF star III of equivalent.
Biking season is almost here and Garmin has some pretty cool (if you like Garmin) Bike Jerseys up on their site that are available for sale. So, if you have a Garmin strapped to your handlebars, why not wear the jersey too?!?! Three pockets across the back and made of breathable poly.
In a recent poll conducted by Circuit City, Americans are looking to GPS Navigation systems to save them time and money spent on gasoline. With prices breaking the $3/gallon threshold. I personally saw how the Nuvi 680, with its ability to show you local gasoline (sorry no diesel) prices through the MSN Direct network, can offer you ways to save a lot on gas. Read my Review on the Nuvi 680.
More than 3,000 people responded to the Circuit City survey, which was conducted in April. Almost three quarters (71%) of respondents said that having a global positioning satellite (GPS) navigation system helps motorists save fuel or time.
So about half of parents (53%) in the survey found that a GPS would be at least somewhat important for making the most of their family road trip. Looks like the GPS is going to be on a lot of people’s shopping list this summer.
The Mio C520 was officially announced today with more details of its capability. I am looking forward to doing a review of the Mio C520 over the next few weeks after seeing this. Not only is the unit a widescreen GPS which is where a lot (all?) manufacturers are heading these days. The unit is listed at $399, but can be had already at some decent discounts, and I recently saw it at Circuit City for mid-$300’s.
The Mio C520 has a widescreen format that can either offer extra map display capabilities, or it offers you the ability to use the extra real estate to display information about your upcoming turns along your route. The Mio C520 is a text to speech model that speaks street names. This is definitely a step up from the Mio C310x or the Mio C220. The C520 also has Bluetooth capabilities for a handsfree conversation using your Bluetooth enabled phone. The press release also talks about the ability to push audio to Bluetooth headphones for watching/listening to media played on the Mio C520.
CNet has a review up of the Mio C220, the latest from Mio and a unit clearly set at the value end of the market. It will essentially replacing the Mio C310x at the $200 price point (list price is higher, street prices can be lower). The unit is a small, flat form factor unit that has US maps pre-loaded from TeleAtlas. I am happy to say that the maps are updated and don’t appear to have any big outages (I am also using the Mio C220 for a review).
Right out of the gate, Bonnie Cha of CNet offers praise for the features and price for the Mio C220, but admits that they can’t recommend it due to the low screen brightness. I’ll tell you that the screen is not as bright or rather vivid as the Mio C310x, but I would have to disagree with Bonnie Cha on this one, and say that for the price, the unit is a good value. I see it this way. For about $200, you can buy the C220 and get a solid unit with up to date maps and an interface that is very easy to navigate once you familiarize yourself with it. The unit acquires satellites fast and gives good navigation cues that are easy to follow. The screen is not as vivid as I would like, but that is only a problem in bright sunlight directly on the unit. For 50% more (an extra $100), you can move up to the TomTom ONE, but I recognize that $299 not in a lot of people’s price range. In the end, the C220 is a very good entry level GPS.
I wrote up my review on the Garmin Nuvi 360 this week as well as the Magellan RoadMate 2000; one has aged beautifully and one was a little old before its time.
CNet has reviewed the NOVOGO S700 GPS - another iGo interfaced GPS
TeleAtlas has announced their Historical Average Speeds product that combines mapping and historical average speeds into one product that will speed the development of a new generation of GPS units; expect models by the end of the year.
The new TomTom ONE XL is NOW SHIPPING - $398 for this Widescreen beauty.
$50 off TomTom at Circuit City - Free Shipping
The TomTom ONE - Special at Circuit City - $50 off the $299 Price ( enter coupon code 7UATPXBAGZ at checkout). Free Shipping for a limited time. See my Review of the TomTom ONE.
Circuit City also has the TomTom GO 510 for $349 after you put it in your cart, and the TomTom GO 910 for $449 after you put it in your cart. Again FREE SHIPPING for a limited time.
Garmin Nuvi 660 - Price around $601 at Amazon Down over $60 recently. See my Hands on Review of the Nuvi 660 - Also check out the GPSNow site for what has been often a lower price, and Order by 5PM weekdays, you get same day cheap shipping.
The Nuvi 650 offers the widescreen and no Bluetooth or traffic at almost $75 less than the Nuvi 660.
Very solid Garmin Nuvi 350 dropped to $380, and it's the #2 seller in electronics at Amazon. More info on the Nuvi 350.
Garmin Nuvi 360 adds Bluetooth to the Nuvi 350 capabilities and is now around $434.
The Mio H610 is available for $299 (put it in your cart to see). Free Shipping. Diminutive GPS; see my Review of the H610.
The usual Steals and Deals
Garmin Nuvi 670 - Need to travel to Europe and navigate when you get there? Garmin Nuvi 670 comes pre-loaded with both US and Euro maps. It's the very capable Nuvi 660 base unit with the extra maps pre-loaded.
JVC has announced plans to quit the GPS market. After announcing their KV-PX9 at an outrageous $750 they appeared not to have sold too many. So, while price points are dropping, the big players, namely Garmin, and TomTom are finding some traction with their brands without deep discounting. These brands have recognizable benefit advantages and the ability and scale to price profitably versus the myriad of low brand recognition units hitting the markets daily.
JVC mobile entertainment VP Bill Turner stated, “Primarily because the portable navigation business has turned into a price-only market with numerous new competitors entering almost daily, we opted to focus our business on the in-dash market instead.” He added, “We continue to study the portable navigation market and may re-enter it once we identify stabilization with regard to price points. Right now, too much volatility exists with regard to pricing and brand recognition isn’t a key component.”
So while Magellan has released their Maestro line, I had the opportunity to take a look at the Magellan RoadMate 2000 for a few weeks and I thought that it was still worth taking a look at the not terribly old RoadMate 2000 that is still kicking around at some bargain prices, vying for your business. It’s well known that Magellan is one of the pioneers in the GPS arena and while they hit some low points while under the ownership of Thales, they are under new management and seem to be on a resurgence. The RoadMate 2000 was released in September 2006 as an update to the well-known RoadMate line. The RoadMate 2000 series had some good things going for it, SiRF star III chipset and a flat form factor. Not exactly pocketable, but certainly a smaller footprint to allow for easy storage. After using the RoadMate 2000 for two weeks, and many trips, I can say there are some bright spots still in there signaling a whole lot of quality design experience, but that the unit is unfortunately saddled by a cartoonish interface and tough set of menus that make it a hard unit to appreciate the quality thinking underneath.
Engadget has awarded its GPS Gadget of the year to the TomTom GO 910. The unit won both the reader's choice and the editor's choice for GPS Gadget of the year. Congrats to the GO 910.
GPS with integrated traffic, as well as subway and train schedule reporting could be your all-in-one transportation center for traveling across the city. Well as TeleAtlas is busy mapping cities in 3-D for their rollout of true 3-D mapping, they are also considering how to include advanced features into the GPS that allow for smarter driving, like crash warnings when approaching a difficult turn at a high rate of speed. The Chief Exec of TeleAtlas was speaking about these possibilities and more at the Reuters Global Technology, Media and Telecoms Summit in Paris.
Yea, I know, weird and totally random, but I thought I would pass this on. Here's your future George Jetson umbrella that has a computer built in that shows a slideshow on the inside of the umbrella. It also has GPS and internet connectivity too. It's a prototype.
SiRF announced a strategic relationship with Openwave Systems Inc. to bring the power of location to Web 2.0 mobile applications. The two companies will work together to integrate SiRF’s SiRFstudio location capabilities with Openwave MIDAS, a Mobile AJAX-based application development platform, enabling wireless operators, content publishers, and software developers to easily employ the context of location when creating mobile widgets, rich data services and online idle screen user interfaces on mobile devices. SiRF Technology and Openwave plan to jointly market the combined solution globally to wireless operators and mobile handset and device OEMs, enabling them to create the next-generation of innovative location-based mobile widgets and services for consumer and enterprise market segments.
Do you feel like you need to learn more about how a GPS works, or how to use their GPS units on the road. The animations and presentations are nice, and are obviously part of the Garmin marketing machine, but it certainly looks like it can help people get acquainted with what a GPS and how to use one on the road.
Garmin has posted their new summertime TV commercial featuring a towering Yao Ming. The commercial is well done and was being filmed in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl when Garmin featured their Maposaurus commercial. The summertime commercial below definitely hits on the main benefits of the widescreen Garmin Nuvi that is featured in the shot.
PCMag has a review up of the stylish NOVOGO S700 that runs the iGo software and does a good job of getting you out there, hopefully for a good price. The iGo interface is usually customized for the GPS maker, but its basic capabilities are best known from the Mio line of products, especially the Mio C310x. The Novogo S700 is a flat form factor GPS system that has a 3.5 inch screen; standard for the industry right now. The unit ships with Maps of the US and Canada, and boasts a relatively large database of 11 million Points of Interest (POI). All of this runs off the 2GB SD card that is included. Most GPS navigation systems of this type usually cram the US and less than half that number of POI locations onto a 1GB card. The unit runs on a SiRF star III chipset and includes an internal rechargeable battery.
Overall Craig Ellison of PC Mag thought that the unit did a respectable job navigating and I like the idea that supports dynamic volume where the volume increases with speed. They used the NOVOGO S700BT which supports Bluetooth handsfree. Unfortunately, Mr. Ellison was unable to pair the GPS with his Bluetooth phone.
Today TeleAtlas set the stage for a step change in GPS capability. Today TeleAtlas announced that they are bundling historical average speeds in with their maps as one package that can speed implementation of this next generation capability. Back in February I wrote about the 3 technologies required for the coming changes in traffic reporting, and the TeleAtlas announcement today is a major step in delivering on truly intelligent traffic reporting.
I confirmed with TeleAtlas that the historical average speed data is indeed data from Inrix, a company we've been following for about a year now. The clues were in the press release details about the capability: historical average speeds derived from a commercial fleet covering over 500,000 miles. (See more on Inrix and the Dust Network.) So, this basic historical average speeds data combined with TMC Traffic feeds, will give you a better solution than is available now because right now, your GPS most likely assumes that you can travel at the speed limit on highways when computing your travel time through traffic (MSN Direct on the Nuvi 680 and SOME TMC markets don't make this mistake right now), but with historical average speed data, your GPS will know and will be able to predict travel times in the future for much more intelligent travel planning.
I previously reported also that I expect GPS units with historical average speed data by the end of the year this year, and with this announcement, I think that it marks a big step towards that goal. I expect (hope for) new GPS units with Historical Average Speeds in time for Black Friday and the big holiday shopping season.
Delphi Nav 200 Owners can rejoice, as Delphi has started offering their Lifetime Traffic service. The TMC-based traffic service has a different offering versus the rest of the GPS world, as they offer a one-time fee instead of the pay as you go monthly fee. The price is $200 for the traffic kit and the lifetime subscription. At their site they have a list of cities that are covered.
Google is good for a lot of things, including a big wave of Google sponsored blogs. Well, a new one has popped up over the last week or so called the Google LatLong blog, a blog written about maps, and how to use Google Earth as well as Google Maps. Pretty good subject if you ask me. What's impressive is one of the posts the other day that shows Greensburg Kansas, the small town that was wiped out by an F5 tornado, with before and after side by side satellite pictures. It's pretty amazing to see the rresults like this. The imagery is also available as a Google Earth overlay if you go read the post and check out the story you'll see how. Here are a couple of the pictrues, before and after. There are more at the Google LatLong blog.
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