Harman Kardon added 3 new GPS systems to their line-up. The new devices range in price and features; the GPS-310 ($349) includes text-to-speech and 10 million points of interest, much more than your standard entry model. The GPS-510 ($449) has larger 4-inch screen and has TMC Traffic capability. Finally the GPS-810 ($599) has Bluetooth handsfree phone calling capability and a remote control.
Just in case you weren't sure if navigation on mobile phones wasn't growing at a fast pace, check this out; TeleNav has grown 16,666% in teh last 4 years. TeleNav has been named the first place winner in the Technology Fast 50 Program for Silicon Valley, a ranking of the fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications and life sciences companies in the region by Deloitte & Touche USA LLP, one of the nation's leading professional services organizations. Rankings are based on percentage revenue growth over five years from 2002-2006.
TeleNav's President, CEO and Co-Founder HP Jin credits the company's dedication and determination for its 16,666 percent revenue growth from 2002-2006. "Throughout our company's history we continually encountered challenges, both economically and technologically. Despite these obstacles, we always believed in the potential GPS services presented to the wireless industry and continued to push forward. We wouldn't be where we are today without our uncompromising customer focus and positive approach. We are extremely proud of our growth and current position as a market leader."
Garmin announced today that they are making an offer for TeleAtlas, which sets them up to go head to head versus TomTom for the map data provider. This is huge news, and starts a bidding war that will play out in the capital markets over the coming weeks and months. Nokia appears ready to sweep NAVTEQ off the table, and clearly the fate of TeleAtlas is now firmly in the hands of their board and their shareholders.
If Garmin were to get TeleAtlas, it would mean big changes. Garmin currently uses NAVTEQ maps, which if they were swapped out, would significantly lower the value of NAVTEQ. It would then put TomTom and others at a significant disadvantage since they currently use TeleAtlas. TomTom would then absolutely NOT share map change data gathered with their MapShare program back with TeleAtlas, and as a result Garmin.
More on the press release below…. Also see the Garmin Website for a lot of legal mumbo jumbo and more information about the offer.
The Lowrance XOG is a new release from Lowrance that combines the splash resistance of the outdoors unit with the driver friendly format that can be used for automobile navigation. The unit is at home on the road, on the trail or even on the baot.... but mosting on the boat and car, as it supports road routing and several boat related map products like Fishing Hot Spots, Lakemaster and NauticPath maps. The unit can download US Satellite and aerial images, as well as topo maps.
The unit has a 3.5-ince screen and a full featured MP3 player as well as a picture viewer. The XOG also has an internal Li-Ion battery.
The Nextar C-3 is an entry level GPS that has a basic feature set and older design features that underline its low price. The unit can be had for some of the best prices around on a GPS, and I got this one for the purposes of this review at about $50 less than a TomTom ONE. The Nextar C-3 has a 3.5-inch screen, a flip up antenna and a forward firing speaker that is reminiscent of the rocker switch on the old Magellan RoadMate 800 series. The Nextar C-3 uses a SiRF star III chipset , Windows CE as an operating system, voice prompted turn indicators (Not Text-to-Speech) and a flip up antenna.
Overall, the unit navigates well; most GPS units do, but the operating system is not the easiest to navigate, making it a rough overall experience. The concern here is that the operating system is basically ported over to the other Nextar units like the Nextar X3-02, and the Nextar X4B, making me concerned that the line is and will be an issue for many who buy them.
Slow week this week, except for the start of earnings season, with TomTom starting things off with nice gains. Here comes the holiday season though and of course big long gift lists with a few GPS units on there!
The Nuvi 250 is Now Under $300 - $274 this week, while the Nuvi 200 is $222. See my Hands on Review of the Nuvi 200/250 for an idea of how well this will perform. Maps are the only difference: Nuvi 200: Continental U.S., Hawaii and Puerto Rico (no Alaska or Canada detail), Nuvi 250: All of North America (no Mexico).
TomTom ONE 2nd ed. - $219. I would recommend skipping it and spending the extra few bucks on the TomTom ONE 3rd Ed. at $232. (The 3rd ed. has optional traffic alert inputs; 2nd ed does not. You get upgraded functionality without going through the steps to upgrade the unit via your computer. Saves an hour's worth of computer work. If you want to upgrade yourself, see my post on Upgrading your TomTom ONE.
The Mio C220 is selling around $165 through Amazon sellers. Read my Review of the Mio C220. However, at this point, I would recommend the Mio C230 instead ($184). You get Text to Speech capability for $20 more.
The #1 selling GPS is the Garmin Nuvi 350 still at about $366. I believe that the Nuvi 350 is the best value out there – great capabilities at a very good price. More info on the Nuvi 350.
The Widescreen Garmin Nuvi 200W ($264) and 250W ($308). Costco has the Nuvi 250W for $299 valid through 10/28 - thanks Bill for sending in. I recently posted my review of the Nuvi200W/250W.
The Nuvi 650 offers the widescreen and no Bluetooth or traffic for $403.
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.
Garmin has a $30 rebate on their Garmin Topo U.S. 2008 MapSource DVD - Price is about $50 online. Rebate good through 12/31/07 for upgrade only. Rebate form here (pdf)
The $50 rebate drops the widescreen Navigon 7100 to about $400 and the standard screen Navigon 5100 to about $350. Ends 12/31.
TomTom released earnings this past week and things are looking good again at the GPS maker, as they beat earnings estimates. They sold 83% more units than the same period last year, and as a result, had 21% sales growth, resulting in a profit up 36% over last year. Not bad numbers, and TomTom upped their estimates for number of units sold from 8-9 million this year to 9-10 million units this year. The holiday season is only a few weeks away and has to be a test of how anyone is doing in the GPS market.
TomTom’s Chief Executive Officer, Harold Goddijn said, “TomTom delivered a strong set of results this quarter with record units shipped, record profits and record cash flow in a market that continues to grow rapidly.
Following successful tests of our real time traffic solution in the Netherlands we will launch our new service in November. Discussions with mobile phone operators in other European countries are progressing and we expect to make further announcements shortly.
Ahead of the fourth quarter we have launched important new products, which have been received positively by the market. The amount of customer feedback we have received since the introduction of Map Share™ is also encouraging. We are confident that with our strong product line-up, supported by advertising campaigns and promotional activity TomTom will be able to defend its market position in Europe and to grow market share in the US.”
Meanwhile, Jocelyn Vigreux, President of TomTom USA, and , Nelson Chan CEO of Magellan were elected to the board of the Consumer Electronics Association, or CEA. The CEA is a trade group that works on behalf of the consumer electronics industry to promote and grow business. To me, having two leaders of GPS companies on the board signals the importance of the GPS category in consumer electronics.
The TomTom ONE XL-S is now shipping! The "S" version adds pre-loaded MapShare capability as well as TMC traffic (optional) skipped the text-to-speech, but a nice little up-version itself.
The TomTom ONE XL-S will include the version 7 operating system, which includes MapShare capability, Help ME! Button and a slightly improved interface.
Apparently after trying to kidnap his girlfriend this gentleman fled the scene with his mobile phone. Police got his mobile phone number from his girlfriend, the alleged victim, and tracked the man to a tree where he has climbed up into the branches and hid. Took an hour to talk him down, and police arrested him.
Palm is launching a new navigator with Garmin software pre-loaded onto an SD card. Of course, the Garmin software is a popular software interface here in the Garmin software. No news on the future of the TomTom software solution on the Palm units.
Drivers using the new GPS Navigator with their Palm smartphones can rely on turn-by-turn, voice-prompted directions to easily find their destinations as well as millions of points of interest, updated traffic, fuel prices, hotel prices and weather forecasts.(1) Expected late November, the Palm GPS Navigator featuring Garmin software will be $249 USD
TeleAtlas announced results of a consumer study that further backs what you may already suspect, Mobile Phone navigation is going to be in high demand. The question though is if people want to pay for it. If you are here at GPSLodge.com, then you are interested in navigation and you probably “get” the benefits of using a navigation system. The study finds that a whole lot of other people do, as 84% of those surveyed thought that a GPS navigation on the phone thought that it was a good idea. Interestingly though among those respondents who already have a navigation system, a majority would not want to use the phone to replace the standalone device.
There appears to be some interest in a fee based model, but also there are indications that an ad supported model would be better for many. So, when Nokia goes and buys a mobile phone ad service, I think they might just be doing the right thing.
Dash Navigation is stepping towards its Spring 2008 launch as they have said that they will begin taking orders for their Dash Express internet connected GPS beginning at CES 2008. So while you and I can’t bring our checkbooks, consumer electronics stores can as the supply channel has started moving.
Last week Dash also announced that they will be opening their platform to developers who want to create custom web-based applications allowing users special GPS related functionality.
Big drops this week in the Nuvi 200/200W Family - Both the standard screen and the widescreen. The Nuvi 200 at $222, while the Nuvi 250 is below $300, at $279. The Nuvi 200W is $277, while the Nuvi 250W is $310.
The Nuvi 250 is Now Under $300 - $279 this week, while the Nuvi 200 is $222.- down again this week. See my Hands on Review of the Nuvi 200/250 for an idea of how well this will perform. Maps are the only difference: Nuvi 200: Continental U.S., Hawaii and Puerto Rico (no Alaska or Canada detail), Nuvi 250: All of North America (no Mexico).
TomTom ONE 2nd ed. - $224. I would recommend skipping it and spending the extra few bucks on the TomTom ONE 3rd Ed. (The 3rd ed. has optional traffic alert inputs; 2nd ed does not. You get upgraded functionality without going through the steps to upgrade the unit via your computer. Saves an hour's worth of computer work. If you want to upgrade yourself, see my post on Upgrading your TomTom ONE.
The Mio C220 is selling around $167 through Amazon sellers. Read my Review of the Mio C220. However, at this point, I would recommend the Mio C230 instead. Same price, and you get Text to Speech capability for $189.
The #1 selling GPS is the Garmin Nuvi 350 still at about $366. I believe that the Nuvi 350 is the best value out there – great capabilities at a very good price. More info on the Nuvi 350.
Magellan Maestro 3100 at BJ's for $189 with $50 Coupon. Thanks Ted for sending in. This expires 10/24. - Also at Amazon for $178. Widescreen GPS Units
The Widescreen Garmin Nuvi 200W ($277) and 250W ($310). Costco has the Nuvi 250W for $299 valid through 10/28 - thanks Bill for sending in. I recently posted my review of the Nuvi200W/250W.
The Nuvi 650 offers the widescreen and no Bluetooth or traffic for $420.
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.
Garmin has a $30 rebate on their Garmin Topo U.S. 2008 MapSource DVD - Price is about $50 online. Rebate good through 12/31/07 for upgrade only. Rebate form here (pdf)
A Garmin Nuvi 760 arrived for review today at the GPSLodge, and as always we are happy to try out new models before they hit the street. The Garmin Nuvi 750/760/770 line was announced at the end of August, and is setting itself up to be a high end performer just in time for the big holiday shopping season. Gone is the old flip up antenna from the legacy Nuvi line-up, and in is the sleek and slim form factor from the Nuvi 200W genre.
Building on the Nuvi 660, a very capable unit, Garmin has come out with a more full featured upgrade with a Help! Button, a traffic receiver, as well as the capability to navigate back to your car when you via the Pedestrian Mode, and the Nuvi’s built in ability to waypoint your car so you can find it after a long stroll in the city.
One thing that I am excited about is the Route Planning. This isn’t supposed to be just stringing together a list of stops, but a capability that optimizes your route so that it spits back the shortest route to all of your destinations. So, pop in several garage sales, sales call locations or shops and let it give you back the optimized route. Looking forward to trying this out to see how well it works.
Finally, the shell of the operating system has changed, reflecting a more sophisticated look and feel of the high end line; subtle changes. The basis is mainly a better use of the widescreen, so that buttons have a double row layout, but again I think it's worth noting and certainly easier to work through given more options and more configuration that accompanies a full-featured unit. The first image is of the Nuvi 760 sub-menu with a double row layout, giving you plenty of information without scrolling. Below is the same menu for the Nuvi 200W series, with a vertical layout.
What's in the Nuvi 750/760/770 Box:
Nuvi 750/760/770
Preloaded City Navigator NT for North America and Europe for the Nuvi 770
We got word last night that Dash Navigation was announcing some cool new plans at Web 2.0 today. The big news is that the Dash platform will be open to third party applications. Since the Dash will be internet connected, it allows for a LOT of action behind the scenes. (Think Google Map plug-ins for your car.) You will also be able to program some routes and send information from your desktop to your car. This sounds like it is ripe for a business implementation with a central command sending all sorts of data to its fleet of vehicles.
For instance, with a Zillow plug-in, you’ll be able to profile house values as you drive down a street, while potential other additions might be crime databases that show you areas that have had a rash of crimes lately. The potential is endless, but the potential for distraction and screwing up the device is probably endless too.
I am simple excited about traffic capabilities with historical average speeds. Can’t wait to try it out.
There’s a topical article in the Boston Globe this morning about Nokia that stitches together a lot of their recent actions into a strategy that is emerging for the mobile handset giant that has them taking a big picture point of view to turn handset insight into a broad-based ad driven media company. The article keys in on a recent acquisition by Nokia of Enpocket, a Boston based firm specializing in mobile phone advertising.
The article quotes Rodger Entner of IAG Research who says, “They want to be more than just a phone purveyor, or an infrastructure purveyor. They want to be involved in the whole value chain. That’s why they bought Enpocket. They want to make this a substantial part of their business, ideally worth billions of dollars.”
This gives insight into why they are seeking to buy NAVTEQ too; with maps and navigation come more dependence on your mobile device, which facilitates Location Based Services (LBS). With the knowledge of who you are, and where you are, and maybe what you are looking for, comes ad opportunity, and that’s where the revenue is.
Detailed in the article are several more acquisitions that Nokia made which when listed together starts to form a solid picture of the broad offering to sell services. There are issues in the US market model that the article goes on to point out. Worth the quick read if you like this stuff.
TomTom's new ad is out, pushing their MapShare technology. Definitely underscores the benefits of their up to datedness of the maps as a result of the collaborative capabilities.
TomTom's MapShare is available on their new TomTom G0 720 - (see my review of the GO 720), the their new TomTom ONE 3rd edition as well as their just announced TomTom ONE XLS.
Nokia announced the N810 Internet tablet with GPS, further underscoring their desire to get into the location based services – internet tablet may be the high end of the food chain when it comes to computing power and the finding of fun places to go. The unit will retail for $479, which is pretty competitive with some of the better GPS units out there.
This is a lot more than a fancy GPS though as it comes with Bluetooth support, video and audio capabilities, WiFi, and a 4.1-inch touchscreen that also slides to reveal a QWERTY keyboard.
Garmin confirmed with me yesterday that the new Garmin Edge 605/705 will be delayed the first quarter of 2008, from the original December launch date that was mentioned in the press release. So for those of us with a new Garmin Edge at the top of our wish lists for this December, I guess you’ll just have to slide it to the top of your St. Patrick’s Day wish list instead. Garmin spokesman Jake Jacobson told me, “While any delay is disappointing, we'd rather take the time to get it right.”
Personally, I would much rather have a quality product hit the shelves a few months late than have a buggy unit in the middle of the winter. (I live near Boston, and don't ride through the winter, but I guess if you live in L.A., it would be a bigger disappointment.) Yea, it stinks that there’s a delay, but I think this underscores the quality operation Garmin is; in not wanting to go to market before the unit is absolutely ready. The Edge 705 has a lot of new capabilities, including mapping, routing and of course the wireless features that allow you to swap and share data and routes with all of your biking friends who also have Edge 705’s. I am not sure I can drop the money for the 705, but the mapping capability plus the fitness functions are fantastic. I bike a fair amount and am looking forward to using a new Edge myself.
In the end, look at it this way; you’ll still have a new Edge 705 in time for your first spring ride!
Thanks to GPSLodge reader John G. for picking up on this and sending this in.
So you thought your 4.3-inch widescreen was big, how about this whopper. The Mio C728 has a huge 7-inch widescreen and the usual audio video capabilities. Should be nice to hang and watch your favorite movie, oh, and maybe navigate too. The unit comes with the super slim look of the recent Mio C520 units, and the split screen navigation that I really liked on the C520 (Read my Review of the C520).
Nicely enough the Mio C728 also comes with build in TMC traffic, a nice addition to the package.
No word on availability for the US. I check into it and get back with any updates.
The TomTom ONE XL-S was officially announced today, the XL unit gets a bump with the addition of Text-to-Speech (TTS). On the heels of the TomTom ONE 3rd edition which added the ver. 7 operating system, MapShare and TMC traffic (optional) skipped the text-to-speech, but a nice little up-version itself. Text-to-Speech is quickly becoming the must-have feature in GPS units, with recent market entries at or below $200 with Text-to-Speech, the market pull is there.
The TomTom ONE XL-S will include the version 7 operating system, which includes MapShare capability, Help ME! Button and a slightly improved interface.
The Mio C230 is a standard screen GPS follow-up to their Mio C220 model that established a solid entry in the GPS market below the $200 price point. The Mio C230 unit adds text-to-speech to the entry level that will quickly set the pace for other makers to add text-to-speech to the low ends of their lines (we hope). I like text-to-speech a lot and will be happy to see more text-to-speech models in this price range.
With the Mio C230 you still get SiRF star III chipsets, and maps of the US (of course, right?). The unit does not offer some of the higher end features like Bluetooth handsfree phone capability, or video playback.
NAVTEQ has announced a contract extension with Microsoft, providing them with traffic data through their Traffic.com acquisition. This comes on the heels of the Inrix announcement that they too will provide traffic data to Microsoft.
So while Microsoft wants the best coverage, and they can afford to spend in ways others can’t to have sometimes redundant coverage, NAVTEQ reminded us of the traffic war between the two providers in their press release. “NAVTEQ Traffic remains Microsoft Corp.'s preferred provider of traffic information...” – ouch them’s fightin words.
Anyway, competition is good, and we’re the benefactors of better traffic coverage. Onward with more miles of covered roads and flow data….
Navigon has a rebate out on their Navigon 7100 and 5100 models; $50 off either one of them.
The rebate is good for units bought between now and then end of 2007, as long as the rebate is postmarked within 30 days of purchase.
The $50 rebate drops the widescreen Navigon 7100 to about $400 and the standard screen Navigon 5100 to about $350. Remember, both come equipped with lifetime subscriptions to traffic feeds, and Navigon’s Reality View simulation that helps you see what lane to be in at complex intersections.
So, the GPS is #5 on the Holiday Gift Wish List - always #1 on the list around here at the GPSLodge. Not surprised that the GPS got on the list, as so many people are figuring out how easy life can be with a GPS guiding the travels. We'll continue to review GPS units as fast as we can coming into the holiday shopping craze to give you a read on what's worth buying and what's not. Stop by our full list of hands on full GPS reviews - we've used them all, and walk through the good and the bad.
Standard Screen Units
The Nuvi 250 is ~ $300 this week ($301), while the Nuvi 200 is $235.- down again this week. See my Hands on Review of the Nuvi 200/250 for an idea of how well this will perform. Maps are the only difference: Nuvi 200: Continental U.S., Hawaii and Puerto Rico (no Alaska or Canada detail), Nuvi 250: All of North America (no Mexico).
TomTom ONE 2nd ed. - $224. I would recommend skipping it and spending the extra few bucks on the TomTom ONE 3rd Ed. (The 3rd ed. has optional traffic alert inputs; 2nd ed does not. You get upgraded functionality without going through the steps to upgrade the unit via your computer. Saves an hour's worth of computer work. If you want to upgrade yourself, see my post on Upgrading your TomTom ONE.
The Mio C220 is selling around $167 through Amazon sellers. Read my Review of the Mio C220. However, at this point, I would recommend the Mio C230 instead. Same price, and you get Text to Speech capability for $189.
The #1 selling GPS is the Garmin Nuvi 350 still at about $366. I believe that the Nuvi 350 is the best value out there – great capabilities at a very good price. More info on the Nuvi 350.
The Widescreen Garmin Nuvi 200W ($327) and 250W ($374 - Down $20 last week). Costco has the Nuvi 250W for $299 valid through 10/28 - thanks Bill for sending in. I recently posted my review of the Nuvi200W/250W.
The Nuvi 650 offers the widescreen and no Bluetooth or traffic for $444.
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.
Garmin has a $30 rebate on their Garmin Topo U.S. 2008 MapSource DVD - Price is about $50 online. Rebate good through 12/31/07 for upgrade only. Rebate form here (pdf)
More non-news and speculation on the Garmin Mobile Phone coming out yesterday as Investor’s Business Daily mentioned the possibility of Garmin coming out with a Mobile Phone GPS navigator combo unit. The backstory of course is that Noika is making the move into GPS navigation in a bigger way by pulling in NAVTEQ, while Garmin is moving the other way with a mobile phone launch. My hunch is that neither market would be easy to get into in a quality and solid entry.
Garmin Spokeswoman Jessica Myers said, “We announce 70 products a year so there are a lot of concepts and ideas that we look at, however that's not in the immediate plans. I can't say we're never ever going to do it. I mean, we've already done it." And they have – it was called the Garmin NavTalk.
Garmin already got into the mobile handset market in 1999 with their Garmin NavTalk model, and were clearly ahead of their time with a navigator and mobile phone in one. Navigation and Location Based Services have taken huge leaps since then, and I would imagine that the offerings these days would be a lot more marketable.
As an aside, a lot of people were really critical of the Nokia NAVTEQ deal and its effect on Garmin when the news was announced; driving the stock down below $95 from its perch at or around $119. Uncertainty must have worked their way through the system, as Garmin stock closed yesterday at a more solid $113.
4 Tips to Keep Your GPS from Falling off the Windshield
There are a lot of GPS mount styles out there, and anyone who has read my reviews knows that it’s something that I comment on when I don’t like them. I have gotten a lot of email lately about GPS units falling off windshields, and people ask about how to keep that from happening. My personal favorites are cam lever action mounts, like Garmin and Mio, but even those can fall off the windshield if you don’t take care to get a good connection. Here are some tips to keep the GPS on the windshield:
1) Clean the suction cup - make sure dust and stuff isn't on it; I stuff my GPS units under the seat and the suction cup collects lint on it. I wipe it off before mounting.
2) Clean the windshield - gunk on the windshield will make it not stick as well.
3) Mount the mount alone - I notice that with some models I cannot mount the mount well when pushing on the GPS AND mount together. I lose leverage, do the mount and then add the GPS. This is especially true for TomTom units with their press on mounts.
4) Push HARD - I have noticed that the TomTom mounts seem to adhere in 2 stages - lightly adhered and locked on. Push lightly and the thing may fall off, but push hard and I am pretty sure it will stay on. For other cam lever ones, keep the mount firmly against the windshield to get a good clean mount as you engage the cam lever to lock it to the windshield.
A new survey out says that you aren’t alone in wanting a GPS, as the geek-toy is turns mainstream more and more people realize how great they can be. While not number one, the GPS Navigation System is still in the top ten for holiday wish list items according to a recent survey of 1,200 Americans. Topping the list was an HDTV, of course, while computers (laptop and desktop) took up two places and a digital camera was on there for a lot of people.
1. flat screen high definition TV set - on the wish list of 35%
2. laptop (windows) (20%)
3. digital camera (17%)
4. desktop PC (14%) 5. GPS navigation unit for the car (10%)
6. cell phone (10%)
7. digital video camera (9%)
8. Nintendo Wii (9%)
9. Sony PS3 (7%)
10. Blu-ray or HD-DVD player (6%)
So read up on my reviews, and figure out what GPS is right for you, and they jump on the bandwagon and come January, you won’t be getting lost.
So Garmin had a pretty good day yesterday pumping the airwaves with special values for all of those couch surfing bargain hunters, so special in fact, that QVC let a press release rip to mark the occasion. So apparently QVC has a “Today’s Special Value” feature that launches one product at a bargain price for that day; the result was 51,000 Garmin Nuvi 250W sold out by late in the afternoon. QVC is backing up that GPS systems will be hot this holiday season, and I think so too. If anyone knows the price they were offering these for as part of the "Today's Special Price" program, let us know and leave a comment. They have them at list price now, I am just curious about what they sold these through for.
I fully expect to see GPS systems at or below $99 this year on Black Friday and everyday prices well under $200 for big name units. While not quite a stocking stuffer, the prices will get a lot of them wrapped up as presents this year.
If you are interested in Garmin, the US market leader in GPS units, then you might be interested to learn a bit more about one of their founders and current CEO, Min Kao. He and co-founder Gary Burrell left Allied Signal in 1989 after being frustrated with the pace of innovation and founded Garmin. Their first product, a $2,500 GPS for aircraft, had a 5,000-unit backlog after an early tradeshow appearance. The rest is history. With a PhD in electrical engineering, Min Kao has the confidence and ability to guide in-house development and manufacturing of their units. They are now selling millions of GPS units to consumers as the market for GPS devices has exploded.
Traveling with a laptop and need a mouse and a GPS? The DeluoGPS Mouse may just be your answer. The small ergo travel mouse has a GPS receiver hidden under the scroll wheel and mouse buttons to allow you to use mapping software with one convenient attachment. The Deluo GPS mouse is available with the MS Streets & Trips software package for about $130 or the GPS mouse alone for about $99.
Thought I would post some guidance on the Sunday Staples Flier - some good deals and some not so good deals. Overall, Staples can be a great place to get a deal on a GPS; they offer door-bustin' prices every now and then, but have some pretty high prices on a normal day to day basis. Usually most bricks and mortar store fliers have terrible prices with their "Specials" being priced far above regular everyday prices from trusted online sites like Amazon. (Don't even get me started on Best Buy - bottom line is they rarely are the best buy.)
TomTom ONE - $199 - very good price on a good navigator. TomTom has one of the easiest interfaces, second to Garmin in my mind, and is the best value for the money at this price. Well worth the extra $20 over the Magellan.
Mio C220 - $149 - very good price for this entry level GPS. See my Full Review of the Mio C220 for more performance details. Note: The Mio C230 was recently released and if you want to stay in the Mio family, the Mio C230 has a brighter screen and Text to Speech. The Mio C230 is $189 at Amazon.
Garmin Nuvi 200 - $349 then add to cart and add coupon to save another $100; Net $249. For reference, the Nuvi 200 is $244 at Amazon with free shipping. Your call. I like the Nuvi 200/250 units, good interface; no text-to-speech. See my Full Review on the Nuvi 200/250.
Magellan Maestro 4000 - $299 - Amazon has the Magellan Maestro 4000 for around $280. Either get the cheaper price online or seriously consider the Garmin Nuvi 200W for $334 at Amazon with free shipping. Much better interface/ easier to use.
Not a whole lot happening this week in the GPS World, other than the potential Game changing earth shaking announcement Monday that Nokia is buying NAVTEQ!
Also if you are new to the GPSLodge, I'll point to our list of hands on full reviews that will let you see our thoughts on some of the most popular units on the market.
Standard Screen Units
The Nuvi 250 is ~ $300 this week ($301), while the Nuvi 200 is $244. Both very nice prices for these units. See my Hands on Review of the Nuvi 200/250 for an idea of how well this will perform. Maps are the only difference: Nuvi 200: Continental U.S., Hawaii and Puerto Rico (no Alaska or Canada detail), Nuvi 250: All of North America (no Mexico).
TomTom ONE 2nd ed. - $230 with FREE SHIPPING. Curiously up in price. I would recommend skipping it and spending the extra $18 on the TomTom ONE 3rd Ed. (The 3rd ed. has optional traffic alert inputs; 2nd ed does not. You get upgraded functionality without going through the steps to upgrade the unit via your computer. Saves an hour's worth of computer work. If you want to upgrade yourself, see my post on Upgrading your TomTom ONE.
The Mio C220 is selling around $189 through Amazon sellers. Read my Review of the Mio C220. However, at this point, I would recommend the Mio C230 instead. Same price, and you get Text to Speech capability for $189.
The #1 selling GPS is the Garmin Nuvi 350 still at about $366. I believe that the Nuvi 350 is the best value out there – great capabilities at a very good price. More info on the Nuvi 350.
The Widescreen Garmin Nuvi 200W ($334) and 250W ($374 - Down $20 this week) have dropped in price to be very competitive. Costco has the Nuvi 250W for $299 valid through 10/28 - thanks Bill for sending in. I recently posted my review of the Nuvi200W/250W.
The Nuvi 650 offers the widescreen and no Bluetooth or traffic for $445.
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.
Garmin has a $30 rebate on their Garmin Topo U.S. 2008 MapSource DVD - Price is about $50 online. Rebate good through 12/31/07 for upgrade only. Rebate form here (pdf)
Garmin is getting into sponsorships big time with events kicking off at this weekend's Chicago Marathon. This program is part of a push into the fitness arena with their recently announced Forerunner 50 fitness watch that anchors a line of more sophisticated Forerunner products. As part of its growing sponsorship program that focuses on many of the biggest races in the nation, Garmin is proud to contribute to the marathon that brings 45,000 runners to the hometown of its flagship retail store on Michigan Avenue. Also this weekend, runners and supporters will get their first chance to test and purchase Garmin’s newest fitness watch, the Forerunner 50.
Garmin is also going to be sponsoring the NYC, Las Vegas Marathon and the PF Chang's Rock n Roll Marathon and half marathon.
The Nuvi 760 was recently announced and will hit the stores soon but in the meantime if you are looking for a quick demo of its capabilities, cruise on over to their site to see a short flash movie of some of the features.
The Nuvi 760 is a slim widescreen unit that offers traffic alerts, bluetooth handsfree capabilities and an FM transmitter to hear verbal directions (and music from the built in MP3 player) over your car's stereo.
Via Michelin announced that its ViaMichelin Navigation X-970 portable GPS is now available in North America. The X-970 is the first such device to be integrated with exclusive Michelin content. The unit can be hooked up to the computer and you are able to download Michelin content from the Michelin website to the device. So information about your travel plans car be sent to the unit after working them up on the website. The X-970 is a 3.5-inch widescreen unit that is also Bluetooth handsfree capable.
Garmin introduced Garmin Mobile XT, an all-in-one software solution that turns select smartphones with internal GPS into high-end Garmin navigators. Garmin has certainly recognized the coming wave of mobile smartphones and plans a place in their future. (I find it interesting to see Nokia coming the other way from phones to stand alone GPS.)
Garmin Mobile XT mobile phone software application seamlessly pairs the phone's built-in GPS with Garmin's software so that customers have the benefits of navigation anywhere in North America or Europe. Garmin Mobile XT offers convenient preloaded maps and includes access to dynamic content like premium real-time traffic alerts and fuel prices, but does not require any monthly fees or subscriptions of any kind. The cost is $99, which compares well to the $10/mo the wireless companies want you to pay.
One interesting feature is the PeerPoints feature that allows you to find friends who also run the Garmin Mobile XT software. This sounds similar to the capabilities of the RINO 530 HCx, (see my review of the RINO 530 HCx) that uses the FRS GMRS radio system to find friends (on a very local basis). I thought it was a great feature, and as long as you trust your friends (of family), it's cool to be hooked together.
CNet has their review up of the Mio Digiwalker C230,and overall they rated it pretty well for an entry level device. The editors lambasted the Mio C220 for its dark screen which I agree was not as bright in use as I would have liked, but was very passable for an entry level GPS. The Mio C230 has made a change to a brighter screen and CNet seems to think that it's acceptable now.
The big thing that Mio has done is to offer Text-to-speech in this little device. The unit is a cleanly designed device that runs the Mio Map software that is running on all of their current models, so it should be familiar to anyone who has read my recent reviews of Mio GPS models.
I have a Mio C230 in for review right now, and am in the process of evaluating and writing it up. In the meantime, if you would like to see what Bonnie Cha and the folks over at CNet think of the mio C230, check them out.
In a not so surprising development, NAVTEQ is being bought by Nokia; in the wake of TomTom’s acquisition of TeleAtlas, the other major map maker, I am not surprised to see the acquisition news. I am surprised to see that it’s Nokia though. The acquisition cements Nokia’s desire to be a more active player in Location Based Services (LBS), and in connecting people to places.
The price is $8.1 billion, or $78 per share. Reports indicate that NAVTEQ talked to several suitors before landing on Nokia. No doubt the weak dollar played to Nokia’s favor.
Is Garmin Next?
In light of Nokia’s recent GPS/PND introductions, one has to imagine the potential for Nokia to make an overture for Garmin, not content to stop at just acquiring the map content. While mobile phones are going to play an as yet to be determined big role in navigation, stand alone devices are going to be around for a long time. Nokia has to be envious of Garmin’s market position. So while Garmin’s stock was hit pretty hard today, off about 12% all day, as most analysts think that the GPS maker would suffer under the NAVTEQ/Nokia deal, one has to imagine that life for Garmin could be better after the deal, either indirectly (Nokia drives vast improvements in the NAVTEQ capability) or directly (Nokia buys interest in Garmin).
Never a slow ride in this fast developing market. Stay tuned.
The Garmin Nuvi 750/760/770 is the new top of the line model set for late 2007, and will carry some new software features and hardware design elements into the new year. It was announced at the end of August at the Berlin electronics show. The hardware design is a carry-over from the Nuvi 200W series design that drops the external flip up antenna that was a feature on the older Nuvi lines (Nuvi 300 series and Nuvi 600 series). The new 700 series adds a few software tweaks that are worth mentioning:
Route planning - create itineraries ahead of time and optimize them.
Where Am I button - Similar to TomTom's Help Me button, this is a fast way to get to a few key bits of information like your current location (in case you need to tell emergency responders), and quick buttons to get to the closest hospitals, gas stations, and police stations.
Slightly re-designed interface that maximizes the usability and use of the widescreen format.
The Garmin Nuvi 750/760/770 has integrated TMC traffic that comes with the unit. After a 3-month trial subscription, you would need to pay the roughly $70 annually to get the traffic feeds.
Well, this is a heck of an ad for a GPS device. "Mio - There's always a way out" Don't know yet where this is airing, but it's pretty edgy if it's for the US.
Harman Kardon GPS-310, GPS-510, GPS-810
Continue reading: 
TomTom released earnings this past week and things are looking good again at the GPS maker, as they beat earnings estimates. They sold 83% more units than the same period last year, and as a result, had 21% sales growth, resulting in a profit up 36% over last year. Not bad numbers, and TomTom upped their estimates for number of units sold from 8-9 million this year to 9-10 million units this year. The holiday season is only a few weeks away and has to be a test of how anyone is doing in the GPS market. 
There are a lot of GPS mount styles out there, and anyone who has read my reviews knows that it’s something that I comment on when I don’t like them. I have gotten a lot of email lately about GPS units falling off windshields, and people ask about how to keep that from happening. My personal favorites are cam lever action mounts, like Garmin and Mio, but even those can fall off the windshield if you don’t take care to get a good connection. Here are some tips to keep the GPS on the windshield:
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