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.
Harman Kardon GPS-310, GPS-510, GPS-810
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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. 
