TomTom Introduces Wide Screen XL 330S

TomTom has rolled out a new wide screen XL 330S for people who frequently require navigation devices while driving their cars. This device has an ultra compact design and belongs to the award-winning car navigation product portfolio of TomTom. The TomTom XL 300S is an upgrade from the very popular TomTom ONE XL and differs by adding text-to-speech and TomTom's Map Share technology on top of the very popular 4.3" widescreen display which comes equipped with a 480 x 272 resolution, with its 64,000 colors the screen is ultra bright. Included with the TomTom XL 300S are maps from TeleAtlas that include all of the United States of Canada with millions of points of interest in both countries. Lets face it - roads change quite often. You now have the ability to change the pre-loaded maps. With this new technology you are now able to mark inaccessible or accessible streets, change street names, and change the direction of a One Way street. You can share your changes that you've made on the TomTom XL 300S, or you can download other user changes with the TomTom HOME software. The TomTom XL 330S also comes with the TomTom Plus Services which include real time traffic and weather; "Help Me!" Emergency Menu which gives one-touch access to local emergency providers, such as police, fire stations, and hospitals and a host of their intersting features. The TomTom XL 330-S is a good choice for someone who wants a basic GPS that they can customize.

Expand your Horizons with the New TomTom ONE XL

The TomTom ONE XL has everything you need to make your trip safer, more relaxed and more fun, this device offers all the navigation basics with the same user-friendly interface and accurate directions. The TomTom One XL features a spacious 4.3-inch touch screen, and comes preloaded with North American maps. The system is easy to use and provides accurate driving directions. For those times you need to make additional stops, planned or spontaneous, the One XL offers a comprehensive POI that includes all the major categories, including gas stations, ATMs, lodging, and restaurants, to more specialized interests, such as beaches and concert halls. The ONE XL provides clear and accurate turn-by-turn voice instructions, so that you don't have to take your eyes off the road while your vehicle is on the move. Voice instructions are issued at a speed-sensitive volume, so as your vehicle's engine becomes louder or quieter as your speed changes, the volume adjusts itself accordingly, guaranteeing clear and easy listening. And because voice instructions are available in over 30 languages, just about anyone will find the TomTom ONE XL to be an invaluable system. With all these features above, the TomTom One XL offers ease of use, accurate directions, and a good navigation experience that you so desired.

Garmin nüvi 205W Out with Easy-Touch Display

The Garmin nuvi 205W is one of Garmin's newest entry level navigators and, as part of the nuvi 2x5 series, it's loaded with features previously unavailable in the nuvi line or found only in high-end models. With nüvi 205W's widescreen display, you'll always get the big picture. View map detail, driving directions, photos and more in bright, brilliant color. Its sunlight-readable, 4.3-inch display is easy to read — from any direction. The 205W can save a total of 1000 custom locations and waypoints, 500 more than its predecessor. This GPS also features free (ad-supported) lifetime FM traffic updates, as well as MSN Direct support for traffic and content services. The 205W can also find the closest essential services (hospitals, police and gas stations) as well as the nearest addresses and intersections. Navigation continues to be very good with the Nuvi 205W, and offers a variety of ways to select your destination, with a very complete POI listing of stores, businesses, and other municipal locations. The approximately 6 million POI's are broken down to 14 categories that make sense, allowing you to look at the category listing by closest proximity. If you had a specific location in mind, you can then search within that category by spelling out the name. Tap on one location and you can see the address, the phone number with the option to see the map of the location and then go there if you decide that's where you want to go. The 205W is compatible with optional enhanced MSN Direct content (subscription and receiver required) and free Garmin Garage where you can download animated vehicles that show your location on the map. It also comes with Garmin Lock, an anti-theft feature. Enhance your travel experience with optional plug-in microSD cards such as Garmin Travel Guides for detailed data on attractions.

The Garmin nuvi 260W

The Garmin nuvi 260W is a member of Garmin's popular entry level nuvi 200 series. Although for the most part the functionality and the basic layout of the menu are the same there are some improvements.
First being a huge 4.3" widescreen LCD, it offers better resolution. The screen is brighter, more vibrant and sharper. It's very nice to look at. This unit is very sleek and slim, which is great, because you can just take the unit with you very easily. You can literally just stick it in your pocket.
It also has text to speech, meaning it will actually say "turn right in 300 meters on Elm Street". It's very useful if you want to know exactly what to street to turn on without looking at the screen. Sure it butchers some names, but that's fine and expected. You can even change the voices to a bunch of different accents. You can even download extra voices from Garmin's servers.
The nüvi 260W is built with a high-sensitivity GPS receiver for extreme accuracy, as well as an SD card slot for storing your media and additional navigation tools, and a USB interface for loading data.
All this is wrapped up in a package that measures 4.8 x 2.9 x 0.8 inches (W x H x D) and weighs just 6.6 ounces. The nüvi display is touchscreen-enabled, making it a cinch to control the device with your fingertips. A rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides up to five hours of battery life depending on use.

Garmin nüvi 765T Loaded with full Coverage Map for the US

The nüvi 765T comes preloaded with highly detailed City Navigator NT road maps from Navteq for the entire United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. This map database features nearly six million points of interest (POIs), including hotels, restaurants, gas stations, ATMs, and attractions. Garmin's interface is a key to their success and one of the things that makes their devices such a pleasure to use. Simple controls and sub-screens make it easy to enter or search for destinations and get data about your trip.
This device that has dimensions of 4.8 Width x Height 3.0 x Depth 0.08 (i.e 12.2x7.6x2.0cm) and a Weight of 6.48 ounces (183.8 grams) comes with with an integrated GTM 20 FM traffic receiver designed to receive alerts about traffic tie-ups and road construction that might lie ahead on your route. The bright, 4.3-inch touchscreen display gives is anti-glare for ease of viewing during the day and automatically changes its color profile for easy viewing at night or in dim light.
It offers 2d or 3D perspective views. The widescreen format gives you 70 percent more actual screen area than a 3.5-inch screen. Primarily this translates into a better view of the area through which you are driving. This is especially useful in showing you what parks, restaurants, ATM, gas stations, etc. are nearby, or in letting you know whether a detour is a good idea. Also, the device itself is larger, meaning controls on the screen are more widely spaced and somewhat easier to push.
It also features 3D buildings, lane assist and lifetime traffic alerts from NAVTEQ. Take advantage of Garmin's first premium traffic service without subscription fees. 3D navigation with lane assist provides drivers a clear picture of what lies ahead on their route, including road sign detail and arrows indicating the proper lane for navigation.

Garmin nüvi 760 Comes with Advanced Navigation Features

The Garmin Nuvi 760 is the flagship GPS of the Garmin auto line and it comes with nearly all of the advanced features GPS users look for, a widescreen display, Bluetooth hands free calling, live traffic reporting, and an FM transmitter.
The nüvi 760 comes ready to go right out of the box with preloaded City Navigator NT street maps and millions of points of interest (POIs) such as hotels, restaurants, fuel stations, ATMs and more.
Simply touch the color screen to enter a destination, and nüvi takes you there with 2-D or 3-D maps and turn-by-turn voice directions. It even announces the name of exits and streets so you never have to take your eyes off the road. In addition, nüvi 760 accepts custom points of interest, such as school zones and safety cameras and lets you set proximity alerts to warn you of upcoming POIs.
Garmin has also added the ability for customers to add custom points of interest (POI's) from third parties such as school zones and safety cameras.

Get Good Navigation Experience with TomTom ONE 125

The new TomTom ONE 125 comes to the market at a time of intense competition and high expectations for the major GPS makers as they vie to marketshare and the attention of the millions of shoppers who are discovering the wonders of not getting lost and actually getting to where you want to go without stopping, backtracking or imagine that, asking for directions at a gas station.
It has a range preinstalled maps, which is easy to see thanks to the 3.5 inch LCD touchscreen. Turn-by-turn instructions make getting to your destination simple.
The TomTom ONE 125 has a variety of pre-loaded non-text to speech voices to choose from. It equally has the same variety of non-text to speech voices too; in several english accents for fun if you like. They are clear and easy to hear, with plenty of volume.
The integrated EasyPort Mount means you never have to figure out where to stow a mount in your car, and you never leave a sign for potential thieves that there might be a tempting electronic prize under your seat. The entire unit, mount and all, is small enough to fit into a shirt pocket, so just fold it up and go!

Garmin nüvi 650 GPS Navigator

Driven with its bright and generous display, Garmin is proud to announce the new nuvi 650 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator which is a perfect personal travel assistant when you're on the road!
This device comes with great navigation features including a preloaded and detailed City Navigator NT road maps for the entire United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico; the database also provides you almost six million points of interest such as hotels, restaurants, gas stations, ATMs, and other attractions that you can stop over for emergencies as well as relaxation. This preloaded navigator brings all this fantastic map data to your fingertips with a super-bright, 4.3-inch widescreen display for improved map viewing, day or night.
The map data is powered by NAVTEQ, a world leader in premium-quality mapping, which only means staying connected with your loved ones would be easy.
With other features such as vehicle suction cup mount, vehicle power cable, dashboard disk, USB cable, and quick reference guide; with all these amazing features, definitely the Garmin nvi 650 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator is a wonderful companion and assistant when you're traveling.

Reviewing the Garmin nüvi 255W

Garmin nüvi 255W is a high-sensitivity GPS receiver with a 4.3-inch (480 x 272 pixels) WQVGA widescreen touch screen and non-waterproof casing. Its features are high sensitivity, HotFix compatible GPS receiver, voice-prompted turn-by-turn direction that speaks street names and built-in travel kit with picture viewer.
The nuvi255W has the slim design that Garmin introduced with the nuvi 200-series last year, so they all fit comfortably in your pocket or purse. It also has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that makes them convenient for navigation by car or foot.
New to the map screen are the direction of and distance to next turn indicator in the upper left corner of the screen, which when pressed brings up a detailed turn preview as the unit speaks the next turn instructions.
It comes ready to go with preloaded City Navigator NT street maps of the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico that feature more than six million points of interest (POIs), including hotels, restaurants, fuel, ATMs and more. It even announces the name of exits and streets so you never have to take your eyes off the road. Simply touch the color screen to enter a destination, and nuvi furnishes turn-by-turn voice directions, 2-D or 3-D maps and smooth map updates as you navigate. In addition, the nuvi 255W accepts custom POIs, such as school zones and safety cameras.
Other improvements for nuvi 255W include the HotFix feature (mentioned earlier) - a predictive technology that provides faster satellite lock; a redesigned screen with more information, terrain maps, and new photo navigation feature.

Garmin nuvi 260

The Garmin nuvi 260 is the nicest of Garmin's budget-line nuvi 200 series. This is a basic unit that has Garmin's intuitive interface and something the other 200 series units don't have -- the ability to call out street names.
Like other devices in the series, the 260 will really excel for pedestrian use thanks to the "hold" switch at the top of the device that prevents accidental touch screen input if you put the device in your pocket. The small size and good battery life will also make this device an excellent choice for pedestrians.
nüvi 260 comes ready to go right out of the box with preloaded City Navigator NT street maps, including a hefty points of interest (POIs) database with hotels, restaurants, fuel, ATMs and more. It even announces the name of exits and streets so you never have to take your eyes off the road. Simply touch the color screen to enter a destination, and nüvi takes you there with 2-D or 3-D maps and turn-by-turn voice directions. In addition, nüvi 260 accepts custom points of interest (POIs), such as school zones and safety cameras and lets you set proximity alerts to warn you of upcoming POIs.
In the box you get the Nuvi 260, suction cup mount, and a power cable for your car. Many people might want to pick up the optional AC power adapter for faster charges outside of the car. There is an SD card slot, however the maps and application are stored in an internal memory, so most people will probably never use that card slot. But if you want to add maps of locations not covered, an SD card pre-loaded with those maps is a great way to go.
nüvi 260 includes many travel tools including JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more. It also comes with Garmin Lock, an anti-theft feature, and is compatible with our free Garmin Garage where you can download custom vehicles that show your location on the map. Enhance your travel experience with optional plug-in SD cards such as Garmin Travel Guides for detailed data on attractions.

Garmin Announces its Nuvi 205 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

Garmin International is pleased to announce the nuvi 205 affordable GPS navigator. With easy to use touchscreen displays, the model can route to addresses, restaurants, hotels and more with turn by turn directions and voice guidance.
With a dimesion of 3.8W x 2.8H x 0.8D and a Weight of 5.2 ounces, the nüvi 205 sports a sleek, slim design and fits comfortably in your pocket or purse. Its rechargeable lithium-ion battery makes it convenient for navigation by car or foot.
It comes preloaded with City Navigator NT map data for the contiguous U.S. or one European region or country Simply touch the colour screen to enter a destination, and nüvi takes you there with turn-by-turn voice directions, 2-D or 3-D maps and smooth map redraw rates as you navigate. Its digital elevation maps show you shaded contours at higher zoom levels, giving you a big picture of the surrounding terrain. In addition, nüvi 205 accepts custom points of interest (POIs), such as school zones and safety cameras and lets you set proximity alerts to warn you of upcoming POIs. With HotFix satellite prediction, nüvi calculates your position faster to get you there quicker.
The 205 is compatible with optional enhanced MSN Direct content which provides premium content such as traffic updates, weather, gas prices, enhanced movie listings, stock info, news, local events and a send-to-GPS feature for trip planning. This device also offers five million points of interest, including hotels, restaurants, gas stations, ATMs and attractions.

Nextar X3-T GPS Comes Packed with Great Features

Nextar presents the Nextar X3-03 3.5" Slim GPS Navigation System with MP3 a built-in MP3 player that will entertain you with your favorite tunes on an optional SD card.
Finding an address or any of 1.6 million points of interest such as the nearest gas station or restaurant is a snap anywhere in the U.S. or Canada. Just enter information in the X3's 3.5 inch touch screen and let the voice prompt and detailed map guide you to the destination.
The Nextar X3 will provide you with worry free navigation on even the most complex routes! This product comes with built-in maps of the 50 United States and Canada, 1gb built in Flash Memory, built in rechargeable Lithium ion battery, 2D or 3D map viewing mode, Day and night mode, small case design with rear speaker, Navteq Map on board, Intel processor, and a built in SIRF III receiver.

Garmin GPSMap 60Cx Review

The Garmin GPSMap 60Cx is an updated version of the GPSMap 60C. The 7.5-ounce GPSMap 60Cx now features an insanely accurate, high-sensitivity GPS receiver by SiRF that tracks your position even in tree cover and canyons. Plus, you get a bright, sunlight-readable color TFT display.
The other significant upgrade is that the 60Cx no longer utilizes the unit's built in memory for MapSource maps, but loads them to a microSD card instead (the unit comes with a 64 MB card). This means you have unlimited map storage capability, plus you can use some of the newer MapSource software that is available only on SD cards.
Downloading information is quick with the USB or serial port interfaces. Using the dedicated serial port, the 60Cx can share navigation instructions with repeaters, plotters, and autopilots. The four-position rocker pad and dedicated high-use buttons make navigating through the unit's features easy, even when your fingers are cold or wet.
Finally, this unit features a new, highly sensitive GPS receiver that acquires satellites faster and lets users track their location in challenging conditions, such as heavy foliage or deep canyons.

Garmin Nuvi 255

The Garmin nüvi 255 comes ready to go right out of the box with preloaded City Navigator® NT street maps, including a hefty points of interest (POIs) database with hotels, restaurants, fuel, ATMs and more. It even announces the name of exits and streets so you never have to take your eyes off the road.
Like the rest of the nüvi 2x5-series, nüvi 255 sports a sleek, slim design and fits comfortably in your pocket or purse. Its rechargeable lithium-ion battery makes it convenient for navigation by car or foot. With its "Where Am I?" emergency locator, you always know your location. Simply tap the screen to get your exact latitude and longitude coordinates, the nearest address and intersection, and the closest hospitals, police stations and fuel stations.
Navigation continues to be very good with the Nuvi255, and offers a variety of ways to select your destination, with a very complete POI listing of stores, businesses, and other municipal locations. The approximately 6 million POI's are broken down to 14 categories that make sense, allowing you to look at the category listing by closest proximity.
Navigation is just the beginning. nüvi 255 includes many travel tools including JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more. With photo navigation, you can download Google Panoramic pictures via our Garmin Connect Photos website and navigate to them. The 255 is compatible with optional enhanced MSN Direct content and our free Garmin Garage where you can download animated vehicles that show your location on the map. It also comes with Garmin Lock, an anti-theft feature. Enhance your travel experience with optional plug-in microSD cards such as Garmin Travel Guides for detailed data on attractions.

Garmin Introduces Astro, the GPS Dog Tracking System

Garmin is introducing a new product, the Astro, which is specifically designed for hunters, but works really well for folks running other kinds of dogs that require tracking.
It comes with a bright color-screen handheld GPS device and a wireless transmitter, called the DC 20. The DC 20 is a wireless transmitter that transmits a signal to your Garmin Astro 220 handheld GPS Dog Tracking Device. Simple and easy to use, you just take the Astro outdoors and turn on both units to acquire a GPS satellite signal, then attach the DC 20 to your dog, either via the included neoprene harness or by threading it onto an existing 1-inch e-collar, and you're ready to go.
The Astro collar gives location updates as often as every five seconds. Astro can track up to ten dogs per "Handheld GPS" receiver at one time. The Astro's high-sensitivity GPS receiver can track your dog's DC 20 transmitter signal up to five miles away in open territory. The Astro features a Covey Counter, which lets you place a special waypoint that tells you the exact location, time of day and elevation where you found your prey, as well as the number of birds flushed and taken from that location. The Astro also lets you save other important waypoints, such as Truck and Lodge, and choose special icons to represent food plots, tree stands and other hunting-related items.
The full-featured Astro handheld has all the same functions as Garmin's top-line handheld outdoor devices, including a barometric altimeter, a microSD card slot for maps, celestial information and an area calculator, as well as optional detailed city street maps, over 6 million points of interest, and exact turn-by-turn directions. This unit has an extremely rugged construction, with an IPX7 waterproof exterior that can withstand full immersion in water up to 1-meter deep for up to 30 minutes, and a revolutionary 3-axis compass that works no matter how the handheld is oriented.

Raytheon Executive Nominated for DoD

William Lynn III, the top Raytheon executive, has been chosen by Obama and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates for the position of deputy secretary of Defense. William will also stand the opportunity to serve as co-chairman of the National Executive Committee for Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing if he is nomination is favored.
Lynn, the Pentagon's chief financial officer for four years under former President Bill Clinton, currently is a senior vice president at missile-making Raytheon.Lynn's credentials appear ideal for the deputy secretary postition; a deep resume that includes Clinton administration service as the Pentagon's top financial officer and overseer of strategic planning, six years on the staff of Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass, and honors for his efforts to improve defense accounting practices.
In recognition for his relentless service to the country, Lyn has also received three DoD medals for distinguished public service, the Joint Distinguished Civilian Service Award from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and awards from the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
In addition he was awarded the 2000 Distinguished Federal Leadership Award from the Association of Government Accountants for his efforts to improve defense accounting practices.
He currently serves as senior vice president of government operations and strategy at Raytheon Co. and this has raised questions about his nomination because he is a lobbyist and it is against the ethic set by president Obama.

IIR-20 Now Ready for Launch in March

The delayed launch of the GPS satellite that was meant to carry the first payload to transmit the L5 signal June last year has now been confirmed to lift off by on the 24th of March. The reason why the scheduled date of June last year was cancelled was due to vehicle problems which has now been fixed.
The IIR-20(M) satellite carries the new frequency channel L5 demo payload. It is the first of its kind and no currently orbiting GPS satellites have the capability to transmit on this frequency. If the IIR-20(M) satellite is not launched and transmitting the L5 signal by 26 August 2009, the U.S. government loses the allocation for that frequency.
June was not actually the first time IIR-20(M) has been delayed, it has experienced some set back before then. But looking to the future now, all is set for the grand launch in March. GPS IIR-20(M) is a crucial satellite because it has a civil L5 test signal in the navigation payload. At 1176.45 MHz, the L5 signal, which will be the third frequency on all Block IIF satellites, is a protected aeronautical radio-navigation service band.
Many future plans for GPS are centred around the L5 signal structure and frequency, it is therefore essential for the future GPS programme that the IIR-20(M) satellite capable of transmitting the L5 signal is launched.

Garmin eTrex Vista Review

Outdoor enthusiasts and anyone looking for adventure will love the Garmin eTrex Vista GPS receiver. eTrex combines intuitive, easy-to-use features and a rugged exterior into a lightweight package that is only four inches high and two inches wide.
The Garmin eTrex Vista comes with 24Mb memory for maps, and a basemap which can be used as a guideline at best. It can handle 500 waypoints, which are locations you choose, either on the spot and on the unit, or through the Mapsource software and downloaded to the Garmin through the data cable. The Garmin eTrex Vista performs to the IPX7 standard, which basically means that it is waterproof and can handle up to 30 minutes under one meter of water. It has an electronic compass, and a barometric altimeter. It fits in a shirt pocket. It takes 2 AA batteries.
With its high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver, eTrex Vista HCx locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover and deep canyons. The advantage is clear — whether you're in deep woods or just near tall buildings and trees, you can count on Vista HCx to help you find your way when you need it the most.
Adding maps is easier than ever with Vista HCx's microSD card slot. Conveniently plug in optional preloaded microSD cards with MapSource data for your land and sea excursions. Just insert a MapSource card with detailed street maps, and Vista HCx provides turn-by-turn directions to your destination. The card slot is located inside the waterproof battery compartment, so you don't have to worry about getting it wet.
It also comes with 24 MB of internal memory which makes it possible to store an enormous amount of data from Garmin's optional MapSource CDs, turning the eTrex Vista into an interactive road atlas. The memory isn't expandable, but 24 MB is enough to store street-level data for entire states in some cases.
The unit had firmware upgrades done as they became available on the Garmin website.

Reviewing the Garmin Colorado 400t

The Colorado 400t comes with rugged, advanced handheld is packed with detailed topographic maps for all your hiking adventures not to mention 3-D map view, a high-sensitivity receiver, barometric altimeter, electronic compass, SD card slot, picture viewer and color display.
Colorado's preloaded U.S. topographic maps, 3-D map view and a built-in worldwide basemap with shaded relief give you all the tools for serious climbing or hiking. Map detail includes national, state and local parks and forests, along with terrain contours, elevation information, trails, rivers, lakes and points of interest. Just in case you're wondering how steep that hill really is, Colorado's 3-D map view helps you visualize your surroundings — giving you a better perspective of the elevation.
It comes with Rock n Roller wheel that stands out so prominently on the top face of the unit. The wheel, referred to as a Click Wheel by iPod fans, is a way to navigate all menus and options in the new interface.
With Colorado 400t you can share your waypoints, tracks, routes and geocaches "wirelessly" with other Colorado users. Now you can send your favorite hike to your buddy to enjoy or the location of a cache to find. Sharing data is easy. Just select "send" to transfer your information to other Colorado units.
If the description above suite your need you can order for one because when the going gets tough, Colorado leads the way.

Garmin eTrex Vista HCx

Built for the outdoor man, the Garmin e-Trex Vista HCx features a high sensitivity GPS receiver, electronic compass and a barometric altimeter.
With this high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver, eTrex Vista HCx locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover and deep canyons. The advantage is clear — whether you're in deep woods or just near tall buildings and trees, you can count on Vista HCx to help you find your way when you need it the most.
At a tiny 4.2"H x 2.2"W x 1.2"D and only 5.6 ounces with batteries, the Vista won't weigh you down or take up too much room in your pocket or bag. Whether you are in a canyon, under heavy tree cover or in a city with tall buildings the Vista HCx will guide you along safely.
The Vista HCx includes the "routable" Americas Recreational base map, including major highways, interstates and bigger lakes and rivers. The maps look great on the 1.3 "x 1.7" high resolution color TFT display and it is even viewable in direct sunlight. The Vista HCx has a microSD card slot for memory cards that will accept detailed maps from Garmin's Optional MapSource software. With the Mapsource City Navigator North America software you will be able to get visual turn-by-turn guidance on this tiny wonder. Garmin is also offering some of their more popular MapSource titles, like the Topo USA, BlueChart Americas, and City Navigator Europe, on Pre-Programmed microSD cards. Blank microSD cards are available in multiple storage sizes to hold loads of maps.
Other features include: storage for 1000 way points with symbol, 10,000 tracklog points, stopwatch, hunting/fishing calendar, and trip computer.

TeleNav Launches New Features for its Shotgun PND

TeleNav is one of the largest wireless navigation services provider in North America and the company recently push their lead a step further when it announced the addition of new features including automated mileage capture to its recently launched TeleNav Shotgun, a two-way Internet-connected GPS (global positioning system)-based personal navigation device (PND) and it is targeted at business travelers.
Apparently, the addition of new mileage tracking feature into TeleNav Shotgun device will allow customers to be able to track miles driven with one click, thereby saving time as well as resources spent in compiling expense reports. A driver/traveler can record mileage on specific routes. The user can as well start and stop tracking miles at any time when receiving turn-by-turn navigation or while in map 'follow me' mode. Mileage captured can be attributed and sent to any client, job or other notation they choose.
Users of TeleNav Shotgun who is interested in viewing and downloading reports of mileage calculated can log into "My TeleNav account" and then view and download reports as Microsoft (News - Alert) Excel or Adobe PDF files. Mileage information will be available on My TeleNav account for up to 24 months, says company.
In addition, TeleNav also offers its customers to have easy access to ratings and reviews for various points of interest (POIs), such as restaurants, cafés, shopping malls, hotels, hospitals and more on the TeleNav Shotgun device. Before heading to a restaurant or making a reservation at a hotel, the user can check business ratings and reviews on the device.
Sal Dhanani, co-founder and senior director of marketing for TeleNav explained that their team is constantly thinking about technology that the company can create to make travelers' lives easier. "Many of us are frequent travelers ourselves, so we know the pain. TeleNav Shotgun is not just another GPS device. It's a business tool," he said.
Current TeleNav Shotgun customers with TeleNav Connected Service will automatically receive an alert on their device to download the new features over the wireless network at no additional cost and it is available for purchase on TeleNav's Web site.

ITC Bannished SiRF for Infringing Broadcom's Patent

Affirming the initial judgment that Sirf Technology infringes on three Broadcom patents related to improving global positioning system (GPS) processing and sensitivity, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has now issued an exclusion order against SiRF. Last year an ITC administrative law judge found that SiRF infringed on six GPS-related patents held by Global Locate, a subsidiary of Broadcom. 
Later in the year the ITC upheld three of those patents while holding off on the other three pending further review.  As expected, the Commission ruled in favour of Broadcom, issuing an exclusion order against SiRF's infringing GPS chips and products containing these chips imported by certain SiRF customers and cease and desist orders against SiRF and specified SiRF customers.
Broadcom's vice president for intellectual property litigation,David Rosmann, in a conversation said "We are optimistic that the ITC orders will become effective after a 60-day statutory review period so that U.S. Customs may begin enforcement and prevent any further patent infringement."The infringement findings cover a range of SiRF products, including those incorporating the SiRFstarIII(TM) and SiRFInstant(TM) GPS architectures and the six patents at the center of the dispute are United States patents 6,417,801; 6,937,187; 6,606,346; 7,158,080; 6,704,651; and 6,651,000 – relating to extended ephemeris assistance, calculating time in GPS receivers, enhancing sensitivity in assisted GPS systems, and implementing hardware structures for parallel correlation.
In his statement, Kanwar Chadha, founder of SiRF said "We are pleased that the commission followed the Federal Circuit's Kyocera ruling, which significantly limits the impact to our customer base. While disappointed with the commission's ruling as it relates to its patent infringement findings regarding SiRF's earlier products, we continue to work closely with the named customers to conform with the commission's ruling and enable them to maintain uninterrupted product delivery to market."
All of the Global Locate patents are US patents so SiRF will likely have to make some changes if it wants to continue supplying American-sold GPS systems.  It's a pretty hard blow for the semiconductor manufacturer, especially in the current economy.  And the worst part for the GPS chip maker is that it's not over yet.

Trimble Lowers Q4 due to Market Uncertainty

As the crisis in the economic plunges deep into the international market, many manufacturers are left in uncertainty and Trimble is not an exception. The company announced that it has lowered its fourth quarter (Q4) 2008  revenue with a great margin owing to what it describe as market uncertainty especially from the engineering and construction sectors.
Trimble expects fourth quarter 2008 revenue in the range of $268 to $269 million and earnings per share of $0.22 to $0.24. Trimble will discuss its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2008 financials in detail in its regularly scheduled conference call on February 3, 2009.
The opening remark by its president and CEO, Steven W. Berglund, reveals the company concern about the market melt down that has been the major concern of many international companies for sometime now. He said "During our last conference call we discussed the abrupt decline in demand that began in mid-September in our Engineering and Construction segment as a result of uncertainty in the financial markets.
This uncertainty continued through the fourth quarter, making cash conservation the priority within our end-customer group and distribution channel. As a result, customers have dramatically reduced discretionary capital spending in the U.S. and Europe and dealers have tightened inventories. While we anticipated a difficult fourth quarter, the scale of the revenue shortfall exceeded our expectations. In response, we took additional cost-reduction measures this month to realign cost and revenue and restore our financial model. These actions, in combination with those taken in 2008, have resulted in a cumulative company-wide reduction in headcount of approximately 10 percent.
The effect of these reductions will not be fully reflected until the second quarter of 2009. The decline in quarterly earnings per share, when compared to the prior year, principally reflects the loss of incremental gross margin from the revenue shortfall and some non-recurring costs, partially offset by a significant, structural tax savings."
Expressing more worry about the 2009, the president emphasied that the outlook for the Engineering and Construction segment in 2009 is unclear. Although we do not believe the fourth quarter represents baseline performance because of the inventory effects, the impact of foreign exchange rates, and the relative collapse of confidence, it is not possible to reliably forecast this business at this time. Our current planning assumption for the Engineering and Construction segment is that the first quarter will reflect conditions similar to those in the fourth quarter.
In another unrelated development, the comapny announced that it is supporting CTO Dennis Workman, despite questions over his academic record, specifically his advanced degree in physics. Trimble acknowledged Monday that it has received inquiries relating to
Workman's academic credentials, which have also been the subject of several recent press reports. The company has confirmed that Workman attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 1967 to 1968 as part of a Ph.D. program in physics.

MiTAC Acquires Consumers GPS business of Magellan

Magellan has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of MiTAC International Corporation with the completion of its purchase of the Consumer Product Division of Magellan Navigation, Inc. by MiTAC.

The new entity will be called MiTAC Digital Corporation and Magellan will continue to operate under the Magellan name and logo.

Mitac plans to keep the Magellan brand name for some GPS devices, with the Mio brand used for other products.This implies that the Mio and Magellan brands will continue to operate independently in the United States but will share technology expertise. In addition, Mio revealed that while it will still offer in-car GPS, the company will move forward to develop a number of GPS-based lifestyle products that extend beyond portable navigation devices.

Apparently Magellan has been struggling in the past few years, with plummeting market share, leadership departures, and delayed product releases; it has however managed to retain a strong brand identity in the United States and elsewhere, namely Europe.

At CES 2009, Mio Technology unveiled several new PNDs that will hit the market in the first half of this year. The stylish devices span the full range from entry-level to premium and are packed with easy-to-use features that enhance a user's experience. Each comes preloaded with Mio "Spirit" navigation software, which offers fast search and navigation. The company also displayed its first concept Mobile Internet Device, which demonstrates Mio's progression toward unique lifestyle products. The purchase of the Magellan Navigation Consumer Products Division by MiTAC is effective immediately.  MiTAC is currently overseeing the integration of Magellan into the company's global operations.

 

 

EADS Acquires UK Satellite

The European's leading space company, EADS Astrium, has acquired Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), the innovative University of Surrey spin-out company which specializes in the design and manufacture of small satellites and subsystems.
This landmark deal provides the financial and industrial resources required for SSTL's expansion and future development. Completion of the acquisition was subjected to obtaining the relevant regulatory approval from the European Commission in December 2008 and was announced by EADS CEO Louis Gallois at a briefing for the media last month.
Colin Paynter, CEO for Astrium's U.K. unit while expressing his confidence that the acquisition would bring about positive changes to his company said "This is great news that we have acquired SSTL. The UK space industry is in a strong position at present - at Astrium we have a healthy order book and we are recruiting engineers, scientists and technicians to build telecommunication and scientific satellites. Acquiring SSTL means we will have a substantial complement to what we can offer customers around the world - SSTL has expertise in small satellites and an innovative approach to developing new markets for space."
The interest to acquire EADS Astrium by SSTL was develop following a decision by the University of Surrey to sell its majority stake of 85 percent in the small satellite manufacturer it founded. However, SSTL will remain an independent UK company with its individual brand and unique approach to space following the agreement, while benefiting from access to the resources of a large corporation including design, manufacturing and test facilities.
Astrium is one of the world's leaders for its expertise in space transportation, spacecraft and satellite services including prime contractor for Ariane 5, the Columbus space laboratory and the Automated Transfer Vehicle for the International Space Station, and its leading-edge large and complex geostationary telecommunications satellites, and the Skynet 5 secure communications system for the UK Ministry of Defence. SSTL will complement Astrium's existing space capabilities that include space transportation, satellites and services.