Dual Electronics Turns iPod Touch Into A PND

by Jennifer Johnson — Thursday, November 12, 2009, 03:08 PM EDT

Later this month, Dual Electronics plans to ship one of the first kits that will convert your iPod Touch into a PND (portable navigation device). The GPS Navigation & Battery Cradle will enable the iPod Touch to receive a GPS signal and to use location-based service applications.

Dual Electronics' system consists of a snap-on module and a window mount kit as well as a GPS application. The module snaps on to the back of the iPod Touch and has a built-in GPS receiver with a rechargeable battery. The unit also has a built-in speaker to amplify voice prompts and a mini USB port and audio-out jack to connect to a car stereo. The system works with the NavAtlas turn-by turn application (free from iTunes) that is based on the GMap app. A windshield mounting kit and charging cable are also included.

We've seen other GPS kits such as TomTom's recently introduced model, but they only work for the iPhone. The GPS Navigation & Battery Cradle will offer text-to-speech pronunciation of street names along with maps of the US and Canada. It is expected to cost $179. By comparison, TomTom's iPhone GPS kit costs $119 plus $99 for the application.

Tags: App Store, itunes, ipod touch, GPS, navigation

Jennifer Johnson

Jennifer grew up around technology. From an early age, she was curious about all things related to computers. As a child, Jennifer remembers spending nights with her dad programming in BASIC and taking apart hard drives to see what was inside. In high school, she wrote her senior term paper on her experiences with building custom computers.

Jennifer graduated from the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. After college, she began writing full-time for various PC and technology magazines. Later, she transitioned to the Web. In these roles, Jennifer has covered a variety of topics including laptops, desktops, smartphones, cameras, tablets, and various consumer electronics devices. When she's not playing with or writing about the latest gadget, Jennifer loves to spend time with her family, capture memories with her camera, and scrapbook.

Opinions and content posted by HotHardware contributors are their own.