Items tagged with PND
We hate to admit it, but we're having a hard time remembering the last time Garmin spat out a new range of navigators, but it's not surprising. While these things were once hot commodities in the consumer realm, many drivers have reverted to using in-dash GPS systems or their smartphone to get from Point A to Point B. Nevertheless, there's still lingering demand from folks who'd like to upgrade their standard, standalone GPS unit, and that's what the 2012 line of nüvis are about. This new range contains advanced Guidance 2.0 and 3.0 navigation engines for a faster, more intuitive user interface and enhanced features that result in Garmin’s most capable navigators yet. The nüvi...
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Standalone GPS units aren't the hot commodity that they once were. But that's not saying that companies are halting the innovation behind them. Magellan's a good example of that; this week they introduced quite the unique accessory for a solo PND, with the RoadMate Safety series GPS units gaining compatibility with a new wireless back-up camera. Combining this camera with a Safety Series GPS navigator expands Magellan's focus on safety and security to the full time you are in your car. It starts when the Back-Up Camera helps you safely reverse out of your driveway, continues through your commute with premium GPS navigation features, and does not end until the Back-Up Camera helps you park the...
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We're not even trying to think about what our lives would be like without GPS. We'd be back to maps, struggling to determine which direction will take us from point A to point B. Thankfully, the world we live in is filled with navigation options, including the Magellan RoadMate 9055-LM. This large vehicle nav solution is now being equipped with free lifetime map updates, hands-free calling and extra content thanks to an AAA partnership. It's the first large screen from Magellan to offer free lifetime map updates, and it's just one of a growing many that offer such a feature. The device has a gigantic 7" WVGA screen, which should be viewable by even backseat drivers. It's preloaded with maps of...
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Navigating around in a car is one thing, but now that the summer is upon us, it's time to think about renting that RV you've been dreaming about, packing up, and driving across the country. Rand McNally has just introduced their newest PND, the RVND 5510, which is described as the first navigation device designed specifically for RVers. The device includes legal (including propane and other RV-only), height and weight restrictions, right or left-turn preference based on eleven different RV types, and a quick reference to the Rand McNally Road Atlas. There's also turn-by-turn spoken and text directions, as well as 14 million points of interest (things like festivals, and National, State, and Regional...
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TomTom's new line of VIA navigation devices is now available for purchase. This new line features a sleek new design, an enhanced software platform, and premium safety features such as Intuitive Voice Recognition and Bluetooth Hands-Free Calling. Among the VIA Series, you'll find the 4.3-inch VIA 1405 and 1435, as well as the 5-inch VIA 1505 and 1535. Models with Lifetime Maps and/or Lifetime Traffic are also available. TomTom Announces Availability of VIA Series in North America New Series Introduces Important Safety-Enhancing Features to Mid-Range Models CONCORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TomTom, the world’s leading provider of location and navigation products and services, today announced...
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Nuance is working to make it easier for electronics manufacturers and app developers to integrate voice recognition capabilities into their devices. Recently, the company announced a new pre-packaged app that will provide PND manufacturers and mobile navigation developers the tools they need to provide voice-enabled navigation in their products. With Nuance's VoCon Navigation, users will get many popular navigational features such as Nuance's One-Shot Destination Entry, text-to-speech capabilities, dialog flow, broad language support, and more. Nuance Unveils VoCon Navigation for Personal Navigation Devices and Mobile Navigation Apps New Pre-Packaged App Module Enables Quick and Easy Integration...
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Navmii, a publisher of GPS location-based applications, announced a free navigational app for the iPhone and iPad. The new NavFree USA provides many of the features you'd expect from a turn-by-turn navigational app including the ability to search for an address, view points-of-interest, automatic re-routing if you miss a turn, and more. The free software also provides voice instructions along your journey. With NavFree USA, maps are started on your device, so you won't have to worry about incurring excess data fees if you're on a limited plan. NavFree USA: Free Turn-by-Turn GPS Navigation For iPhone & iPad Free, high quality, easy to use, voiced navigation with OpenStreetMap data Maps stored...
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Sony announced its first in-dash car navigation systems. Powered by TomTom technology, the new Sony XNV-770BT (7-inch widescreen display) and XNV-660BT (6.1-inch widescreen display) A/V navigation systems feature many of TomTom's navigational features such as IQ Routes, Advanced Lane Guidance, Quick GPSfix, and MapShare. The units will have more than 6 million preloaded points of interest. The new systems also offer rear USB-1 wire connectivity so you can hook up your iPod or other digital music player to the unit. SONY AND TOMTOM TEAM UP TO DELIVER PREMIUM IN-DASH A/V NAVIGATION SYSTEMS Two New Models Feature Innovative Navigation Technologies, High-contrast Screens and More SAN DIEGO, Sept....
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Garmin introduced new personal navigation devices designed to suit a variety of lifestyles and budgets. The nüvi 2200 and nüvi 2300 families feature multi-stop route planning, route previews, and nüRoute technology with trafficTrends and myTrends. In addition to these new models, the PND manufacturer also introduced the nüLink! 1695 which is designed to give users accurate, up-to-the-minute information via a number of connected features. The nüvi 2200 series features a 3.5-inch touchscreen. It includes Garmin's ecoRoute fuel-efficient navigation to help you conserve fuel. The models in this family can remember the destinations you travel to most frequently and will use...
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Garmin's newest navigation machines were completely unlike any before them, looking more like a smartphone and less like a traditional in-car PND. TomTom's latest don't really leap that far forward in design, but they do offer a few new features that are rather attractive for avid road warriors. The new XL 350 and XXL 550 range of navigation devices incorporate a refreshed user interface, with two of the main new features being lifetime traffic updates and low-cost map updates. All TomTom products in the XL 350 and XXL 550 range include TomTom’s new EasyMenu user interface, which offers sharp graphics and a simple touchscreen menu that provides quick access to search tools so that users...
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Free iPhone apps are a plenty, but some are definitely better than others. Falling into the "better" category is the new MapQuest 4 Mobile iPhone app. Not only will this app turn your iPhone into a personal navigation device, but the latest version will also give you basic spoken instructions that tell you where to turn. Another cool feature of MapQuest 4 Mobile is its Energy Saving mode that lets you dim the screen while still hearing voice instructions. This saves precious power when your iPhone's battery is running low. Although the app won't automatically reroute you if you miss a turn, it will inform you when you're off route and provide a "Reroute Me" option to get back on track. Sure,...
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Just before the weekend, Sanyo held a lunchtime press conference in Japan to show off its latest line of Gorilla series personal navigation devices (PNDs), including the NV-SD740DT, NV-SB570DT, and NV-SB550DT.According to Sanyo, all three models significantly shorten the time it takes to detect your current location. By analyzing signals for the "location information," "time information," and "trajectory information" from four different satellites, the new PNDs are able to pinpoint your location in as quick as 10 seconds after boot. Serving as somewhat of a wet blanket, however, Sanyo also says this can take several minutes depending on receiving conditions.All three models also come with 16GB...
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iPhone users now have another GPS option for their phones. Magellan GPS recently announced the Magellan RoadMate App for iPhone for the United States and Puerto Rico. The app uses the same interface as the company's dedicated personal navigation devices. Feature highlights include:Spoken street name guidanceHighway lane assistIn-app music controliPhone address book integrationPedestrian ModeMost current maps provided by NAVTEQThe Magellan RoadMate App does not have any recurring subscription fees and is available for use on the iPod touch (2nd generation) with the Magellan Premium Car Kit (sold separately). The app is available at an introductory price of $39.99....
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In the early days of personal navigation devices, it wasn't unheard of for a PND to have preloaded maps of a single region rather than the entire U.S. Today, most PNDs come preloaded with a full map of the U.S.; many offer maps of Canada, Europe, and/or Mexico as well. Although having access to these maps can be useful, it can also be costly. That's why NAVIGON is announcing a customizable version of its iPhone navigation app, MobileNavigator, with regional map access. The new NAVIGON MyRegion offers a lower cost than the full-blown MobileNavigator by letting you buy just one region (Eastern, Central or Western U.S.). If you need additional regions later on, you can always unlock them using an...
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There's no doubt that tablet PCs are all the rage in 2010, but that big-screen bandwagon seems to be bleeding over into various other realms of consumer electronics. Take Mio, for example. The relatively unknown navigation company has made big waves this past week at CeBIT thanks to the unveiling of their Moov V780. What makes this unit stand out from similar devices from Garmin, TomTom and all of those other guys is the massive display. At 7" diagonally, it's easily one of the largest GPS panels out there.The massive touch panel is just the beginning, as this 2010 iF Design Award winner also includes a full-scale multi-media player and a carry case with an integrated keyboard and optical tracking...
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The personal navigation device market just got a bit more competitive. Following in Google's footsteps of offering free navigation to users of Motorola's DROID smartphone, Nokia recently announced its own plans to begin offering free map updates and navigation services to smartphone users. As Jukka Hosio, director of Nokia's services marketing, told a press conference in Helsinki, "We are offering global car and pedestrian navigation in 74 countries, in 46 languages ... Ovi Maps becomes completely free from this moment onwards." With the announcement, Nokia increases pressure on PND manufacturers such as Garmin and TomTom, who are likely to suffer as smartphone sales with built-in navigation...
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Following in the footsteps of Google, Navigon, and Nextar, TomTom is promising free map updates for select GPS navigation systems starting in the second quarter of this year. Although details as to which models will be included in this offer are scant at this point, TomTom tells us that the updates will be available to users by simply connecting their navigation devices to TomTom HOME. Registered users will be notified of map updates as they become available. TomTom uses Tele Atlas maps, which are generally updated on a quarterly basis. TomTom Introduces Lifetime Map Updates in North America Feature to be incorporated in wide range of TomTom devices throughout 2010 CONCORD, Mass. -- TomTom, the...
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Cydle, one of South Korea's biggest electronics makers, plans to make a big splash at the 2010 CES trade show with the announcement of a portable GPS system that has built-in HD Radio and free HD live traffic updates. The new T43H from Cydle is part of the company's line of wireless digital devices that combine navigation with entertainment, offering GPS, Live HD traffic updates, HD Radio, rich multimedia, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, black box, mobile TV, and more. “The car should be a haven,” said Woody Lee, U.S. director of sales, Cydle. “Whether a driver needs accurate traffic information and alternate routes to get somewhere on time, wants to watch a video of his or her family while on a business trip,...
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NAVIGON announced the fourth free update (version 1.4.0) to its MobileNavigator iPhone navigation App. The update now integrates Google Local Search into the application and offers new functions such as enhanced pedestrian navigation, an audiobook mode, directions in a turn-by-turn list format, an Emergency Help function, geographic Coordinate Input, and more. The latest version of the software uses the iPhone's connectivity capabilities to enhance the navigation experience with services such as Traffic Live and Google Local Search. In addition, users now have access to the most up to date point of interest search results. Until January 11, 2010, NAVIGON has reduced the price of the MobileNavigator...
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Navigation systems have been a luxury add-on option to many vehicles for some time now. With the exception of the Suzuki SX4 however, a built-in navigation system with a new car generally cost at least $1,000 if not much more. Given the plethora of personal navigation devices from the likes of Garmin and TomTom, as well as the many options available for a wireless phone, there are plenty of people who don't see the need to spend this type of money for an in-dash system. This could change, however, as Nissan plans to offer a $400 navigation system in some of its 2010 MY products. While a $400 price tag may seem a bit steep in some people's eyes, consider that this is the same price as Ford's LCD-less...
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TomTom is adding a special edition of the TomTom XXL to its family of products. The new TomTom XXL 540S World Traveler Edition delivers TomTom’s premium technologies, optimal routing, and latest maps of the U.S., Canada, and Europe on an extra-large, five-inch screen. The TomTom XXL 540S World Traveler Edition uses TomTom’s proprietary IQ Routes Technology to help users drive the best and most efficient routes whenever and wherever they go. This technology uses historical speed measurements to help determine the fastest route based on the time of day and the road segment. Key features of TomTom XXL devices include: Full maps of the U.S., Canada and EuropeTomTom Map Share technology, so users...
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TomTom's Live connected service is making its way onto the XL series in the new TomTom XL 340S LIVE. The new TomTom XL 340S LIVE will likely feature many of the popular features found on the original model, including IQ Routes, TomTom MapShare, Advanced Lane Guidance, and text-to-speech. It will also have LIVE features such as fuel price updates, local Google Search, real-time traffic information, weather forecasts, and a feature called QuickGPS Fix which is suppose to speed up satellite location. AT&T's network will provide the wireless data that powers TomTom's LIVE Service. TomTom Unveils New Connected GPS, the TomTom XL 340S LIVE New TomTom XL 340S LIVE first mid-range GPS to feature...
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