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‘PND’ Stories

Google Maps Navigation headed to iPhone & other platforms

Chris Davies, Apr 23rd 2010 Discuss [0]

The launch of Google Maps Navigation on UK Android 1.6 and 2.x handsets this week could be just the beginning of the software's spread, according to the company's spokespersons. They confirmed that Google intends to push the free turn-by-turn app to other platforms, including Apple's iPhone OS, though they declined to give a definitive timescale for the launch. Hugo Barra, director of mobile products at Google, described the navigation market as having "been stagnant for a while" and in need of Google's "innovating". Read The Full Story

TomTom Start2 budget PND revealed

Chris Davies, Mar 30th 2010 Discuss [0]

TomTom have outed their latest entry-level PND, the TomTom Start2, and if you prefer to keep your navigation separate from your cellphone then it's a budget way to avoid getting lost. The Start2 packs a 3.5-inch touchscreen along with RDS-TMC automatic traffic reports using TomTom's IQ Routes system. Read The Full Story

TomTom add lifetime maps/traffic to $200+ PNDs

Chris Davies, Mar 29th 2010 Discuss [0]

One of the more compelling aspects of a smartphone-based PND app that uses online mapping data is that you don't need to worry so much about the maps going stale; as long as the provider is on the ball, they can update their servers and you'll spend less time accidentally trying to turn the wrong direction up one-way streets. Now TomTom are fighting back, with a new deal for certain PND models in their TomTom XL and TomTom XXL ranges that will deliver lifetime map and traffic updates. Read The Full Story

Magellan RoadMate 3065 Commuter PND pre-downloads traffic data to avoid jams

Chris Davies, Mar 24th 2010 Discuss [0]

If you've ever used a PND (or a PND app on a smartphone or similar) with automatic traffic updates, you've probably experienced the frustration of the device warning you about an upcoming jam while you're already snarled up in it. Magellan's latest standalone PND, the RoadMate 3065 Commuter Edition, reckons it can change all that: rather than starting to look for traffic updates when you begin your journey, "Traffic Wakeup" powers up the device at a preset time so as to cache the road conditions in advance. Read The Full Story

Mio Moov V780 MID gets hands-on video: promising but pricey

Chris Davies, Mar 3rd 2010 Discuss [1]

Mio's Moov V780 hybrid MID/PND device certainly has potential, at least going from the spec sheet, with a 7-inch WVGA capacitive touchscreen, WiFi b/g and optional 3G and WiMAX, together with 720p HD video output capabilities. What we didn't know was pricing, and according to jkkmobile - who caught up with the Moov V780 at CeBIT 2010 this week - that may be where the Mio tablet hides its sting. Still, there are hints of an Android update in the future, and a bit of a surprise about the CPU. Video demo after the cut Read The Full Story

Alpine and Nokia partner on in-car Ovi Maps integration

Chris Davies, Mar 3rd 2010 Discuss [0]

Start telling people your smartphone PND app is just as good - or better - than what the dedicated sat-nav device manufacturers are producing, and eventually someone is going to call you on it. Happily for Nokia, the people doing the calling are Alpine and what they're calling for is Ovi Maps integration - either via USB or Bluetooth - with their in-car head systems. The partnership will pipe Nokia's voice-guidance prompts through Alpine speaker systems, and put on-screen graphics onto your in-dash LCD. Read The Full Story

Mio Moov V780 PND blurs lines with MID/UMPC features

Chris Davies, Mar 1st 2010 Discuss [1]

It's tough going being a standalone PND manufacturer these days: you can either refine your GPS devices to suit extreme niches or try to incorporate some extra functionality and jump on board the MID bandwagon. Mio have obviously decided to take the latter route with the Moov V780, a 7-inch WVGA touchscreen slate which goes so far outside of the company's PND realm that the GPS chipset is actually optional. Read The Full Story

Philips GoGear Connect Android 2.1 PMP/PND

Chris Davies, Feb 24th 2010 Discuss [0]

Philips have revealed their plans to take on the PMP and PND markets in one fell swoop, with the upcoming Philips GoGear Connect. An Android 2.1 based device, with a touchscreen and trackball, the GoGear Connect will not have integrated cellular connectivity - it won't replace your smartphone - but it will be able to tether via Bluetooth or hook up to a WiFi hotspot. Video demo after the cut Read The Full Story

Casio EX-10HG hybrid-GPS digicam coming October for $400

Chris Davies, Feb 23rd 2010 Discuss [0]

Casio's concept GPS-enabled camera, shown at CES 2010 last month, has been given a release schedule and estimated price tag. Photography Bay have been pestering Casio for details at PMA 2010, and the company have confirmed that the Casio EX-10HG is expected to go on sale in October this year, costing around $400. Read The Full Story

Garmin-Asus nuvifone A50 hands-on

Vincent Nguyen, Feb 16th 2010 Discuss [1]

The first nuvifone took its time reaching the market and met with disappointing reviews when it finally made it, so you could argue the bar is set low for the Garmin-Asus nuvifone A50. The first in the model range to run Android, we grabbed some hands-on time with the A50 at MWC 2010 this week; turns out, the partnership have learnt plenty from their first efforts, and while the smartphone won't knock HTC off their perch it joins the ringing death-knell of standalone PNDs. More first-impressions after the cut. Read The Full Story

TwoNav Sportiva PND: custom maps, eye-searing color

Chris Davies, Feb 10th 2010 Discuss [0]

GPS company TwoNav have outed their latest PND, and like the company's previous model there's a whole lot of lurid green on offer. The TwoNav Sportiva, like the Aventura before it, is compatible with custom mapping data, so you can pretty much load whatever topography you prefer - including scanned maps, even - for tracking on the handheld's 3-inch transflective touchscreen. Read The Full Story