Navigon 8100T brings together a very large 4.8 inch (12.2 cm) widescreen display and Navigon’s new Panorama View 3D. The screen size is significantly larger than the common 4.3 inches and has only really been seen before in in-dash mounted units such as those from Pioneer [LINK]. The Navigon 8100T is a value for money offering with many other noteworthy features including; voice destination entry, lane assistance, free real-time traffic updates, Bluetooth hands-free and text-to-speech voice guidance.

To meet it’s challenging performance demands, particularly the visual interface, the Navigon 8100T is powered by a 533 MHz Samsung 2443 processor, has a built-in graphics accelerator and runs the Microsoft Windows CE Net 5.0 operating system.
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iGolf GPS Caddie II is one of the new GPS golf course aids the popularity of which attests to their usefulness in lowering ones scores and handicap. Unlike laser based aids, golf GPS devices do not require a line of sight to provide distances (1-3 yards accuracy). The unit is a very portable size being light (6.3 oz) and handheld compact at 4.62 x 2.18 x 1.31 inches. The casing is weather-resistant and of durable construction for surviving the knocks it may have to endure around the golf course.

The display is a high-contrast LCD Screen (120 x 160 pixels). The GPS Caddie II displays the distance to the front, center, and back of the green as well as up to eight custom points per hole for water features, bunkers etc. Utilizing knowledge of your average shot distance with each club from the shot distance feature makes your club selections and course strategies more accurate.
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The iGolf Neo is the smallest golf GPS device on the market with a small price that’s a new entry price point for the market. A small size does not mean that features have been sacrificed. The iGolf Neo has been made possible by recent size and power reductions achieved by GPS receiver manufacturers reflecting what we have seen with cell phones.

Key features of the Neo match features you will find in other golf GPS devices and include:
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Garmin’s Oregon 200, 300, 400i, 400c and 400t series is a rugged mapping handheld GPS navigator which is a technological leap ahead of the Garmin Colorado series. Prime advances are the touch screen display, state-of-the-art 3-D map view (giving an elevation perspective) and application modes.

The Garmin Oregon is intended to be a reliable tool for campers, hikers and hunters alike being waterproof and built to withstand the associated rigors including humidity, water (waterproof to IPX7), dirt and bumps. Other notable features of the Garmin Oregon are the high-sensitivity receiver, microSD card slot, picture viewer and wireless sharing capability. All models except the 200 have a barometric altimeter for more precise altitude readings and an electronic compass for getting your heading while standing still.
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Transflective LCD displays are commonly used for displays intended for use in direct sunlight such as handheld GPS units. In low light (indoors) transflective (transflective = transmissive + reflective) displays use backlighting. In bright light (sunlight) they reflect light off a mirrored surface behind the display to boost backlighting making the display more legible and reducing power consumption. Only the area of the display exposed to sunlight increases its light output making the difference in brightness between the shaded and lit areas far less than would be the case for a transmissive display.

Transflective screens are a more expensive option for GPS manufacturers and they also lack some of the sharpness and resolution of transmissive displays can produce but, if you can’t see a transmissive display clearly in sunlight it’s a moot point.

Transflective LCD Display Resources

Transreflective LCD monitors for sunlight - Irontech Industrial Displays

The Geko 201 and Geko 301, are simple, inexpensive, small, lightweight and waterproof (IPX7), WASS-enabled (10 feet / 3m accuracy) handled GPS trackers. They are not map based rather providing a means of keeping a log of your track and guiding you back to your camp or vehicle where you started using the Geko TrackBack feature. At the end of your trip the Geko’s trip computer can provided the statistics on how far and fast you’ve traveled.

The Geko 201 and 301 have a 64 x 100 pixel black and white LCD display and can be operated with only the 5 buttons on the front of the unit. As mentioned the Geko’s are waterproof to IPX7 enabling them to endure 30 minutes submergence without damage.
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Garmin’s nuvi 205 / 2X5 (both designations have been used by Garmin) series has been expanded from just the 205 and 255W to include the Garmin nuvi 265T, 265WT and 275T. Garmin advertise the 205 series as their simple-to-use, low-cost personal navigator. The new models add two popular premium features – traffic alerts (signified by the T) and hands-free calling. Significantly, the new models come with lifetime traffic alerts rather than an introductory subscription. The lifetime traffic alerts from NAVTEQ Traffic mean there are no extra subscription costs for the data to allow you to steer clear of traffic accidents, road closures and construction. Bluetooth hands-free connectivity provides the convenience and safety of being able to place and receive phone calls, using the unit’s built-in microphone and speaker, without taking your eyes off the road ahead.

Differences between three additional models are minor (fully detailed below). Briefly, the nuvi 265T is the base model while the 265WT has a 4.3 inch widescreen (vs 3.5 inch) and the nuvi 275T has Transatlantic maps (North America + Europe) vs North America only for the other two models.
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Garmin’s 705 series is the next evolution of the nuvi 700 series and includes four models (Garmin Nuvi 755T, 765T, 775T and 785T) with the T at the end signifying that they all have a traffic receiver. The slim, pocket-size design is common across the range fitting with their Travel Assistant designation by Garmin.

New features to the nuvi 705 series are Lane Assist (helpful lane guidance on junction views), Garmin’s HotFix satellite prediction (faster position determination), auto time zone transitioning, 3D Building views and lastly Garmin Connect Photos enabling photos to be used to visually work out your position. In their press releases, Garmin have highlighted the nüvi 705 series also features accelerated map-drawing and routing capabilities.
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The Sony GPS-CS1KASP is a GPS based position logging device which work with virtually any digital camera and compatible Sony Handycam camcorders. You simply carry the GPS-CS1KASP with you as you shoot photos and/or video and it will record your current location every 15 seconds utilizing data from the inbuilt GPS receiver. Later, on your PC Sony’s new Picture Motion Browser software(v. 3.0) will incorporate the location data into your photo metadata (geotag) allowing your video route to be traced and photos plotted using the Google Maps mapping service.

Digital cameras store images to an EXIF (exchangeable image file format) specification which includes the image itself (jpeg, tiff etc.) and some metadata. The image metadata includes the time-of-shot data as well as geographical information including latitude, longitude, altitude and even bearing. The Picture Motion Browser software correlates time and geographical information and annotates the metadata for each image. Any difference between camera time and GPS time is automatically compensated for.
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The Spot Satellite Messenger with GPS Tracking is a convenient sized (2.75 x 4.38 x 1.5 inches) safety device for use on adventure trips. Carrying it with you allows interested friends and family to follow your progress in real time or be sent alerts with your precise location. Importantly, the Spot Satellite Messenger allows you to send a distress message with GPS to an Emergency Response Center.

SpotChecking

The Spot Satellite Messenger’s SpotChecking feature allows you to send your location coordinates along with a Google Maps link and a pre-programmed message to a contact of your choice.
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