GPS Technology Reviews for news, guides and reviews of GPS hardware, software and services including Handheld GPS, Outdoor GPS, GPS PDA, GPS Phones and Auto GPS Navigators

The Garmin Nuvi 660 comes in numerous versions for different regions for which GPS maps are provided. There is also a Garmin 660FM, available only in Europe, which made its debut at CeBIT, Europe’s premier electronics trade show in Hannover, Germany in March, 2007. Garmin has been designing GPS equipment since 1990 - which is a considerable timeframe for the relatively new GPS consumer market. Still seeking to expand their product line, Garmin is planning to move into marine GPS systems with their recent purchase of Nautamatic Marine Systems Inc.

As mentioned, the Garmin Nuvi 660 comes in numerous versions for different regions. There are version for North America, North America (with Travel Guide), Australia, Brazil, Europe, France, Mexico and New Zealand. All map data is provided by NAVTEQ a world leader in premium-quality mapping. Travel Guides are on SD cards and provide helpful information such as restaurant and hotel reviews and recommendations

Other models in the Garmin Nuvi 600 series include the 600, 610, 650, 670 and 680. Common features across the Nuvi 600 series include:

• large 4.3 inch TFT widescreen,
• mp3 payer,
• audio book player,
• picture viewer,
• world travel clock, currency & measurement converter, calculator,
• Garmin Lock (anti-theft),
• preloaded maps for immediate use

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The Garmin Nuvi 680 is a classic exampe of convergence of capabilities in consumer electronics. As well as being an automotive navigation device, the 680 is an entertainment device, a communication device and a wireless services interface.

Some of the best automotive GPS navigation features are available in the Garmin Nuvi 680 are common across the Nuvi 600 series including:

• large widescreen 4.3 inch TFT display,
• mp3 payer,
• audio book player,
• picture viewer,
• world travel clock, currency & measurement converter, calculator,
• Garmin Lockâ„¢ (anti-theft feature),
• maps preloaded into internal memory – use straight out of the box.

(read more..)

Garmin has been designing GPS equipment since 1990 - which is a considerable timeframe for the relatively new GPS consumer market. Still seeking to expand their product line, Garmin is planning to move into marine GPS systems with their recent purchase of Nautamatic Marine Systems Inc.

The Garmin Nuvi 600 comes in two versions – one for the USA and one for Europe. Other models in the Garmin Nuvi 600 series include the 600, 610, 650, 660 and 680. Some of the best automotive GPS navigation features available are common across the Nuvi 600 series including:

• large widescreen 4.3 inch TFT display,
• mp3 payer,
• audio book player,
• picture viewer,
• world travel clock, currency & measurement converter, calculator,
• Garmin Lockâ„¢ (anti-theft feature),
• maps preloaded into internal memory – use straight out of the box.

(read more..)

On April 12 Trimble launched a Google Earth featured content layer of GPS-based adventure details. Google Earth combines the power of Google Search with satellite imagery, maps, terrain and 3D buildings. Trimble Outdoors has populated its Google Earth layer with premium fitness and off-road GPS navigation information, such as GPS tracks and waypoints, trailhead directions, trail descriptions, photos, video clips and audio. Layer information also incorporates interactive GPS-on-cellular applications from the Trimble Outdoors and premium content from contributors to BACKPACKER, Bicycling and Mountain Bike magazines.

The service is a technology convergence integrating trip details with planning software, the Web and mobile phone technology to allow users to view and participate in outdoor experiences. Google Earth users can export the layer data to any WAP-capable mobile phone, experience it via a GPS-enabled mobile phone with Trimble Outdoors fitness and outdoor recreational applications, or download to a stand-alone GPS device.

Outdoor enthusiasts can now use Google Earth’s overhead virtual flyover to familiarize themselves with terrain of interest and experience what is in store for a selected route through embedded photos, audio clips and videos.

GPS component manufacturers are in a race to produce GPS chip receivers at a lower cost and with increased sensitivity, reduced footprint size and reduced power consumption. Driving their efforts is the desire of mobile device manufacturers to integrate GPS into more devices and feed the expansion of location based services. To see where the market is at the moment, specifications from a number of GPS chip manufacturers were surveyed for comparison in the table below.

The number of chips available is growing and some manufacturers have more than one chip available (the best were selected). Judging by sensitivity alone is not enough to separate the contenders. The more prominent differences are in position accuracy. SiRF and u-Blox come out in front on position accuracy but, unfortunately TTFF data is not available for u-Blox to separate the two chips overall.

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Garmin has been designing GPS equipment since 1990 - which is a considerable timeframe for the relatively new GPS consumer market. Still seeking to expand their product line, Garmin is planning to move into marine GPS systems with their recent purchase of Nautamatic Marine Systems Inc. Garmin’s products are well worth considering if you’re looking for the best car gps system for your money.

Although priced higher than the popular c300 series, the Garmin c500 series has added value with Garmin including numerous premium equipment and functionality improvements such as; SiRf GPS receivers, brighter displays and an integrated traffic receiver. All the c500 series come with maps preloaded so that they are conveniently ready for use right out to the box.

SiRF Star III GPS Receiver Chipset

The c510 Garmin StreetPilot’s GPS functionality is provided by a SiRF Star III chipset. The SiRF Star III family has proved a watershed innovation GPS chip architecture by offering impressive performance improvements to the GPS receiver manufacturing industry. They have also been adopted by other major GPS manufacturers including TomTom and Magellan. The SiRF Star III offers faster fix times, higher signal locking, higher tracking sensitivity and lower power requirements.

(read more..)

Garmin has been designing GPS equipment since 1990 - which is a considerable timeframe for the relatively new GPS consumer market. Still seeking to expand their product line, Garmin is planning to move into marine GPS systems with their recent purchase of Nautamatic Marine Systems Inc. Garmin’s products are well worth considering if you’re looking for the best car gps system for your money.

Although priced higher than the popular c300 series, the Garmin c500 series has added value with Garmin including numerous premium equipment and functionality improvements such as; SiRf GPS receivers, brighter displays and an integrated traffic receiver. All the c500 series come with maps preloaded so that they are conveniently ready for use right out to the box.

SiRF Star III GPS Receiver Chipset

The c530 Garmin StreetPilot’s GPS functionality is provided by a SiRF Star III chipset. The SiRF Star III family has proved a watershed innovation GPS chip architecture by offering impressive performance improvements to the GPS receiver manufacturing industry. They have also been adopted by other major GPS manufacturers including TomTom and Magellan. The SiRF Star III offers faster fix times, higher signal locking, higher tracking sensitivity and lower power requirements.

(read more..)

Garmin has been designing GPS equipment since 1990 - which is a considerable timeframe for the relatively new GPS consumer market. Still seeking to expand their product line, Garmin is planning to move into marine GPS systems with their recent purchase of Nautamatic Marine Systems Inc. Garmin’s products are well worth considering if you’re looking for the best car gps system for your money.

Although priced higher than the popular c300 series, the Garmin c500 series has added value with Garmin including numerous premium equipment and functionality improvements such as; SiRf GPS receivers, brighter displays and an integrated traffic receiver. All the c500 series come with maps preloaded in the some 700Mb of internal storage, so that they are conveniently ready for use right out to the box.

SiRF Star III GPS Receiver Chipset

The c580 Garmin StreetPilot’s GPS functionality is provided by a SiRF Star III chipset. The SiRF Star III family has proved a watershed innovation GPS chip architecture by offering impressive performance improvements to the GPS receiver manufacturing industry. They have also been adopted by other major GPS manufacturers including TomTom and Magellan. The SiRF Star III offers faster fix times, higher signal locking, higher tracking sensitivity and lower power requirements.

(read more..)

Garmin has been designing GPS equipment since 1990 - which is a considerable timeframe for the relatively new GPS consumer market. Still seeking to expand their product line, Garmin is planning to move into marine GPS systems with their recent purchase of Nautamatic Marine Systems Inc. Garmin’s products are well worth considering if you’re looking for the best car gps system for your money.

Although priced higher than the popular c300 series, the Garmin c500 series has added value with Garmin including numerous premium equipment and functionality improvements such as; SiRf GPS receivers, brighter displays and an integrated traffic receiver. All the c500 series come with maps preloaded in the some 700Mb of internal storage, so that they are conveniently ready for use right out to the box.

SiRF Star III GPS Receiver Chipset

The c550 Garmin StreetPilot’s GPS functionality is provided by a SiRF Star III chipset. The SiRF Star III family has proved a watershed innovation GPS chip architecture by offering impressive performance improvements to the GPS receiver manufacturing industry. They have also been adopted by other major GPS manufacturers including TomTom and Magellan. The SiRF Star III offers faster fix times, higher signal locking, higher tracking sensitivity and lower power requirements.

(read more..)