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

From reviews to date the Mio GPS products impress as “value for money”. The Mio P550 GPS PDA only reinforces this impression. The unit has the quick and accurate SiRF III GPS receiver, WiFi (802.11b/g), Bluetooth 2.0, a respectable 400MHz processor and 64MB of SDRAM and 2GB of flash ROM. The memory can be added to using the SD/MMC expansion slot which can accept up cards up to 2GB. The Mio P550 has no phone capabilities.

The Mio P550 GPS PDA comes preloaded, ready for use, with TeleAtlas maps of the United States and Canada. Mio’s MioMap is the navigation software.
(read more..)

Mio have designed the H610 handheld navigation system to be a helpful companion in negotiating the urban environment. It’s an ideal traveler’s assistant, capable of locating business destinations, restaurants and other points of interest. The included WorldMate Travel Assistant software by Mobimate adds to the usefulness of the device with information-service mini-applications that can help organize and manage travel needs.

The Mio H610 has a 2.7 inch, QVGA (320 x 240 pixels), color, TFT touchscreen which is a reasonable size for a handheld navigation device. Powering the GPS functionality of the H610 is a 20-channel SiRFstarIII GPS Receiver Chipset which has the best performance in comparison to its peers including accuracy and the ability to lock onto GPS satellites even in poor signal reception areas (eg. urban jungles). The rechargeable Li-Ion battery will last 19 hours when the H610 is operating as a music player and 4.5 hours when providing GPS navigation.
(read more..)

Nokia are taking GPS capabilities seriously and have GPS enabled mobile phones such as the N95 and Nokia 6110. However, it is not as widely known that they have the Nokia 330, a dedicated car or personal navigation system (no phone capabilities). It’s a device loyal Nokia customers will be able to use in making use of the considerable investments Nokia is making in mapping and GPS location based services.

The Nokia 330 is a comparatively small and light (205 g) compared to other automotive GPS navigation devices. It’s turn by turn directions are driven by a Route 66 Navigate 7 software application with maps by NAVTEQ. As somewhat of a surprise to many the underlying operating system is Windows supplied by Microsoft.
(read more..)

The Nokia 6110 Navigator follows in the footsteps of the first handset with built-in GPS navigation, the N95, launched earlier this year. Nokia now even has the Nokia 330, a dedicated navigation system (no phone capabilities). The Nokia 6110 Navigator combines both GPS (Global Positioning System) and AGPS (Assisted Global Positioning System) functionality with the flexibility of mobile connectivity.

The trend towards a more pervasive presence of GPS in the mobile device market is continuing. Telecom TV One has reported Nokia representative David Watkins as saying “We see GPS as a key trend in the future. It isn’t just turn-by-turn navigation. It’s much more….” He also emphasized the considerable strategic investment Nokia is making in mapping. Nokia can definitely see the future profit flow from GPS location based services and would be correct to assume that profit growth will shift to these mobile services from hardware.

Nokia see the launch of the Nokia 6110 as a big deal to the extent that its navigation capabilities will be tested as it accompanies actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman as they undertake the “Long Way Down” journey to Cape Town on BMW motorcycles. It is reminiscent of their 2004 Long Way Round motorbike journey from London to New York in 115 days.
(read more..)

The Laipac S-911 Personal Locator is a portable GPS tracking device which can be used as an emergency cellular phone with speed dialing for two-way voice communication. Laipac, an official exhibitor at CeBit 2007, was selected by the official CeBit magazine as one of the best personal locators in the market.

The S-911 is based on the accurate and highly sensitive SiRF GPS chipset. The unit operates in both GPRS and SMS modes allowing location tracking by either SMS text messages or the Internet. The location of anyone carrying an S-911 can be tracked using Laipac’s stand-alone software or their tracking site, www.locationnow.com. The stand-alone software supports Google Earth, MSN Virtual Earth, MS MapPoint and .SHP mapping formats. It includes features for individual or group control, geo-zone setting, user databases and on-screen history replay.
(read more..)

“What are the options for GPS enabling my mobile device?” (cell phone, PDA, notebook etc) is a question consumers are beginning to ask as applications for GPS become more diverse and pervasive. Spectec have some options for consideration with their SD and miniSD GPS receiver cards. A much appreciated feature of these GPS cards is the built-in microSD card slot which solves the obvious problem of mobile devices with only one SD expansion slot.

There are four SD GPS card models including the SDG-810 SD GPS receiver and SDG-811 miniSD receiver and the SDG-812 SD Bluetooth GPS receiver and the SDG-813 miniSD Bluetooth GPS receiver. All models have the built-in microSD card slot.
(read more..)

The Magellan RoadMate 860T looks quite different to others units in the RoadMate range, having a circular cluster of buttons on its right hand side. Unlike many other vehicle navigation units, both the touch screen and buttons are used for navigation. A highlight of the Magellan RoadMate 860T is the 20GB hard drive which has 10GB reserved for multimedia use – music and photos.

The units GPS functions are powered by a SiRF Star III receiver which is highly regarded for its GPS performance. The 860T has Bluetooth for hands-free phone calls and is Traffic enabled allowing users to avoid traffic delays using real-time traffic information. Also included is the popular text-to-speech functionality whereby street names are pronounced which Magellan call SayWhere.
(read more..)

The Magellan RoadMate 3000T and 3050T GPS navigation systems both have a 3.5″ display. Like other models in the Magellan RoadMate series, both the touch screen and buttons are used for navigation. GPS functions are provided by the highly regarded SiRF Star III receiver. The 6000T has Bluetooth for hands-free phone calls and is Traffic enabled allowing users to avoid traffic delays using real-time traffic information. Also included is the popular text-to-speech functionality whereby street names are pronounced which Magellan call SayWhere.

Traffic Enabled

The Magellan RoadMate 3050T has an integrated Magellan TrafficKit receiver (option on 3000T) which provides live traffic incident reports to allow users to avoid accidents, slow-downs, road closures, severe weather, road work and other traffic delays. Traffic incident locations and details are available on the touch-screen and automatic re-routing around upcoming traffic problems is available. Traffic data requires a traffic subscription however the 3050T does come with a 3-month subscription included. The user is prompted by the 3050T when renewal of the trial subscription is required at the end of the subscription period.
(read more..)