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TomTom Picks Inrix

GPS Ratings — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:32:00 +0000

In an about face, TomTom has selected Inrix to power their dynamic feeds for it's Plus and LIVE services going forward. Originally, TomTom did not select Inrix as their provider of traffic for the US, but have decided that the package of quality data from Inrix is worth the switch. This is not the first time Inrix has come in and taken over for what appear to be higher quality, more desirable coverage or feeds - it happened last year in Alabama, where Inrix essentially saved their traffic broadcast program that sounded like it was dead in the water.

Inrix will provide the traffic feed, and gas prices feed to LIVE and Plus services across the country.

Full Press Release below.....

TomTom Selects INRIX as Strategic Partner for Traffic and Fuel Prices in North America

INRIX Connected Services provide accurate real-time traffic and fuel prices for TomTom LIVE

INRIX®, the leading provider of traffic information in North America, announced today that it has been selected by TomTom, the world's leading navigation solutions and digital mapping provider, as its strategic partner for TomTom LIVE real-time traffic and fuel price information in North America. INRIX delivers the traffic and fuel data for TomTom LIVE Services and other TomTom devices via INRIX Connected Services, a comprehensive dynamic content platform providing navigation OEMs and location-based service application developers with private label, go-to-market solutions for in-vehicle, PND, wireless phone and other connected devices.

"Like TomTom, INRIX is a leader in their industry, and consistently provides innovative and enriched content for a more informed driving experience," said Jocelyn Vigreux, president of TomTom Inc. "TomTom's proprietary Map Share and IQ Routes features bundled with INRIX's quality traffic information set a new standard in navigation and will change consumers' driving experience."

INRIX Real-Time Traffic is available for 126 markets and 160,000 miles of roads in the U.S. and Canada. INRIX is also providing dynamic fuel prices for over 80,000 gas stations to TomTom via its partnership with OPIS.

"TomTom is continuing its innovation and leadership in the navigation device market," commented Bryan Mistele, president and CEO of INRIX. "We are thrilled to provide our crowd-sourced traffic solutions, which leverage over one million GPS-enabled vehicles and mobile devices, as part of TomTom's dynamic content portfolio."

Smart Black Box proves your innocence…or guilt

GPS Ratings — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 23:41:00 +0000

The Smart Black Box saves 15 seconds of video if it senses a collision.

(Credit: KCI Communications)

Earlier this year at CES, Eclipse showed us the DREC20000, an in-car video recorder that saves its last 20 seconds of footage if it senses a car accident. Unfortunately, the Eclipse device is ...

Originally posted at The Car Tech blog

Garmin Foretrex 301 and 401

GPS Ratings — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:05:00 +0000

Garmin is announcing the Foretrex 301 and 401 today - two new wrist mounted GPS units that have beefed up capabilities including, for the Foretrex 401 wireless communication with other Garmin units for sharing of waypoints, tracks and routes. The waterproof navigation devices are small enough to wear pretty easily, but contain the ability to navigate to waypoints, and track back to your position when you need to get back from your adventure. The Foretrex 401 has an altimeter and an electronic compass built in, along with the wireless capability that also allows you to add a heart rate monitor, or cadence sensor. The downside here is that the units don't track over a map, but more than the basics are covered in a wrist mountable format.

Weighing about 3 ounces and powered by 2 AAA batteries, Foretrex won't weigh you down while enduring a day's adventures with up to 18 hours of battery life in the 301 and up to 17 hours in the 401.

Full Press Release Below.....

Garmin® Announces Rugged, Waterproof Foretrex® 401 and 301,
Wearable Navigation that's Easy to Use in Tough Conditions

Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced the Foretrex 401 and Foretrex 301 GPS navigators, integrating a high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver and USB interface into a lightweight, waterproof device for light hikers, skiers, campers and military personnel to wear comfortably on their wrists.

"Whether you're on a leisurely hike or in the toughest conditions imaginable, you need navigation that's simple to use and easy to access," said Dan Bartel, Garmin's vice president of worldwide sales. "Our new Foretrex models help you keep your hands free and your focus on the path ahead, all while ensuring you make it to your destination as easily as possible."

Rugged and waterproof, Garmin's new Foretrex 301 and 401 models boast a high-sensitivity GPS receiver with HotFixTM that quickly acquires and maintains satellite reception - even in heavy tree cover or deep canyons - and accurately monitors and stores your routes, tracks and waypoints. When the day's activities are done, just turn on the TracBack® feature, and Foretrex will retrace your path right back to where you started. With Foretrex, you can always find your way back to any important place, like your campsite or vehicle, using the breadcrumb trail, data fields and compass screen on the easy-to-read LCD display. The new Foretrex models feature dual-position readout so that you can view your current location in multiple formats, including latitude/longitude and an alternate position format of your choice, simplifying navigation for professional, military, search-and-rescue and recreational uses. Foretrex 301 and 401 also incorporate a trip computer, sunrise/sunset and hunting and fishing information and can connect to your PC or Mac via USB connection.

Adding even more features to the mix, Foretrex 401 has an electronic compass and a barometric altimeter. Foretrex 401 allows you to wirelessly share routes, tracks and waypoints between certain Foretrex, Oregon and Colorado devices, and it is also compatible with Garmin heart-rate monitors and cadence sensors.

Weighing about 3 ounces and powered by 2 AAA batteries, Foretrex won't weigh you down while enduring a day's adventures with up to 18 hours of battery life in the 301 and up to 17 hours in the 401. And you can chronicle your activities by storing up to 500 waypoints, 20 routes or a tracklog of up to 10,000 points and 10 saved tracks.

Did Your Omnitech GPS Fail Over the Weekend?

GPS Ratings — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 01:29:36 +0000

We’ve been getting reports over the past couple of days from people who have certain GPS devices, mostly from Omnitech, that are no longer connecting to satellites. No… this isn’t part of the GPS “Doomsday” scenarios conjecture floating around, this is real. Typically we’d point people to our Acquiring Satellites and people would be on [...]

TomTom to Sell More Shares – Eliminate Debt

GPS Ratings — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:21:54 +0000

TomTom is selling more shares to raise about 100 Million Euros to help retire some of its debt which amounts to around 1.4Billion Euros stemming from its takeover of TeleAtlas for 2.9Billion Euros. the purchasers of the debt are Cyrte Investments a technology investment firm and Janvio Holding, an investor in TomTom already. Clearly TomTom needs to restructure it's debt and get more than a toe hold in the emerging markets beyond simple GPS navigation; mobile phone and services after the sale represent new areas for growth (traffic subscriptions, etc).

ReadMore at the WSJ

Thanks Jim for sending this in.

How to Correct a GPS Map Error

GPS Ratings — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:07:26 +0000

I’m frequently contacted by business owners regarding map errors on GPS devices. The most common scenario is that they themselves don’t own a GPS, but their customers do. When their customers use a GPS to navigate to their location they end up a long ways away from where they need to be. This happens with [...]

GPS Saves Fuel – While Flying?

GPS Ratings — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:01:00 +0000

Thought I would pass this along - American Airlines is testing a new method of flying planes across the Atlantic on a Paris to Miami route. The planes usually fly in set pathways across the Atlantic that were established long before the current capabilities for better navigation with GPS, and they are not very direct or thus fuel efficient. The more direct route governed by GPS direction finding would hopefully save significant fuel. When coupled with other fuel saving tactics, even a small dent in the millions of gallons a year that they burn through would make a significant difference.

The system, dubbed NextGen, is a game changer if it works, but I am sure with the installed base of technology and expertise out there that is invested for current methodology, we're not going to see a big change overnight.

ReadMore - Miami Herald

Navigon Announces iPhone Application Too

GPS Ratings — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:44:00 +0000

While not making the huge splash that TomTom did, most likely due to the recent retreat from the US market, Navigon jumped on the iPhone bandwagon yesterday with the announcement that they too will have an iPhone navigation application available very soon after the OS 3.0 launches for the iPhone (in about 2 weeks).

"The package includes well-known functions such as Reality View Pro, Real Roadsign Pro, Lane Assistant Pro, Speed Assistant, Day & Night Mode, amongst others, as well as the option of displaying POIs along the route. With this range of functions, Mobile Navigator stands out from its competition on the market - also by the fact that the typical user functions of the iPhone have been implemented seamlessly in order to make navigation using the iPhone and NAVIGON software even more enjoyable. If you turn the iPhone 90 degrees, then the display switches automatically from portrait to landscape view. As well as this automatic display adjustment, and the intelligent address entry, there is also the option of navigating directly to an address from saved contacts. If navigation is interrupted by a telephone call then navigation is resumed automatically after the call has ended."

One option is the LITE Version available for free, with no active route guidance, but with map material and the possibility to display POIs (points of interest) in the vicinity. Another option is the full version, which navigates users quickly and reliably to their destination.

Full press release below....

HAMBURG, Germany, June 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Lunch break. Time to eat and a chance to send private emails, make phone calls and to relax listening to songs from your own playlist. Now and again checking the status of online bidding, and taking a funny photo of a colleague. One thing is for sure, there's hardly another smartphone on the market that makes multitasking so much fun as the iPhone. And soon users will be able to have themselves navigated from the office to the new Italian restaurant in town. All that's needed is an iPhone running on the new Apple OS 3.0 operating system - and the MobileNavigator from NAVIGON.

Before the end of this month iPhone users will be able to kit out their smartphones with the professional navigation software from App Stores across the globe. "With the new OS 3.0 operating system, Apple has made the use of navigation software on the iPhone possible, and NAVIGON has quickly managed to adapt the MobileNavigator software to the new firmware. The iPhone can now be transformed into a versatile, fully functional navigator", quotes Egon Minar, CEO of NAVIGON AG.

Alternative in the App Store

When equipped with the MobileNavigator software, the iPhone 3G (with Apple OS 3.0 operating system) and the iPhone 3G S guide their users safely to their destination - with updated map material and intelligent navigation.

The package includes well-known functions such as Reality View Pro, Real Roadsign Pro, Lane Assistant Pro, Speed Assistant, Day & Night Mode, amongst others, as well as the option of displaying POIs along the route. With this range of functions, Mobile Navigator stands out from its competition on the market - also by the fact that the typical user functions of the iPhone have been implemented seamlessly in order to make navigation using the iPhone and NAVIGON software even more enjoyable. If you turn the iPhone 90 degrees, then the display switches automatically from portrait to landscape view. As well as this automatic display adjustment, and the intelligent address entry, there is also the option of navigating directly to an address from saved contacts. If navigation is interrupted by a telephone call then navigation is resumed automatically after the call has ended.

"This allows iPhone users to navigate wherever they are, whenever they want - conveniently and while on the move," states Egon Minar.

Within this month MobileNavigator will be available in the international AppStore where iPhone users can choose between various options. One option is the LITE Version available for free, with no active route guidance, but with map material and the possibility to display POIs (points of interest) in the vicinity. Another option is the full version, which navigates users quickly and reliably to their destination.

The prices for the full version will be released by the AppStore at the launch.

TomTom for the iPhone – Coming Later This Summer

GPS Ratings — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:17:00 +0000

Yesterday at Apple's developer conference, TomTom offered a glimpse into what is to come this summer for the iPhone; a fully operational iPhone navigation solution; powered mount, speaker, and classic TomTom navigation capabilities. No word if there are any plans to offer more sophisticated HD traffic, and connected services like gas price search capabilities.

The move, mirrored by Navigon, puts TomTom in the driver's seat for connected capabilities with their recent GO 740 LIVE launch, the TomTom XL LIVE launch in Europe and now the iPhone launch. It puts Garmin in a tough place with the now delayed launch of the Nuvifone that has them as a competitor to the iPhone. One has to wonder if they are going to support the iPhone or protect their investment in a competitive product and stay away from the iPhone letting the other big contenders fight for leadership in the iPhone platform.

I would expect that this application and customized mount to come at a steep price; a lot more than the $0.99 - $9.99 that people seem accustomed to for applications on the iPhone. More later this summer. More at TomTom