At the CeBit 2007 this week in Germany, Garmin introduced their new SVGA GPS series of nüvi 200 (with German mapping,) the 250 (for Europe,) and 270 (for Europe and the U.S.) The portable navigational units feature 3.5-inch QVGA LCD touchscreens, WAAS-enabled receivers, SD card slots, internal antennas, anti-theft Garmin Locks, and rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries that last up to 5 hours. At a size of 3.8 x 2.8 x .8-inch and a weight of only 5.2 ounces, the launch is expected to arrive in May with a MSRP of ~$429.00. As Garmin so eloquently puts it, “It’s a whole nü way to travel.”

 

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Gallery: Garmin Unveils Nüvi Series GPS

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Next time you are stranded in Europe, it might be worth your while to invest in an Origin 360 GPS unit. Its PogoDrive database contains over 100,000 coordinates with points of interest, service stations, etc. It even has pop-up safety warnings for speed traps and possible accident sites. PogoDrive also features a 3.5-inch LCD touchscreen, voice guidance through what the company refers to as “dual full-range speakers,” 2D and 3D maps, auto-recalculation of routes, and day and night operational modes. Available now, the plug-and-play gadget houses a rechargeable battery and carries a MSRP of £349.95 (~$673.00.)

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Gallery: PogoDrive GPS Alerts Users to Speed Traps

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iPhone’s first commercial was released during Sunday’s Academy Awards, featuring the likes of Lucille Ball, Clark Gable, Robert Redford, Betty Rubble, and Bogey. Apple has cleverly managed to reveal absolutely nothing about their product in an entertaining kind of way. When we first saw it, we were hoping that they might release the iPhone with ringtones of one of our fave actors. Think what those around you would do if your iPhone chimed out Eastwood’s, “Make my day, Punk” or DeNiro’s “You talking to me?” in the middle of a crowded room. The iPhone is expected to make its debut this June.

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Gallery: iPhone Says Hello During Academy Awards

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We find the notion of a Hells Angel needing a GPS device hard to visualize, but we guess sometimes they too need directions, just like the rest of us. The folks at Garmin accomodate with their latest, the Zumo 550, which comes pre-loaded with maps, offers text and voice directions, and even has Bluetooth and MP3 capability. The Zumo 550 is easily mounted onto a hog (or car). However Apple lovers are out of luck (for now), as Garmin’s MapSource software is not supported by Macs. CNET liked the Zumo enough to rate it an 8.3 out of 10.

Read More | Garmin via CNet

Gallery: The Garmin Zumo 550: GPS for Your Motorcycle

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The Talk Abroad Travel Phone is National Geographic’s endeavor into the techy world. Covering over 100 countries, their plan is pre-paid and there is no charge to receive calls in what they refer to as 60 “popular destinations.” The phone features an unlocked quad-band GSM, SMS Text messaging, and comes with 30 minutes of initial talk time and 24/7 customer service.
At a price of $199.00 and a due date expected in March, the Travel Phone comes with a universal wall charger and international plug adapters. Pre-order and they will toss in a gift card good for 10 free music downloads. We’re hoping we can get the a copy of “Hakuna Matata” or a little ditty from “Happy Feet.”

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Gallery: National Geographic to Release its Own Phone

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Here's how to get the show:
|Download| - iPod-formatted H.264
|Download| - Apple TV High Resolution
|Download| - MPEG-4

Read More | The Bleeding Edge

Gallery: The Bleeding Edge 149: Technocom Vehicle and Infrastructure Integration Technology

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With all the cell phones and smartphones out there flaunting the latest innovations, choosing the right one can be a daunting process.  Research in Motion just made that decision even harder (or perhaps easier depending on your view) when it introduced the new BlackBerry 8800 at the 3GSM World Congress, a showcase for state-of-the-art wireless devices. While targeted toward the corporate crowd, the 8800—the slimmest corporate Blackberry yet—includes such consumer-friendly features as a media player that supports MP3 and AAC audio as well as MPEG-4 and H.263 encoded video files, and a microSD slot for music and video storage. The smartphone also contains a QWERTY keyboard, trackball, GPS software and Bluetooth capability.

The 8800 is a quad-band GSM/GPRS and supports EDGE - but oddly enough, leaves out HSDPA. That means that while the phone is slick, you won’t be doing any broadband surfing or downloading. It also has a built-in GPS chip, which means it can give you directions and support other location-based applications right out of the box.

The BlackBerry 8800 will be available this month, with pricing yet to be announced.

Read More | BlackBerry 8800 Product Page

Gallery: Research in Motion Unveils BlackBerry 8800

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We told you so. Now that Nokia is offering free GPS downloads to its customers, Vodafone, the planet’s largest mobile phone network operator, has decided to get with Google to develop a map system for other cell phones. The service will also include local listings in what Vodafone’s marketer Frank Rovekamp refers to as its “mass-market access to exciting services.” We don’t know if we would call it exciting. We just like the concept of not having to pay for a separate GPS device when we get lost.

Read More | USA Today

Gallery: Vodafone to Team with Google in Map Making

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Here's how to get the show:
|Download| - iPod-formatted H.264
|Download| - Apple TV High Resolution
|Download| - MPEG-4

Read More | The Bleeding Edge

Gallery: The Bleeding Edge 131: The Celestron SkyScout

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At last, a tracking device that not only helps us find a restaurant, but also where we parked the car. Inilex’s Kepler Advantage, featured at the recent 2007 Demo Conference, features GPS technology that can find a car’s location with the owner’s cell phone via satellite. It can also tell if a car has been moved by an unauthorized driver or driven at too high a speed (in case your kids “borrow” the car,) and will notify police within 15 minutes (in case it’s not the kids.) Although its name is subject to change, Spokesperson Aly Saxe assured Gear Live that the device will become available during Q2 of 2007.

 

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Gallery: Kepler Advantage Finds Your Car By Satellite

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