GPS obsessed

Market research firm Future Horizons estimates that GPS chipsets will grow from 286 million units in 2007 to 938 million units in 2012.  Those numbers represent annual shipments meaning a year-over-year compound growth rate of 26.8%.  GPS chipset shipments are expected to rise 47% this year, with the strongest growth (55%) in the mobile arena.  Next year the strongest growth is expected to be in the low power, low cost segment(digital cameras, mp3 players, watches)  with a 38.5% growth rate.

Despite the fact that chipset shipments are facing exponential growth, revenues are expected to plateau, something that’s leading to the current problems at TomTom, SiRF and Garmin.

via digitimes

The 2009 Suzuki SX4 Sport and SX4 Crossover are the first vehicles under $16000 to feature fully integrated standard navigation.Available on the four-door SX4 Sport and front-wheel drive version of the five-door SX4 Crossover, the integrated navigation system, dubbed Suzuki T.R.I.P. (Travel, Real-time traffic, Information, and Play) is the result of a partnership with Garmin and the unmet needs of consumers.Featuring a flip-up 4.3-inch touchscreen, Navteq mapping, Bluetooth, and Microsoft Network-enabled features such as real-time traffic, weather reports, local event listings, a gas station finder, and a “Way of Life” POI system full of Suzuki-recommended destinations.Plus a community website dedicated to user-generated POI’s will allow Suzuki owners to top up their navigation systems with all the hottest venues around.

Look for the Suzuki SX4 to hit dealers this summer.

Via PRNewswire

In a world that gets a little more bizarre everyday, we’re not surprised GPS has found its way into of all things, funerals. An Australian council has plans in the works to start offering loved ones of the deceased eco-funeral options. Bodies will be buried in the bush attached to Lismore Memorial Park Cemetery in New South Wales, and loved ones will be given a GPS unit each time the wish to visit to navigate their way to the burial site. The Lismore Council will keep each burial site’s GPS coordinates recorded to make sure no buried bodies are lost. The relatives must make burial stones from natural rock and are encouraged to choose coffins made of “woven wicker, plantation pine or recycled cardboard”.Available July 1, the GPS-utilizing green funeral will cost US$1900.

via the register

If you haven’t heard of Project Better Place before, it’s basically the mission of one Shai Agassi to build a worldwide electric car refueling infrastructure, much needed if we’re ever to see electric cars hit mainstream.  Touted as the future of transportation as the the world attempts to cut back its oil consumption due to environmental disapproval, the electric car infrastructure will use a GPS network to route drivers to open charging stations.

Very cool, but with huge capital costs to build such an infrastructure and only a few countries committed to the project so far, it’ll probably be a while before we have a giant eye in the sky telling us where to park our cars.

via earth2tech

The MeLE GMT-600 is one of the latest Chinese-manufactured GPS-capable PMPs.  Featuring a 480×272 pixel widescreen 4.3-inch LCD display, the MeLE GMT-600 has a 2.5-inch HDD with 160 GB of storage space, a three-in-one SD, MMC and MS slot, MPEG 1/2/4, XviD, VOB, AVI and MPG codec support and the ability to playback DVD’s.  Another unverified feature is component outputs capable of upscaling video to high-def 720p/1080i resolution.  Oh, and of course GPS functionality.

So far no pricing or availability details have been released, but MeLE is apparently looking for distributors outside of China.  Could we see this in North America soon?

via slashgear

This picture, which may or may not be of Apple’s upcoming 3G iPhone, has sparked internet wide hysteria, not so much due to the picture but the rumored specs that come along with it. Now we’ll give you the full list of specs and all the details, but first to the most important part. The new 3G iPhone will supposedly have full GPS functionality, and we’re talking about down to the meter, accurate GPS.  So there it is, we spit it out.

Other rumored features include a sleeker, rounder, and for some reason thicker design, shiny black coloring, chrome volume buttons, non-recessed headphone jack, non-removable battery, and a screen size and resolution pretty much identical to the first generation model.  It could be shipped as early as July, but of course that’s just a rumor too.

Via iPod Observer

Why a priest would allow himself to become airborne attached to 1000 party balloons, wearing a tinfoil suit, and navigating using a GPS system he didn’t actually know how to use is beyond me. But that’s exactly what Father Padre Adelir de Carli of Brazil did on Sunday after Mass, hoping to beat the longest flight ever recorded using only party balloons.

Perched on a DIY seat and wearing tinfoil pants, Father de Carli took off in bad weather, ended up 31 miles away from the shoreline thanks to some brisk winds, only to realize he hadn’t figured out how to use his portable GPS unit beforehand. His poor planning looks to have ended badly for the Brazilian priest as after radioing his support crew pleading for assistance in getting a coordinate reading on his GPS should he hit the water and need to be rescued.

Unfortunately his support team didn’t provide him with adequate support and 8 hours after lift-off, just after his last contact at 9 PM, he disappeared. Search and rescue teams have been unsuccessful thus far in locating him, only finding deflated party balloons floating near the Santa Catarina shoreline. All signs point to Father de Carli being deceased, hopefully teaching all of us GPS Obsessed a valuable lesson: before setting out on any type of journey relying on the navigational skills of your GPS unit, learn how to use it.

via gizmodo

Deluo’s NavStick USB GPS receiver is a USB dongle-type receiver, compatible with the majority of GPS units out there. Working through a SiRFStarIII chipset, the NavStick is compatible is designed for laptops and UMPC’s, eliminating the cable hassle created by using a separate receiver. It can be purchased with Microsoft Streets & Trips 2008 for $95 or as a standalone product for a few cents short of $70, both at Deluo`s website.

via slipperybrick

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European fans of TomTom’s Rider motorcycle GPS will be pleased that the company has announced an updated TomTom Rider 2nd Edition, hitting European shelves in early May.  With some new features such as TomTom MapShare, preloaded TeleAtlas maps of both Western and Eastern Europe, and the Help Me! safety menu.

Two versions will be available, a £349.99 UK/Ireland update and a £399.99 Europe update, both with more advanced stats features such as average/maximum speeds, total distance traveled and distance from home.

Current owners of TomTom’s Rider 1st and 2nd editions can receive an automatic update from TomTom’s website.  Check out a full list of specs after the jump…

New Features: 

* TomTom Map Share technology that enables users to make corrections to their own maps instantly and to benefit from improvements made by other users, completely free of charge

* Latest map guarantee so users always have free access to the latest map available at time of purchase (if a new map is released within 30 days from the time they start using their device)

* Extensive safety features, including the “Help Me” menu that gives drivers direct access to emergency services and roadside assistance

* Trip statistics so users can keep all the details from their trip on their device

* Itinerary planning and sharing to help users create and manage POI sets and itineraries

Existing features:

* TomTom Traffic, a subscription option for users to receive traffic updates through a GPRS connection on their mobile phone. A free 30-day trial is available.

* Rugged “RAM” mount that fits on virtually all motorcycles, is easy to mount, and can withstand rigorous vibration conditions common to biking

* High-quality Cardo scala-rider Bluetooth headset for in-helmet spoken instructions. This advanced headset fits open and closed helmets, and has exceptional noise cancellation performance to ensure that bikers can hear directions and phone calls with unparalleled clarity

* Waterproof (IPX-7 standards) to protect device from rain and other bad weather conditions

* Car kit accessory option with separate mount and built-in speaker for car usage

* Rugged and secure bike dock for single-handed mounting

* Enhanced quality voice instructions

* Bluetooth for hands-free calling and information exchange between TomTom RIDER users

via pocketlint

NDrive’s G280 and G800 GPS navigators use real-life photo mapping technology rather than traditional 1/3D maps. Headed for the UK and Ireland and supplied with TeleAtlas maps of both territories (stored on an 8GB SD card, and reverted to in areas where photo mapping isn’t available), the two new NDrive units feature 5 different photo map viewing angles-4 diagonal views and a bird’s eye view, one of which is automatically selected for you at a given point in time, always maximizing your view of the area through which you’re traveling. Although you can also manually select your viewpoint, the NDrive’s intelligence is a usability feature that separates NDrive from the rest.

Easy to setup and easy to use, both the NDrive G280 and NDrive G800 feature a touchscreen interface, visual and audible speed camera alerts, pedestrian mode, POI database, rubber casing, media player, FM transmitter for car stereo hook-up and Bluetooth functionality.

Available in May from Smart Devices, the NDrive G280 and G800 GPS units will cost UK buyers £199.00 and 315.00 respectively. Check out a full list of specs and listing of towns where photo mapping is available after the jump…

N-Drive’s photo mapping is currently available in the following UK cities: Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Blackpool, Bristol, Barnsley, Burnley, Cardiff, Coventry, Derby, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Luton, Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham, Plymouth, Preston, Reading, Sheffield, Stoke, Swansea and Wigan. Where photo mapping is not currently available, the G280 and G800 will automatically switch to standard Tele Atlas mapping. NDrive is working to include further UK cities.

G280 Specification and main features (£199.00 inc VAT):
3.5-inch LCD (320 x 240) touchscreen, resistive display
3D Photo Navigation
Built in Loudspeaker and 3.5mm headphone jack
Input/Output USB 2.0
Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery (non-removable)
8GB SD Card including UK and Ireland maps (spare storage for additional maps and media)
Multimedia player with support for audio, video and photos (MP3, WAV, AVI, ASF, GIF)
Calculator and games
Dimensions: 90 x 75 x 188mm
Weight: 140g

G800 Specification and main features (£315.00 inc VAT):
4.3-inch LCD (320 x 240) touchscreen, resistive display
3D Photo Navigation
Built in Loudspeaker and 3.5mm headphone jack
Input/Output USB 2.0
Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery (non-removable)
8GB SD Card including UK and Ireland maps (spare storage for additional maps and media)
Bluetooth connection
FM Transmitter
Multimedia player with support for audio, video and photos (MP3, WAV, AVI, ASF, GIF)
Calculator and games
Dimensions: 121 x 83 x 200mm
Weight: 210g

Smart Devices via pocket-lint