GPS
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Not so long ago, companies such as Garmin and TomTom were enjoying strong sales in the PND, or 'Personal Navigation Device' market. Offering inexpensive personal satellite navigation systems for use in your car, they were a popular choice for those not willing to spend sometimes ten times the price for one integrated into your dashboard that did the job no more effectively. The PND market appears to be tailing off a little though, and Garmin has announced an expected 8-12 percent drop in revenue this year. Rival TomTom has also projected a rather gloomy sales forecast. Though the devices...
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The GPS Vehicle Tracker: Is It Time We All Had One?
If you haven't heard of Rocky Mountain Tracking or its Smart Tracker GPS device, we don't blame you. The relatively small operation is one among many such services, including the by-word for the field, LoJack. But it's no less effective for being small. This past Friday, January 28, a 2007...
Nelson Ireson -
CES 2011: Magellan RoadMate GPS Gets Backup Camera, Hands-Free, AAA
In-car tech has come a long way in the last few years--but what if your car isn't brand new, or wasn't offered with handy features like a backup camera or hands-free calling? You could cobble together a range of aftermarket systems, cords throughout the cabin and a 12-volt power strip plugged into...
Nelson Ireson -
Big Brother: Navigation System Records Your Speed Data On U.S. Roads
Some People May Ask If It Is Crossing the Line
Jonathan McGrew -
Report: GPS screens going 3D - no glasses necessary
Anyone who's played a modern video game knows there's 3D and then there's 3D. Many GPS systems already provide for virtual 3D displays of buildings and surface features, but now technology is getting ready to push in-car navigation systems to true 3D. The display technology uses a dual-image LCD to...
Kenneth Hall -
New GPS system from BMW steers drivers away from bad weather
We've already heard of GPS systems that can help us dodge traffic jams and get home quicker, but what about a GPS system that can get you home drier? BMW is introducing just such a system, and for those choosing to use it the special GPS unit will help navigate them away from rain and hail and...
Alex Kaufmann -
Carmakers are working closely with electronic component suppliers to develop a new generation of low cost navigation and infotainment systems designed for both vehicle and personal use. Renault recently launched such a system in its facelifted Clio hatch called the Carminat TomTom GPS and soon after that Harman International confirmed plans to supply a similar system for use in up to eight new Mercedes Benz vehicles starting from mid-2010. Now, Volkswagen has joined the fray by developing its own portable GPS navigation unit together with Garmin. Known as the 'Click & Ride' system, the new...
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GPS satellite network approaching danger zone
Concerned parents use it to keep an eye on their kids. Government conspiracists think it's tracking our every move. Insurance companies want to use it to make more money. Drivers follow it blindly. Yes, GPS is a powerful part of our daily lives, but it's in jeopardy. The U.S. Department of Defense...
Nelson Ireson -
Hamilton stripped of Australian GP points for "misleading" stewards
Stewards earlier today declared that Lewis Hamilton and McLaren offered "deliberately misleading" evidence that resulted in Jarno Trulli losing his podium in a post-race inquiry at the Australian GP last Sunday. The reconvened investigation in Malaysia resulted in Hamilton, the reigning world...
Jeremy Weber -
Sat nav strikes again: UK driver nearly goes off cliff following GPS directions
When your GPS system tells you to drive down an unpaved, three-foot-wide path, perhaps it's time to pull to the side of the road, get your bearings and maybe - just maybe - even ask for directions. But Robert Jones of Doncaster, South Yorkshire in the UK, didn't do that. Instead, he soldiered on...
Nelson Ireson -
BMW to pit 135i against F1 car, V8 Supercar at Australian GP
While the main event at any Formula 1 calendar stop is invariably the focus of most media attention, there are often some truly brilliant side shows and feature races put on alongside them to make for even more entertainment for the crowd. The first event of the 2009 season, the Australian GP, will...
Nelson Ireson -
iPhone OS 3.0 promises to open up turn-by-turn navigation
The ubiquitous iPhone is about to become even more useful, thanks to the updates coming in iPhone OS 3.0. OK, so where's the car news? Well one of the updates is the addition of turn-by-turn nav development. Unfortunately Google Maps won't be part of the package due to licensing issues, but...
Ralph Hanson -
Safety tech is progressing in every field imaginable, especially with the aid of computers and telematics. But what if you don't want to fork over for the latest vehicle to get the ability to track your teen's driving? Hammacher Schlemmer has the answer. Innocuously named the Driving Activity Reporter, the GPS-based system employs a simple flash drive and a magnet to surreptitiously record the car's activity. Up to 100 hours of drive time can be recorded, and later analyzed on the provided software. The routes can even be overlaid on Google Earth plots to see exactly where your kids have been...
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Grab your tinfoil hats, BMW is developing a navigation system that tracks your habits
Imagine a future where you don't have to drive yourself to work, the market or even home from a night on the town. Convenient, but to some a nightmare of lost control. Even worse: imagine a future where your car chooses your destination for you. That's what BMW is working toward with its new...
Ralph Hanson -
Harman to supply Mercedes Benz with ‘hybrid’ navigation system
Carmakers are working closely with electronic component suppliers to develop a new generation of low cost navigation and infotainment systems designed for both vehicle and personal use. Renault recently launched such a system in its facelifted Clio hatch called the Carminat TomTom GPS and now...
Alex Kaufmann -
Nissan developing system to prevent wrong-way driving
The incidence of drivers going the wrong way up expressway ramps in Japan is apparently high enough to merit a specific effort to combat its occurrence. Nissan is working on a system that combines GPS location, a map database and an advanced telematic computer system to warn drivers if they attempt...
Kenneth Hall -
Nextar to unveil MSN Direct-capable GPS unit at SEMA
In addition to all the outrageous show car concepts, aftermarket body kits and power-adding upgrades, the SEMA show is also about in-car electronics and equipment, which is where Nextar steps in. Its new Q4-MD GPS navigation unit features MSN Direct support for traffic info, fuel prices and weather...
Ralph Hanson