Ovi Maps downloaded 1.4 million times in first week since going free

People sure do like getting something for nothing. Since Nokia made the big move to stop charging for its walk and drive navigation last week, 1.4 million of us have downloaded the Ovi Maps software — on average, that’s a download a second since launch. The response has been so good that it’s exceeded Nokia’s expectations according to Anssi Vanjoki, Nokia Executive Vice President, with China, Italy, UK, Germany and Spain representing the top 5 downloaders. Hardly a surprise to see consumers responding so favorably to a free offering that makes a device you already have (your smartphone) that much smarter even if it does make your dedicated satnav somewhat mostly redundant. Full press release after the break.

Continue reading Ovi Maps downloaded 1.4 million times in first week since going free

Ovi Maps downloaded 1.4 million times in first week since going free originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Scala Rider G4 Bluetooth headset enables four-way biker communication

Longing to get reacquainted with your hog? Looking to not get all lonely on the open road? Cardo Systems — which has been doing the whole intercom-laced motorcycle helmet for years now — has just pushed out its latest concoction, and the Scala Rider G4 looks to be the most advanced version yet of the talking cranium protector. Aside from boasting an integrated Bluetooth chip for handsfree calling and voice activation, there’s also a built-in FM radio and an intercom system that enables up to four riders to communicate within a full mile of one another. The company claims that the G4 is the “first Bluetooth headset to offer group intercom between up to three riders as well as communication among two riders and their two passengers on two bikes at distances up to 5,280 feet,” and if A2DP audio streaming is your thing, you’ll find support for that as well. Each lid will run you $279.95 and should last up to ten solid hours if yapping continuously, though we’re guessing your jacksy will be needing an overnight stay before you hit that milestone.

Scala Rider G4 Bluetooth headset enables four-way biker communication originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Business Wire  | Email this | Comments

Nokia updates N97 with free Ovi Maps, just as promised

It was only a week ago when Nokia shook us with its free turn-by-turn navigation update, but the poor old N97 got left out in the cold. Not any more though, folks! In fact, the new Ovi Maps for N97 — along with “improved touch screen scrolling” and “improved memory and battery performance” — was delivered one day earlier than promised. Thanks, Nokia, but don’t forget your N900 fans, too.

[Thanks, @old_no_7uk]

Nokia updates N97 with free Ovi Maps, just as promised originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Nokia Europe  | Email this | Comments

TomTom data finds drivers aren’t speeding much, are being watched

Sure, you might be able to avoid speed cameras with an array of dash-mounted gadgets, but there’s also another unseen eye that might be keeping an eye on your speeding habits: your GPS unit. Of course, GPS makers aren’t too interested in collecting individual users’ data (at least, we hope not), but they are collecting some general data, and TomTom has now released a few of its findings. Most notably, it found that drivers in just about every state stay within the speed limit on average, with only Mississippi edging 0.1 miles per hour over the top speed limit of 70 MPH. Things get a bit more interesting when you get down to specific routes in the United States, however, where the I-15 in Utah and Nevada comes out on top with an average speed of 77.67 miles per hour. On the other end of the spectrum, Washington D.C. proved to have the slowest drivers, where speeds averaged a mere 46 miles per hour — although that likely has something to do with TomTom’s earlier findings that Washington D.C. also has the most congested traffic in the U.S.

TomTom data finds drivers aren’t speeding much, are being watched originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink HotHardware  |  TomTom  | Email this | Comments

Garmin-Asus Nuvifone M10 emerges on Taiwanese pre-order page

It was only yesterday that we heard of this WinMo 6.5.3 beastie, and already Taiwanese ladies and gents can sign up to own one, pending a February 6 delivery. The new pre-order page confirms our earlier indications of a 3.5-inch WVGA display and 5 megapixel camera, while adding the knowledge of 512MB of both RAM and ROM, plus MicroSD storage expandability. A relatively low end Qualcomm MSM 7227 600MHz CPU drives the show here, and we’re told a spare battery (1,500mAh by default) or a car holder for navigation also come as part of the 13,900 TWD ($435) package. So, are you excited or what?

Garmin-Asus Nuvifone M10 emerges on Taiwanese pre-order page originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 04:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink SlashPhone  |  ASUS Taiwan  | Email this | Comments

Garmin introduces Zumo 220, $600 navigation for vaguely budget-conscious two-wheeled hooligans

When we got wind of Garmin’s Zumo 665, the new navigation system for folks who like to do it in leathers, we were quite excited to learn about its integrated A2DP and other new features — but totally lost interest when we saw the $999 MSRP. You can get a perfectly serviceable UJM starter bike for that kind of cash! Garmin is now addressing the situation with the Zumo 220, which “scales down size and price of motorcycle navigation” — to $599. Yes, still pricey, but you get most of the features of the bigger brother, including Bluetooth compatibility (though seemingly not A2DP), waterproof construction, and text-to-speech guidance. It sports a 3.5-inch touchscreen and of course comes with a bike mount, but also has a car mount for those days when weather prohibits riding in to work — or when you just don’t feel like getting all your gear on. Look for it to ship sometime before the quarter is up.

Garmin introduces Zumo 220, $600 navigation for vaguely budget-conscious two-wheeled hooligans originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink BusinessWire  |  Garmin  | Email this | Comments

Galileo sat-nav system back on the map, said to be ‘up and running’ by 2014

Remember Galileo, Europe’s proposed GPS-like satellite navigation system? It’s back in the headlines, and according to the Telegraph, UK-based Surrey Satellite Technology and Germany’s OHB System have jointly secured €566 million (that’s $815 million in US currency) to build 14 more satellites. The funding continues until 2013, whereby 22 satellites will be order. Full satellite navigation requires 27, and ultimately the European Union wants 32 technological waypointers. Launch date? Apparently 2014 — we’re hopeful, but this road has been wrought with delays before.

Galileo sat-nav system back on the map, said to be ‘up and running’ by 2014 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 11:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Palm files patent for GPS-based location sharing service

Palm users looking to be a little more social may not have to wait much longer, as a new patent filing reveals that the company may be working on a Google Latitude-esque location sharing service for their devices. According to the patent, a user would be notified if another user is in the proximity of another one, and it makes mention of sharing location information to social networking sites. Additionally, it alludes to location based reminders, such as reminding you to pick up milk if you’re at or near a grocery store. If this sounds familiar, that’s because Apple filed a patent for a similar sounding location sharing service very recently. Let’s just hope this doesn’t lead to another legal spat between the two companies, because it could get pretty ugly, pretty fast… again.

Palm files patent for GPS-based location sharing service originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink GoRumors  |  Palm Patent  | Email this | Comments

Garmin’s CES lineup leaked: golf, cars, and do-it-yourself navigation voices

We’ve just gotten the inside line on Garmin’s CES spread, and let’s just start this intel off on the right foot: it looks like we aren’t going to see a Nuvifone II at the show this year. Here’s what we’ve got in the pipe:

• Garmin Voice Studio: This might be the coolest announcement, but if you’ve got friends with compatible devices, it’s going to get old real quick. Basically, it’s a PC-based app that lets you record your own nav instructions (which we’re guessing is going to result in some extraordinarily NC17-rated Nuvis). The company is saying it’ll take about 20 minutes to complete a set of commands — and naturally, it won’t do text-to-speech for reading street names and the like. It won’t work on the Nuvi 3xx and 6xx series, but otherwise, you should be good to go.
• Zumo 665: Have a rider in the family? The 665 is Garmin’s latest motorcycle-centric nav unit, which appears to be little more than a 660 with the XM weather, radio (with A2DP out), and traffic on board. It’s got a slightly newer firmware build than the current 660 that adds additional map layouts and data fields; and don’t worry, 660 owners — you’ll get it in the Spring.
• ecoRoute HD: The long-discussed ecoRoute cable will be confirmed (again) at $149.99, this time for a launch somewhere between the first and second quarter of the year.
• Approach G3: This looks to be a downmarket version of the G5 for high-tech golfers looking for a little assistance on the green; MSRP comes in at $349 (compared to $449 for its big brother).

And as far as we can tell, that’s it. Start warming up your best navigation voices, folks.

Garmin’s CES lineup leaked: golf, cars, and do-it-yourself navigation voices originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Garmin spits out new handheld, touchscreen GPS devices

Continue reading Garmin spits out new handheld, touchscreen GPS devices

Garmin spits out new handheld, touchscreen GPS devices originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Cydle P29A spices up mundane spec sheet with Mobile TV capabilities

Well, it seems like South Korean companies aren’t fooling around when it comes to getting us riding that newly minted Mobile TV bandwagon. In the wake of LG announcing its first Mobile DTV devices this morning comes Cydle with the P29A PMP. It sports a 2.9-inch touchscreen (see what they did there?), an accelerometer for automatic reorientation, a world clock, and voice recording via a built-in mic. That’s a somewhat disappointing goodie list, considering the currently available HD radio-playing P29H (pictured for illustration purposes) also has GPS onboard. Still, you can snap up the A model in Q2 2010 for $199, which seems like a keen price when compared to the $499 Mobile DTV car tuner we’ve seen before.

Cydle P29A spices up mundane spec sheet with Mobile TV capabilities originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 09:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Business Wire  | Email this | Comments

GPS leads couple into Oregon wilderness, lack of common sense keeps them there 3 days

So you’re cruising along, in your GPS-equipped SUV, taking your dear wife back home to Reno. The trusty onscreen guide instructs you to “turn right” and you follow its typically reliable instructions. At what point in the next three days of plowing deeper and deeper into snow-covered Oregon do you start suspecting that maybe something is amiss? Alright, so this isn’t quite on par with others driving buses into low-clearance tunnels, dipping their cars into rivers, or jamming heavy load trucks into unsuitably tight farm lanes. But we don’t discriminate here, all instances of idiotic GPS dependency deserve their moment in the sun, so here’s to Mr. John Rhoads and his tastefully named wife, Mrs. Starry Bush-Rhoads, who are now safe and sound after their phone pinged out its coordinates to emergency services when it began losing signal.

GPS leads couple into Oregon wilderness, lack of common sense keeps them there 3 days originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 05:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  USA Today  | Email this | Comments

Pikavu GPS tracker teaches kids to abandon privacy for safety

Continue reading Pikavu GPS tracker teaches kids to abandon privacy for safety

Pikavu GPS tracker teaches kids to abandon privacy for safety originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Engadget Spanish  |  Pikavu  | Email this | Comments

TomTom feels jolly, temporarily drops price of iPhone GPS app

TomTom has done a respectable job of keeping its iPhone GPS app up to date when compared to formidable options from Navigon and the like, but today it’s making its biggest move yet by way of a significant price drop. We’ve heard directly from the company (and confirmed with our own two peepers) that the US and Canada version of the app is now on sale for $69.99, while a US-only version is currently on sale for just $49.99. If you’ll recall, the former was just selling for $99.99 a few days ago, so if you’re planning on making that fateful trip to grandmother’s house again this year, you might want a robotic gal leading the way. Just sayin’. [Warning: Source link directs to iTunes]

TomTom feels jolly, temporarily drops price of iPhone GPS app originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Apple iTunes Store  | Email this | Comments

Recon Instruments putting heads-up display, extra layer of ‘cool’ within ski goggles

It’s a match made in heaven, really. A GPS-linked heads-up display system, and ski goggles. Together, at long last, forever. Recon Instruments is reportedly developing said technology right now, and if all goes well, a HUD-equipped set of alpine goggles will indeed be on sale to the general populace next fall for between $350 to $450. The device is expected to tap into your cellphone, and if said phone has a GPS chip within, you’ll be able to see where you’re at, where your fellow snow bunnies are and where you’re headed. It’ll also provide all sorts of other vital information, such as hang time off of the rail jump, altitude gain / loss, a stopwatch and temperature. There’s no word on whether it’ll alert you when too much powder starts building on that front-side edge, but here’s hoping these things are durable enough to survive the face-plant that’ll inevitably ensue when that scenario plays itself out.

Recon Instruments putting heads-up display, extra layer of ‘cool’ within ski goggles originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 07:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Be Sportier  |  Recon Instruments  | Email this | Comments

Sprint handed customer GPS data to law enforcement over 8 million times last year

Continue reading Sprint handed customer GPS data to law enforcement over 8 million times last year

Sprint handed customer GPS data to law enforcement over 8 million times last year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PPC Geeks  |  Slight Paranoia  | Email this | Comments

Manufacturers redirecting R&D on declining GPS device orders?

If you enjoy the decimation of an industry as much as Google does then you’re going to love the latest rumor sourced from DigiTimes‘ manufacturing moles. According to the Taiwanese rumor rag, personal navigation device R&D teams at the manufacturing powerhouses of Foxconn (aka, Hon Hai) and Wistron have been shifted to other devices in the face of “declining PND orders.” Seems logical as GPS-equipped smartphones snuff out their dedicated forebears with the same converged precision that turned wrist watches into items of fashion. The strange part of this DigiTimes rumor is that said manufacturers have shifted those PND teams to focus on e-book readers and (are you ready?) MIDs. Man, if the world’s largest manufacturer of consumer electronics sees MIDs as a more economically viable option than personal navigators, well, maybe things are more dire for TomTom and Garmin than originally feared.

Manufacturers redirecting R&D on declining GPS device orders? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  DigiTimes  | Email this | Comments

Nissan introducing low-cost navigation systems this January

Now here’s a good idea: a built-in GPS navigation system that’s actually priced to move. Co-developed with Bosch, Nissan has put together a $400 option with a 5-inch touhcscreen, Bluetooth support for phones, USB connectivity for media players, iPod integration, XM Satellite and NavTraffic. The Detroit News was certainly impressed, testing it on a new Sentra and calling it a moment where the benefits of the built-in nav systems outweigh the costs — although the display was maybe a bit too small for its liking. Look for it to these to hit in some of its lower-priced models starting this January. Hit up the source link for the full impressions.

Nissan introducing low-cost navigation systems this January originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Autoblog  |  The Detroit News  | Email this | Comments

Google Maps Navigation makes trip across the pond, thanks to some hackery

Apparently us Yanks have been spoiled by the warm embrace of Google Maps Navigation, forgetting that our friends in the UK don’t have the same luxury. Leave it to Electricpig to connect worlds, finding a somewhat hack-induced way to bring the app upgrade to British Android 1.6 devices. Instructions are pretty easy, so if you’re game, don your DIY hat and click over.

Filed under: Cellphones

Google Maps Navigation makes trip across the pond, thanks to some hackery originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Community  |  Electricpig  | Email this | Comments

FedEx Senseaware tracks everything about your package, probably causes OCD

What do you get when you throw cellular and GPS radios in with an accelerometer, a thermometer and a light sensor? If you answered a decently featured phone, you’d be almost right. FedEx has concocted the above tracker to be able to tell you everything about the package it’s in — if it has been opened, dropped, outside of temperature range, or insufficiently loved by its deliverator. The GPS and cellular signals are used to provide a real time position, and all that data is fed through a web platform for the increasingly obsessive sender to monitor. It is now being deployed with 50 medical clients — who actually have a use for all the intel — and once production ramps up and economies of scale kick in, the opening price of $120 a month is expected to drop rapidly. You can expect the Senseaware tracker to show up worldwide some time next year.

FedEx Senseaware tracks everything about your package, probably causes OCD originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 08:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Engadget Spanish  |  Fast Company, Senseaware  | Email this | Comments

Next Page »