GPS Tracklog

Garmin inks mobile social networking deal with GyPSii

Garmin has signed a multi-year deal with GyPSii, a mobile social networking company. The press release (PDF) says the deal is for a "range of Garmin products."  We can probably expect to see GyPSii on the forthcoming nuvifone, but is is unclear what other devices might utilize it. Garmin has previously been reluctant to develop connected PNDs, due to consumer resistance to a monthly service plan in addition to their cell phone contract. Nevertheless, this statement implies that either connected Garmin PNDs are on the way, or plans are underway for multiple nuvifone models.

iPhone ad nauseum

Ad nauseum indeed. I hope this is the last iPhone update for awhile.

Yesterday I posted about AT&T's limited 3G coverage. This morning I came across this on Gizmodo:

"By the end of June, HSPA will be in 275 US markets. But by the end of the year, AT&T plans for that number to grow to 350."

I counted 235 cities this morning, so they better move fast to get 40 more in the next 18 days! Regardless, it does look like their network is expanding.

Limited AT&T 3G coverage for iPhone and nuvifone

Plowing through all the iPhone coverage on the web for the last day or two, a post at MacRumors caught my eye. I'm not sure how accurate the map above is (3G coverage in blue) in representing actual coverage areas, but you can tell from the official AT&T list of cities supporting 3G that coverage will be limited to major metropolitan areas.

iPhone GPS - What we know now

You've probably heard by now that Apple unveiled their next-generation iPhone yesterday and that it has GPS. So here's a little roundup of what this may mean in terms of navigation and competition with personal navigation devices (PNDs) and the forthcoming Garmin nuvifone.

TomTom reportedly drops plans to enter cell phone market

DigiTimes is reporting that TomTom has no plans to produce their own brand of cell phone, despite previous reports to the contrary. This is not surprising given their financial situation combined with the costly acquisition of Tele Atlas.

You can read the story here, but the link will probably only work for a few days unless you are a DigiTimes  subscriber.

Dash changes the GPS competitive landscape

The Dash Express, the hot new GPS featuring two-way connectivity, has caused a paradigm shift in the GPS industry. We have yet to see how broadly the Dash will be accepted, though they seem to have had a strong launch, with high initial shipments according to the sales rankings at Amazon (updated hourly).

There are a couple of key components to two-way connectivity:

• Internet search – At least two other GPS companies are moving to integrate this into devices in the U.S., as discussed below
• Crowd-sourced traffic - For now, Dash is the only manufacturer trying to bring us this feature, providing traffic updates via anonymized cell phone data relayed from other Dash users (though there are companies focusing on this technology that other GPS manufacturers could partner with)

While not a benefit of two-way connectivity, Dash's built-in wifi will also give them the ability to push large map and firmware updates to the units.

Let’s look at the status of other GPS manufacturers as they move (or don’t move) to implement two-way connectivity:

Mio "Moovs" backwards in the U.S.

UPDATE: Read our Mio Moov 200 review and our Mio Moov 310 review

Last month we broke the news about the Mio Moov series. Details are starting to leak out at CeBIT, and GPS Business News is reporting that we will see the Mio Moov 200, 210, 300 and 310 in the U.S. in the next six weeks.

As we've reported, these units will sport a new interface, that should be a real improvement over the iGo interface. Unfortunately, it appears that we're only getting the most basic models in the U.S. -- no connected services or even Bluetooth!

Garmin nuvifone

Garmin has announced a 3.5G cell phone, the Garmin nuvifone. The touch screen device will include Google local search capability. Nüvifone users can search for locations like “coffee shops” and Google will sort the results based on the user’s current location and relevance. Information provided by Google includes a web-based rating so that users can select the most appropriate destination and route directly to it. In addition, the nüvifone also includes personal messaging functions, including email, text, and instant messaging.

Seen in Las Vegas airport this afternoon

Well, if you needed any more evidence that GPS has gone mainstream, here are two Garmins in an iPod vending machine in the Las Vegas airport. The units are a nuvi 200 and Forerunner 205. I didn't even check the price, but I'm assuming they were not a great deal. Talk about an impulse purchase!

Magellan Tritons available but...

UPDATE: Read my Magellan Triton 1500 review.

The long-awaited Magellan Triton series is starting to show up at e-tailers and retailers, but there are good reasons to look before you leap. The Triton 300 is available at some Sportsmans Warehouse stores according to this report. Radio Shack is showing the 300 and 1500 as available, while NewEgg lists the 1500 as out of stock.

I received a Triton 1500 from NewEgg.com yesterday, but was disappointed to find that the USB cable, VantagePoint software and manual were missing. I wasn't the only one to receive a 1500 without all of the accessories.

Please note that this problem may be limited to the 1500s, as the one report I've seen on a 300 said the cable was included.