GPS Tracklog

Waypoints - Dragons overpower GPS edition

In an effort to keep up with all things GPS, I go through over 100 RSS feeds and websites each day. It's all complicated by GPS being an acronym for other things including schools and sports teams, and often these stories are a source of amusement. The most recent chuckle came from the headline Dragons overpower GPS, hence the title of this week's edition of Waypoints.

Garmin

• Garmin has released BETA firmware for the Colorado 300 and 400t, which adds a "reposition waypoint here" feature, among other things; discussion at Groundspeak
• Free Garmin topo maps of Arizona; discussion here
• Barrons thinks Garmin will miss the nuvifone Q3 launch date
• A guide to paperless caching on the Garmin nuvi
  
• Forerunner 405 tips and tricks
• GpsPasSion reports on some new features in City Navigator 2009
• Garmin has released new versions of Training Center for Windows and their Communicator plugin
• Definitely UK oriented, Mapomatic focuses on using OpenStreetMap data on Garmin GPS receivers. Via Pocket GPS World

Waypoints - April 6, 2008

This week's edition of Waypoints has more cell phone news briefs than usual, thanks to the annual CTIA wireless show held earlier this week. So let's get right to it...

Garmin and cell phones

Garmin made a number of cell phone related announcements while at CTIA:

• Upgrades to Garmin Mobile for a wide range of phones, including a more nuvi-like interface and access to Google Local search
• Garmin will provide navigation for select Samsung phones
• There is a free seven-day trial of Garmin Mobile for BlackBerry for Centennial BlackBerry 8300 phones
• nTelos is the first to take advantage of Garmin Mobiles's BREW application compatibility

Waypoints - March 30, 2008

Waypoints is a weekly posting of GPS news shorts...

Garmin

• Win a Garmin nuvi 650 from NJection.com, which offers speed trap and red light camera databases for Garmin GPS.
• Free Geography Tools continues its Garmin POI series with posts on creating a custom POI file and managing custom POI data.
• A picture of the nuvi 800 series remote control.
• Garmin has posted firmware updates for the nuvi 750, 760 and 770, and the Quest 2.

Waypoints - March 23, 2008

Waypoints is a weekly posting of GPS odds and ends, news briefs, etc.

TomTom

• Win a TomTom ONE
• TomTom hypes Map Share and the rate that changes are recieved
• More TomTom phone rumors

Waypoints - Ides of March edition

Welcome to the Ides of March edition of Waypoints. There hasn't been a huge amount of GPS news this week, so this week's post is relatively short...

GPS firmware

• DeLorme has posted a major new firmware update for the PN-20. Discussion at the DeLorme forum and at Groundspeak.
• Magellan has released a firmware update for the Triton 2000. Discussion at TritonForum.com.

Waypoints - March 9, 2008

Waypoints is a collection of GPS news shorts, announcements, random musings, etc., from the past week.

CeBIT news

I've given quite a bit of space this past week to announcements from the Hanover, Germany, Consumer Electronics show. Here are a few additional notes:

• CompeGPS plans to bring the TwoNav Aventura, a hybrid trail/auto navigation device, to the U.S.
• In my post on the Garmin nuvi 900T, I overlooked the fact that it has lifetime traffic. Perhaps this feature will make it to other Garmin models.
• Commentary on the safety aspects of Garmin adding TV to the 900T.
• A gallery of the Navigon 8110 and 2100 max.
• Meanwhile, GPS Business News thinks Black Friday consumers won't pony up for Navigon's FreshMaps.
• Magellan announces some new RoadMate models for Europe.
• Pocket GPS World blogs the show.

Waypoints - March 1, 2008

Waypoints is a collection of GPS news shorts from the past week...

CeBIT

The U.S. has its Consumer Electronics Show; Europe has CeBIT, which is happening next week. While we only have a couple of announcements so far, we do expect some new units to be announced next week by some of the top GPS companies, so do stay tuned.

• Nav N Go's iGO 8, which features 3-D imagery, is being demonstrated at CeBIT.
• Also at CeBIT, U-Blox will demo Galileo reception.

The business of GPS

• Nuvio sues Garmin. At first I thought, okay, it's a similar name. Big deal. Then I found out that Nuvio's HQ is four miles from Garmin's. You would think they would have known better! But why wait till the nuvifone to sue; why not sue over the name nuvi? One blogger points out that Garmin may have been smart to use the umlaut in the name.
• Garmin supports racing. Um, wait. maybe that's not how their PR folks meant for it to be taken.
• Maptech slashes marine chart prices and then gets put up for sale.

The Return of Waypoints

Between the holidays, a baby in the house, a trip to Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show and a cross-country move, I've let Waypoints slide since late last year. We're settling in nicely in our new digs now, and I'm actually finding time for a link roundup. Many thanks to all our loyal readers for their patience.

Top stories

• Dash delays shipping the Dash Express by a month. And GPS Review covers has a new Dash video.
• Garmin has released new firmware (v 2.40) for the Colorado series. Here are the links -- 300, 400t, 400i, 400c. Changes include improved backlight, NiMH battery, geocaching, and custom POI support. There is a discussion thread at Groundspeak. In case you missed it, here is my Garmin Colorado 300 review.

Waypoints - December 9, 2007

Waypoints is a weekly linkfest of GPS related odds and ends, tips and tidbits, flotsam and jetsam...

GPS in the news

• Travel icon Arthur Frommer just saw his first GPS in action. Seriously. Via All Points Blog.
• GPS manufacturers to use game themes. Not really. Via Digg.
• British towns say take us off your GPS maps!
• GPS used to map California's Mount Diablo, a prominent peak in the SF Bay Area. A couple of years ago, my wife and I circumnavigated Mt. Diablo on mountain bikes,and I posted about using GPS tracks to plan the trip.
• Hacking an NYC taxi GPS.

Waypoints - December 1, 2007

Waypoints is a weekly posting of news shorts, links and other odds and ends for the week.

Custom POIs

I've updated my custom POI resource page with the following links:

• POI Factory has an extensive list of POI files.
• POI Factory has several POI-cenrtric forums.
• Another U.S. POI database.
• RouteConverter supports Navigon, Route 66 and TomTom POI file formats. Via Navigadget.
• POIs can be loaded to Navigon units using POI-Warner.
• More POI conversion tools and other resources are listed at GPS-Data-Team.com.
• POI Download UK focuses on the UK (of course).
• I've updated the link to Garmin's list of POI sources.
• POI Plaza has POIs from around the world.

Magellan Tritons

• Magellan has posted video demos of VantagePoint software and the Triton 2000.
• Meanwhile National Geographic has posted a PDF how-to guide for uploading maps to the Tritons.
• And Magellan has signed up another mapping partner with snowmobile and equestrian maps.
• A PDF of the Triton 200/300/400/500 owners manual has been posted in the Triton Yahoo group.

GPS hacks

• A text to speech hack for the Mio C320. Via Digg.
• Phrack, an online hacker magazine, has posted instructions for a home made GPS jammer.

Blasts from the past

• 1958 Disney film predicts GPS with traffic data (second video on screen). Via Digg.
• A 1981 pre-GPS navigation unit.