GPS Tracklog

Speculation on Garmin Android strategy

A couple of things got me thinking about Garmin's Android strategy yesterday. One was a post by Phandroid, speculating that the Garmin Approach G5 may morph into an Android app. The other was a question by a reporter about handheld device trends.

I'm not convinced that Garmin will create applications for devices manufactured by others, but I can see lots of opportunities for hybrid units. For example, we could see the following:

MiTAC completes purchase of Magellan

MiTAC has announced the completion of their purchase of Magellan’s consumer products division, and revealed some insights into their strategy and future plans:

• The Mio and Magellan product lines will coexist in the U.S., though they will share technological expertise
• Mio will add new “GPS-based lifestyle products” to their line, so maybe we’ll soon see their Mobile Internet Device that was on display at CES

UPDATE: TWICE is reporting that this or a similar device (they are calling it a UMPC ) will hit the market this fall at around $299.

CES briefs - Thursday, January 8, 2009

More news from the International Consumer Electronics Show...

• Qualcomm mirasol display technology may be a good low-energy consuming, full-color solution for handheld GPS; a two-color mirasol Golf GPS was announced at CES
• The makers of the SPOT Satellite Messenger have announced SPOT Assist roadside service, which seems designed to compete with OnStar
• The previously announced, trucker-friendly Goodyear GY500X is being demo'd at CES
• Sony unveils camcorders that not only have GPS, but come with NAVTEQ maps; I kid you not! (via Engadget)
• Microsoft Sync brings turn-by-turn navigation to Fords (via Gizmodo)
• NAVTEQ unveils LocationPoint Advertising Services

Navigon adds new ala carte downlaods

Continuing the no new hardware trend we ID'd yesterday, Navigon will announce this morning a wide range of new downloadable content, some good, some not so good. On the plus side we have red light cameras and European maps. Of more questionable value is 3D landmarks, and sure to rile the folks who bought the Navigon 7200T is the option to beef up its weak POI database by paying $29.99 for an additional 2.8 million POIs.

CES reveals GPS trends

It's beginning to look like we won't see that many new GPS introductions at CES this year, as manufacturers work to unload excess inventory they didn't move over the holiday season. What we've seen so far is that manufacturers are going for more profitable niche products and high-end units for which there is a clear demand, often built onto existing hardware platforms so as to require no expensive manufacturing changes. Partnerships, map sales and being in sync with the economic times are in vogue this year. 

CES briefs - Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Here are a few more GPS related announcements from CES:

• TomTom announces a second-generation in-dash unit in their partnership with Fujitsu Ten - the Eclipse AVN4430
• Little known (in the PND world anyway) Dual Electronics looks like they will offer the first PND in the U.S. with HD Radio technology; whether they will take advantage of the bandwidth to deliver additional traffic data is unknown
• Nextar, fresh off a stellar holiday season, offers up a unit with free lifetime traffic
• Navigon has announced a new partnership, offering Rand McNally content for their devices

Garmin nuMaps Lifetime map update program

Garmin has announced nuMaps Lifetime - a new program that allows customers to download map and POIs updates every quarter for the life of their Garmin device. The program will go live on January 21; it was expected to be available a few months ago, but there were unspecified delays in getting it up and running. Costs are as follows:

• City Navigator® North America NT ($119.99)
• City Navigator Europe NT ($139.99)
• City Navigator Transatlantic ($149.99)

GPS predictions for 2009

Disclaimer: These are predictions and nothing more, so keep your sense of humor and please don’t sue me.

Auto GPS predictions

• A nuvi 8x5 series will bring lane assist and voice recognition together in one unit
• Garmin discontinues the nuvi 200 series; all Garmin nuvi models will now have text-to-speech
• Crowdsourced HD traffic comes to the US with the stateside introduction of the TomTom GO LIVE series
• TomTom releases a GPS receiver that utilizes alternative positioning information for improved accuracy in urban canyons
• More manufacturers display multiple route options visually, ala Dash and Insignia
• Navigon folds, caught between Nextar on the low end and MiTAC’s aggressive promotion of the Magellan line
• Red light camera alerts will move closer to the mainstream
• More downward feature creep -- expect to see Lane Assist on some mid-range Garmins, more units with lifetime traffic, larger screens, etc.
• Garmin announces a desktop application (possibly a revamped MapSource) that allows planning routes with POIs and transferring them to Garmin units with current City Navigator maps; it will be set up to allow users to opt into sharing anonymized tracklogs ala TomTom HOME
• Said application will support wireless transfer of data via ANT or Bluetooth

Garmin confirms Android phone under development

Just got the following from Garmin, in response to the DigiTimes story we mentioned earlier today:

The nüvifone we announced in January 2008 does not have an Android OS. The nüvifone OS is based on a modified version of Linux. We do have an Android-based phone under development; however, we are not releasing any additional information about that product at this time.

Da' cats out of the bag!

Garmin's cellphone strategy broader than expected

UPDATE: Garmin is saying that the DigiTimes report has "many inaccuracies" and that they will release a statement to clear things up. Or maybe they're just going to try and put the cat back in the bag! Garmin Android phone confirmed!

We were expecting the nuvifone in Q2 next year, but this tidbit attributed to Tony An, Garmin's Asia Pacific marketing director, made us go "wha?"

"Garmin will launch Nuvifone, its first GPS-enabled handset, in the Taiwan market in the second quarter of 2009, An noted. Garmin also plans to launch self-developed Android handsets in the second half of 2009, with production to be outsourced."

While it says nothing about these Android units being available in North America, it is rare for Garmin to launch a product not featured in its home market.