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galaxy’s thinnest gps unit rendered pretty much useless thanks to lack of actual gps software

technabob — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 01:45:16 +0000

The guys over at Chinavasion can always be relied on for bringing inexpensive and offbeat gadgetry from China to the rest of the world. The latest addition to their line of GPS devices claims to be the “Galaxy’s Thinnest GPS”.

Measuring in at 13mm thick, this portable GPS is definitely one of the slimmest units I’ve seen. Although last time I checked, my iPhone 3GS is actually a hair slimmer at 12.3mm thick, but I suppose that’s splitting hairs. Regardless, as standalone units go, this one could be the thinnest. The compact GPS features a 5-inch diagonal LCD touchscreen, and is powered by a SiRF-Atlas III processor. The device runs on the Windows CE 5.0 operating system, and takes map files loaded onto a MicroSD card. The system offers voice guidance, 2D and 3D map modes, as well as day and night modes for the display.

In addition to its GPS capabilities, it can play media files in MP4, AVI, 3GP, MOV, WMV, M4A, WAV, MP3, WMA and even SWF formats. There’s even a built-in FM transmitter so you can send the audio to your car stereo. And it does all this for just $100 (USD).

So that sounds okay, right? Well, here’s the bad news. According to Chinavasion’s product description: “This model is compatible with most brands of GPS software – however hardware specific software such as Garmin may not run on this unit. As the wholesaler, Chinavasion provides the GPS- enabled hardware only, not the software. Chinavasion provides no warranty or customer support regarding GPS software. Chinavasion cannot provide downloads / links / advice regarding GPS software. Any software installation you undertake should be performed or supervised by a professional… Actual GPS voice and display languages depends on the GPS software package.” So unless you know where to go digging for Windows CE-based GPS applications and maps, it sounds like this super-thin GPS could be pretty much useless.

If you’re feeling adventurous and don’t mind trolling around some Torrents looking for GPS software, you can order one here. Just don’t blame me when you drive your car into a drainage ditch.

ace the robot does what male drivers won’t: ask for directions

lambert v. — Fri, 15 May 2009 13:23:58 +0000

Martin Buss and his team at the Technical University of Munich created a robot that relies on help from humans to get to its destination. The robot is called Autonomous City Explorer or ACE, and while it looks really ugly, it’s one of the first robots that’s proven successful in a real world setting, as opposed to lab tests or simulations.

Buss and his team dropped ACE outside of their university and instructed it to go to the Marienplatz, which is 1.5 kilometers (0.93 mi) away from the school. ACE’s problem? It didn’t know how to get there, and it had no digital map or GPS. So ACE had to ask the people it came across for directions.

ACE can detect nearby humans using cameras as well as motion- and posture detecting software. ACE also has a touchscreen for a head, and another screen with an animated mouth. Once it finds a human, ACE calls out using its built-in speaker and asks the person to touch its screen if he’s willing to help. ACE will then ask the good Samaritan to point its body in the right direction. ACE will then be on its way, but not before saying “thank you” to the fleshy construct who helped it.

After 5 hours, ACE reached its destination. In its defense, Buss’ team said that ACE became too popular for his own good, and was slowed down when it crossed a busy pedestrian zone, where 21 passersby stopped to talk to the defenseless robot. As expected, ACE also received wrong directions, but fortunately it only happened once. While ACE still needs to be equipped with a bullshit detector, roboticist Paul Newman of the University of Oxford in the UK was impressed by the German experiment, specially because the robot adapts to how humans process and share information instead of the other way around.

[via NewScientist]

next iphone to have built-in magnetometer: yay for miners and geologists. yay.

lambert v. — Fri, 08 May 2009 12:11:04 +0000

The folks at The Boy Genius Report have a couple of screens from an iPhone debugging menu, and their Apple insider is telling them that the evidence points to a built-in magnetometer for the next hardware revision of the wildly successful device.

As we all know, a magnetometer tells you how close you are to Magneto. What? It doesn’t — It’s for what? The strength and direction of a magnetic field? Why, that’s even better! It’s exactly what nobody’s been asking for.

But I guess giving people what they want – such as a better camera, or support for Flash – is the concept of inferior minds. Perhaps real geniuses give people something they didn’t know they want. Or perhaps Apple saw that no one is catering to the needs of the stylish and tech-savvy miners, geologists and archeologists, people who want a magnetometer and twenty seven fart apps in one awesome package. What vision; what foresight.

iknow where you are: ipod nano gps hack

lambert v. — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:30:45 +0000

Engineer Benjamin Kokes used to work for the now-defunct GPS company Nemerix. While he was there, he started working on a GPS peripheral for the iPod nano as a personal challenge. From the looks of it, he still has quite a ways to go, but at least he has shown that it’s feasible.

Kokes used “a reference design board containing a Nemerix GPS with an Atmel ATMEGA324 micro-controller” for his hack. He said that the hardware part of his project “is not at all that complex”, but then again he’s an engineer. The software portion, on the other hand, turned out to be a beast of a challenge, as he had to write a screen driver to display the information on the iPod.

Kokes also said that the device he’s working on will not work with touchscreen iPods – and Shuffles of course, because they have no screen at all.

I’ll stop here and direct you to Kokes’ website for more details, because honestly this is all nosebleeding-wizardry to me.

P.S. if you want to post about Kokes’ project or link to his site, he requests that you email him as well, just so he knows.

[via Navigadget]

nintendo ds lite gets gps navigation with google maps

technabob — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 16:23:02 +0000

Your mobile phone already has GPS navigation. Your car probably does too. Even the Sony PSP has a GPS option. So it was only a matter of time before the Nintendo DS would jump into the GPS fray.

Designed by China’s Fab Chain, the Ranger is a GPS add-on module for your NDS Lite. Just plug the Ranger into the accessory port on the front of your NDS, and provides turn-by-turn directions with Google Maps integration. The Ranger can display maps in both 2D and fake 3D perspective modes, and even has automatic day/night modes. And since it has its own built in rechargeable batteries, it won’t put added strain on your NDS’ power supply. As an added bonus, you can connect the Ranger to your PC or PDA via a USB connection and use it as a GPS on those devices as well.

Fab Chain hasn’t revealed pricing or a release date yet, but if you always travel with your DS and despite all your other gadgets, you’re still directionally challenged, you might want to look into one of these.

[via Navigadget]

paper gps won’t get you lost (if you write good directions)

technabob — Thu, 01 May 2008 03:09:33 +0000

Who needs one of those new-fangled e-lec-tronic GPS navigation contraptions, when you can accomplish the same degree of directional guidance with a little old-fashioned paper and ink?

Whether you’re ready to head out on a cross-country road trip, or just around the corner to the grocery, all you need to do is surf over to to Google Maps, print out the directions, transcribe them onto this GPS-enabled pad, then hit the road.

The Paper GPS notepad lets you write up to ten turn-by-turn directions per page, including little arrows you can circle for turns, and boxes for how many miles you need to travel. When you’re all done, you can check off whether you made it to your destination, or got hopelessly lost. Given the fact that my Magellan GPS told me it was 370 miles from Milwaukee to Chicago, maybe this isn’t such a bad idea after all.

The Paper GPS is available from Perpetual Kid for just $6.50 per pad.

robot armed with paintball gun chases down victims

technabob — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:40:50 +0000

The only thing worse than taking a paintball pellet in your ass is when your return fire won’t end up inflicting the same pain on your opponent. That’s what you have to look forward to if you end up going toe-to-toe with this robotic foe.

Created by builder Che Edoga (aka “darkback2″), his wood and metal robot “Gepetto” can fire paintballs while it tools around via remote control.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

While Gepetto was designed first and foremost as an artificially-intelligent mobile robotic platform, the paintball add-on turns it into a work of pure evil genius.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

In addition to being able to carry a load, Gepetto has a built in video camera and screen for interacting with passersby (or maybe to remotely taunt its victims when in paintball mode).

Gepetto is actually strong enough to carry around a laptop on its back, and can manage driving on challenging surfaces thanks to independent wheel mechanisms that can travel as much as three inches in height. While the robot is strong enough to navigate on carpet or other uneven surfaces, it’s probably not going to climb hills any time soon.

Darkback2 plans on continuing to refine the ‘bot’s navigation, intelligence, vision and other systems in the coming months. Check out the details of his progress over on the Trossen Robotics forums. (by the way, Gepetto was a runner up in Trossen’s latest robot contest).

In the mean time, if I see Gepetto coming down the road, I’m heading the other way.

garmin forerunner 405 gps watch really looks like a watch

technabob — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:45:38 +0000

While there have been several past attempts to create wrist-worn GPS sport devices, up until now they’ve been quite bulky and certainly wouldn’t pass as an ordinary wristwatch. Enter Garmin’s forthcoming Forerunner 405, a GPS-enabled watch that actually looks like a watch, and that’s lightweight enough to be worn all day.

Now, you won’t be using the GPS capabilities to map out automotive routes, but it will come in handy for plotting waypoints for exercise and other outdoor activities. The Forerunner 405 contains all the electronics necessary to track speed, distance, pace, calories burned, location and even heart rate (assuming you add the optional heart rate monitor).

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The watch can automatically sync with your computer wirelessly, downloading workout data as well as receiving route data for future outings. You can even beam locations, workouts and course information with your running companions if they happen to also wear the same type of watch.

The Forerunner 405 is slated for a Q1 2008 release and will retail for about $319 USD.

[via NaviGadget]

maxian e900t pmp slices, dices, makes julienne fries

technabob — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:58:11 +0000

It seems that every few weeks, the Korean tech market reveals some new all-in-one gadget that makes me drool. The latest and greatest PMP (personal media player) to come out of the East Asian nation features just about everything you’d ever want in a portable electronic device. The Windows CE-based Maxian E900T is much more than your typical portable media player.

Sure, it’s got a razor-sharp 4.3″ 800 x 480 resolution touchscreen for playing video in WMV, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DiVX/XviD and H.264 formats. It’s certainly adept at playing just about any audio format you can throw at it, including WMA, AAC, MP3, and OGG. Heck, it even supports the real-time display of lyrics for tracks tagged with SYLT encoding.

But the device goes well beyond mere media player. The E900T might just be robust enough to be the hub for your entire digital life.

At home, the E900T can connect to your home theater system, pushing out 720p high-def video, accompanied by Dolby Digital or DTS surround sound. If that’s not enough, the audio is powered by the critically-acclaimed Burr-Brown processing circuitry, and is output through a digital S/PDIF connection.

When you’re ready to get up off of your couch and head out, grab your Maxian and hit the road. In the car, the E900T slides into an optional windshield antenna/dock to enable robust GPS navigation capability. There’s also a DMB television receiver, which handles Korea’s digital over-the-air television signals with aplomb, so you passengers can travel without missing their favorite programs.

But that’s not all. Order today, and they’ll throw in a robust electronic dictionary system (called SayDic), complete with English to Korean translation capabilities. Oh yeah, the device can also display documents in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Acrobat PDF, and HTML formats. There’s even support for Adobe Flash media playback.

The E900T comes in either a 30GB (white) or 60GB (blue black) version, and storage can be expanded using a built-in SD/MMC card reader. As is typically the case with these kind of Korean technological wonders, I doubt we’ll ever see these stateside. But if you’re willing to do a little research, translate a little Korean and pay for some overseas shipping, you might be able to get your hands on one.

[via EarlyAdopter]

gps goes postal: could help solve usps delivery woes

technabob — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 15:37:55 +0000

This new device was commissioned by the United States Postal Service in order to hunt down some of the inefficiencies in their mail delivery process. Developed by California’s TrackingTheWorld, the gadget is slipped inside of a letter, and tracks the precise journey of an individual piece of mail.

The LetterLogger is small enough to be concealed inside of a standard #10 business envelope, yet contains sophisticated GPS and motion-sensing technology which can record every movement along the letter’s travels. Not only can it record the precise position and timing of each location, but its motion sensors can detect the amount of time when the letter is sitting still, which could help ferret out wasted time during the delivery process.

They should slap one of these directly on every mail carrier too. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some delays at the neighborhood bar, donut shop and strip club.

[via Engadget via NaviGadget]

deluo mouse combines pointing, gps in same package

technabob — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 23:48:31 +0000

Here’s one from the “why didn’t I think of that” file. The bright minds at computer accessory-maker Deluo have created a mouse that doubles as a GPS receiver for your portable computer.

The Deluo MouseGPS embeds a GPS receiver inside of the shell of a USB optical scroll mouse. While you probably won’t be using it as a mouse if you’re in transit, the concept is a definite space-saver in crowded laptop carrying cases. As an added bonus, the device has a retractable USB cord to keep things extra tidy for transport.

Retail price for the MouseGPS is about $100, but you’ll really want to spend the extra $30 to get the version that includes Microsoft Streets & Trips, so you’ll have full mapping and direction capabilities right out of the box. Sure, it’s a little more pricey than buying a mouse and a GPS receiver separately, but it’s just one less thing to lose when you’re on the road.

[via SlipperyBrick]

[Order the Deluo MouseGPS from Amazon]

provia a1 gps navigator: way too sexy for itself

technabob — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 23:17:09 +0000

Those of us in the States tend to think of GPS navigators as relatively utilitarian devices that help us find our way when we’re too afraid to ask for directions at the gas station. In Asia, GPS devices seem to be on the way to becoming much more.

Case-in-point: the new Provia A1 navigator from Korea’s HTMS. Not only does this new GPS device look totally slick, it’s loaded with more features than you’ve ever dreamed of on your car’s dashboard. For starters, navigation is done using amazingly detailed, razor-sharp 3D maps, complete with models of buildings and other landmarks.

Then, there’s a complete media player with audio and fullscreen video playback in a wide variety of formats. It’s even got a “picture-in-picture” mode, so you can watch a movie while you drive and get directions. Also along for the ride is a DMB receiver, which means it can receive over-the-air digital television broadcasts. It’s all displayed on a gorgeous Samsung 800 x 480 resolution widescreen 7-inch display, complete with a touchscreen interface. It even offers handwriting recognition when you control it with an included stylus.

The Provia A1 is backed by a beefy Intel PXA270 processor, running at 520MHz, the same chip used to run some of the more powerful PDAs out there. There’s 128MB of on-board SDRAM, 128MB for program storage, and you can add up to 2GB more via an SD card. Unfortunately, we’ll probably never see one of these outside of Korea.

[via The Earlyadopter's World]

pyxis gps watch for golfers and other sporting types

technabob — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 16:09:41 +0000

If your definition of being active is more than hanging out in your living room playing Wii Sports, here’s a cool new gadget that could really come in handy.

Westech Korea is launching this new portable wrist-worn GPS device which is designed specifically for sports applications. The Pyxis RGPS-300 features unique modes for tracking all sorts of athletic endeavors including running, biking, hiking, mountain climbing, skiing and even driving. My personal favorite feature is the ability to load up maps of your favorite golf courses and check out how far away you are from the pin.

For now, the device is only available in Korea, but hopefully they’ll see fit to release it in other parts of the world soon.

[via AVING]

robot can predict new surroundings

technabob — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 00:26:57 +0000

A team of researchers at Purdue University have devised a method to teach robots to navigate foreign environments by themselves. Using some very complex artificial intelligence, this robot can make educated “guesses” about what it might next encounter in its surroundings.

Rather than trying to just deal with differences in surfaces and obstacles as the robot approaches an area, the ‘bot can actually take data from its recent surroundings to predict what might be next and store that information in its internal map. By doing this, the robot can better prepare to navigate ahead of time, reducing the likelihood of getting stuck or slow progress through challenging obstacles.

Currently, the algorithm does add a bit of processing overhead to the robot’s software, meaning that it can’t cover as much ground as less intelligent robots. In future, the researchers plan to link up multiple robots to share their knowledge and to improve prediction capabilities.

[via softpedia via robotster]

roameo: like lojack for dogs

technabob — Mon, 21 May 2007 03:17:01 +0000

We’d all like to think that Rover would know how to find his way home if he got lost, but this nifty bit of high-tech gear could help to stack the odds in your pups favor.

The RoamEO system is a sophisticated GPS tracking system for your dog. The device lets you keep track of your pets in up to a 1-mile radius and can display their exact location on a portable tracking device. It can monitor the locations of up to three dogs on the device’s color LCD screen, as well as their current movements and how fast they’re traveling. The RoamEO can also be set to automatically alert you if your pet strays beyond a pre-set boundaries.

The RoamEO system retails for $499, including the tracker and one GPS collar. Additional collars are $159 each.

[via CrunchGear]

becker mexico car stereo: a wolf in sheep’s clothing

technabob — Sun, 13 May 2007 21:07:41 +0000

Don’t let the decidedly old school design of this car radio fool you. Beneath its surface, the Becker Mexico 7948 radio is loaded with modern technology.

While it might look like a radio from the 60’s or 70’s, the Becker Mexico has a plethora of tricks up its sleeve. The only clue of the beast that lurks within is the modern 13-color OLED screen, giving you an inkling that there’s more than meets the eye with this radio.

For starters, the Mexico has full voice-based GPS navigation capabilities in eight languages. It can play digital music files from CF, MMC, Microdrive and SD-Card formats or an iPod through an optional kit. Heck, it even has a built in voice-dial GSM-based mobile phone hands-free calling via Bluetooth. Oh yeah, it does still have an FM radio for you purists out there.

All those bells and whistles do have a hefty price tag however. The Becker Mexico retails for about €1500 (about $2000 USD) and is currently available only in European markets.

[via Smidigt]

mio digiwalker c220: low cost portable gps

technabob — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:34:14 +0000

GPS maker Mio Technology today announced their new compact personal navigator system, the Digiwalker C220.

(Yes, I know that’s a map of England, even though yours will come with U.S. maps)

The C220 lists for just $249.95 and is a good choice for a first-time GPS or for a second car. For starters, it’s got a nice 3.5-inch touch color touch screen interface with an anti-glare surface. The DigiWalker C220 comes with full maps of the entire U.S. pre-loaded on an SD card, and provides turn-by-turn voice directions in English, Spanish or French (or other languages in other regions.)

Plus, it’s got a rechargeable Li-ion battery pack built in (estimated 4.5 hour battery life) so you can take the device anywhere you go, not just in your car. It’s even got specialized profiles for walking, biking, motorcycling or driving. The C220 should be in stores this month.

microsoft zenzui aims to revamp mobile surfing

technabob — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 15:52:21 +0000

Microsoft today announced a new startup business focused on improving user interfaces for mobile devices called “ZenZui.”

ZenZui’s differentiator is its unique “zooming” user interface which lets you quickly maneuver from one application or website to another. The interface features a grid of customizable “tiles” which provide links directly to the users areas of interest. Once a tile is chosen, the selected content immediately fills the mobile devices screen.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

When you strip away the marketing hyperbole here, the applications really looks very similar to the desktop “widget” technology that’s present in both Mac OSX and Windows Vista, but shrunken down to a mobile format, and with a spiffy navigational interface.

bose media system: sophisticated car audio

technabob — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 17:39:07 +0000

Audio gear maker Bose is showing off their latest in car audio systems, the high-end Bose Media System.

It features 5.1-channel surround sound, an AM/FM/XM radio, a multi-format CD/DVD player, navigation and on board music server among other things. For starters, the Media System offers the ability to play back content in CD, DVD, SACD, MP3 or AAC formats from discs. It’s also got a hard-drive that can store an additional 200 hours of tunes. Also along for the ride are Bluetooth, USB 2.0 and iPod connectivity.

The system also offers a slick user interface on its full color LCD screen for easy access to track and title information as well as navigation capabilities. The interface even features a proximity sensor which changes the display to show the appropriate contextual information when your hand nears the controls. Bose’s UMusic intelligent music analyzer can learn your playback habits and automatically play tracks based on your personal preferences.

No pricing information is available at this point, but seeing that the first car to feature the system is the Ferarri 612 Scaglietti, I’d bet it’s not cheap.

[via AutoBlog]

bushnell onix 400: portable gps with xm and live weather

technabob — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 17:09:32 +0000

If you’re the outdoorsy type, you might want to check out Bushnell’s new waterproof portable GPS navigator. It’s the first device I’ve seen that seamlessly integrates GPS mapping capabilities with real time weather data and an XM satellite radio.

The Bushnell ONIX 400 can receive live XM WX weather data, as well as tune in over 170 channels of XM’s music, sports and entertainment programming. You can even set up the ONIX to track weather along your rout, and have automatically update based on your current location.

The ONIX 400 features a 3.5-inch 320×240 LCD display, and 64MB of on-board memory for data storage. The device operates on a rechargeable Li-Ion battery, but no information has been revealed about battery life as of yet.

The Bushnell ONIX 400 should hit shelves this Summer for about $500.