Ever get tired of that monotonous voice that comes out of your sat-nav? You know what we’re talking about; that voice that could just as easily lull you to sleep as it can give you directions.
TomTom has an idea; their actually bringing in some voices you might be familiar with, that is if you’re a Star Wars fan. For only $13, you can customize your TomTom by adding the voices of no less than Darth Vader to serve as your official voice-over. Now, if you can take that baritone, heavy breathing sound as in your TomTom, then you won’t have any problem with Darth Vader. However, if you can’t, you can opt for other Star Wars characters, including Yoda, Han Solo, and C3PO.
If you haven’t a clue as to how the whole thing works - or how you can use Darth Vader to direct you to the nearest K-Mart - check the video out and see how the folks from TomTom recorded Darth Vader’s voice.
Navigon, the leading innovator in the navigation market, released today its latest products: the 5100 max and 2090S, two new GPS systems to help you arrive faster where you’re heading. Both of these systems are delivered with a FreshMaps package , which means that you will be able to make eight updates over a two year period. The 5100 max features a 4.3-inch widescreen, has real-time Traffic updates for life, Reality View Pro, a system that displays 3D views, Bluetooth Hands-free, advanced text-to-speech guidance than announces the directions and street names and DirectHelpSM system which provides directions to nearby emergency service providers including hospitals, pharmacies and road-side help. The smaller 2090S comes with the same features but includes a 3.5-inch display. The cost is between $199.99 and $299.99 for the systems.
Usually at SEMA Show we see plenty of customized cars but this year we will see also the Nextar Q4-MD, a new GPS fitted with MSN Direct support, and a 4.3-inch touchscreen display. For those who don’t know, the MSN Direct is an online service that delivers important data to your device such as traffic conditions, fuel prices or weather data.
The new device will feature also a 2d or 3d map viewing, an SD Card slot for additional memory, will be capable to play Mp3s, will have USB connectivity and a receargable Li-Ion battery. For those interested the device will be available from 2009 and priced at $329.99.
The are people that usually prefer having one thing good for everything, for example the 2 in 1 shampoo, the cleaner for glass, bath and floor and the list continues. But it is not a precisely a good option for gadgets cause sometimes more systems combined in one gadget may not be as useful as it seems. For instance the GPS system combined with a built-in gaming unit can’t be very useful. Let’s say you’re on a long trip and it’s one of the best time to play games but in the same time you need the GPS more than ever to guide. Not being able to do both actions in the same time what is the use of the complex gadget in the end? There is another device that tried to combine both systems, the PSP which now has also the GPS. And as a solution, the new PSP is smarter than GPS due to its Multilanguage GPS, the SD/MMC memory card, Bluetooth and a Samsung ARM9 400MHz processor.
Nowadays, when everybody is always in hurry and has less and less time to waist the navigator becomes more and more indispensable. After a long absence, Magellan strikes the market with its new Maestro, a new GPS meant to help drivers arrive everywhere they wish. The device features a 4.3-inch WVGA display, Bluetooth, an integrated AAA TourBook, QuickSpell, rechargeable battery, integrated MP3 player, live traffic support and an FM transmitter. At first sight it doesn’t seem to anything out-of-the-box but Magellan surely thinks otherwise about their product pricing it for $599.99.
Nowadays, when everybody is always in hurry and has less and less time to waist the navigator becomes more and more indispensable. After a long absence, Magellan strikes the market with its new Maestro, a new GPS meant to help drivers arrive everywhere they wish. The device features a 4.3-inch WVGA display, Bluetooth, an integrated AAA TourBook, QuickSpell, rechargeable battery, integrated MP3 player, live traffic support and an FM transmitter. At first sight it doesn’t seem to anything out-of-the-box but Magellan surely thinks otherwise about their product pricing it for $599.99.
When it comes to disabled drivers it seems that no one wants to help them. But we were wrong, because BBNav presented today its first dedicated Blue Badge sat-nav solution specially designed for the disabled drivers and those caring the disabled like their families or carers. The new GPS system includes all the standard features as well as a new database which includes: on-street disabled parking bays, disabled accessible car parks and local council
Blue Badge parking concessions, over 60,000 points of interest (20,000 with the Blue Badge), a NAVTEQ street level mapping for UK & Republic of Ireland and a free six month safety camera alerts. The bad news is that the system is going to be available first in the UK and Ireland, but according to the manufacturer we will soon have this also in the Unites States!
GPS devises are going beyond just directions. So if you’re interested in an upgrade, the new Sanyo NVM-4370 might be the answer. Priced at $300, the new GPS system features a 4.3″ screen, bluetooth connectivity, text-to-speech feature, FM transmitter and the possibility to connect the device to a reverse gear camera to use it while backing up. Also the NVM-4370 comes with a new software containing the U.S. map, including Alaska and Hawaii, Canada and Puerto Rico.
Ever wanted a passenger to know all the streets in your town and not to bother you too much while driving? Today this is possible! Of course, this is not a human being, is the Garmin Nuvi 880 GPS system! The new GPS is fitted with cutting-edge speech recognition, dynamic MSN Direct content and other interesting features. With the help of the speech recognition, the device makes the driving safer, just tell it what you want and he will do: for example you want to go to McDonalds, simply say “find” then “McDonalds” and the Garmin Nuvi 880 will find the restaurants. Also the MSN Direct services is an interesting feature, showing you information like traffic, news headlines, fuel prices and wireless “Send to GPS” feature. He only disadvantage might be its price: $800,00!
For those who just need a cheap nav system to get around, the Cobra Nav One 5000 may be a good choice. Fitted with a 5-inch display the device offers better routing options, hands-free Bluetooth options and comes also with a database of traffic-light as well as speed-camera locations. The big surprise regarding this device is its price: the Cobra Nav One 5000 can be found at a price of $205. For those interested in buying it, they can go here.
