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

TomTom

• TomTom refuses to offer concessions to the EU on its Tele Atlas bid; maybe they are just looking for an easy way out since TomTom is now worth less than their Tele Atlas offer price
• TomTom has released new firmware for the GO 520/720(T)/920(T); via YourNav
• GpsPasSion, in this blurb on the TomTom GO 930, says you can now update speed limits in Map Share; I hadn’t heard that before
• It looks like TomTom will make their late April ship date on the GO 730 and 930

DeLorme

• DeLorme debuts a new GPS mouse-type receiver
• The DeLorme PN-20 nows supports SDHC cards
   

GPS in the news

• Be careful when following a GPS in a foreign land, lest it get you into serious trouble
• I’ve written before about how GPS negatively impacts (auto) navigation skills — now a research group at Cornell agrees
• Another geocache gets blown up by the bomb squad
• GPS can bring customers to small businesses

GPS and cell phones

• It looks like Mio’s new phone is going to be called the Lovebird
• A BlackBerry blog asks what Verizon has against GPS
• Tracy and Matt review Garmin Mobile XT, but they sure do like it more than Laptop Mag, which gave it a low 2 out of 5 stars

Just maps

• Distribution of singles in the U.S. by gender
• And a map of U.S. carbon emissions

Virtual globes

• Google gets sued over StreetView
• How Google handles disputed place names
• OgleEarth covers trailguru
• A close look at the new Microsoft Live improvements; more straight from the source

Miscellany

• Dash adds forums for registered users
• PC World Australia lists their top ten GPS — number one is the Garmin nuvi 760
• A comparison of Invisible Shield and Boxwave Crystal screen protectors (you can read my InvisibleShield review here)
• GeoPDFs get new features 
• Historical aerial photos (via AnyGeo)
• OnStar gets some new features
• Looks like Disneyland is testing an onsite GPS
• Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) use grows

Updated GPS reviews

• Garmin Colorado 400t review – The Hopp Stop offers brief review
• Garmin nuvi 650 review – Props & Pans reviews this popular model
• Mio DigiWalker C230 review – The C230 weblog comes up with another great hack post, geocaching with the C230.