Waypoints is a weekly link roundup of (mostly) GPS related odds and ends. To get many of these stories as they break, follow me on Twitter. Something happened this week with the plugin I use to compile these stories, so I had to cut and paste from Delicious; I apologize in advance if I lost attribution on some stories.
GPS in the news
- This week’s edition of “my GPS made me do it” includes awesome pics
- Haptic steering wheel feedback coming to your navigation system?
- These ski goggles feature a heads up GPS display
- China’s answer to GPS veering off course
- Team works to build GPS tracker with two-month battery life
Garmin
- A new Oregon topo map from GPS File Depot
- Garmin UK rolls out Dakota 20 and Oregon 450 ski editions, with European or US ski resort maps; strangely enough, there are no signs that Garmin will sell them in the US
TomTom
- TomTom GO 1000 to support custom POIs next year
- Engadget on TomTom’s Traffic Manifesto
- TomTom’s latest map release includes off-road content for safaris and nature expeditions in Africa
Updates
- Cache Register 2.0 for Earthmate PN-Series GPS
- Garmin nuvi 37xx traffic receiver update (discussion at GPS Review forums)
Mobile
- OziExplorer coming to Android and iPhone; via GPS Review forum
- A good description of what your smartphone gains with an accelerometer and gyroscope
- GPS Lodge on Waze’s new user groups
iPhone
- TeleNav brings voice command to the Phone
- Navmii introduces a free iPhone navigation app
- Chinese iPhone 4 features crippled Maps app
- Cloudmade takes OSM offroad for the iPhone
- GPS Tuner claims to be “the only GPS iPhone application that accurately and automatically plans the best off-road routes”
Android
- Is this sneaky? Android apps say they use location data, but then send it to advertisers
- Golfshot golf GPS app comes to Android
- Why use an external bluetooth GPS receiver with an Android phone?
The business of GPS
- Magellan’s answer to lack of support for legacy units? A trade-in program
- New satellites to invigorate satnav industry
- This could become a major, shared POI database
- The Map Room on Google Maps errors
- DIY Liquid Galaxy (Google Earth immersive environment)
- Google StreetView pic from Antarctica
- Street View randomizer; via Google Maps Mania
Miscellany
- Hack your Magellan or other Windows CE-based navigators; a simpler version is also available
- DeLorme PN-60w + SPOT gets breakthrough Award from Popular Mechanics
- “Travel Bugs” A Geocaching.com Lost & Found Video | Latitude 47
- A Discourse on Map Pins and Pinnage; via @andrewmatranga
Updated GPS reviews
I’ve updated these review and resource pages with the following links:
- Garmin GPSMAP 60CS – this story says it is one tough unit
- Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx and 62s – a comparison between these two models
- Garmin nuvi 3750 — ranked number one by Budget Travel readers
- Garmin nuvi 3790T — About.com reviews this top of the line model
About Rich Owings
