GPS reviews, news, tips and tricks
Ever had the itch to make your own maps? Wished that you had access to the same cartography tools used by Garmin? Well, your dreams may be coming true. A new MapSource Product Creator page on Garmin’s developer site offers you the opportunity to…
Create custom maps that can be easily loaded into Garmin devices with the MapSource Product Creator (MPC). The MPC can create everything from full country topographic maps to maps for specific industry, military or research applications.
Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal let it be known that TomTom was going to open up an API for third-party developers. Yesterday, Pocket-Lint gave us more details, including the news that TomTom would develop its own app store, possibly by years end.
This is all made possible by the WebKit-based operating system powering the new TomTom GO LIVE 1000, which was announced for Europe the other day. The WebKit foundation should make it easier for developers to port apps to multiple platforms.
Garmin has decided to close its San Francisco office, resulting in the loss of most of the team that built MotionBased, the original Garmin Connect platform, which was acquired by Garmin in 2005. A new website, The GC Team, has been posted, saying:
TeleNav is releasing some data this morning that isn’t too startling in its own right, but it speaks to a revolution in market share analysis. Companies like Nielsen and Arbitron estimate media market share, but GPS-enabled phones can do them one two better, delivering location market share data, and not just estimates either. This strikes me as something of a game changer for marketing professionals, and the data may provide another badly-needed revenue stream for navigation providers. On to the specifics being released today…
The crew in Olathe definitely has something up their sleeve. The same guys who gave us 50 nuvi models have only introduced a handful of new ones this past year (the nuvi 1490T, 1690, trucker-friendly 465T and the stealth-introduced nuvi 1450 — only the first two count as major consumer introductions). No new nuvis at CES, and they aren’t even exhibiting at CeBIT. So what’s up?
I’m never sure how much to trust Google Translate, but if they got this German article right, TomTom’s CEO Harold Goddijn (pictured) claims they will be offering map updates every day or two by the end of the year. It sounds like we are definitely moving towards connected devices with constantly updated maps. Here’s the translated quote:
The BirdsEye aerial / satellite imagery subscription program for the Garmin Colorado, Dakota and Oregon series is now official. EDIT: I’ve learned that Garmin decided not to support BirdsEye imagery on the Dakota 10, due to its lack of an expansion card slot. I have a few tidbits to add to my post from last week:
EDIT: I’ve learned that Garmin decided not to support BirdsEye imagery on the Dakota 10, due to its lack of an expansion card slot.
It looks like Garmin is getting ready to announce a BirdsEye satellite imagery subscription program for owners of the Colorado, Dakota and Oregon handheld series. Similar to DeLorme’s Map Library, the BirdsEye program will let you transfer an unlimited amount of satellite imagery and aerial photos to a compatible Garmin handheld for $29.99 per year. Imagery will be locked to one device per subscription; you’ll need Garmin’s free BaseCamp software (version 3.0.0+, yet to be released) and a myGarmin account. I hope to update this post soon with details on when the program will be up and running.
UPDATE: Our TomTom XXL 540TM page has been posted.
Well, well. In what could be the biggest news coming out of CES in terms of auto GPS this year, TomTom has announced that they will offer Lifetime Map Updates, a feature that will be incorporated into a range of TomTom units released in 2010.
Garmin has apparently already made all their CES announcements. Lets see, we have a new golf GPS, a motorcycle GPS, a tool for high-tech grease monkeys and an app to make your nuvi curse like a sailor. The country’s biggest electronics show and this is all they have? WTF?
Well, actually, that’s a rhetorical question. I have some answers…
GPS Tracklog is written by Rich Owings, author of GPS Mapping.
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