GPS reviews, news, tips, tricks and deals
A U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) judge has recommended that the ITC "bar from importation into the U.S. infringing chips of SiRF Technology," including GPS devcies that have those chipsets in them. The chips have been found to infringe upon Broadcom’s patents.
The question I have is, how is this going to affect the GPS market? DigiTimes is reporting that Mitac, parent company of Mio, is going to stop using SiRF chipsets in the fourth quarter.
National Geographic has released TOPO! version 4.5, adding support for Garmin Oregon, Colorado, Edge and nuvi models. A Mac OS X version is also available. This is a welcome improvement, as too few mapping software programs support these models.
With so many nuvis in the marketplace, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Garmin has now discontinued it’s earliest nuvi models, including all of the 300 series and most of the 600 series. The discontinued models are as follows:
UPDATE: The Oregon 400t has been discontinued; we recommend the Oregon 450t, which has a greatly improved screen, as an alternative.
The Garmin Oregon 400T
Three years ago today, I started GPS Tracklog. Coincidentally, one year ago today, my son was born. As you can see, like his dad, he’s very excited to have his hands on a new Garmin Oregon.
UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For a list of current TomTom models and their features, please see our TomTom comparison chart.
The TomTom ONE 130-S updates the TomTom ONE 3rd edition, with a new design that features a built-in mount called the EasyPortTM, that stows on the back of the device.
We heard about the DeLorme PN-40 earlier this summer, so today’s announcement of its pending release this fall comes as no surprise. One new piece of info though — they’ve scheduled a September shipping date.
Low cost aerial imagery and USGS quads
The other new piece of information is that you’ll be able to download all the aerial imagery, USGS topo quads and NOAA charts that you want for an annual fee of $29.95. I’ve been merciless in my criticism of DeLorme pricing; prior to this thirty bucks would have only bought you two 7.5′ quads worth of imagery. So here’s a big thank you to DeLorme for giving us this deal. I can’t imagine owning a DeLorme handheld and not ponying up the extra bucks for imagery.
Garmin and Harley sittin’ in a tree…
Ahem…Garmin and Harley-Davidson have announced the Road Tech zumo, a customized version of Garmin’s motorcycle-specific GPS device specially enhanced for Harley owners. The Road Tech z?mo will be on display and available for sale beginning the week of August 4th at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and around the world in Harley-Davidson authorized dealerships.
updates the TomTom ONE 3rd edition, with a new design that features a built-in mount called the