I haven’t decided if I’ll do a 2010 predictions post yet, but in the process of thinking about it, I decided to take a look at last year’s effort and see how I did. My comments as to the outcome are in italics following each prediction…
A look back at my 2009 predictions
December 29, 2009 By 3 Comments
MSN Direct to end January 1, 2012
October 27, 2009 By 8 Comments
MSN Direct has announced that they will cease operations on January 1, 2012. This will effect owners of Garmin nuvi x8x units, although with plenty of lead time, I doubt that it will be a huge issue for them. Garmin however, may have trouble marketing any backlog of these units they have on hand. You can read all the gory details here.
Via gpsreview.net.
Google and the business of map data collection
October 15, 2009 By Leave a Comment
A lengthy and detailed interview with Mike Dobosn of TeleMapics has been posted at Search Engine Land, where the map data insider hypothesizes about Google Map’s data sources. What’s really fascinating though, is the peek inside the business of collecting and verifying map data. I may have to print this one out and read it several times. If you have any serious interest in the subject, this one is well worth your time. Here are a few tidbits:
On the collection of “anonymized” cell phone data:
“Yes, I know that it is collected anonymously, but if that track starts out at the same house each day and returns to the same house each night, doesn’t it suggest where you live? For that reason, at least one of the major PND companies, whose users have agreed to tracking, shaves the first two minutes and the last two minutes off of every path. Does everyone follow this standard? I don’t know, but everyone should be interested in how the DNA of their GPS traces are “neutered” by the companies using them. Further, the four minutes of data thrown away probably contains really useful information about local streets, but so it goes.”
Tele Atlas and NAVTEQ a duopoly no more
October 8, 2009 By 3 Comments
This has been an interesting week for those of us following the geospatial data giants that provide the road network data found on most automotive GPS navigators. NAVTEQ and Tele Atlas have long been regarded as a virtual duopoly, and it was only two short years ago that a bidding war erupted, with TomTom acquiring Tele Atlas and Nokia buying NAVTEQ.
But all of a sudden we have two new, huge players in the market. A week ago, it was revealed that Apple had purchased Placebase, resulting in speculation that they would dump Google Maps from the iPhone. Then yesterday Tele Atlas confirmed rumors that Google had dropped them in the U.S., with Google now using their own data. I hesitate to speculate, but the places this could go just boggles the mind.
Mio Moov M300 and M400 – Black Friday specials?
September 18, 2009 By 7 Comments
UPDATE: Okay commenters, you’re right, it’s not the iGO interface, but it does appear to be the Navman interface, and not the Spirit. I stand by my Black Friday prediction though!
Mio just can’t seem to make up their mind. When we last heard from them they were touting the Spirit interface on their S-series units. I never got to play with one for more than a few minutes, but it seemed pretty clunky to me.
Well this morning we learned about two new models, the Moov M300 and M400 (pictured above), which appear to use their old iGO interface. But wait; Nav N Go, creator of iGO, suspended their relationship with Mio early last year due to “breach of contract.” Further confusing matters is Mio’s lack of retail presence in the U.S., which is pretty much confined to Radio Shack at this point.
Garmin nuvi 1690 and nuLink! announced
September 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment
UPDATE: Read my hands on Garmin nuvi 1690 review.
We first learned of the Garmin nüvi 1690
Navigon USA folds
May 4, 2009 By 46 Comments
Following several days of speculation in blogs and on message boards, Navigon CEO Egon Minar has confirmed that they will “withdraw from the PND business in North America.” Though they are saying this is “for the time being,” I seriously doubt that they will ever reverse this decision. Navigon is keeping their Chicago office open, but it is unclear what level (if any) of support services will remain, or if Navigon owners will be able to purchase new services.
TomTom ONE and XL IQ Routes editions heading to U.S.?
March 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment
UPDATE: Read my reviews of the TomTom ONE 140, ONE 140-S, XL 340 and XL 340-S
Yesterday TomTom announced new editions of the TomTom ONE and XL, featuring IQ Routes and Advanced Lane Guidance, which had previously been available only on newer GO models. While these new models are first being introduced in Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand, GpsPasSion is reporting that they will ultimately make their way to the U.S. Others are speculating that we won’t see them on this side of the pond until TomTom reduces its backlog of inventory here in the States.
MiTAC completes purchase of Magellan
January 14, 2009 By Leave a Comment
MiTAC has announced the completion of their purchase of Magellan’s consumer products division, and revealed some insights into their strategy and future plans:
- The Mio and Magellan product lines will coexist in the U.S., though they will share technological expertise
- Mio will add new “GPS-based lifestyle products” to their line, so maybe we’ll soon see their Mobile Internet Device that was on display at CES
UPDATE: TWICE is reporting that this or a similar device (they are calling it a UMPC ) will hit the market this fall at around $299.
GPS predictions for 2009
December 30, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Disclaimer: These are predictions and nothing more, so keep your sense of humor and please don’t sue me.
Auto GPS predictions
- A nuvi 8×5 series will bring lane assist and voice recognition together in one unit
- Garmin discontinues the nuvi 200 series; all Garmin nuvi models will now have text-to-speech
- Crowdsourced HD traffic comes to the US with the stateside introduction of the TomTom GO LIVE series
- TomTom releases a GPS receiver that utilizes alternative positioning information for improved accuracy in urban canyons
- More manufacturers display multiple route options visually, ala Dash and Insignia
- Navigon folds, caught between Nextar on the low end and MiTAC’s aggressive promotion of the Magellan line
- Red light camera alerts will move closer to the mainstream
- More downward feature creep — expect to see Lane Assist on some mid-range Garmins, more units with lifetime traffic, larger screens, etc.
- Garmin announces a desktop application (possibly a
revamped MapSource) that allows planning routes with POIs and
transferring them to Garmin units with current City Navigator maps; it
will be set up to allow users to opt into sharing anonymized tracklogs
ala TomTom HOME - Said application will support wireless transfer of data via ANT or Bluetooth
