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RoadPilot has cut the price of the microGo, the world’s smallest GPS-based speed camera locator, by £50 to the new price of £149.95 (incl. VAT). The microGo is officially the world’s smallest speed camera locator, using GPS satellite technology to alert the driver to the location of speed camera sites and accident blackspots. Speeding is set to hit the headlines once again next month when the Government’s new Road Safety Bill finally becomes law. The legislation will introduce a graduated penalty system for speeding, where the number of penalty points incurred more closely reflects the severity of the offence. It will also be made clear that speed camera locators (such as the microGo) that use GPS technology to warn drivers about nearby speed cameras will remain fully legal. With reported thefts of portable technology (e.g. satellite navigation and speed camera detection units) from parked vehicles becoming increasingly commonplace, the compact microGo is reassuringly easy to carry when away from the car, especially when compared to bulkier rival devices. The microGo comes pre-loaded with a database of camera sites in Europe as well as the UK. Despite its diminutive size, the microGo unit has a large 42mm LCD display screen showing a variety of functions, including: The vehicle’s precise speed (to a greater accuracy than a vehicle’s standard speedometer) Position and distance of any fixed speed camera The speed limit in the vicinity of the speed camera The vehicle’s precise GPS location within an accuracy of 5-10 metres The vehicle’s proximity to the London Congestion Zone, indicating the approach and boundary Rotating compass Trip and odometer showing distance travelled ‘RescueME’ – a GPS positional reading to pass onto emergency services if needed For additional safety, a user-selectable maximum speed warning microGo also has a variable-colour backlight, which can be adjusted to closely match the instrument panel on any vehicle. There are 64 colours to choose from. The RoadPilot microGo can be purchased for £149.95 from Halfords, Selfridges, Harrods and all good car accessory outlets. Alternatively you can order online at roadpilot.com. source: http://www.easier.com

08 January 2006 – Amsterdam. TomTom, the world’s largest navigation solution provider today announces it is launching the FM Transmitter Mount - a windscreen dock that enables drivers to use their car radio to wirelessly play navigation instructions, hands free calls and music from their TomTom device. The FM Transmitter Mount is compatible with the TomTom GO range, costs € 49. 95 and will be available from major retailers across Europe in February 2007*. TomTom is the first portable navigation supplier in Europe to make FM technology available for its customers. The FM Transmitter Mount broadcasts navigation instructions and music from a TomTom GO device over the air to the car radio, like a short range radio station. TomTom GO users simply dock their TomTom GO on the new FM Transmitter Mount, tune the car radio to an unused FM frequency and select the same frequency on the TomTom GO. Turn by turn navigation instructions, hands free calls and music can now be heard in HiFi through the car stereo, without any unsightly cables cluttering the interior. The seamless integration between the TomTom GO and the car stereo also ensures that music stops when navigation instructions are played or (hands free) phone calls are made. The FM Transmitter Mount is ideally suited to the TomTom GO 910, which has 12 GB of free memory space. This allows users to store up to 3,000 songs – enough to be on the road for up to 8 days without hearing a single song twice. TomTom GO 710 and TomTom GO 510 users can also hear the songs that are stored on their iPod over the car stereo, when the iPod is connected to their device**. “TomTom continues to push the envelope when it comes to technology innovation,” says Éric Pité, vice president Product Management at TomTom. “This wireless solution using FM frequencies, allows drivers to be guided by clear voice instructions and hear their favourite songs through the car stereo for a more integrated and enjoyable driving experience.” The FM Transmitter Mount will be available as an accessory and is currently compatible with the TomTom GO 910, TomTom GO 710 and TomTom GO 510. TomTom customers are required to have software version 6.522 or above, which is available when connecting to TomTom HOME. TomTom HOME is TomTom’s free software application enabling users to manage, download, store and transfer content from their computer onto their TomTom device.

Garmin announced that they would be acquiring Location Based Services (LBS) provider Digital Cyclone Inc. ("DCI") for $45 million in cash. DCI has been an early mover in the emerging location based services market offering weather solutions for consumers, outdoor enthusiasts, and pilots on a subscription based model that are delivered to customers in partnership with top national wireless carriers as well as regional carriers. DCI offers weather, and fishing forecasts over mobile phone networks. Nothing signals Garmin’s move into LBS like the launch of the Nuvi 680, and the StreetPilot C580 with MSN Direct, AND the acquisition of an LBS provider in the same day. It’s obvious that they understand the future of where the market is going (connectedness) and I look forward to seeing what else hits the market in the coming months.

Chicago, IL– November 27, 2006 – NAVTEQ (NYSE: NVT), a leading global provider of digital map data for vehicle navigation and location-based solutions, has announced a new service called NAVTEQ Direct Access™ that allows retailers to accurately and comprehensively include all their locations in the NAVTEQ® digital map used by millions of location-enabled consumers around the world every day. Navigation system users choose and route to high use retail Points of Interest such as restaurants, hotels, banks/ATM’s, gas stations and stores in their system. By working directly with NAVTEQ, participating merchants now enjoy a global, cost effective way of exposing all of their retail locations - even recently opened and newly acquired ones - in the most widely used digital map. NAVTEQ Direct Access offers new customer reach possibilities by leveraging the digital map to reach today’s mobile consumer. Unlike other media types, NAVTEQ Direct Access gives visibility to location information on demand when the consumer is at the decision-making point. Because the map is always in its user’s navigation system regardless of where they go, mobile consumers will always have the participating merchants’ locations with them. The new service enhances the consumer experience, regardless of their relationship with the participating merchants. Loyal customers interested in finding a particular company’s locations will have a comprehensive listing wherever they go. Prospective consumers using proximity search capabilities en route will be better served by the most accurate geographic placement within the map. The updatable service enables changes to be made to a retail network such as entering new locations as soon as they are open, repositioning store locations to be more precise and removing locations on closing. NAVTEQ Direct Access is an important enhancement to NAVTEQ’s customer commitment to providing high quality POI information that is accessible, accurate, up to date and correctly placed. “Leading retailers understand that larger numbers of location-enabled consumers using navigation systems are finding and buying from their locations” commented Mike Finn, Vice President, NAVTEQ Direct Access, “and that providing the latest location information via a leading digital map is an exciting new access channel”. “Because NAVTEQ maps are the most broadly used across a range of location and navigation applications, keeping our locations up to date in one place allows us to reach the largest number of users. Today’s consumer is more comfortable using technology to find our retail locations, so accurate listings in a leading digital map is a natural” said Bob Rosenbarger, Director Advertising Services, Walgreens. Leading companies already leveraging the growing mobile consumer target through NAVTEQ Direct Access include Walgreens, Starbucks Coffee Company, Sofitel, Motel 6, Red Roof Inn, Studio 6, Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, Roy’s, Cheeseburger in Paradise, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar and Americas Best Value Inn by Vantage. About NAVTEQ NAVTEQ is a leading provider of comprehensive digital map information for automotive navigation systems, mobile navigation devices, Internet-based mapping applications, and government and business solutions. NAVTEQ creates the digital maps and map content that power navigation and location-based services solutions around the world. The Chicago-based company was founded in 1985 and has approximately 2,100 employees located in 139 offices in 25 countries. NAVTEQ is a trademark in the U.S. and other countries. © 2006 NAVTEQ. All rights reserved.

Navicore just announced that their navigation software will be available as a full Navigation Kit for the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet. Navicore Personal on the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet takes the best features of the navigation software to a new level, with Internet enhanced navigation that truly benefits the high-resolution widescreen display and WiFi connectivity of the device. Internet enhanced navigation helps people on the move to access various Internet services directly from the map, and to easily navigate to interesting locations found from the Internet. Navicore Personal 2007 navigation software will be available for the Nokia 770 as a standalone Navigation Kit that includes the software along with a GPS receiver module and car holder, and it is also available as a complete all-in-one Navigation Bundle that includes the Nokia 770 in addition to the Navicore software and GPS receiver. The kit is not yet available for sale yet. source: geekzone.co.nz

Medion just revealed 6 new PNDs (personal navigation device) : the PNA 455L and the PNA 460, 460L, 465, 470 and 470L all from the same series. All these PND use version 2 of the GoPal navigation software, in version AE for the PNA 460 and in version EP for the PNA 465. These two versions integrates 3D maps, the radars preloaded as well as warning signal POIs, the predictive capture of the address as well as the speed limits. The version EP integrates in more the voice synthesis of the street names. Another innovation, the presence of guides of city, City Guides, giving tourist information for 50 towns of Europe. They are provided with Navteq maps the second quarter 2006. The PNA 455L, which we mentioned already has the following featues:

• Receiver GPS integrated with chip GPS SiRF III
• Samsung Processor To 400 MHz
• Touch screen 4 inches TFT 65 536 colors 16/9 and of resolution 480×272 pixels (WQVGA)
• Kit free hands Bluetooth
• Voice synthesis with statement of the street names
• Reader MP3
• Viewer of images
• Guide city
• Delivered with support conveys, charger lights interchangeable cigar and 2 frontages
• Memory board SD 1 GB containing France and Europe

The price of the PNA 455L is 370 Euros. source: http://www.navigadget.com/

A new type of cheap speed camera could see the number of cameras on the UK's roads soar. The Home Office is currently deciding whether to approve a new form of average speed camera and motoring groups are concerned that a positive ruling for the new Spike system could see the number of speed cameras rise dramatically. Unlike gatsos, which are the sort of speed cameras most commonly encountered by drivers, the Spike measures a vehicle's speed over a designated stretch of the road – meaning speeding motorists cannot escape a fine by breaking dangerously at the last minute. Average speed cameras, known as Specs, already exist, but the current model is extremely expensive, meaning few safety camera partnerships have been willing to install them and only 14 are reportedly in operation across the country. Costing just £20,000, it is expected that many partnerships will move to install Spikes if they are granted Home Office approval, encouraged by their manufacturer's claims that they can work for 24-hours and perform well in all weather conditions.

Under new proposed laws, which are having their third reading in Parliament on Monday 9 October, speeding motorists will incur fines and penalty points that more closely reflect the severity of their offence – the greater the speed over the limit, the bigger the penalty. The good news for motorists is that the Road Safety Act 2005 also officially endorses the use of GPS-based speed camera locators such as those pioneered by RoadPilot. The clarification in the law is expected to boost demand for the latest generation of GPS-enabled units, including the new RoadPilot microGo, the world’s smallest camera locator with an LCD information screen. According to the new Road Safety Act, GPS-based systems will remain fully legal, as they “…compliment the Government’s policy to ensure that camera sites are visible and conspicuous to drivers, and so help deter excessive and inappropriate speeds on the roads.”