Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

Looking for a GPS device that can take a licking and keep on tick… err, tracking a satellite signal? Well look no further than the pocket-unfriendly Solara Field Tracker 2100. The electronics and durable housing allow it to operate in a temperature range of -40C to +65C, and that includes the color LCD display which has been tested to -42C. If dropped in water less than 2 meters in depth you’ve got about an hour to remove it before any damage will occur, and it should keep functioning fine up to altitudes of 40,000 feet.

Best of all though, the FT 2100 connects to the Iridium satellite network allowing you to send and receive text messages, custom or pre-defined, no matter where you are on Earth. Sure, it’s only got enough storage to keep the last 10 messages received, but something tells me if I was trapped on a mountain I’d happily overlook that limitation. $880 plus $29.99/month with a 3-year contract for text messaging privileges.

[ Solara Field Tracker 2100 ] VIA [ Gizmag ]

By Andrew Liszewski

At some point along the way the development of GPS devices split into two distinct paths. On one side you’ve got complicated touchscreen devices with maps of every road on the continent that can plan out the easiest route from point A to point B, and on the other side they’ve actually been simplified to what are essentially glorified compasses, like the GD-101 from GlobalSat.

It forgoes the colorful touchscreen for a simple monochrome LCD display that features a digital arrow capable of pointing in one of 16 different directions. The idea is to set a destination you’d like to remember, like where you parked your car, and the GD-101 will easily guide you back, complete with detailed info on how far away you are. And it’s not that I think these types of devices are a bad idea or anything, I just think they could benefit from a price tag of around $30-40, instead of the roughly $80 they’re currently selling for online.

[ GlobalSat GD-101 ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

By Shane McGlaun

I am still rocking the original iPhone so I don’t get that snazzy GPS location feature. Sure, I can find my general location with the phone using cellular towers, but have often wished for a full GPS device when I was on the road.

Navigon has announced a new application coming to America for the iPhone 3G and 3G S soon called MobileNavigator. The app is only compatible with devices running the 3.0 OS update. The app stores a full map database on the iPhone and offers turn-by-turn routing.

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By Chris Scott Barr

I think my favorite thing about having a TomTom GPS unit is that there are so many different voice skins available for it. I mean, who really wants to listen to a half-robotic sounding guy or girl give them directions all day? If I wanted that I could just get married. (zing!) Having a voice that you’re comfortable with seems to make the trip more enjoyable. And who better to give you directions than the world’s greatest cartoon dad. Homer Simpson.

I’m actually quite surprised that no one thought of this sooner. Either way, you can now purchase the Homer Simpson voice skin for your TomTom GPS device. He’ll give you colorful directions like “take the third right. We might find an ice cream truck! Mmm…ice cream.” The skin will set you back around $13. For now I’ll stick to my Eddie Izzard voice, it’s hilarious.

[ TomTom ] VIA [ SlipperyBrick ]

By Shane McGlaun

I’ve never felt the need to spend thousands of dollars on a car stereo. Some folks can’t imagine having a stock audio system in their car and for these types of people there are a huge amount of aftermarket systems available to choose from.

Pioneer has announced a new high-end in-dash navigation system called the AVIC-Z110BT. The system allows users to control an iPod, iPhone, and Bluetooth enabled phones with voice commands. The unit has a 7-inch motorized touch panel screen and supports CD and DVD playback.

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By Chris Scott Barr

Radar detectors are nothing new. Sure, they’ve gotten their fair share of upgrades to keep up with the latest police equipment, but how effective are they against speed and red-light cameras? I don’t know of any that are able to warn you of either device, which might land you a ticket in the mail. Thankfully, Cobra has a trick up their sleeve.

The new Cobra SL3 has built-in GPS functionality so that it can tell you when you are approaching an area that has either red-light cameras or speed cameras. It has a series of LEDs and warning tones that will let you know when you are getting close. It updates itself every 12 hours so that it has the latest information on new cameras that have been installed. For $100, it will pay for itself by preventing just one ticket.

[ Cobra ] VIA [ Dvice ]

Update: I’ve removed the link to Cobra’s site, as it appears to currently be infected.

By Andrew Liszewski

Are you the type who’s constantly misplacing their car in a large parking lot? Or maybe your friends are always having to call in the national guard to find you when you’ve gone camping? Whatever the situation, this GPS Location Finder available from Chinavasion ensures you’ll always be able to find your way back to a given locale. For example, after you’ve parked your car somewhere unfamiliar you simply press a button on the device for 2 seconds to save the location’s coordinates. Then, when you’re ready to find your ride you just follow the red LED arrows on the compass which will point you to the saved location. When you get to within 50 meters the red arrow will start flashing, and when you get to within 15 meters the arrow will turn blue, at which point you should be close enough to see your car.

The GPS Location Finder also serves as a USB dongle for your laptop, turning it into a full-fledged GPS device given you have the appropriate mapping software installed. And it’s even got a data logger function which will store your GPS coordinates over time in a text file, allowing you to geo-tag photos or plot out your travels with the appropriate software. Not bad for just $54.

[ Chinavasion - GPS Receiver + Location Finder + Data Logger + Photo Tagger ] VIA [ GeekAlerts ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Digital cameras have finally invaded the world of handheld GPS units with Garmin’s new Oregon 500 & 550T models, though given the popularity of geo-tagging these days, it’s a pretty obvious synergy. Both the 550 & 550T feature an integrated 3.2 megapixel autofocus digital camera, a sunlight-readable touchscreen display that’s also glove friendly and a 3-axis tilt-compensated electronic compass that shows your heading even while the unit isn’t being held level. They’re both powered by a pair of rechargeable AA NiMH batteries which are good for about 16 hours, and each model is of course waterproof.

The Oregon 550 is priced at $499.99 while the 550T model, which comes preloaded with 100K topo maps for the entire U.S. in a 3D elevation perspective, is $599.99.

[ Garmin ] VIA [ SlashGear ]

By Chris Scott Barr

There’s a part of me that wishes I were a kid growing up right now, since I wouldn’t be stuck with dial-up and an NES (Though I did love my NES). Of course there’s another part that makes me more than happy that I don’t live under my parents’ roof any longer. This new GPS tracking service from AT&T would definitely fall into the latter category.

If you have a family plan with AT&T for an extra $9.99 (for two phones) or $14.99 (for up to five phones) you can track down any other phone on your plan using FamilyMaps. You can activate this feature from either your phone or a PC and find out exactly where your loved one is. Depending on how you use it, you will get text messages with location updates, or you can watch them on a map in real time. Granted, the person gets a text message letting them know you’re tracking them, but they have no way to stop you from doing so.

I can definitely see how a parent would enjoy such a feature. It’s an easy way to make sure that they’re not going places that they shouldn’t be. If you’re worried about your own privacy, don’t be. The feature can only be accessed by the account holder on a family plan.

[ AT&T ] VIA [ Dvice ]