Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

While being marvels of electronic engineering, the first GPS equipped watches were ridiculously large units that were as good at being wrist weights as they were at pinpointing your location. But it was inevitable that the technology would eventually shrink to the point where a GPS watch looked no different than a regular one, and I believe the Forerunner 405 from Garmin has reached that point.

The watch is part of Garmin’s fitness line so it’s catered towards runners and other athletes who like to keep track of their performances while on the go. So instead of small hard to find buttons, the watch has a touch-sensitive bezel that can be used to scroll through menus and select options. The watch can also constantly monitor your time, distance, pace, burned calories and even heart rate when a coupled with a chest monitor. And that info can be wirelessly transferred to your PC or even another watch if you’re competing with a friend.

The Forerunner 405 should be available some time in the first quarter of 2008 and will retail for about $318.74. (That’s a pretty specific MSRP by the way. I think 74 cents was a good choice, since people would probably scoff if the price had gone up to 75 cents.)

[ Garmin Forerunner 405 ] VIA [ Uncrate ]

By Evan Ackerman

Being too poor to actually shell out the cash for a purpose built geotagging gadget (like this), on my last few trips I’ve taken along a regular GPS and synchronized my camera’s clock to it. I’d leave the GPS on while I was taking pics, and then when I got home, spend an unbelievably tedious evening matching the GPS info with my image timestamps. If you don’t have as many free evenings to spend doing unbelievably tedious things as I do, check out the ATP GPS Photo Finder. It does basically the same thing, except faster and better and without a PC. It takes a couple AA batts and works just like a normal GPS device, storing up to 550 hours of location data (updated every 5 seconds) on its 128mb of internal memory. Make sure your camera is synced to the GPS time the Photo Finder displays, and when you’re done shooting, just stick your camera’s SD/MMC/MS card into the Photo Finder and it’ll automatically geotag all your pics. So, it’s a card reader too, and comes with a USB cable to connect to your computer if you want. The current limitation (besides the memory card restriction) is that it only works with JPEGs, so if you’re into RAW, you’re out of luck. The geotagged pics integrate directly into Google Earth and Google Maps (with Picasa), and if you’ve never tried it before, it’s totally cool. Maybe not quite worth the $130 MSRP cool, but cool nonetheless.

[ ATP GPS Photo Finder ] VIA [ SlipperyBrick ]

By Luke Anderson

I have a tendency to talk a lot, especially in long car rides. I think it’s mostly because I just don’t like the silence, even if there is music playing. Other people seem to think it’s because I enjoy the sound of my own voice. This is actually far from the truth as I hate listening to recordings of myself. That’s exactly the reason why I wouldn’t ever use the YourPND service, which would have me being bossed around by myself every time I got in the car.

The service actually lets you replace the generic GPS voice with your own, thus you can give yourself directions around town. Seriously, am I the only one that’s just a little weirded out by this? Well if you aren’t then you can use this on your TomTom GPS, Garmin, Mio and MyGuide products are expected to be supported sometime in the future. It’ll only cost you around $10 to set up.

[ YourPND ] VIA [ GearFuse ]

By Andrew Liszewski

So far I’ve been particularly unimpressed with any of the in-car GPS systems I’ve used. They’re definitely accurate when it comes to pinpointing your location, but when it comes to providing driving directions they’re not so hot. I think the biggest issue I have is trying to figure out what street they’re telling me to turn on, without glancing at the display and taking my eyes off the road.

But that’s exactly where this Virtual Cable navigation system shines. Instead of looking at a small 6 inch screen, or listening to less than exact turn by turn directions, it provides you with a red ribbon projected on your windshield showing the exact path you should be taking. The ribbon actually appears to exist in 3D space outside your car thanks to a patent pending volumetric display system using lasers and mirrors. The system makes it a lot easier to know exactly where an upcoming turn is, allowing you to slow down and get in the proper lane ahead of time.

Now while the technology seems to only exist in video demos at this time, the inventor Tom Zamojdo hopes to see it available one day for about $400 as a factory-installed option.

[ Virtual Cable ] VIA [ Ubergizmo ]

By Evan Ackerman

As you may or may not know, the US Military has the ability to turn off GPS whenever they feel like it. It’s therefore unsurprising that Russia has its own satellite navigation system, called GLONASS (ГЛОбальная НАвигационная Спутниковая Система, for whatever it’s worth). It’s also unsurprising that the military-supported system fell into disrepair after the Russian economy crashed, but they’ve promised to restore global coverage (and expand high-precision signals to the civilian market) by 2009. In anticipation of this, hardware capable of decoding both US GPS and Russian GLONASS signals is starting to become available, for anywhere from $20 to $4200. This means faster and more accurate position fixes, or it will eventually, after Russia launches a few more satellites. Currently, unless you live in Chechnya, GLONASS isn’t going to be of much help. But still, the 2009 completion target is much earlier than the EU’s Galileo system for those of us who rely on high resolution GPS systems to tell us what lane to be in when trying to get from Oakland to San Francisco.

[ GlonassCentral ] VIA [ Navigadget ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Even with a confusing, upside-down product shot the Pyxis GPS watch is still a cool piece of tech. At the moment it’s only being marketed in Korea, but if you happen to live there you’ll be able to take advantage of its built-in database of places to jog, run or hike. The watch is definitely aimed at those who like to maintain a regular fitness regime, and will keep track of your elapsed time, speed, distance and burned calories.

Other applications include using the Pyxis as a golf guide since a database of different courses provides data on the distance to the green, or how far your last drive was. And even though the screen is particularly small since it’s designed to be worn on your wrist, it still appears to have more than enough resolution for displaying complex maps and trails. It can even be used in your car while driving, but that’s where I think that small screen might actually be a problem.

[ A wrist watch type GPS 'Pyxis' to help you enjoy in/outdoor exercises ] VIA [ Ubergizmo ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Kenwood has come up with a clever way to bridge the gap between traditional printed maps and GPS units for those who might not be gadget-inclined. Shown at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, the navigation system just requires you to point to any place on the map where it will then be displayed on the GPS-equipped electronic unit. At that point you can presumably get turn-by-turn driving instructions or other information about your selected destination.

I assume the system uses specially printed maps for interacting with the pen, but I have no idea if it’s destined for production or is nothing more than an auto show concept.

[ An easy to use navigation device with a pen-shaped system ] VIA [ Coolest Gadgets ]

By Shane McGlaun

Owners of TomTom GPS navigation units that are tired of the plain, boring voices that the systems shipped with can now get Mr. T’s voice on their TomTom GPS system thanks to Navtones. Don’t miss a turn with Mr. T as your navigator sucka! I pity the fool who gets stuck in traffic.

If 80’s TV series stars aren’t your fist choice to tell you when to turn as you go about your travels, Navtones also offers Gary Busey, Burt Reynolds and Dennis Hopper celebrity voices along with a slew of non-celebrity voices to choose from.

The Premium celebrity Navtone voices cost $12.95 each and there are two versions available, one called funny and the other called standard. You can also buy both versions of one voice for $19.95 or get Dennis Hopper, Burt Reynolds, and Mr. T all for $29.95.

VIA [ Navtones ]

By Andrew Liszewski

While the Garmin Astro might be handy if your dog mysteriously disappears for days on end it’s actually designed to be used by hunters who rely on their pets for scaring up and retrieving game. A wireless transmitter attaches to the dog’s collar or can be used with an included harness and allows you to track the location of the animals when you can’t see or hear them.

The Astro also includes a full-featured handheld GPS unit that is not only used to track the dogs but also includes a barometric altimeter, electronic compass, microSD slot for extra maps, celestial information and of course a rugged, waterproof housing.

The Garmin Astro kit is available for $642.84 and includes the handheld receiver, the wireless transmitter and other accessories. Additional transmitters are $214.27 each.

[ Garmin Astro ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]