by Chris Shunk (RSS feed) on Jul 9th 2009 at 4:30PM

Navigation systems have quickly gone from being an interactive way to direct one from Point A to Point B to massive infotainment centerpieces capable of MP3 player integration, web browsing and wifi. Auto Express is reporting that GPS units could go 3D as soon as next year, because advancements in hardware could make the technology feasible with already available dual image LCD screens (like the one in the 2010 Jaguar XJ).

If you're thinking that you're going to have to wear those goofy paper 3D glasses to find the nearest McDonalds, that's not the case. Faster processors and increased memory will enable the LCD to oscillate between two images fast enough to give the illusion of depth. the incorporation of important landmarks embedded within the 3D image ought to go leaps and bounds towards finding your destination easier.

In the near term, it's likely that the functionality will first be available in aftermarket systems, with OEM models becoming available after the tech becomes a bit more mainstream. Actually, Clarion has been selling a 3D nav system in the UK for over a year and Sony and Panasonic have had the tech available in Japan, so it's more a matter of when, not if, the tech will be available in North America.

[Source: Auto Express]

Filed under: I.C.E., Technology

Tags: 3D, 3D navigation, 3dNavigation, clarion, garmin, GPS, lcd screens, LcdScreens, nav system, navi, NavSystem, tomtom

In-Car Navigation Systems Set to Go 3D As Soon As Next Year

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Auto guidance systems and GPS devices are everyplace you invoke in this period and age. you crapper encounter them in your car, boat, plane, modify in your contract (if you hit a organiser or radiophone sound with GPS capabilities compounded with the precise code and/or subscriptions). if that isn’t sufficiency for you, you also hit the choice and aptitude of motion your laptop machine into a GPS figure if that is your desire. the abstract that most grouping block to analyse discover or communicate most when hunting at every the nifty features of organisation A over organisation B is how cushy is the organisation you are considering to use?

Handheld GPS and machine guidance systems substance conscious solutions to ordinary movement attendant problems. they module not hit every the answers every the instance but are a enthusiastic support most of the time. there are some styles and types of GPS and machine guidance systems that are acquirable in today’s market. Some grouping haw not full wager every of the elegant tricks you crapper do with your GPS system. Here are a some things you haw not hit realized you crapper do with your GPS device.

1) you crapper ever encounter the blot where you parked your automobile by rating it. Talk most a riches catch where “X” marks the spot!
2) you crapper agency your line patch hiking, biking, or ahorse sport so that you crapper return your steps in visit to encounter your artefact backwards where you started.
3) Some GPS devices crapper modify earmark you to ‘go it alone’ by substance the choice of a digital grasp kinda than informing you travel by travel where to go (if this interests you, analyse the collection info to wager if this is acquirable on the organisation you are considering).

Keep in nous ease that GPS and machine guidance systems aren’t change safe. there are a some problems that the brochures, boxes, and salesmen strength miss to mention.

1) you ease requirement to circularize around an Atlas or agency maps for backups as there are occasions when the accumulation for GPS units haw not be underway or accurate. Remember that anchorage are built, close, and in requirement of bushel and fix every the time. It’s nearly impracticable to hit digit that is ever precise up the minute.

2) these devices do not typically impact substantially exclusive buildings or low dumb land cover.

3) Batteries, batteries, batteries. these are worsened than digital cameras when it comes to executing finished batteries. This is digit think that grouping run to yield them charging at every nowadays if you’re leaving your automobile with your organisation be trusty you hit player batteries for patronage as it is quite probable that you module requirement them at the poorest doable moment.

4) GPS units do not discern the cosmos of mountains, rivers, and another obstructions in your line so the directions and coordinates they provide crapper occasionally be misleading.

There are some pros and cons when it comes to not exclusive machine guidance devices but also for handheld GPS devices as well. Be trusty that you essay discover the help you are considering before you acquire it if at every possible. This module attain your selection such easier and earmark you to wager whether or not you module be healthy to easily ingest and wager the machine guidance grouping you choose.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Auto Navigation Systems and GPS ...

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Owning an Indoor Rowing Machine is just as important as knowing how it is used. Knowing the right way means not only better training but also helps to keep you from harm to themselves. Hold up a mean indoor rowing machines, that you constantly have to pay fees and taxes, and can have more time for your workout to focus itself.

no matter how old or how young you can use any indoor rowing machines. Rowing machines are designed to streamline your body and with its own large andgives you the freedom to really comfortable. want with your own indoor rowing machines, it is possible, the pace you need and work as much as you.

Have you in the indoor rowing machine can be with others throw your inhibitions while you train and also to your mood. this means that you can play music in the background, is the optimistic or low and slow. You can watch TV or your favorite movie.

If you use the indoor rowingMachines can really burn 800 calories in an hour's training, so that you an incredible aerobic workout and cardiovascular systems. You can strengthen and tone your body, and feel at peace at home. the purchase, saving you an indoor rowing machine is not only money but time. Time is a very important and valuable asset in today's age.

People today are businessmen and women are becoming more modern in a hurry. We need an exercise that fits intoour needs and schedules. no matter how much you enjoy working and what the benefits of it, if you feel short time, or not likely to continue. do you have your own indoor rowing machine you are working on your schedule, whether you do it before you start the day, raise a good way, or to relax after a stressful day.

once you have your own indoor rowing machine does not go to waste to and from some gym, no time and energy to fight.just get to enjoy your exercise and begin a regime that meets your needs.

Tags: fantastic, Indoor, Machines, rowing, workout

This entry was posted on March 16, 2010 at March 16, 2010 and is filed under Garmin Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

Indoor Rowing Machines – a fantastic workout tool

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Jason selects the 10 lucky Facebook winners to win a Free Magellan Roadmate 2010 App!
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TomTom may be stepping up its efforts to produce turn-by-turn iPhone GPS through a low-key recruitment effort. a job listing for an iPhone app developer doesn't mention the company but asks for someone to develop navigation software in Amsterdam, the location of TomTom's headquarters. The term would start in may or June and last for at least six months.

While the possibility exists that it's another, smaller company developing the GPS app, TomTom was one of the earliest to express an interest in iPhone GPS, confirming its attempts a month ahead of the App Store's launch. Worries over competition and the inherent limits of the iPhone 2.x SDK, which doesn't support vector-based (directional) positioning and other resources needed to fully handle turn-by-turn GPS. iPhone OS 3.0 explicitly supports turn-by-turn directions.

Other major companies will potentially be involved, though Garmin is very unlikely to support the iPhone due to its alliance with ASUS on the nvifone series of smartphones, which bring Garmin's familiar GPS software to Linux- and Windows Mobile-based hardware. [via GPS Review]

TomTom quietly hiring for iPhone GPS app?

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1. GPS use grows, but some areas remain uncharted Stephanie Lipecky has lived in her 3-year-old house in...

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Stephanie Lipecky has lived in her 3-year-old house in Evans for two years, but according to online maps and Global Positioning system units, her street doesn't exist.

"Pizza delivery people can't find us, we are not on the GPS system (map) anywhere," she said.

Lipecky's Riverwood Plantation home is in a high-tech map black hole. It's an odd place to be in a time when GPS navigation is growing so fast.

Google Maps and Mapquest offer free and easy directions with a few keystrokes. Navigation systems had reached 56.4 percent of U.S. households in 2009, according to the Telematics Research Group of iSuppli Corp.

In-dashboard navigation comes standard on 8.1 percent of cars. And 34.9 percent of drivers use in-car navigation systems, because they're affordable and portable, said Danny Kim, an analyst and the global manager for portable devices and location-based services at Telematics Research Group, part of iSuppli.

The fastest-growing navigation system is through smart phones. Kim said a few industry moves led to this: Google, in November, announced it would offer free navigation applications to android phones. At a time when competitors with iPhone applications were charging at least $50 for navigation services, it was a game changer.

Nokia announced in January that navigation applications would be free or preloaded, which has global implications because of Nokia's reach, Kim said.

Mapping services are becoming more of a standard for cell phones, almost as common as cameras.

But technology can be fallible, and mapping can be incomplete. Some readers of The Chronicle and Twitter users have noted difficulties with new traffic patterns being recognized by GPS navigation units in areas such as Bobby Jones Expressway at Interstate 20.

Others, such as Lipecky, note other blacked-out areas around Evans and Hephzibah. for example, many streets in Hephzibah off Willis Foreman Road cannot be located on Google Maps.

Elaine Filadelfo, the spokeswoman for Google inc., wrote in an e-mail that the company relies on service users to report such problems so it can update its data.

"Google Maps are updated on a continual, ongoing basis," she wrote. "We allow our users to report any errors or updates directly to Google, via the 'Report a Problem' button in the lower right corner of the map, and constantly make updates based on that feedback. We strive to address user submissions within a month."

Google Maps used Tele Atlas, which provides geospatial data for TomTom devices, up until last year when Google decided to do it on its own.

GPS units often require users to update maps. TomTom, one GPS navigation unit brand, updates its maps four times per year, but it'll cost you extra.

Lipecky said her address shows up on Columbia County records but not other map data. Navigation systems and online maps don't use those records.

The in-car navigation systems maps data are provided by two main geospatial data companies, Kim said. Tele Atlas provides data for TomTom navigation systems. NAVTEQ provides data for Garmin.

Though sometimes not having her home show up on high-tech maps such as Google Maps makes Lipecky feel as if it "doesn't exist," new technology is still a benefit, she said.

"You tend to take something for granted," she said. "Think about 10 years ago. You had to buy a map at a store."

GPS use grows, but some areas remain uncharted

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Dept.: Repurposed Tech
Old Tech.: Laptop
Project: Voice-guided Vehicle GPS
Time: 2 hours
Cost: $139
Dabbler | | | | | MasterI hate getting lost while driving, and in this age of GPS navigation, there's no reason why I ever should-no reason except the $400-plus price tag of voice-guided auto GPS systems. Then I discovered the Garmin GPS 18 USB ($130; garmin.com), a GPS receiver that plugs into your computer and comes with software that gives it almost all the functions of a dedicated GPS unit: route finding for all North America, spoken directions, points of interest, even route recalculation when you take a wrong turn. the interface is a little clunky-when I type in Route 295, it presents me with a choice of Route 295, 295 or I-95-and the points of interest are as hit-or-miss as they are on most systems: I asked it for a gas station and it failed to tell me about the one across the street.

But for simply finding my way, I had few complaints. Near my parents' house in the Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts, the unit's suggested turns were about 200 feet off, but the options were so sparse, it was usually obvious which road was correct.
On my drive home to Brooklyn, the prompts were more timely
and the road names more accurate. a lone driver can use it-
a large-font banner display provides the information the voice directions leave out-but a passenger makes it easier, if only to keep the ungainly laptop from sliding around the seat. next project: rigging a really big suction-cup mount for the windshield.

How to find your way anywhere, for $139
/>

Parts List

+ Laptop running Windows 98 or newer and with a CD drive, at least two gigabytes of hard-drive space, and a USB or serial port

+ Garmin GPS 18 [left]

+ Vector 70-watt Pocket Power inverter ($9; vectormfg.com)

Steps

1. Plug in the Garmin, and install the drivers and nRoute and City Select map software.

2. take it outside and run the nRoute software to let it find satellites. Turn off the Wide Area Augmentation System to speed up the process.

3. Mount the Garmin
receiver in your car, parallel to the ground. the windshield mount works fine, but running it out a window to the roof will yield better reception.

4. Familiarize yourself with the software interface and hot keys. Enter a route. Drive./>/>/>/>

/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>

Auto GPS on the Cheap

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The 2010 Suzuki SX4 Sportback feels much smaller than it looks -- and it looks tiny.

That's because this little runabout stretches a total 162 inches or just under 13 and a half feet. In other words, the overall length of the Suzuki is more than 10 inches shorter than the wheelbase of the 2011 Ford Super Duty Crew Cab with an 8-foot bed. so it's small.

I can only hope that these wee cars are truly not the future of the American motoring public. despite the speculation that gas is going to pass $3 a gallon again this spring -- and we'll start to hear all of the hoopla about downsizing consumers -- driving a little car is just not that much fun.

Suzuki tries with the Sportback, a handy little four-door hatchback. the 150-horsepower 2-liter engine provides enough pep in the city to get you around town, especially with the six-speed manual transmission, but on the highway, I was often scared.

Entering the highway was a timid adventure, approaching oncoming traffic the same way a novice swimmer might a walk up to a cold pool. this kind of surprised me because the SX4 has more power than just about any small car around. Something like the Honda Fit only pushes 107 horsepower but still feels much more confident merging onto the highway.

While technically, the car can carry five passengers, the difference between the car's curb weight and its gross vehicle weight is less than 1,000 pounds. the all-wheel drive model with a manual transmission weighs in at 2,855 pounds and has a gross vehicle weight of 3,770 pounds. That leaves just 915 pounds for everything inside the vehicle. the five people inside would have to be skinny hipsters sans fedoras. However, in the heartland, 915 pounds adds up fast and would more likely mean three or four Americans sans clothes on a good day, if you want to call that a good day.

With just me, fully clothed, the SX4 provided a good enough ride. it was a little noisy on the highway and the engine whined, even in sixth gear, but it handled pretty well. but, if I wanted oomph, I'd have to drop the gearbox to fourth to find any power.

The steering felt well balanced and the short wheelbase -- 98.4 inches -- gave the SX4 Sportback a genuine sporty feel. but those moments only lasted for a few seconds. Most of the time, the road noise was harsh, the ride rough and you tended to get out of the Sportback feeling worse than you did getting into it. a go-kart feel is one thing, taking Advil after the ride to work is another.

So maybe this small car could serve as a high-mileage commuter. after all, whenever anyone sees a little car, they automatically think bermileage. If you're sacrificing space and performance for high mileage, that might make sense.

But the SX4 Sportback doesn't produce excellent mileage. my test model, according to EPA testing, averaged 22 miles per gallon in the city and 30 mpg on the highway. Those are not even close to high mileage numbers I was expecting.

In fact, bigger cars do better on the open road than the Sportback. the Ford Fusion, Chevy Malibu, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Hyundai Sonata all post better highway figures.

Few likeable features

Inside this little car, there was more than enough room to move around. the soft seats were fine for short drives, but a long highway haul would certainly leave your back in knots. However, when I did get the seat in a good driving position, I realized there was no room in the back seat for a person to sit behind me.

The overall layout of the interior was well done, though there was a heavy plastic feel throughout. There's a utilitarian feel, too, and it seems more like simple transportation than anything else. It's the Chevy Aveo of Suzuki, just more expensive.

It does have one feature I've thought ingenious since its introduction. At the top of the dash is a plastic basket that holds a navigation system built by Garmin. the box closes nicely and hides away so people walking by a parked Suzuki won't notice it. Better yet, there are no suction cups on your windshield or wires dangling anywhere -- the unit is completely enclosed.

The system, with a monthly subscription with Microsoft Corp., provides traffic updates and an easy to view map. You can also pull the GPS out of the car and take it with you. the real beauty of this system is it is only a few hundred dollars instead thousands of dollars like the navigation systems in other cars. these are the kind of features buyers appreciate and integrating it into dash only makes it that much better.

Another feature I like on the Sportback is the hatchback. there is a sedan version of the Suzuki SX4 but it lacks the utility of a hatchback. When the second row folds down, there is 54 cubic feet of space to carry lots of stuff.

But those few features don't outweigh the lack of power and underwhelming gas mileage. there are simply better cars available for similar prices, or even less, that provide more function, more power and better gas mileage.

The SX4, even with all-wheel drive, is not nearly as capable or as fun as something like the Honda Fit, Nissan Versa or Chevrolet Aveo.

There is one thing it does best of all of those vehicles, however, and that's price.

sburgess@detnews.com (313) 223-3217

2010 Suzuki SX4 Sportback

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A passenger contacted new York’s Taxi and Limousine Commission claiming that they had been overcharged for a recent taxi ride. new York City yellow cabs have been required to have a GPS tracking device in their cabs since 2007. the records were examined and upon further review of records, it has been determined that passengers were probably overcharged. they calculate this to be approximately $8.3 million in the last two years.

There are 48,300 taxi drivers having licenses in new York City. the reports show that 35,558 have overcharged a passenger more than the once. it was also determined that 3,000 drivers have charged passengers a higher amount over 100 times.

There are two taxi fares used in the city. a lower rate (half the standard amount) is charged for rides in new York City and a higher rate is charged for trips outside the city. Drivers were using the higher rate for all, or a majority of the trips. the fares were all charged the same price.

New YorK City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, declared that this would stop immediately. the new York Taxi Workers Alliance said that it could be a problem with the meters and not all drivers.

NYC Taxi Service Over Charging Passengers In $8.3-Million Scam

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BEIJING, March 12 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Frbiz.com, one of China's leadingB2B search platforms, discusses 2010's most popular android system mobilephones.

Google Nexus One -- reference price is 4,380 yuan

Google Nexus One is targeted at the high-end smart phone market, and it iscurrently the only one equipped with the Android 2.1 operating system model.it has a full-touch super-slim design, built-in high-speed 1GHz processor,amazing software and hardware upgrades, making Google Nexus One become themost prominent of models.

in appearance, Nexus One uses a straight shape, with a size of 119 x 59.8x 11.5mm and a weight of about 130 grams. its super-slim design make it morevisible while at the same time it has a good grip feeling. the front of thephone is equipped with a 3.7-inch AMOLED capacitive material screen with itsvery crisp and clear display, which can absolutely meet the user'srequirements. Nexus One also has a built-in 5-megapixel camera with auto-focusand LED flash, and a 2x digital zoom, which greatly meets the standard user'sneed.

as for configuration, Nexus One is equipped with the latest Android 2.1system that uses a 1GHz processor, and is equipped with 512MB RAM and 512MBROM hardware combination; a combination that guarantees the machines'operating speed. in other areas, Nexus One also has satisfactory performance;it supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR + A2DP, AGPS module, digital compass,and WCDMA standard for 3G networks.

Frbiz comments that Google Nexus One is equipped with a powerful hardwareconfiguration as well as good operating experience, and the built-in 1GHz CPUhas a very fast running speed, while the built-in 5-megapixel camera has solidimaging results, meaning an overall performance of a high standard.

Philips V808 -- reference price is 1,699 yuan

the Philips V808 uses double-sided molding technology, and compared withthe other Philips models it abolished the numeric keypad, while use of touchoperation, which seem very fashionable. Body measurements are 115 x 61 x 14mm,with a weight of 120g or so results in a slightly large phone.

the Philips V808, with today's mainstream 3.2-inch screen, the color has26 million colors, and a screen resolution of 432 x 240. the polysiliconmaterial makes images brighter and colors more delicate. however, theresistance is an old-fashioned piece of screen design, and does not supportthe multi-touch operation which is a bit disappointing. But more gratifying isthat the V808 provides a stylus support.

the Philips V808 is also equipped with 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera onthe back of the phone, but the V808 is not equipped with a flash and self-portrait mirror support. the phone does have a built-in GPS module, andseveral popular software applications. the V808 also comes with a gravitysensor, while surfing the web or watching photo pictures can be easy to use.Built-in browser support for WWW pages and WAP pages, the browser canautomatically switch to a horizontal or vertical screen display.

Frbiz comments that the Philips V808 is a smart phone with an Androidsystem, and the phone's shape displays business temperament. at present, foran Android mobile phone for less than 2,000 yuan, this is still very temptingoffer on the market.

Frbiz.com is a promising e-commerce company and a leading vertical searchengine company in China. Frbiz.com offers a variety of high quality productssuch as fluke multimeter ( frbiz.com/q-fluke_multimeter/ ), bathtaps ( frbiz.com/q-bath_taps/ ), thinkpad r52( frbiz.com/q-thinkpad_r52/ ) and many more.

For more information, please contact:

Frbiz.com Tel: +86-10-6556-9770 Email: my@frbiz.com

Frbiz Discusses 2010's Most Popular Android System Mobile Phones

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