Insta GPS

Global Locate, working with Infineon, recently announced to have come up with one of the smallest assisted-GPS (A-GPS) system for mobile phones, with the Hammerhead II single die receiver, which is claimed to be measured only 3.74 mm x 3.59 mm x 0.6 mm.

With the deliverance of such a smallest A-GPS system for cellphones, it seems that the manufacture of GPS satellite navigation chip are fighting to make the smallest GPS chips available for cellphones. The latest A-GPS system is included with LNA, RF Tuner, PLL and baseband works into a standalone die CMOS chip and gives sensitivity to -160dBm, and set fix times as quick as 1s.

The latest A-GPS system has functioned with Philips spin off NXP Semiconductor to roll out a reference design previous week founded the NXP Nexperia cellular system solution 7210 for EDGE/UMTS handsets which is expected to be availed in the Q2. A-GPS makes use of the processing power in the phone for a few of the calculations, developing the chips smaller and cheaper.

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It hardly ever comes to pass that we find a paradigm-shifting cell phone device. We found it with the StarTAC in the mid 90s, which was the first mobile device to be eye-catching and handheld. If you could not have one, you might know somebody that did.

Motorola seems to be playing off the novelty behind the StarTAC as this time it has come up with a new version, called the StarTAC III, which is touted to be similar to its cousin as it will be sleek, simple, and lightweight. Look forward to a QVGA screen, built-in GPS and a weight of only 92g. The US is not expected to see this device anytime soon, if ever.

The latest Startac phone sports NATE GPS, which is a rebranded name of location-based services provided by SK Telecom - which claims that the latest Startac III phone is built-in with an A-GPS chip. Besides it is claimed to be boasting of providing you 160 minutes of talk time and 300 hours of stand-by time. Additional sports are: external LED for notifications, MP3 player functionality as well as a speaker phone.

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If you don’t have a data plan with our supplier, don’t worry as Google has come up with the availability of live traffic data feature, which can be availed in thirty major United States cities. With the deliverance of live traffic data, you are enabled to plan your route without any trouble now.

Google had already delivered live traffic info & maps to mobile devices, but by offering this state-of-the-art feature, Google is aimed at making driving easy and get going without any hurdle ahead. You don’t have to make any extra efforts to find your route now:

Just click on the traffic button to show current traffic speeds directly on the map. If your route shows red, you’re looking at a stop-and-go commute; yellow, you could be a little late for dinner; green, you’ve got smooth sailing.

So using this info with driving directions, you can guesstimate a more realistic arrival time.

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It seems that TomTom is very soon about to roll out its new GPS system, which will be known as TomTom DUO. The upcoming product has before now also been the subject of discussion first in a report later on a post by GPS Review.

Even via the links, which were given in the gpsgazette.com, I could not find more info about the unit, but even then through the post I got to know that the unit will be included with a docking station built-in with an FM transmitter that is touted to give navigational directions, plus music from external players like the iPod via the car’s sound system.

Additional sports mentioned in the post or report are: SD, hands free Bluetooth calling and voice SMS and a tweaked interface. The product is expected to be announced at theCeBIT curtaining off its hidden or glaring features, and as and when it will come I will let you know. Thanks

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Here comes new mapping software called Trailblazers, which boasts of charting barrier-free routes for the wheelchair users. The specialist mapping software is currently being designed by a group of Laffert’s fellow students at the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg.

The idea behind the Trailblazers software, which users will be able to download free onto their cell phones or PDAs, is to systematically collect and distribute information about barrier-free routes. Before - or even during - a trip, users will be able to enter start and destination points in order to map their route using Microsoft Virtual Earth or Google Earth. The actual journey is then recorded along the way using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. Road obstacles can be photographed and uploaded together with the new map - meaning new data is continually being added to the existing information

Though approximately all GPS navigation softwares boasts of having a way of marking road blocks and tr-acking a way around it like the upcoming Dash Navigation System, which gathers traffic info from its users and help create a real-time congestion map, with Trailblazers software things might soon take a new direction for the wheelchair users.

It is claimed that if the brainchild of Martin Stein, Sven Stegelmeier, Mark Thome and Piotr Bendt who came up to design this kind of software, is executed, the software can be availed for free on the Trailblazers Web site starting in May.

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After going through the daily GPS stories, of which I keep talking about, you might have been some paranoid. But this I am not going to make you turn off as today I have an all-in-one counter surveillance device, which is claimed to be capable of supposedly detecting real time GPS tracking devices.

Not only this the latest device besides helping you track the GPS tracker in your vehicle, is also claimed to be capable of detecting:

(1) Phone line taps including Internet or IP phones
(2) Wireless CCTV hidden cameras
(3) Laser eavesdropping equipments

The latest all-in-one counter surveillance device also boasts of putting a stop to wireless audio bugs and voice recorders. With the price tag of just $350, the latest device is expected to squash every piece of electronic tools you have.

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NemeriX recently announced to standardize the development of its next-generation GPS chipsets on the configurable ARCT 600 core family. NemeriX’s developers are making use of ARC’s configurable subsystems and CPU/DSP processors to bring about state-of-the-art system-on-chip (SoC) designs to give support to NemeriX so that in the long run it can optimize its GPS offerings for the mobile device market.

NemeriX’s hosted GPS offerings, specifically been brought about for mobile phones, PDAs and other Bluetooth-based portable devices, are touted to be the strongest in the industry - yet they need less than one-third the power supplies of competitive chipsets.

With the adoption of ARC’s core development platform, NemeriX’s engineers will be capable of getting an even larger equilibrium of speed and size - which will additionally ease the power supplies, and result in smaller, the most strongest chips that are even less pricey to manufacture.

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NovaTracker is going to come up with a more smart generation of highly customizable wireless and GPS hardware solutions powered by proprietary technology that includes simply with the majority of vehicle tracking software and cuts transmission costs a lot.
The Maya is claimed to be really multifaceted and unswerving in-vehicle GPS built-in, GSM-based data hub, which boasts of letting current fleet management software solutions do far more, with less. Designed particularly for the fleet-tracking industry, Maya is also claimed to bring about a supreme range of customized and highly relevant data transmissions.

Maya, leveraging the smart technology designed by NovaTracker as the proprietary platform for its wireless and GPS solutions, stands alone as an in-vehicle network hub. Particularly, the state-of-the-art unit can give a wide array of data types like reporting, location, vehicle status and a large range of event codes comprising geofence violation. Maya is said to be the standalone unit on the market nowadays that boasts of transmitting info specified by the customer with as many as 16 different variables.

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GPSPrevent, a French-based company recently announced to have come up with a GPS built-in radar detector device known as G200, which is touted to give warning to the drivers about fixed radars, danger zones and mobile radars for France and Europe. The latest G200 besides being capable of informing you about the distance and speed limit, is also claimed to inform you about the type of the radar based on its frequency.

And in so far as danger zones is concerned, G200 tells driver on the kind of danger like accident zones, a sharp turns and unsafe intersections. Interestingly all of these warnings are given with a beep, human voice and/or visual signals, generally 600 meters upstream of fixed and mobile radars. With the help of latest G200, the users can record their own points, which is made possible by the built-in flash memory, which gets connected directly to the car cigarette lighter and the users can also set its digital screen for day or night with adjustable contrast and brightness.

The update of the radars can be got free of charge and unlimited, and if users want vocal alarms, they can opt a female or male voice and comprehensive or easy vocal alarms. The volume of the vocal messages can also be adjusted (4 levels) to settle in to the ambient sound level.

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Sony has recently come up with a new GPS navigation device in their nav-u line known as NV-U1. Integrated with 4.3-inch screen, the stand-alone handheld navigation device was to be launched in North America last year as NV-U81 that did not come about ever, but better late than never, we have Sony NV-U1 at last with built-in SD card reader and with many more glaring features: Let’s check them out here:

(1) Back light control: Automatic ON (10 stages) /OFF and automatic dimmer
(2) Battery: 4 hours in normal and 6 hours in stamina mode
(3) Display: A-si TFT active matrix, 4.3″ wide screen
(4) Speaker: 2W mono integrated speaker
(5) Memory: Memory stick duo slot
(6) Dimensions: 134 x 79 x 44 mm
(7) Picture resolution: 480×272
(8) Aspect ratio: 16: 9
(9) Weight: 360 g

Sony integrated a pressure sensor and accelerating sensor to give positioning info when no GPS signal is available (that is tunnels). Using the optional Sony NVA-VB6 VICS receiver, the NV-U1 is touted to be capable of working with current traffic info and steer clear of traffic-congested areas.

Whereas the navigation software on NV-U1 gives lane info, toll road fee guide and 3D maps. The Sony NV-U1 will put up the device for sale for roughly 60,000 Yen (~$500) in Japan starting on March 22nd, while the VICS receiver NVA-VB6 goes for 20,000 yen (~$167).

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