December 8th, 2009 in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Remember The Club? Sure you do. We can’t say that Who-Rae’s Maplock is destined to become just as goofy in the pop culture scene, but it’s certainly one of the more absurd peripherals that we’ve seen this year. Put simply, this contraption provides a locking mount for your navigation unit and a presumably snip-proof cable that locks around one’s steering wheel. We suppose the point here is to easily show pondering thieves that they should probably select another vehicle to jack, but the easier solution is to figure out a mounting setup that doesn’t involve suction cup residue. For those who’d rather be safe than sorry, the Maplock can be procured for right around $50 — just be prepared for all sorts of jeering from your car club mates. Vid’s after the break, vaquero.
Maplock chains GPS unit to steering wheel, dares thieves to interfere originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 02:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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December 7th, 2009 in Uncategorized | No Comments »
It’s a match made in heaven, really. A GPS-linked heads-up display system, and ski goggles. Together, at long last, forever. Recon Instruments is reportedly developing said technology right now, and if all goes well, a HUD-equipped set of alpine goggles will indeed be on sale to the general populace next fall for between $350 to $450. The device is expected to tap into your cellphone, and if said phone has a GPS chip within, you’ll be able to see where you’re at, where your fellow snow bunnies are and where you’re headed. It’ll also provide all sorts of other vital information, such as hang time off of the rail jump, altitude gain / loss, a stopwatch and temperature. There’s no word on whether it’ll alert you when too much powder starts building on that front-side edge, but here’s hoping these things are durable enough to survive the face-plant that’ll inevitably ensue when that scenario plays itself out.
Recon Instruments putting heads-up display, extra layer of ‘cool’ within ski goggles originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 07:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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December 2nd, 2009 in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Privacy advocates and career criminals alike are in a lather over reports that between September 2008 and October 2009, Sprint Nextel ponied up customer location data to various law enforcement agencies more than 8 million times. Speaking at ISS World 2009 (a conference for law enforcement and telecom industry-types responsible for “lawful interception, electronic investigations and network Intelligence gathering”), Sprint Nextel’s very own Paul Taylor, Manager of Electronic Surveillance, lamented on the sheer volume of requests the company’s received in the past year for precise GPS data for Sprint customers. How did the company meet such high demand? Apparently, his team built a special “web interface” which “has just really caught on fire with law enforcement.” We’re glad that Sprint’s plans to
streamline the customer service experience don’t stop short of those who serve and protect, but as the EFF points out, plenty of nagging questions remain, including: How many individual customers have been affected? Is Sprint demanding search warrants? How secure is this web interface? Check out an excerpt from Taylor’s speech after the break.
Continue reading Sprint handed customer GPS data to law enforcement over 8 million times last year
Sprint handed customer GPS data to law enforcement over 8 million times last year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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December 2nd, 2009 in Uncategorized | No Comments »
The A8’s Multi Media Interface (a fancy name for a nav unit with media player attached) is already a pretty sophisticated piece of tech, but Audi has opted against resting on those laurels and has pushed out a new feature for the luxury saloon’s next iteration. The 2011 A8 (available in Spring 2010 — crazy, we know) will benefit from the same handwriting recognition as promised for the next-gen R8, wherein the user is able to scribble his destination all John Hancock-like and then use the touchscreen to complete his instructions. With Cyrillic, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean character support, this could be a particular boon for gadget lovers of a more Eastern persuasion. And just in case you’re fretting that the rest of your gear won’t get as much love, there are further plans afoot for connecting the car via UMTS and distributing WiFi goodness to the devices inside it. The only thing this is missing is a Snoop Dogg voiceover for the ultimate in convergence tech. Video after the break.
Continue reading Audi A8 MMI adds handwriting recognition to list of 2011 features
Audi A8 MMI adds handwriting recognition to list of 2011 features originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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December 2nd, 2009 in Uncategorized | No Comments »
If you enjoy the decimation of an industry as much as Google does then you’re going to love the latest rumor sourced from DigiTimes‘ manufacturing moles. According to the Taiwanese rumor rag, personal navigation device R&D teams at the manufacturing powerhouses of Foxconn (aka, Hon Hai) and Wistron have been shifted to other devices in the face of “declining PND orders.” Seems logical as GPS-equipped smartphones snuff out their dedicated forebears with the same converged precision that turned wrist watches into items of fashion. The strange part of this DigiTimes rumor is that said manufacturers have shifted those PND teams to focus on e-book readers and (are you ready?) MIDs. Man, if the world’s largest manufacturer of consumer electronics sees MIDs as a more economically viable option than personal navigators, well, maybe things are more dire for TomTom and Garmin than originally feared.
Manufacturers redirecting R&D on declining GPS device orders? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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December 1st, 2009 in Uncategorized | No Comments »
You know what TomTom has that Google Maps Navigation doesn’t? Snoop. D. O. Double G. Voice Skins, the same company that brought Homer Simpson to the world of turn-by-turn, paid tha cost to hire da boss himself, which is now available for $12.95 and compatible with all TomTom devices. The Doggfather telling us how to get to Taco Bell? Let’s face it, sharp lefts really are so fly. Crank up the bass, videos are after the break.
[Thanks, Brandon]
Continue reading Snoop Dogg: the GPS industry’s secret weapon against Google
Snoop Dogg: the GPS industry’s secret weapon against Google originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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December 1st, 2009 in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Now here’s a good idea: a built-in GPS navigation system that’s actually priced to move. Co-developed with Bosch, Nissan has put together a $400 option with a 5-inch touhcscreen, Bluetooth support for phones, USB connectivity for media players, iPod integration, XM Satellite and NavTraffic. The Detroit News was certainly impressed, testing it on a new Sentra and calling it a moment where the benefits of the built-in nav systems outweigh the costs — although the display was maybe a bit too small for its liking. Look for it to these to hit in some of its lower-priced models starting this January. Hit up the source link for the full impressions.
Nissan introducing low-cost navigation systems this January originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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