Autoblog

Though the isle of Britain isn't that large in terms of square miles, it still contains 24,000 potential speed traps (about the same number in Ohio, we think). The Rossini Navigator and Camera Spotter is a satellite navigation unit that has each one of those traps plotted on its digital topography and will audibly warn a driver if one is fast approaching. The unit also does the whole door-to-door, turn-by-turn navigation thing, but the addition of such comprehensive camera spotting technology moves it to the head of the class. The distributer of the Rossini Navigator, Car Parts Direct, has also decided to guarantee the device will keep you ticket free in the UK by offering £60 cashback if the device offers no warning of a speed trap and a ticket is issued. Those purchasing the Rossini Nav system will also get free camera updates emailed to them through January of 2009, since most people don't bother to go get updates on thier own when they're made available. The unit costs £399 and is ready to use right out of the box.

[Source: Car Parts Direct]

Having reviewed many vehicles in my day, I can tell you unequivocally that not all satellite navigation systems are created equal. Just checking the sat nav box on the options sheet doesn't guarantee you'll be getting a system that's easy to use and will get you where you want to go. Those who know me will tell you that I've often sung the praises of Ford's sat nav systems, specifically the ones found in Lincoln models. My first experience with these factory-installed Pioneer units came from a review of the Lincoln LS I did back in the day, and I was happy to find an equally agreeable sat nav in the Lincoln Zephyr we tested back in March. So permit me to feel vindicated when I inform you that J.D. Power and Associates has just released its 2006 Navigation Usage and Satisfaction Study in which the Lincoln Zephyr's navigation system received the highest rankign. J.D. rates these factory installed nav systems in six areas that include (in order of importance) ease of use, routing, system appearance, speed of system, voice directions and navigation display screen. The Zephyr's Pioneer unit did particularly well in the those first three areas that are weighted the most. One feature of the system with which I became particularly infatuated was its ability to leave a trail of electronic breadcrumbs on the screen's map showing you where you've driven. And in case you're wondering, the same unit is also available in the 2007 MKZ.

[Source: J.D. Power and Associates]

GM announced today that it will be making its OnStar Turn-by-Turn navigation system standard on a number of 2007 models and that the first year of service will be free. Owners of vehicles already equipped with OnStar can also have the service activated through an optional $100 OnStar package upgrade within their first year of use. Turn-by-Turn is considered an "off-board" GPS navigation system because the heavy lifting is done by OnStar advisors and a centrally-managed remote database. Users just push the blue OnStar button, tell a real person where they want to go and voice-guided directions will be pumped through the vehicle's stereo system. It features automatic route corrections and the ability to pick up where it left off after an unscheduled Mountain Dew-induced bathroom break. The system's centrally managed database also continually updates itself with points of interest, so when the main vain needs to be drained again you can call up an OnStar advisor and ask how many miles until the next McDonalds bathroom. Hold on to your wallets, though. After the first initial year of free service, Turn-by-turn navigation will cost OnStar users an additional $299 per year. Yowsers. A couple years of that would easily pay for a nice third third-party navigation system. But then who would you talk to?

[Source: OnStar]

No official word from Porsche, but rumors have Porsche Design teaming up with navigation software specialists Navigon AG to launch a Porsche Design personal navigation product, the P9611.

The sleek device sports a 480 x 272 pixel touchscreen, a built-in traffic news radio receiver and Bluetooth communications capability. The 9611 is based on an Intel XScale 520 MHz cpu running Navigon's upcoming MobileNavigator 6 software.

Expect an October launch for the product in Europe, preceded by the usual round of press and tradeshow introductions. The 9611 will carry a price commensurate with its Porsche Design label - expect to shell out around $950 (€ 749)

[Source: Pocketinfo via Gizmodo]

We've all been there - you've just zipped past the last exit for a couple of miles on your morning commute, you sail over a rise and find... brake lights, as far as the eye can see. If only you'd known the jam was there, you could have taken that exit. If only... Well, here's a gadget that can help!

Alpine Electronics launched this week a new XM Satellite Radio XM Navtraffic data receiver module, the HCE-100XM. Connected to the equally evocatively-named NVE-N872A Alpine nav system (pictured), the new unit provides continuously updated traffic information on top of the nav system's turn-by-turn directions.

Traffic coverage is currently available in 31 major U.S. metro areas (by subscription). Traffic alerts include:

• color-coded traffic congestion levels along major highways
• incident icons along the route, for congestion-causing traffic accidents or road construction
• re-routing options for faster, more efficient routes.

Go to alpine-usa.com for more info.

[via CNet]

How would you like a GPS system that told you a blind curve was coming? Or one where you could add a comment that a particular street is gone, flooded, or has the best aftermarket parts shop on the corner? Such abilities and maps may soon be on the horizon.

According to Government Technology, the latest trend among GPS programmers is the ability to create customized navigation maps.

• At Scipionus.com, viewers can enter their own information about a particular area (pictured).

• Cell phones being used at enter info in the moment throughout a city. (We can imagine motorists using such information to avoid those streets.)

• Using GPS to track buses so commuters don't keep straining their necks at the bus stop wondering when their city's public transportation will arrive.

• Find parking spaces (and reserve them!) in congested cities like San Francisco, CA.
  

More details and a list of emerging technologies can be found at the link.

[Source: Government Technology]

As part of its "Designed for the Extraordinary" marketing campaign, the adventurous folks at Land Rover rolled a 2006 LR3 onboard a C-130 "Hercules" cargo plane, and then the flight crew used the car's nav system to navigate the plane from Nice, France to the island of Corsica.

In true over-the-top marketing-speak, Sally Eastwood, VP marketing for Land Rover North America, says, "This is a truly extraordinary demonstration of the capability and adventure inherent within all Land Rover vehicles, and the LR3 in particular." We're not sure we'd go quite that far, but the innovative P.R. stunt should make for a cool TV spot for those interested in the "off road" capabilities of the LR3's nav system.

[Sources: Land Rover; AdWeek]

New Zealand-based Navman has released the iCN750, a GPS navigation system combined with a digital camera. According to PC Magazine, who had a chance to check out  a pre-production model, the unit works as either a regular navigation system or digital camera. However, users can also record where they took their pictures (i.e., "geocode" or "geostamp"), recording the latitude and longitude in EXIF format.

iCN750 is expected to go on sale some time in May and is listed at $799.95.

[Source: TechnoRide]