We’re a long way from Ford and Microsoft’s EVA and her soothingly monotone stream of helpfulness, but it seems Ford is already prepping her for a dose of… feeling. The company has filed a patent called “Emotive Text-to-Speech System and Method” describing a system that can not only simulate emotion when reading out directions and describing traffic problems, but could also detect the emotion of the operator of the car and interact with them in ways designed to, oh, soothe a little road rage. The avatar is said to “appear to become frustrated” if the driver is a lead-foot, and may say “Your driving is hurting my fuel efficiency.” Or, if a driver is going too fast, the dash-bound assistant could turn blue, ask what’s wrong, and suggest a more direct route to their destination. It all sounds terrifically annoying, and we can only hope this disembodied nag will be a little easier to deactivate than 2001’s HAL — and a little less prone to singing, too.

[Via Autoblog]

Filed under: Transportation

Ford patent describes the digital backseat driver you never wanted originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Mar 2009 07:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

While the world waits for a tried-and-true navigation app from Apple, XRoad is taking advantage of the situation by offering up its G-Map app in the interim. Kicking Tires decided to take the new software for a spin, and while the map quality took a pretty harsh beating, the overall offering was highly praised. More specifically, not every street name was present during testing, meaning that you had to rely implicitly on the turn-by-turn instructions if you weren’t familiar with your surroundings. Outside of that, however, it seemed to nail all the important points. Accuracy, routing, ease of use and design were all smiled upon, and it seems critics gave the street name snafu a bit of a break with the hope of future updates solving the issues. If you’re still a touch hesitant to drop your hard-earned cash, give that read link a gentle tap.

[Thanks, Ronald]

Filed under: Cellphones

XRoad G-Map iPhone navigation map gets reviewed, patted on the back originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Mar 2009 23:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

As with Navigon’s booth yesterday, Garmin’s CeBIT showcase was overflowing with Earthlings. Many of which, as you could likely guess, were swooning over the recently announced nüvi 1200 and 1300 series navigators. Naturally, the flavors found here in Hannover were those with different variations of European maps, but aside from the routes, everything will be the same on North American versions. The hippest addition to these two are the public transit maps, which inform individuals on foot what subway / tube to hop on, where to get off, which bus to take from there and how long to stay on. Frankly, it’s a Euro-tripper’s dream come true. Check out the photo gallery below, and if you’re wondering, there’s evidently no “Engadget” within the confines of “Germany.” We’d argue otherwise, of course.

Filed under: GPS

Garmin nüvi 1200 and 1300 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

BMW’s latest iDrive system is actually rather remarkable, but even it will look aged compared to ILENA. Intelligent Learning Navigation, as it’ll be formally known, will reportedly pay attention to your daily driving habits in order to better predict routes and possibly even save a pinch of fuel. Details about the actual inner workings are still a bit vague (and German), but we’re also told that the system will include an intelligent feature that recalls driver preferences based on his / her Bluetooth cellphone. When driver A steps in and pairs things up, the seat will automatically move to their preferred setting, their favorite stations will queue up, etc; obviously, changes are automatically made when driver B steps in for the return leg. There’s no word on when this system is expected to leapfrog the existing navigation system, but you may want to hold back on that impending European Delivery trip if you just can’t live without a GPS that learns.

[Via BMWBlog]

Filed under: GPS, Transportation

BMW purportedly working on adaptive ILENA navigation system originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 07:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

After learning that TeleNav would be releasing dedicated turn-by-turn GPS navigation for one of our favorite devices — the G1 — we got more than a little excited. Thankfully, we’ve had a chance to take the software for a spin before its February 24th release date, and these are our findings.

• The software is really snappy, snappier than a lot of dedicated GPS units we’ve used.
• Finding satellites can be a major pain sometimes, and the signal can drop while you’re driving (see video), which could be a major headache if you’re on a trip and you really don’t know where you’re going.
• The app doesn’t seem to eat up much space (it occupies 4MB on the device), so it appears to be pulling map data OTA. That’s a good thing if you’re worried about filling up your G1, but bad if you need info quickly or you’re not in a data-gettin’ spot.
• We experienced a crash while it was fetching satellites. The software is still being tweaked from what TeleNav tells us, so we’re going to assume that won’t be an issue once it’s on the market.
• The traffic, restaurant, and gas station services are top notch and pretty speedy (once it figures out where you are). Since a lot of GPS units aren’t pulling live data on surrounding businesses or traffic / weather info, this is a nice touch.
• The speaker volume on the G1 is probably a bit quiet if you’re cranking on a highway — that could be an issue if you’re really relying on what Stephen King calls “the GPS voice.”
• As expected, it’s a power hog, so plan on having an adapter in the car if you’re going to get any use out of this.

Continue reading An Engadget adventure with TeleNav’s G1 GPS software: hands-on, impressions, and video

Filed under: GPS

An Engadget adventure with TeleNav’s G1 GPS software: hands-on, impressions, and video originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

MoveOn definitely had the right idea when crafting the enclosure of the 0.47-inch thick NVG-M1, but good heavens, who let this interface out of the lab? Yeah, the 3.5-inch QVGA display, microSD slot, inbuilt media player, 1Seg TV tuner, FM transmitter and Bluetooth support is all fine and dandy, but we’re pretty sure we’ve seen better graphics in late-generation NES titles. Who knows, maybe it’s to challenge those who think they really know their way around Osaka. Yeah, that’s definitely it.

[Via AkihabaraNews]

Filed under: GPS

MoveOn’s NVG-M1 navigator is pretty thin, UI is pretty 8-bit originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

If that ‘92 Riviera is getting a bit long in the tooth, Alpine’s got a trifecta of ways to simply spruce it up rather than take on an all-too-burdensome new car payment. Both the IVA-W203/P1 and IVA-W505/P1 are double-DIN head units with touchscreen displays (6.5- / 7-inches, respectively), support for iPods / sat ratio / HD Radio / Bluetooth, preloaded NAVTEQ maps of the US and Canada, a foursome of map viewing options and text-to-speech for good measure. For those with single-DIN gaps in the dash, there’s the all new IVA-D106, which offers up a slide-out 7-inch touch panel, 18-watt x 4 amplifier and support for navigation via the optional NVE-P1 drive. All three systems are available as we speak for $1,100, $1,400 and $350 in order of mention.

[Via NaviGadget]

Filed under: Portable Audio

Alpine delivers trio of new in-car navigators originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Jan 2009 10:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

We’ve had discussions surrounding those petite navigators that stay safely within the confines of your vehicle, but it’s about time we broke it back out for the argonauts in attendance. We’ll let Tyler take it from here:

“I’m an avid hiker, and I’m looking to get a new outdoor-centric navigator that can withstand the elements and last a good while without a charge. I’m particularly interested in getting one with extra features like a trip logger and multimedia player, but obviously I’m trying to spend the least amount while not sacrificing usability. Any other outdoorsy individuals have any advice?”

Once you’re back in from the tent, why not give this some thought and chime in? After that, feel free to send in a question of your own at ask at engadget dawt com.

Filed under: GPS

Ask Engadget: Best outdoor GPS device? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 20:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Lookie here — we’ve got yet another new entrant into the portable navigation market, but thankfully, Cydle has decided to differentiate a bit with the inclusion of HD Radio support. The company’s one and only model (for now, anyway) is the T43, which features a 4.3-inch touchscreen, the latest version of Cydle 3D Map and Cydle XE Map, HD Radio support, real-time traffic via the traditional RDS-TMC as well as the newer HD Radio-based method and Bluetooth for good measure. It’ll reportedly hit Best Buy shelves in the not-too-distant future, though there’s no price mentioned.

Filed under: GPS

Cydle introduces T43 navigator with Bluetooth, HD Radio support originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

As if a partnership with Rand McNally wasn’t enough, Navigon’s giving prospective buyers even more reason to hand over a pinch of their savings. Starting this Spring, Navigon GPS owners will be able to download several new content decks for their devices, including Red Light Camera data, a North American expansion pack, a European map, 3D landmarks and extended POIs. All of the new material will be hosted on the company’s Fresh platform, and pricing ranges from $19.99 for each Rand McNally guide to $129.99 for European maps on North American PNDs. Hit up the read link for specifics on each.

Filed under: CES, GPS

Navigon keeps PNDs fresh with downloadable data packs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Not that we haven’t seen navigator manufacturers partner up with travel companies before, but it’s still pretty rare to hear of a PND maker looking out for the travelers and not just the completely lost crowd. Here at CES, Navigon has just announced a partnership with Rand McNally (the first of its kind, we hear), which will result in Scenic Routers and City Guides from the aforesaid firm being available on Navigon devices. The guides will provide over 250 scenic routers and pre-planned trips across all 50 states (we’re guessing the Road To Hana made the cut?) and Canada, and there’s also information on the best attractions and landmarks in more than 1,400 US / Canadian cities. The new data packs will be available on select Navigon units as well as in retail outlets and Navigon.com this Spring for $19.99 each.

Filed under: CES, GPS

Navigon teams with Rand McNally to put a little travel in your PND originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

While we can’t quite decide whether the carputer is a dying breed or simply a niche that never really took off, Dashboard Devices is hoping to revive it either way come January. The outfit will reportedly debut its ENV (Entertainment and Navigation for Vehicles) line as a two-part system. First comes the ENV-XC, which houses the main processor, graphics unit and other basic functionality; said brain can be paired with a choice of head units, including the double-DIN ENV-100 or the single-DIN ENV-50. Word has it that the double-DIN package will ring up at a staggeringly high $2,700, but we’re also hearing that it’ll offer “true dual zone” control, meaning that your robustious youngsters can have their own set of preferences in the rear while the grown-ups keep things comfortable up front. It’ll also pack a WiFi module, voice activated functions, navigation, DVD playback, a 160GB hard drive, iPod compatibility, satellite radio support, Windows XP, a 7-inch touchscreen and optional WWAN. We’ll be keeping an eye out for this one at CES — but for $2,700, we’re totally not going to be satisfied without a bona fide autopilot system.

[Via Yahoo! Tech]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Transportation

Dashboard Devices to debut ENV line of in-car computers at CES originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Dec 2008 09:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/apple/XRoad_G_Map_app_brings_bona_fide_navigation_to_the_iPhone’; At long last, iPhone users who have grown increasingly frustrated by using Google Maps as their primary navigational tool can find relief… sort of. Available right now in the App Store, XRoad’s G-Map application requires no internet connection whatsoever in order to function; rather, it packs oodles of maps into a 932MB package that covers most of western America and a few sporadic locales on the east. We’re a bit baffled (and angered) by the not-at-all-comprehensive coverage, but we suppose we can expect updates to patch the gaps in the near future. It provides most of the same amenities you’re used to seeing on real-deal GPS units, including POI editing, memo capabilities, location searching, etc. A word of caution, though: early reviews don’t seem too stoked about it, so you may want to gloss it over good before hitting your card for $19.99.

[Thanks, Karel]

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS

XRoad G-Map app brings bona fide navigation to the iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Dec 2008 13:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nextar has been pretty steadily adding newcomers to its Q4 family of navigators, and it’s not about to let up now with CES just around the corner. The latest member, the Q4-LT, touts a 4.3-inch touchscreen, built-in speaker / antenna, text-to-speech support, 2D / 3D NAVTEQ maps of the US and Canada, 1.6 million POIs, an MP3 / JPEG player, rechargeable battery and of course, free traffic updates for life. Hope you’re not too fond of the feature set, though, ’cause it won’t even be available for purchase until Q3 2009 for $249.99.

Filed under: GPS

Nextar throws in free traffic updates for life on Q4-LT navigator originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Dec 2008 04:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

If there’s one problem with modern GPS devices it’s that they’re “highly complex” — at least that’s what you might think if you’re a frequent Hammacher Schlemmer shopper. Believing that people find things like touch screens or buttons a little too much, the gadget company has created what it calls a “GPS Homing Device.” For a penny under $80 (roughly the price of a real nav system) the over-sized key fob lets you mark your current location and then, after an exhausting day of bargain hunting, find your way back to where you began just by following an arrow — all without relying on the help of the parking lot attendant. Makes a great gift for the directionally-challenged shopaholic in your life.

[Via Chip Chick]

Filed under: GPS

GPS homing device gets you back where you started, nowhere else originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Dec 2008 11:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: GPS

While not packing nearly the pizazz offered in the AURA, Motorola’s two freshest navigators don’t look half bad. Up first is the dead-simple MOTONAV TN20, which provides spoken street names and turn-by-turn directions, NAVTEQ 2D / 3D maps of the continental US and a 3.5-inch touch panel. The slightly more sophisticated MOTONAV TN30 picks up where the TN20 left off and adds in maps of Puerto Rico and Canada, four million searchable points of interest, a 4.3-inch touchscreen and Bluetooth handsfree support. Both systems include a SD slot for updating maps, a mini USB port for charging, speed limit display with warnings and the obligatory on-screen speed, distance, arrival time, elevation, and distance traveled tidbits. If you’re into either, you’ll have to scoot over to the RadioShack most convenient to you and plop down $199.99 / $299.99, respectively.

Motorola introduces MOTONAV TN20 / TN30 GPS devices originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: GPS

As with Jeep’s lackluster RT-300, Panasonic’s portable Strada CN-GP50U GPS is probably better left on the shelf. We know, it’ll be awfully tough to resist that magnificent 5-inch panel and the sleek black frame, but according to PC Mag, this thing is just so-so on its best day. For starters, the price premium over rivaling 4.3-inch units was tough for critics to justify, and coupled with a small POI database, sluggish performance and awkward destination / POI input, hope for success was pretty much extinguished. As if that weren’t enough to frighten you off, reviewers also noted that data fields in the map view were “small and difficult to read,” which probably should not ever be the case on — you know — a navigation system. We appreciate the effort, Panny, but we’d suggest nailing the basics next time before turning to pizazz.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: GPS

It’s been a solid tick since we’ve seen a new Maestro, but the latest and greatest from Magellan is here to help navigate you into the nearest body of water, bridge or narrow lane. The unit offers up a 4.3-inch WVGA display, Bluetooth (and thus, handsfree calling), a built-in AAA TourBook, QuickSpell, rechargeable battery, integrated MP3 player, live traffic support and an FM transmitter. We don’t really see anything super special here, but Magellan is mighty proud of this thing — or, at least that’s the impression we get from the $599.99 MSRP.

[Via GPSTracklog]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: GPS

Details are understandably scarce at the moment, but Navigon is apparently taking its 1+ year old 5100 navigation unit to the max. The predictably titled 5100 max has reportedly just seen its way into the FCC’s lair, and we’re told that it’ll feature a 4.3-inch display, Bluetooth, text-to-speech and lifetime traffic / Zagat ratings. As for price and availability? We’ll have to wait for the official word from Navigon on those bits. In the meanwhile… Rockford or Chicago?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Safe mode, huh? While we had previously assumed only our clearly cursed PCs could fall into such a dark, dark place, apparently we were badly mistaken. The recently launched Giove-B satellite, which is the second bird launched for Europe’s next-gen satnav network, was recently sent into some sort of “safe mode” after being “rocked by a surge of space radiation.” Reportedly, said mode halts the satellite’s mission activities and forces it to “concentrate on keeping its batteries topped up by ensuring its solar panels are properly aligned with the sun.” Thankfully, the poor Giove-B was able to resume its frolicking in outer space around a fortnight after being blasted, though we hear if it had been just a tad worse, ground control would’ve had a real mess on their hands with the Blue Screen of Death.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments