CeBIT 2010 comes to an end and ends an era for PocketGPSWorld.com

Over the years CeBIT has changed its focus. When we first started attending back in 2004 Navigation was spread across the halls. TomTom launched the new GO all in one SatNav and the "industrial revolution" began.

Since that time things have changed dramatically from the humble beginnings to the dominance of a huge hall with massive double tiered stands, to the decision by TomTom not to exhibit a few years ago, culminating in the current state where Sygic and Mapfactor were the only 2 navigation brands in attendance (other than TomTom Work).

During this time we have also seen the introduction of more capable smartphones and the focus of the navigation business has moved back to handheld devices making Mobile World Congress and CTIA more important to our industry than CeBIT and CES. At the same time the target audience of CeBIT has swung from a very wide electronics and computing base to relatively small but niche big business users.

With the resurgence of the Consumer Electronics IFA show in Berlin in autumn it would appear that consumer electronics is now dead at CeBIT. The other thing that was very apparent, particularly in the Destinations ICT, was the lack of international flare. As it was quiet I thought I would attend the CeBIT in Motion forum only to find that all the events were in German with no catering to international guests.

For me the show was still good, not from the news reporting aspect, but from some of the behind the scenes meetings with non-exhibitors, and of course our friends from CarComm who ensured that I was properly fed and hydrated. There were still stand parties, but nothing like they used to be.

Unless things change dramatically for 2011 then I doubt that we will be attending any more CeBIT shows. It is sad as we have had some great times there and seen the birth of some wonderful products, but times change and so must we. So our coverage of CeBIT 2010 marks the end of an era for PocketGPSWorld.com.

Normally we have to scratch our heads and argue what was the star of the show. This year my job was easy, the best in show goes to the stunning Sygic Aura software. Look out for this in the App Stores in the next few weeks.

Article by Mike Barrett on Saturday, March 06 @ 16:52:18 UTC

CarComm show the Multi-Basys mounting system

Back in the days when we all had company cars and the cars were changed every year there was no problems with hard wired phone systems: you change your phone and your car at the same time. Nowadays company cars last longer and phones change more frequently meaning you have big problems upgrading the phone and the car wiring and mounts.

CarComm have introduced the Multi-Basys (pronounced bases) hardwired mounting system to overcome this issue. This Multi-Basys system is modular featuring a base which is hardwired into the car and a holder system which in turn has a standard connector to mate with that in the device holder. With over 160 options for device holders you can be assured that they will have one to fit your car.

This means that you can change your phone, have different devices and still have have them held securely with no visible cables. For hands free operation you would still need to connect to a bluetooth device.

The Multi-Basys docking base has a recommended price of 19 euros whilst each device specific holder is priced at 39 euros.

Article by Mike Barrett on Saturday, March 06 @ 16:06:15 UTC

Mio launch the award winning Moov V780 navigation/entertainment system

At the press conference of the Taiwanese trade organisation TIATRA a number of companies launched new devices. Mio was amongst them with the award winning Moov V780 system.

The Moov V780 is a 7 inch wide screen navigation, entertainment and connected device. The 7 inch screen supports video media up to 720p, which coupled with a 4Gb internal memory and a MicroSD slot allows for lots of different movies to be viewed.

The device comes with Mio Spirit navigation software and I must confess the display looks great on the big screen. The device is supplied with a (very long) car mount to enable it to be positioned without obstructing the driver's view.

On the entertainment side the V780 has a digital TV, video player, music player, and photo viewer. Connection to the Internet is either via WiFi, WiMax or 3G cellular (optional extra). When connected the device is able to send and receive emails and has an Internet Explorer V6 based web browser and a YouTube player.

The Moov V780 comes with a case which has an integrated keyboard and stand allowing you to interact with the applications in a easy way. If the keyboard is not connected then you will be prompted for input via a virtual keyboard.

With pricing at 500 euros or pounds the Moov is expected to be available in the UK mid to end of May. For users wanting the 3G version there are currently discussions underway with the wireless carriers and there may well be subsidised versions available subject to a data contract.

Article by Mike Barrett on Saturday, March 06 @ 15:57:44 UTC

Nav N Go iGo Primo first look

Last year Nav N Go launched iGo Amigo, a very easy to use navigation software solution, designed to be an entry level solution to the full featured iGo My Way software. Following feedback from customer and their partners NNG are now launching iGo Primo which has more features than iGo Amigo, but less than iGo My Way.

The iGo Primo software will not be available to buy off the shelf, but will be available to the NNG OEM partners for inclusion in branded navigation systems. The system is easy to use and features the ability to access and purchase additional premium content from the naviextras.com portal.

I saw a demo yesterday and the software looks very capable, though the actual implementation will depend very much on the hardware package provided by the OEM, this is certainly a system to look out for.

Article by Mike Barrett on Thursday, March 04 @ 13:21:45 UTC

Brodit increases the range of iPhone holders

Brodit had on display a wide range of solutions for mounting your iphone. We have seen and reviewed some of these already, but as always there was something new.

This show sees the introduction of a full fixed mount solution for the iPhone. This includes all the hardware you need to mount and power the iPhone where you just slip the phone in the cradle.

The other new holder on display overcomes the main issue of iPhones: the skins and covers. The new holder is adjustable with screws that you can tighten when you have the mount correctly positioned for your iPhone and case. Once set up you dont need to reset it unless you change your case.

Article by Mike Barrett on Thursday, March 04 @ 12:42:43 UTC

Improve your driving style with Vexia's EcoNav

I nearly missed one of the SatNav products on display at CeBIT as the company was in the Spanish hall, not the navigation hall. This was Vexia with the EcoNav system.

EcoNav is not just turn by turn navigation but a whole lot more. When I was looking at the map application it looked very familiar: it is based on an OEM version of Sygic. This software is combined with the bespoke application from Vexia which provides the unique features of the EcoNav system.

EcoNav uses GPS information to analyse your driving and provides indications of which gear you should be in and the optimal speed you should be aiming for on a particular stretch of road. The application also looks at your acceleration and braking again suggesting when you are braking too hard or accelerating too fast. The overall objective is that you adjust your driving habits to drive more economically.

The algorithms developed cater for a wide range of cars built over the last 10 years, and apply when you are driving on roads without steep hills as the calculations do not take into consideration large changes in altitude.

The system also includes speed camera alerts providing a large warning icon and an indication of your current speed and the speed of the road. Future enhancements include the "risk factor". This is a display of the fine that would be due if caught and the number of penalty points that would be applied to your license.

Article by Mike Barrett on Thursday, March 04 @ 12:20:05 UTC

Brodit introduces a dedicated Navigon holder.

The beauty of standardising on something is that everyone knows what to do or expect from that item. In the case of Navigon all their devices have a standard connector to the car mount. This makes the job of companies like Brodit easy. They design one car mount adapter and the entire Navigon range is compatible...

As you can see from the pictures the mount is very neat, and combined with a swivel adapter and hard wiring or cigar lighter adapter provides a neat solution for your car.

Brodit Products are available from DSL in the UK and ProClip in the USA.

Article by Mike Barrett on Wednesday, March 03 @ 17:07:50 UTC

Holux CompeGPS introduce the TwoNav handheld GPS

Holux, one of the companies we have known from the start of the site, and CompeGPS have created a handheld GPS device to rival that of the Garmin offerings. Called the TwoNav the GPS features all the functionality we have come to expect from a handheld GPS, including mapping.

The mapping is where the TwoNav differentiates itself from other handhelds, and similar outdoor mapping GPS systems. CompeGPS mapping is available for nominal prices. Indeed they provide a software tool to allow you to geo-reference your own map data, or import already geocoded image files.

In order to provide compatibility with other GPS systems the TwoNav can exchange data in GPX format. This means that you can download waypoints from the internet and save them to your device.

The TwoNav is available now at selected retailers and is priced at 379 euros.

For users in the UK the TwoNav will be available later in the year when the free data from the Ordnance Survey is published.

Article by Mike Barrett on Wednesday, March 03 @ 16:57:07 UTC

Sygic Aura in action (Videos)

I had a chance to get my hands on the Sygic Aura app running on the iPhone yesterday. It is very impressive graphically having code written specifically to leverage maximum performance from the iPhone's 3D hardware chipset. The result is a very impressive and smooth display running at 20 frames per second as opposed to the regular 6-8 frames on most other devices. This gives them the opportunity to implement some stunning 3D cityscapes.

Other than the display there is a lot of social networking built into the app, allowing you to see where your friends are, and communicate with them. Another new feature is the "City Guides" which allow you to explore rich media content for the places around you location.

The mapping is all on-board meaning that whilst traveling you dont need to access a server. You also have the opportunity to switch the live services off when you are roaming.

No set date was mentioned for the release (which would depend on Apple anyway) the closest I could tie them down to was "soon"...

Anyway I managed to grab a few videos of the software in action. Apologies for the video quality as they were grabbed on my iphone in a noisy environment, but they give you a good idea of the sort of user experience to expect.

Click here for a demo of the 3D speed.
Click here for a peek at the rendering of 3D landmarks, in this case the Brandenburg Gate.
Click here for a short route demo.
Click here for another short route demo.

Article by Mike Barrett on Wednesday, March 03 @ 11:50:11 UTC

Sygic Announce AURA - Next Gen Nav

Sygic chose CeBIT to launch Sygic AURA. A pedestrian centric navigation package for smartphones with 3D mapping, buildings and landscapes.

"Our dream to build AURA has come true - three years of development has resulted in a product that completely differs from others on the market." said Michal Stencl, CEO of Sygic."We are happy to announce it now and here, in the world that asks: "What is the future of LBS?". We simply trust it is AURA - one tool that combines navigation for pedestrians and drivers and lets users learn all about cities: where to go, where to stay and where to meet there. AURA keeps you on track whether your journey is by car or on foot, with the information you need at-hand, always available, without a mobile connection. Drive, walk and meet - AURA presents one incredible, beautiful package."

More information including pricing and availability will be available at aura.sygic.com.

Article by Darren Griffin on Wednesday, March 03 @ 09:45:11 UTC

Nav N Go launches its latest navigation software, iGO primo

Extract from the NNG PR:

This year’s product highlight enables OEM partners to provide a rich and innovative feature set to discerning customers who seek the utmost in quality. iGO primo™ is built on the same concept of simplicity and an intuitive user interface that was introduced with iGO amigo™ in 2009. The latest product now adds over 30 new features and hundreds of enhancements to the iGO My way engine without compromising the simplicity of the innovative user interface.

The new flagship in Nav N Go’s navigation product line guarantees solutions tailored to the needs of OEM partners by providing each with unique Graphical User Interfaces (GUI). Optional features such as truck and fleet navigation further meet the increasing demands of GPS device manufacturers. Among its many innovations, iGO primo™ introduces Driver Alerts that increase safety by providing advance display of warning traffic signs and realistic junction views. In addition, the new high definition terrain visualization dramatically enhances the rendering of distant terrain.

More details will follow tomorrow when I visit the NavNGo booth.

Article by Mike Barrett on Monday, March 01 @ 16:22:42 UTC