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Events: CeBIT 2008 - What Do We Want To See Announced?
CeBIT 2008 opens tomorrow and we will be there reporting live from the show. TomTom have already surprised us by calling a press conference so they clearly have something to announce. But what do we expect to hear or see?
Connected navigation devices are the new buzz word, devices that harness the power of the internet coupled to a navigation platform. CoPilot have already demonstrated how useful this facility can be with their Microsoft Live integration that allows you to search for just about anything and be directed to it on your device. The big issue for users of course is the cost of such a data connection, if one of the major manufacturers could persuade the operators to offer a fixed fee package at reasonable cost, say £50p.a. for unlimited searches etc then it could prove to be a winning system and could also offer live tracking as a by product.
3D mapping is till being touted as the next best thing but impressive as some designs are, do they really add anything to the navigation experience? I don't think so. I'd be far happier if the map data companies spent more time and investment to improve the currency of their mapping, make data such as road widths, weights, bridge heighst etc available on consumer devices etc.
On the 'out there' list would be a satnav that offered HUD (Heads Up Display) functionality in a consumer device. It is already available as factory fit from some vehicle manufacturers but imagine a device that projected next turn arrow information and even safety camera warnings onto your windscreen. It's possible using current technology but the vast range of vehicles it would have to accommodate make it a difficult product to design.
Got any other great ideas? Or perhaps some insights into what may be announced? Post in the forum thread below.
Click here to discuss...
Posted on Monday, March 03 @ 11:07:05 UTC by Darren Griffin |
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