Param Tech Reviews

If you’ve been putting off that GPS purchase in hopes that Alpine would deliver a sleek, fully compatible solution for the head unit that you already splurged on, your lucky day has finally arrived. The altogether simplistic NVE-M300 GPS Navigation Drive is a simple black box that measures just barely more than 4- x 4- x 1-inches and is designed to interface with the company’s top two selling in-dash AV head units: the iXA-W404 (4.3-inch display) and the IVA-W505 (7-inch touchscreen). The device features the outfit’s own OnPoint Advanced GPS Positioning, turn-by-turn guidance, a solid-state gyro sensor and accelerometer, text-to-speech and pre-loaded NAVTEQ maps of the US and Canada. Unfortunately, all this beautiful harmony will cost you, and by “cost you,” we mean “450 bones.”Keywords:   GPSAlpine’s NVE-M300 black box brings navigation to top head units originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

It’s been a while since we’ve seen any major updates for Ricoh’s 500SE camera, but if you’re in the mood, here’s a heads up: the company has just announced its new SE-2 GPS module. Designed by EKA Technologies, Inc., this bad boy sports a new helix antenna, which should provide better reception and accuracy, and smaller fix times. Available in two flavors, the SE-2g (GPS only) has an MSRP of $169, while the SE-2c offers GPS and a 3-axis compass for direction information for an MSRP of $399. And if that weren’t enough, the company has just announced new firmware for the camera that enhances its ability to store field data and embed it into images for GIS mapping applications. The new firmware also allows up to three attributes as well as GPS position, azimuth, and UTC (satellite time) to be imprinted directly onto images as they are captured. Pretty awesome, right? Full PR available after the break.Continue reading Ricoh announces new GPS unit, new firmware for 500SE cameraKeywords:   Digital CamerasRicoh announces new GPS unit, new firmware for 500SE camera originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Call it coincidence or call it fate, but nary a month after Microsoft filed a patent lawsuit against TomTom over Linux-based GPS systems, TomTom has just been taken into the warm, loving arms of the Open Invention Network. Said company, which was formed to “enable and protect Linux,” has just extended the Linux ecosystem with the signing of TomTom as a licensee. What this means is that TomTom is now cleared to leverage the benefits of Linux and all patents owned by OIN; the only catch is that TomTom cannot “assert its patents against the Linux System.” ‘Course, TomTom has been friends with Linux for quite some time now, but this deal could lead to faster development and enhanced innovation compared to what we’ve seen in the past. Color us intrigued.Keywords:   GPSTomTom becomes Linux licensee, minds are filled with wonder originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Mar 2009 10:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Keywords:   GPS, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video
Though it pains us so, there’s not an awful lot of information out there just yet on MeLE’s forthcoming do-it-all PMP. Spotted at AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong, the admittedly beefy unit was seen sporting a 4.3-inch 480 x 272 resolution display, a relatively gigantic bezel and room for a 2.5-inch hard drive within. If we had to guess, we’d surmise that it’ll play nice with pretty much any useful audio / video format on the planet, but it seems the price and release date are still cloaked in mystery.[Via SlashGear]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Keywords:   GPS, Peripherals, Portable Audio, Portable Video
Archos just launched its new GPS In-Car Holder for the Archos 605 WiFi. True to its name, the unit holds the 605 in your car and pipes steaming hot GPS data into the unit. With that 4.3-inch LCD to view the maps it’s certainly a fitting match, and features include full voice navigation. There are three versions of the device, one for Europe, one for North America and one for China, and all of them will work with all sizes of the 605 WiFi. It’ll be available in May for $130, or bundled with a 30GB 605 for $400.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Keywords:   GPS
Honda has a new GPS navigation system for Japan that taps into the police database and points out seedy areas on the map. The device can point out specific locations that cars have been stolen or broken into in the past, as well as generally sketchy districts, which basically means that if you weren’t paranoid before you got this installed, you certainly will be afterwards. Honda is launching the service today, and we’re sure criminals the world over are already wondering what one of these nav systems will go for on the black market.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments