Entries Tagged 'Navigation' ↓

My mobile phone already wakes me up every morning, tells me to get a haircut via a reminder - I wouldn’t be surprised if it nagged me at each mealtime if I didn’t eat enough greens.  One step closer to this vision, gadgets are now trying to be an integral part of your workout and fitness regimen.  Here are some of the latest:

1.  Samsung Adidas F110 miCoach

This slider phone looks innocuously like a mobile phone, but with the Adidas logo prominently located under the display, you know something special is afoot.  The miCoach F110 has a heart-rate monitor and stride sensor which connects wirelessly, and the phone software creates custom workouts and prompts you via audio instructions.  Once you’ve finished your workout, you can sync the training data with the miCoach website which allows you to track your fitness goals.  Finally, you can listen to your favourite tunes while toning up.

2.  Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS watch

The GPS manufacturer has usability to a new level by incorporating a unit into a watch - the Garmin Forerunner 405 measures and records your speed, distance, elevation and even your heart rate, while looking like an everyday sports timepiece.  With touch controls, wireless connectivity and fitness tracking software on the PC, the Forerunner 405 is certainly an impressive addition to the workout arsenal.

3.  Vital Jacket - wearable heart / ECG monitor

The Vital Jacket, apart from looking like a prop from the movie Tron, continuously monitors electrocardiogram (ECG) and heart rate for use in high performance sports and fitness applications.  It comes in two models - the HWM100 stores data in a SD card for post-analysis on a PC, while the HWM200 sends data to devices via bluetooth.

Finally, we leave you with some tips to track your fitness progress with some free tools, courtesy of LH.  Enjoy!

Sick and tired of being lost, and don’t want the hassle of flicking through paper street directories?  The latest GPS gadgets will definitely whet your interest then.

Altina A680

This Taiwanese model offers a wide 4-inch 480 x 272 screen, with impressive features such as a FM transmitter to hear voice directions over your car audio system, an AV input jack, MP3 player and MP4 movie player.  If that’s not enough, there is also a 2MP camera and SD card slot for additional storage.

ASUS GPS-enabled P series Phone

Rumour has it that ASUS is working on a GPS-enabled smartphone based on the Windows Mobile 6 platform.  Features include 520MHz PXA27x processor, 256MB of ROM, 128MB of RAM as well as WiFi, Bluetooth and FM transmitters.

Takara GP4

Priced affordably for the European market, the Takara GP4 offers a 3.6-inch screen for £125 or €180, and offers a pedestrian mode as well.  The maps come on an SD card which is preloaded with maps of United Kingdom, France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, and Italy.

Lenart Studios Surf Radio

If you can’t bear to be lost while surfing, here’s a gadget with a twist - a GPS enabled surfboard, with a built in radio.  It uses both to “give surfers updated information about their location, rip currents, and building swells”.  It also functions as a walkie talkie between surfers; and in extreme situations, sends out a distress call in emergencies.

ASUS R600

The ASUS R600 boasts an auto light sensor to adjust the backlighting of the LCD panel according to the lighting situation. It offers a 4.3-inch 480 x 272 Pixels display, MP3 playback as well as video and photo viewing, and built in Bluetooth 2.0 handsfree integration with mobile phones.  It also comes with 128mb built in memory with SD card expansion.

LG LN790

Another one to support 4.3″ touchscreen and Bluetooth pairing, the LG LN790 has all the North American maps preloaded, streaming live traffic data from 50 US cities.  It allows playback of MP3s, videos and photos via the SD slot.  Expect in in September at a list price of $699.

Sanyo NVM-4070 and NVM-4050

Two new models from Sanyo offer a 4-inch touchscreen, built-in Bluetooth, MP3/WMA/WAV support, and pre-loaded maps of the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico.  They’re priced at $500 and $400 respectively, with the $100 premium for the benefit of a Traffic Message Channel support for real-time traffic data, as well as music streaming through the built-in FM transmitter.  Nice!

With all these new gadgets for GPS navigation being offered, there’s now really no excuse for being lost when you’re out and about.

Magellan has announced the rugged, water-resistant Magellan eXplorist 600 GPS receiver, with three-meter accuracy, built-in maps, a 3-axis electronic compass, a barometric pressure altimeter, barometer, and thermometer, plus add more maps via a high-speed USB data port and unlimited secure digital (SD) card memory storage.

Other useful features include the eXplorist 600’s unique ability to calculate both an area and a perimeter, and its ability to deliver vertical profiles to simplify route planning. The eXplorist 600 operates on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that last up to 17 hours, or with an optional AAA-battery-backup clip, which will be available this summer. The eXplorist 600 is available at US$449.99(USD).

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Here’s a rather cheap and cheerful alternative to GPS systems. The Road Gene Audio Navigation System, from Ultradata Systems, is a voice-activated device provides detailed customized directions between cities and locates services near the Interstate highways and toll roads. Just tell Road Genie where you are and what you need, then Road Genie tells you exactly where it is!

Services such as gas, food, motels, 24-hour food, 24-hour gas, hospitals, shopping malls, rest areas, and campgrounds can be selected and located along the route. They can also be selected and located by brand name, if desired. The time and distance to the service from the user’s location is given as well as the exit and directions from the exit. The information is presented verbally as well as by means of an electronic display. In addition, the unit can be commanded by voice for hands-free operation.

The mapping technology uses a proprietary database instead of GPS and is relatively affordable, at $39.90 (USD) from their website.

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