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!

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.

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).

FULL PRESS RELEASE
Magellan eXplorist 600 Now Available in North America; Expandable, Compact, Color GPS Offers 3-Axis Electronic Compass, Altimeter and Barometer

SANTA CLARA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–May 10, 2005–Now available throughout North America, the advanced Magellan(R) eXplorist(TM) 600 color handheld GPS receiver boasts an unbeatable combination of features to appeal to the most savvy of outdoor adventurers. The Magellan eXplorist 600 offers a barometric altimeter, a barometer for gauging weather conditions, a thermometer and three-axis electronic compass, which eliminates the need to be in motion to gain a direction heading. Available at US$449.99, the eXplorist 600 equips hikers, hunters, boaters, geocachers and other outdoor enthusiasts with a multitude of tools to tackle any land or water navigation.

In addition to its three-axis electronic compass, barometer, barometric altimeter and thermometer, the Magellan eXplorist 600 is designed with other advanced features to simplify GPS navigation. It provides unlimited memory via an optional Secure Digital (SD) memory card; a high-speed USB data port for uploading coordinates and optional maps; plus an innovative PC-style file management system that allows users to easily create, store and manage multiple files, folders and directories of personal navigation data. The receiver also provides a one-of-a-kind tool to simplify geocaching, one of the fastest-growing GPS activities. The Magellan Geocaching Manager software allows users to easily load GPS coordinates directly from the Internet to the eXplorist 600. 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.

“I really enjoy the eXplorist 600,” said Bryan Roth, co-founder of Geocaching.com, after testing the newest Magellan handheld. “The form is extraordinary and the features, like vertical profiles, are especially valuable, particularly when traveling up a 4,400-foot mountain as I did on a recent excursion. The screen is beautiful, the satellite acquisition time is fantastic and the button functionality is, fortunately, the same as the other Magellan units with which I am happily familiar.”

The WAAS/EGNOS-enabled, 14-parallel-channel GPS receiver delivers 3-meter accuracy and is packed with powerful Magellan TrueFix(TM) technology so customers can enjoy the freedom of exploring without worrying about getting lost. Navigators will see the difference the handheld’s large, 2.2-inch diagonal, 16-color, transflective TFT display delivers for the ultimate ease in viewing its four navigation screens in any lighting condition. The Magellan eXplorist 600 also provides 8 MBs of built-in maps with highways, parks, waterways and airports, plus 8 MBs of available internal memory, which holds up to 5 track logs, 20 routes and 500 points of interest. However, when using an optional SD card, customers can store an unlimited number of each and can also add detailed street maps, topographical maps and navigation data for lakes from optional Magellan MapSend software — all on a single memory card.

Rugged, compact and waterproof, the Magellan eXplorist 600 weighs 5.4 ounces with batteries and measures 4.7 x 2.2 x 1.3 inches. It is preceded by the eXplorist 100, 200, 300 and 500. The Magellan eXplorist 400 will round out the series when it becomes available this June. Optional Magellan eXplorist accessories include carrying cases, rechargeable lithium ion batteries, a AAA battery clip, power adaptors, various mounting options and MapSend(R) software, including MapSend DirectRoute, MapSend Topo 3D USA, MapSend Lakes USA, MapSend Topo Canada plus other international titles. For more information, visit www.magellangps.com.

About Thales’ navigation business

Thales’ navigation business unit develops and manufactures world leading positioning, navigation and guidance equipment. It markets its Magellan brand GPS solutions in the consumer electronics, recreation, and automotive markets, and its GPS and GNSS professional products in the survey, GIS/Mapping, and OEM markets. Key innovations include the first U.S. commercial hand-held GPS receiver for positioning and navigation, and the first handheld GPS with industry standard Secure Digital Memory Card capabilities. Thales’ navigation business unit is headquartered in Santa Clara, CA and has worldwide operations. For more information, visit http://www.thalesgroup.com/navigation.

(C) 2005 Thales Navigation, Inc. All rights reserved. Magellan, eXplorist and MapSend are trademarks of Thales Navigation, Inc.

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.

Ultradata Systems Road Genie Featured in the Wall Street Journal

ST. LOUIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–May 3, 2005–Ultradata Systems, Incorporated (OTCBB: ULTR), a leader in the field of hand-held electronic information systems, said today that their new product, the voice-activated Road Genie Audio Navigation System, was featured in a Wall Street Journal article on low-cost navigation devices on Thursday, April 28. The article reviewed products for road navigation under $100, and its only illustration featured the Road Genie. The appearance of the article is timely since direct TV marketing of the Road Genie started Monday, May 2.

The voice-activated Road Genie Audio Navigation System provides detailed customized directions between cities and locates services near the Interstate highways and toll roads. 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. Voice commands tell the unit what category and what brand name to search for in its proprietary database. Verbal output makes reading the display unnecessary. The keyboard and display are available for passenger use in a noisy environment where the voice features are not useful. The Road Genie will retail for under $60. Details can be found at www.roadgenie.com.

Ultradata Systems, Incorporated is a leader in the field of hand-held electronic information systems. Based in St. Louis, Missouri, the Company develops, manufactures and markets hand-held travel information computers and information systems used for locating destinations and trip planning. The Company’s lead product, the handheld electronic travel information guide, has sold more than three million units through chain drug stores, mass and consumer electronic retail chains, home centers, the automotive aftermarket, cable TV direct marketers, premium incentive catalogs, and other channels. These products use the Company’s patented data- compression technology and proprietary database to provide directions to thousands of destinations and services along highways and in major metropolitan areas.