Filed under: GPS, Transportation

Though one may assume Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger would have, um, more pressing matters on his hands these days, the man has somehow found time to address a complaint put forth by a-many travelin’ Californians. Just this week Mr. Schwarzenegger signed into law a bill that was put forth earlier this year that will legalize windshield GPS mounting once more. Granted, stipulations are present, but at least you won’t be forced to point your retinas down at the cup holders in order to see your navigation system after January 1, 2009. In the new year, drivers in the Golden State will be able to suction their GPS unit in the “lower 7-inch corner farthest away from the driver or in the lower 5-inch corner closest to the driver.” If you go pressing your luck and throw it smack dab in the middle, be prepared for whatever fine you’re due.

[Via Gadling, image courtesy of GPS Tracklog]

Read

Popularity: 1% [?]

Share This

Filed under: GPS

Sure, we’ve been totally into Mio’s Knight Rider GPS, but how does it really stack up? PC Magazine took it out for a test drive and found that the device is essentially a Moov 300, which they say has solid route calculation times and a straightforward menu system. The Knight Rider version comes pre-loaded with maps for the US, Canada and Puerto Rico — an improvement over typical Mio US-only map packs — and the reviewer likes the device’s 58 POI categories (compared to the Moov 310’s paltry 35). The biggest knock on the unit is the lack of live traffic on-board; you have to purchase a subscription and a separate receiver (not yet available on Mio’s web site). Of course, you could always go for the aforementioned 310 with a built-in traffic receiver (and $20 lower price tag), but how cool would that be? Not cool at all. Don’t take our word for it, though, hit the read link and check out the whole review for yourself.

Read

Popularity: 1% [?]

Share This

Filed under: GPS, Transportation

We’ve seen some pretty extreme cases of excessive faith in GPS, but this may well be the first instance of the ill-advised practice nearly exactly repeating itself. As you may recall, earlier this year a Bedford Hills, New York man trusted his GPS so much that he apparently thought it was perfectly reasonable to follow the directions directly onto a set of train tracks. That didn’t exactly work out so well, for his car or the oncoming train. Now, as The Journal News reports, another man followed his GPS onto the very same set of tracks last night and, while he did get out in time to make a surely embarrassing 911 call, that apparently wasn’t enough to prevent a commuter train from slamming into the car a few minutes later, causing an hour and a half delay but, thankfully, no injuries. Maybe it’s time for some signs?

Read

Popularity: 1% [?]

Share This

Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, Windows Mobile, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

If you’re going to equip yourself with a phone as luxurious and feature-packed as Samsung’s Omnia to line your pocket, you may as well go for broke, right? The so-called “Millionaire Pack” bundles the high-end WinMo set with a matching Bluetooth headset — a WEP350, if you’re curious — and a leather travel case to keep your beloved handset safe and secure on the road. There’s also an issue of “Millionaire” magazine in there and an entry to win a three-day trip to Moscow for November’s Millionaire Fair, where flashing your non-diamond-studded Omnia is sure to impress essentially no one. The whole package runs a stout €699 (about $1,021), which realistically, plenty of hundredaires and thousandaires should be able to swing.

[Thanks, David]

Read

Popularity: 1% [?]

Share This

Filed under: Handsets, LG

We were already warned that the megapixel race was headed to the mobile realm, and as if you needed any more proof, here we are looking down the lens of LG’s 8-megapixel Renoir. Clearly aimed at Samsung’s recently unveiled Pixon, this touchscreen-based handset found itself in the loving arms of CNET’s UK branch. During the limited time editors spent with it, they found the interface to be eerily similar to that found on the Viewty and the camera to be a real winner. As expected, the not-a-3.5mm headphone jack was none too pleasing to critics, but we did overhear the T-Mobile G1 voicing its support of the port. Anywho, tap the read link for the full preview / hands-on shots.

[Thanks, T.I.]

Read

Popularity: 1% [?]

Share This

Filed under: Handsets, KDDI

We already caught sight of KDDI au’s cellphone as musical instrument concept devices last month, but it looks like the company’s fanciful design group had plenty more than those to show off at CEATEC, as evidenced by Akihabara News’ slew of pictures from the show. Those include the satellite-like device pictured above, as well as a neat little minimalist number pictured after the break and another folding contraption (also after the break) that we’re still trying to wrap our heads around. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to check these out ourselves before CEATEC wraps up but, until then, you can hit up the read link below for some more pics.

Continue reading KDDI au concept phones invade CEATEC

Read

Popularity: 1% [?]

Share This

Filed under: Handsets, LG, Bell Mobility, EV-DO, CDMA

We didn’t think much of the simple LG Wine when it first launched in Korea — nor when it went to Europe as the KF300 (pictured) — but LG must be doing something right here, because it’s now been slated for a release on Bell next month. The flip is targeted at folks looking for a simple phone with a premium look, and its feature set certainly fills that bill with a QVGA display, GPS, Bluetooth, 1.3-megapixel camera, and “quick preset keys” for major phone functions. It’ll be available in black and gold for $79.99 CAD (about $78) on a three-year contract.

[Via MobileSyrup]

Read

Popularity: 1% [?]

Share This

Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, Verizon Wireless, CDMA

Did you know Samsung was still making non-3G devices for Verizon? True story. Take this here SCH-u430, for example, a brand new flip (that we’ve actually known about for a while) featuring Bluetooth, 160 x 128 internal and 96 x 96 external displays, a VGA cam, and that’s about it. Notably absent from the feature list is EV-DO, meaning that if you’re looking for a tethering partner or an awesome way to download music on the cheap, the u430 is no friend of yours. Of course, considering that it’s free on contract, we can’t complain too hard, can we?

Read

Popularity: 1% [?]

Share This

Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, Windows Mobile, GSM, EDGE

That Q11 can’t be far off now that Moto’s starting to send it through labs for regulatory approval, and ClubeCelular seems to have gotten the inside line on the latest Q as it happened through Brazil’s hurdles. Unfortunately, a quick glance at the rumored specs (and a few glances at the unglamorous shots Moto sent with the phone’s labwork) leave us scratching our heads as to why anyone would want this over a Q9: quadband EDGE, stereo Bluetooth, WiFi, miniSD expansion, a 2.5mm (yes, 2.5mm) headphone jack, and a 3-megapixel camera with flash. Besides the cam, we’re not seeing what the draw is — and we’re particularly bewildered as to why Moto would think it was cool to leave 3G out these days, so we’re hoping that particular spec magically materializes by the time the phone floats north (and no, Motorola, just because RIM thinks it can get away with leaving out 3G doesn’t mean you should, too).

[Thanks, eloy]

Read

Popularity: 1% [?]

Share This

Filed under: Handsets, LG

Got touchscreen envy but don’t have the pair of Benjamins required to get yourself into a celly without a keypad? LG has a solution: the KP500, a nearly button-less and stylus-bearing handset that sounds rather like another recent cheap smartphone. LG’s not giving many details about this one beyond its 3-inch display, a 3 megapixel camera, motion sensor, and availability in black, brown, silver, or gold (though based on the pic above we’d stay away from that last one). There’s a short video of the TouchFLO-like UI to whet your appetite just below, but that’s all we have to share until this phone hits Europe in a month, with a worldwide release to come afterward.

[Via Unwired View]

Continue reading LG introduces “attractively-priced” KP500, doesn’t say how attractive

Read

Popularity: 1% [?]

Share This