GPS Angel v4e review

GPS Angel v4e review

I like to consider myself a very photogenic person. I’m not vain but I enjoy being the subject of everyone’s photograph (nope, not vain at all!). Well, that was until I received a letter in the mail from the state of Arizona with an unflattering picture of me along with a speeding ticket. Which brings me to introducing the new GPS Angel v4e! This little Road legal device is a red-light and speed camera warning system. The GPS Angel uses GPS technology to warn the driver of red light and fixed speed cameras. You might wonder if it uses mystical powers to know where these cameras are actually the GPS Angel connects to your PC (Mac not supported) and using the GPS Angel software it downloads the database of Speed and Stop light cameras from the Patriots Camera Database.

You can also even add your own locations for example on a street where a police office commonly squats with his radar gun. On the GPS Angel website in several locations it is advertised that the GPS Angel comes with free unlimited updates to the Patriots database. However in one location it says that these unlimited updates are free for the first year of ownership and then $19.95 buys you unlimited updates for the lifetime of your GPS Angel.

The GPS Angel at $129 is a very simple device with not much to it. There is no battery so the unit must be plugged into the cigarette lighter to operate. No fancy LCD screen or robotic, yet soothing, voice warning you of the oncoming camera; It is just flashing LEDs and an audible alarm. As you approach, the alert system issues a warning before you reach the location of the risk and it will also let you know if you are exceeding the speed limit for that location.

Out of the box, I found the alarm mechanism to be annoying. Approaching the intersection, the alarm would start beeping away more than 1000 feet away and then continue beeping until I got really close. I would prefer if I could hit a button on the GPS Angel, telling it that I acknowledge (and of course appreciate) the warning and now it can go into silent mode so I don’t have to listen to the annoying beeping as I continue to approach the intersection. Another quip about the GPS Angel is that as I left the intersection the alarm would sound again and I get to hear that infernal beeping again. Honestly I was disappointed in the unit, but then when I used the GPS Angel Software I was pleasantly surprised that they had thought about most of the things that annoyed me!

With the software you can set the approach and departure distance of speed camera alarms. Directional cameras are not currently supported in the US database so if you are approaching a camera that is aimed at the opposite direction the unit will still sound an alarm. Directional cameras are supported in the databases for several European countries.

You can also enable the onboard trip recorder and speed limiters. The software also has diagnostics and you can even use the software to play the different alarms (approaching a camera, leaving a camera) so you can familiarize yourself with the different alerts.

Let’s take a look at the hardware. The device has two buttons and a volume control. The first button is a ‘record’ button which records your current position as a user-defined ‘Point Of Interest’ or POI. A chime occurs indicating the location was successfully recorded. These POI’s can be managed using the GPS Angel Manager software available from the GPS Angel website.

The second button is a ‘speed limit’ button which records the current speed of the vehicle and if you exceed this set speed limit the device will beep until your speed falls below this limit. I think this is a good feature but not the best implementation. If I want to set the speed limit alarm for 85mph, I don’t want to have to speed up to 85mph, hit the button and then slow back down. I realize the risk is slight but I don’t want to get a ticket while setting my alarm to avoid getting tickets. I think it would be a nice feature if you can set an alarm based on the speed limit of the road using the GPS Angel Software and use the button to enable/disable this mode.

The GPS Angel comes with a User Manual, Cigarette lighter Power Adapter and a cable to sync the device to your computer or to the Cigarette lighter (which takes a USB input) and a gel skid-free pad to mount the unit on your dash. My cigarette power adapter was picky and sometimes the unit would turn off without me noticing, this could have been because of the adapter or my car’s plug but I haven’t had issues with other devices so I’m inclined to blame the adapter. Since there is no battery and it takes 1-5 minutes to obtain a fix on the satellites this became troublesome if I wasn’t paying attention.

Your GPS Angel website advertises that you can also change the color of the unit to suit your car and that there is a choice of colored click-on skins available in their buy-online section. I however did not see any skins on their website.

Again the GPS Angel has one purpose to protect you and your wallet and there isn’t a lot more to it. I think the concept for this device is great, and at first I found the GPS Angel to be a little annoying out of the box and I was concerned by its simplicity but once I used the GPS Angel software I really liked how it provide me the ability to configure the device. At $129 if this device saves you from just one ticket its pretty much paid for itself!

(Via NaviGadget.)

Mio Spirit To Hit CES 2009

Mio Spirit To Hit CES 2009

We're excited to know that Mio will be rolling out its Spirit interface at CES 2009, offering more information on the operating system including touchscreen features support normally not found on other GPS navigation systems, such as dragging interface elements on the display, viewing geotagged photos as well as 3D representations landmarks and complex junctions. There is no further information concerning the hardware side of things, but it will be part of the next generation of Mio devices so it is probably a safe bet to see it included in more than a single model. Other features include a 4.3' display, MP3 playback support and voiced street names for your convenience.

(Via UberGizmo, the Gadgets News Blog.)

digital compass

digital compass

If you’re too manly to use a GPS navigation system but still can’t do without some directional assistance you may be interested in this digital compass from CanMore of Taiwan. Sure it looks hideous but you never know when it may save the day. Just keep it in your pocket for good measure.

Its dimensions are only 51x30x19 mm and it weighs less than 0.8oz. It has a north indicator, shows your heading in degrees in addition to cardinal and half-cardinal point (N, SW, etc..).

It is water resistant, has a backlight, and shuts off automatically to save battery.

We’re not sure if it’ll make it to the U.S. so we’ll stop by their booth at CES and ask them.

(Via NaviGadget.)

Review: Clarion Mind's GPS features nice, but MID is still a hard sell

Review: Clarion Mind's GPS features nice, but MID is still a hard sellAs a GPS navigator with capable entertainment and computing features, Clarion's Mind justifies its $650 price tag. But it's otherwise a difficult hybrid that excels at nothing. Like a smartphone without the phone or a netbook without a keyboard, it doesn't quite nail the sweet spot assumed to lie between the two forms.

A mobile internet device (MID) with extras, the Mind is a handheld computer built around an 800 MHz Intel Atom CPU. It has 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, Wifi and bluetooth. It has a 4.8' touchscreen with an 800x480 display resolution. There are two USB ports, a microSD card slot, a standard headphone jack and three one-touch buttons to help navigate the system quickly. The battery lasts between 90 minutes and 2 hours depending on settings: a double-capacity one is available. It comes with a dashboard mounting kit.

It's jacket-pocketable, and runs a well-tailored cut of Linux that makes menu navigation a snap.

First, the good. Firefox with Adobe Flash shows the web the way it should be seen. GPS is fast, smooth and high-res, if not as polished or feature-packed as dedicated GPS devices in its price range.

Apart from Firefox, there's email, RealPlayer, YouTube, a weather tracker, a text editor, calculator and file manager. It displays news from CNN and the BBC. All work well enough, though the news and email apps lack advanced features.

Google Earth is particularly impressive, thanks to the extra horsepower. The Mind's touchscreen is OK, but you'll need the stylus to get at tiny scroll bars and such.

Then there's the bad: it's boxy and lacks the panache of the fancy GPS devices and media players that it combines into one box. There are no applications or other add-ons to download or buy. There's no Windows-like desktop to switch to: 'appliance' is coded in its DNA. The on-screen keyboard is basic, making complex text entry a pain.

Though a 3G version will be offered next year, the Mind is currently limited to WiFi unless you hook it up another way via Bluetooth. This further limits its appeal: without always-on internet, there's less reason to leave the car, house or hotspot with it. The battery life is poor.

Against sleek smartphones or netbooks that have 6-hour batteries and real keyboards, it's hard to see the Mind's appeal. That said, if you've been waiting for a convergence device that properly handles turn-by-turn GPS, media and the web, you're running out of excuses.

(Via Boing Boing Gadgets.)

Haicom HI-602DT real time GPS tracking

Haicom HI-602DT real time GPS tracking

If you’re planning to keep an eye on whereabouts of someone or something that moves you’re going to need a real time GPS tracking system. Today we’re talking about Haicom HI-602DT It contains the usual GPS module, but also the GSM module ( a SIM card slot) to transmit its location back to the base. HI-602DT is slightly different from the others in this respect. When it comes to transmitting its position back to the tracker it does not use text messages - it uses the GSM dial tone transmission solution.

Therefore - they claim - you can use any SIM card you want without any monthly fees, or extra messaging costs; other than the actual calls made by the tracking system. The downside however is that you’re going to have to attach this decoder to your phone; just like seen in this picture to the right.

HI-602DT uses the most unique DTMF technology via GSM voice channel to send back the real time GPS location data directly to another phone. The user can track any moving object live on the map without Internet access and a call center in between (Tracking is free of charge with no need to pay any monthly subscription to a service)…. HI-602 continuously sends back real time location data. This facilitates route tracking on local GPS or Google maps. You can actually watch the vehicle movements live on a map similar to a car navigation system….

…User can insert any local GSM SIM card (or pre-paid SIM card, etc.) making it only necessary to pay a phone call charge when tracking is in use. Also, by setting up three priority call back telephone numbers inside HI-602DT, user can press the SOS button and the tracker will immediately send a SMS with GPS location to the preset numbers.

It is different, but it is a solution for live GPS tracking. It gives you the freedom to use any SIM card you want and leave out the middleman (other than your own cell phone network provider). It can last up to 5 days without a recharge and comes with all sort of accessories to assemble in a vehicle.

Other features that you can enable with a few optional accessories include:

• two way voice communications


• ability to use a panic button to make a call from the tracker side


• ability to disconnect fuel and battery of a vehicle from any phone when installed in a car


• vibration sensor to automatically dial back when the movement occurs

(Via NaviGadget.)

unlock GPS on Verizon HTC Touch Pro

unlock GPS on Verizon HTC Touch Pro

If you’re a Verizon customer and own a HTC Touch Pro you’re going to enjoy this one. We’ve got some information on how to unlock the GPS capabilities of this device. We already talked about Verizon unlocking the GPS themselves but there’s no reason to wait for them now, is there?

You can find all the detailed instructions here at ppcgeeks which goes something like this:

1. download lllboredlll_VZW_GPS_Fix_v2.cab AND PPST1.46.cab and put on your storage card or any folder on your device

2. install PPST1.46.cab

3. use gsfinder,total commander or File Explorer to navigate to \windows\ppst.exe

4. click on ppst.exe and go thru the prompts

5. reset your device as needed

6. NOW install lllboredlll_VZW_GPS_Fix_v2.cab

7. use gsfinder,total commander or File Explorer to navigate to \windows\ppst.exe

8. reset your device as needed

9. Dial *228 option 1

(the above step is the steps I did, option 2 also works but I needed to prove it takes a full update without rewriting data)

10. reset your device

11. Install HTC GPS Tool if needed

12. I would suggest a soft reset… do what you want on this one

13. Open up HTC GPS Tool. Set Chip to Q 7500 and mode to Cold Start (left soft key for those who dont know) then set baud to 4800 and open port.

(Via NaviGadget.)

telenav on Blackberry Storm

telenav on Blackberry Storm

You know Blackberry Storm right? And you know about Telenav. Now you can merge those two awesome products and turn your Blackberry Storm into a GPS navigation system. Currently they’re running a free 30 day trial which is a good way to see if you like their application.

It costs $10 per month but it may be worth it since you’ll end up with a product that has more features than the higher end standalone GPS navigation systems which cost more than $500.

With Telenav Navigator on your Storm you’ll have traffic updates, ability to enter destination address online, or with a voice call to a toll free number (probably TellMe which talked about here.), and even a Wi-Fi hotspot finder.

(Via NaviGadget.)