TomTom XL 340S Live

TomTom XL 340S Live

TomTom just announced TomTom XL 340S Live. This is a mid-range GPS navigation system from the company with connected services. It will go for $300 which will include 3 months live connected services which we just mentioned. These include things like local search from Google, real-time traffic updates, weather information, and the cheapest fuel prices around.

TomTom XL 340S Live has a 4.3″ touch screen and is quite similar to the TomTom XL 740 Live. However it lacks bluetooth connectivity for hands free calling - and the live services are on AT&T’s network.

Another cool feature with this new GPS navigation system is that it uses TomTom QuickGPSfix which utilizes A-GPS to get a satellite location fix faster.

The connected services for TomTom XL 340S Live will cost $10/month after the first month.

(Via NaviGadget.)

Viliv X70EX hits America!

Viliv X70EX hits America!

For years we’ve been drooling over these 7″ MIDs to come to the States, from their home town of South Korea. We’ve got some good news for you. Viliv X70EX, a new model from the Viliv series is now exclusively available for the North American market.

You can get Viliv X70EX on Amazon, but we have to warn you - the price ranges from $600 to $880 depending on the size of your solid state drive (16GB or 32GB), and which wireless antennas you want. The higher end Vilix X70EX will for example have WLAN 802.11b/g, Bluetooth2.0+EDR, GPS, and WWAN 3G HSPA.

Some common specs of this American Viliv include SDHC slot, USB port, SiRF Star III GPS receiver, and a battery that lasts 5.5 hours.

(Via NaviGadget.)

Suzuki and Garmin Botch SX4 GPS Integration

Suzuki and Garmin Botch SX4 GPS Integration

The Suzuki SX4 is a low-end economy crossover with some pretty advanced tech built-in, including a removable Garmin navigation system with the same robust feature set you'd expect from a regular standalone PND. However, that doesn't mean the two manufacturers thought everything through. As Edmunds.com found during its long-term test, the unit lets you issue voice commands, and can also stream MP3s from an SD card through the stock car stereo.

So far, so good. But it's not so simple; first, the unit can't play anything imported in the default iTunes AAC format and only works with MP3s. Not only that, but you must navigate through many submenus to get to the MP3 player. That's still not the end of the world--until you cue up a song.

Once you motor away from a stop, that's it; the system locks the Garmin down into 'Safe Mode,' which is intended to prevent you from controlling the GPS while driving. Except that it also takes away control of the MP3 player! Plus, if you choose a song and then set out, it will only play that one song--it doesn't move to the next one automatically. And it won't let you re-establish control of the MP3 player unless you stop the car, or pull the unit out of its housing and reseat it. Priceless.

(Via Gearlog.)

Lok8u locates your unruly child

Lok8u locates your unruly child

We thought we’d mention the Lok8u GPS child tracker. It has been around for a while in the UK, but they’re now in the States side as well. Their company name ‘NuM8″ is quite tacky - something you wouldn’t expect from Brits :) - which should sound like ‘new mate’. If you still haven’t noticed the product name Lok8u sounds like ‘locate you’. Alright, enough with name calling. The device is in the shape of a digital wrist watch which can communicate its precise location to parents via Google Maps or text messages and can warn you if it has been removed without your authority.

Their technology makes use of A-GPS too - which should help when your child is indoors and help satellite fix times be a lot shorter. Lok8u can last about 2 - 3 days with a single charge but we’re not that optimistic.

Their pricing in the U.S. has not been revealed yet but UK prices are as follows: The watch itself is £150 and the monthly fees range from £5 to £20. £5 gets you 1 update for a whole month while £20 gets you unlimited everything.

(Via NaviGadget.)

Alpine iXA-W407 with NVE-M300

Alpine iXA-W407 with NVE-M300

Alpine has recently unveiled its newest 2-DIN receiver, the iXA-W407 Digital Media Station. The iXA-W407 features fully supported iPod/iPhone playback (there’s no CD drive), large 7-inch QVGA touch screen display, built-in Bluetooth and more. The iXA-W407 is available as an all-in-one audio/video/navigation system package that includes the NVE-M300 GPS Navigation Drive. This all-in-one AVN package from Alpine will cost $1100.

iXA-W407 boasts a 7-inch QVGA display, an AM/FM tuner and a high-speed USB input for optimal iPod/iPhone connection. You can also connect USB memory devices and MTP-based MP3 players via the USB input.

The iXA-W407’s navigation is provided by the Alpine NVE-M300 GPS Navigation Drive. This is a compact external drive that is installed somewhere hidden and the location services include regular GPS data, solid-state gyro sensor technology, and accelerometer technology to gauge the vehicle’s speed for even more accurate navigation. It obviously does voice guided directions which are played through the audio system.

Some other features of NVE-M300 include:

• Text-to-speech


• Lane assistance where available


• 6 million unique POIs


• Preloaded NAVTEQ maps of the United States and Canada, including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

You can also purchase the two devices (iXA-W407 and NVE-M300) separately in which case it would cost $800 and $450 respectively.

(Via NaviGadget.)

new eo UMPC carries GPS receiver

new eo UMPC carries GPS receiver

This 7″ UMPC must be coming to the States side pretty soon now that it has cleared FCC testing. Called eo a7330D the device is made by TabletKiosk.

eo a7330D carries an Intel Atom Z530P processor, has 2GB of RAM, comes with a 3200mAh battery, or the bigger 5200mAh extended battery that fits on to the second battery bay. Inside eo a7330d you’ll find a 80GB harddisk, Wifi antenna (which supports WiFi-WiMax coordination), bluetooth module, and of course a GPS receiver from UBlox - in the form of a built-in USB module. It can track 50 satellites at once, and supports A-GPS services.

(Via NaviGadget.)

Woongjin’s Latest Personal Navigation Device

Woongjin’s Latest Personal Navigation Device

Korea based Woongjin today rolled out the Go&Joy PND for the Korean market. The gadget is able to display both 2D and 3D maps as well as 3D GUI. The Go&Joy can also be used as a PMP with the support of different video and audio format and thanks to its 900MHz processor. There is no info on pricing or availability at this time. We will keep you posted.

Via [Akihabara]