Uh, folks — we’ve an identity crisis on our hands. Is this a MID with a penchant for navigating? Is this a PMP with pre-loaded maps? Is it an ultra-sleek navigator that just so happens to play music? There’s a fair chance the world will never know, but we’ll soon be stopping by Mio’s booth at CeBIT in order to get a view of things ourselves. At any rate, the Moov V780 is undoubtedly one of the most appealing things to come from the outfit in quite some time, offering up 720p multimedia playback, an HDMI output, digital TV support, a 7-inch (800 x 480 resolution) display, 600MHz CPU, 512MB of memory, 4GB of onboard flash and a pretty tremendous list of supported file formats. Sadly, it’s humming along on Windows CE (rather than, say, Android), but at least it ships with WiFi and optional WiMAX. There’s no mention of a price or release date, but we’ll be on the hunt for those tidbits as soon as the show floor opens up.
We’re used to seeing some ho-hum units with the GoGear name, so we were pleasantly surprised to hear (well, read) that Philips was getting much more ambitious for its upcoming GoGear Connect line of PMPs. Plans are said to include the Android 2.1 OS, Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS, and extensive skinning that plays up the media player / navigation device angle. Although there’s no cellular connectivity herein, there is a speaker and mic for some VoIP action, alongside haptic feedback for the touchscreen display, a memory card slot, rear-facing camera of unknown resolution, up to 64GB storage, and DivX/XviD support. Neither price nor release date has been confirmed (though Q3 2010 is a possibility, according to SlashGear). Indeed, we haven’t even seen one of the units, even in prototype form — but there is an amusing King Kong-scale device running the OS in the video demonstration, which means they definitely have designs on the monster movie demographic. Check it out after the break.
Announced at CES, the GPS-enabled EX-10HG from Casio has been a bit of a mystery so far, but has just been given full launch details, with the price expected to be in the region of $400 when it hits in October.
That’s a good 10-month long wait, and it’s not like the EX-10HG is the first camera with geotagging—though Casio uses three-axis accelerometers and an orientation sensor for gauging the correct GPS position, which can sometimes become unclear when indoors. This 12.1-megapixel model has a 10x zoom lens and records video at 720p, so it’s not like it’s just a basic point and shoot with a GPS sensor rammed in as an afterthought.
Last we saw Casio’s GPS-equipped EX-10HG it was still in prototype form at CES, but the company was back with it again at PMA this week, and thankfully was a bit more talkative this time. The big news is that the camera will be available in October of this year, and will cost “around $400.” That will get you a 12.1-megapixel camera that not only does geotagging of photos (with some accelerometer-based assistance when a GPS signal isn’t available), but can even double as a navigation system in a pinch — although it’s still not exactly clear how fully functional that aspect of the camera will be.
A Wired writer wanted to test just how effectively the Spot GPS Messenger could save his life. So, in the dark of night, he walked for 8 aimless hours into Tahoe National Forest. Then he pressed Spot’s emergency button.
Having covered his tracks carefully and inserted himself as deeply into the forest as he could, it took only 30 minutes for a squad of rescuers, including snowmobiles, skiiers and a snowcat, to find him.
Every ten minutes, the Spot GPS device relays its location to 48 different satellites. You can have this data beamed to a website so friends and family can track your trek, but it’s also available, when you hit the 911 button, to the GEOS International Emergency Response Center in Houston, Texas. When they receive the alert, they immediately determine the best rescue team and dispatch them to your exact location.
The Spot GPS is $169 with a $100 per year registration fee, but if you’re adventure-inclined, it’s probably worth it. [Wired]
If you haven’t freaked out and given up on MiFi after they were shown to be, well, a little bit vulnerable, good for you, because there’s good things in store. Novatel is working on a new revision of its routers with integrated GPS, USB charging, and what’s pledged to be better battery life. Perhaps most interesting among the revisions is firmware able to run Linux “apps” that display content within the MiFi’s admin webpage. Current apps are things like data usage and weather but the possibilities are endless — or slightly broader than weather and usage, at least. It’s unclear which (if any) of the current MiFi models will be also be blessed with this firmware update and its resplendent selection of homebrew widgets, but we do know that the new MiFi model will be hitting carriers sometime toward the middle of 2010 and will be selling unlocked around the end of the year.
The Zanier Xplore.XGX gloves must be one of the finest examples of stuff you don’t need, but would probably dearly love to have. With an embedded GPS tracking unit and a monochrome screen, these multifunctional finger warmers will guide you to and from the lodge, but the real fun kicks off when you hit the piste. Altitude, speed, duration and distance of your slaloms can all be recorded and then downloaded to your computer before being uploaded to the web. Is there anything more an exercise enthusiast (or an unashamed poser) needs? You get a Gore-Tex finish for enhanced grip on the sticks, and a few USB attachments to get connectivity up and running. Pricing has not yet been announced, but they’re part of Zanier’s 2010/11 line, so the wait shouldn’t be too long.
While these actual, real, strap-’em-to-your-hands-and-navigate-ski-slopes gloves are, you know, real, I much preferred the GPS gloves concept from two years ago. Give me a bionic hand over insulated glove any day of the week.
Still, there’s something to be said for GPS gloves you can actually wear, and while Zanier hasn’t confirmed the price of their Xplore.XGX ski gloves, they’ll be going on sale sometime this year. Sure, you can just download a ski app on your iPhone which can help steer you down the slopes, but unless you’ve got an ultra-padded compartment for it I wouldn’t risk taking one skiing. But then you’re probably far less clumsy than I.
It’d be much easier just glancing down at the monochrome display on the thumb of the glove to see basic stats on how fast you’re traveling, the distance you’ve covered, duration and altitude. Plus, that all important question of where the hell am I?
The gloves can also be connected by USB to your computer so you can collate data on your various skiing trips, and as they’re made using Gore-Tex your fingers should be toasty warm. Unless the GPS happens to navigate you hand-first into an avalanche. [Ispo via Gadget Crave]
Windows Phone what? Dell Mini who? Forget all that fancy nonsense, this is aproper mobile device. Running Windows Mobile 6.1, the AIS ultra-rugged PDA comes with a 3.7-inch QVGA (that’s a whopping 240 x 320 resolution, folks!) screen, a Marvell chip that might have been around when the wheel was invented, and the surprisingly robust WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and 3G connectivity combo. Sidetalking has never looked this badass… or involved so many rubberized components.
If you don’t quite think you have what it takes to GoPro, now you have another option: GoBandit. This waterproof, GPS-enabled videocam can capture your finest moments in HD and then overlay the footage with location, speed, and altitude data.
In addition to capturing 720p video, you can set the GoBandit to take 5 megapixel snapshots every 2 or 5 seconds. All these extreme memories are recorded onto 2GB of internal memory, expandable by an SDHC card.
The GoBandit’s most attractive feature, though, is its ability to augment your video with information on your activity—so when you tell your friend, “I swear I was flying down that hill at 35 MPH,” you’ll have some hard evidence to back it up.
The GoBandit is currently available for preorder in the UK for $470, though apparently the bandits are hoping to hit a $389 pricepoint when the camera comes stateside. [GoBandit via Engadget]
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Announced at CES, the GPS-enabled EX-10HG from Casio has been a bit of a mystery so far, but has just been given full launch details, with the price expected to be in the region of $400 when it hits in October.
While these actual, real, strap-’em-to-your-hands-and-navigate-ski-slopes gloves are, you know, real, I much preferred the 
If you don’t quite think you have what it takes to 
