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Everything is in line to be a convergence device, and now the boring rear view mirror has stepped under the lights to get stuffed with extra equipment. The Azentek SmartMirror has a four-inch touchscreen on the right for a 2D and 3D text-to-speech GPS display. It’s also offers Bluetooth connectivity, a call log, and caller ID. It has two video inputs, one that can be used for a rear view camera, and an SD card slot in case you want to record… well, whatever you might want to record with your rear view mirror.

The only thing missing from the mirror is availability — it’s been so popular that Azentek can’t supply enough of them. The company says that will change later this year when you’ll be able to get it at major retailers. The other potential hitch: it’ll cost you $800 to do what your phone, TomTom, and regular mirror already do.

There’s not anything incorrect among Alpine’s new $550 PND-K3 Portable Navigation System, that was principally unveiled at CES now January, there just now sucker anything and everything too stand-out either. The unit operates a 4.3-inch screen, sports maps of North America and tethered islands, includes a 3D view and 6 million points of interest, vocalizes turn-by-turn directions and street names, performs Bluetooth hands-free and has conservative MP3 and WMA capabilities off its SD card slot. The “big” feature right here is menu and map customization via 8 selectable color schemes, but the lack of dwell income news this moment value span sucker thriving Alpine any points. If you are noticing all the present appealing, you if be able to decide on one up as of today.

While particular charges once any firmware update are to be expected, there appears to be a reached the conclusion uptick in the rate of studies of queries investing in the iPhone’s GPS (ranging out of total wonkiness to all out failure) following the several current 2.0.1 update. As the responses on the MacRumors forums indicate, however, the topics are far according to throughout the council (or confined to the iPhone 3G), and GPS matters haven’t spot on continued which rare of an arrival before presently current update either. So, we will open it up to you, dear readers — suffer you had any newfound iPhone GPS problems?

Though it pains us so, there’s not an awful lot of information out there just yet on MeLE’s forthcoming do-it-all PMP. Spotted at AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong, the admittedly beefy unit was seen sporting a 4.3-inch 480 x 272 resolution display, a relatively gigantic bezel and room for a 2.5-inch hard drive within. If we had to guess, we’d surmise that it’ll play nice with pretty much any useful audio / video format on the planet, but it seems the price and release date are still cloaked in mystery.
[Via SlashGear]

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Archos just launched its new GPS In-Car Holder for the Archos 605 WiFi. True to its name, the unit holds the 605 in your car and pipes steaming hot GPS data into the unit. With that 4.3-inch LCD to view the maps it’s certainly a fitting match, and features include full voice navigation. There are three versions of the device, one for Europe, one for North America and one for China, and all of them will work with all sizes of the 605 WiFi. It’ll be available in May for $130, or bundled with a 30GB 605 for $400.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Honda has a new GPS navigation system for Japan that taps into the police database and points out seedy areas on the map. The device can point out specific locations that cars have been stolen or broken into in the past, as well as generally sketchy districts, which basically means that if you weren’t paranoid before you got this installed, you certainly will be afterwards. Honda is launching the service today, and we’re sure criminals the world over are already wondering what one of these nav systems will go for on the black market.

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As of today, we’re taking bets to see how long it will take before people realize that “GPS” does not stand for “Auto Pilot.” The latest “But the GPS told me to…” story is brought to you by a charter bus driver in Seattle. Piloting a coach through the Washington Arboretum — as the GPS instructed him — the driver ignored, or didn’t see, or didn’t believe (take your pick) the flashing lights and sign warning him that his 11-foot-high bus was too tall for the looming 9-foot concrete overpass.

You can see how the story ends. The overpass ended up with some superficial damage, the coach got a removable top, and the girls softball team inside received some minor injuries. Luckily, the 60-inch sewage pipe inside the overpass wasn’t ruptured. The driver was ticketed for $154. And in response to the charter company executive who remarked, “We just thought it would be a safe route because, why else would they have a selection for a bus?”, a Garmin spokesman responded “Stoplights aren’t in our databases, either, but you’re still expected to stop for stoplights.”

[Source: Seattle Pi]

Zoombak is launching another package for its convenient little Zoombak GPS locator device, in addition to the existing Car and Pet versions. Zoombak Universal comes with a new universal carrying case designed to let you mount the device to just about anything else you’d care to track — like a bike or a wayward child, for instance. It looks like it’ll be retailing for the same $199 and require the same $9.99 monthly fee as its predecessors, but you will be able to pick this version up at major electronics retailers in May.
source:engadget

Here we have it, confirmation that the second generation Eee PC will in fact feature an 8.9-inch (resistive) touchscreen display. Kevin Lin, ASUS VP of Sales, says that the $500 (starting price) Eee PC will begin shipping in May or June in 8GB to 12GB options with “possible GPS support.” That’s the same time ASUS plans to begin shipping its $200 Eee Dekstop, aka the E-DT. Look, we’re happy with your success with the Eee brand ASUS, but when are we getting our $200 Eee PC?

source:engadget

We suppose the line of thinking with the DSUS DS-400GB is that you’re probably already eying your rear-view mirror plenty, so why not just split off a third and throw a 4-inch GPS nav unit up in there? Not a bad idea, but don’t you want to be looking forward — not behind you — when considering your next turn? Not that it’s of any consequence, anyway, this thing’s straight outta China with no US release or distro (yet).