GPS

In the brave new world of GPS, Nokia and NAVTEQ are one as are TomTom and Tele Atlas. At least that will be the picture within 5 business days. With the European Commission’s “unconditional approval” granted, Nokia can now close the deal on its planned, $8.1 billion acquisition of NAVTEQ.

What makes the whole thing a bit more interesting is that Google signed a long term agreement with Tele Atlas on Monday which gives it access to Tele Atlas maps for use in any of Google’s mobile, desktop, and on-line offerings. A move likely to put Android in even greater competition with Nokia which opted out of the Open Handset Alliance. Good times.

Read — EU approves acquisition
Read — Google’s deal with Tele Atlas

That first traffic update was only the beginning — Dash is announcing today its first proper software update to the Dash Express. Dubbed June08 (or v2.1), users now get three new trademarked names (among other things):

• FasterFind - uses SiRFInstantFix for acquiring GPS during startup, so your Dash Express is aware of its location much faster than before.
• MyRoute - your Dash Express learns your routes to common destinations and offers them up in comparison to its recommended routes (so you can see if your usual way really is faster).
• Search Along Route - pretty much what it says. Allows you to find points of interest en route without gumming up your destinations. This seems like the most useful new feature, behind the faster acquisition time.
• Road closure support - another self explanatory addition. If the Dash finds out a road is closed through Inrix or another means, it will completely black it out of your routes.
• Performance and UI enhancements - We gave it a short test, and things really did seem a bit snappier and cleaner looking. Icons are better polished, arranged, and rendered, and simple stuff like navigating menus or switching between 2D and 3D views is quicker.

Still no way to quickly bypass the route selection screen (which is one of our bigger pet peeves), but as it’s populating you can now make your choice, which will save you a bit of extra time. It’s available for download via your Dash’s WiFi this morning, and is free for all users. Videos of MyRoute and Search Along Route after the break.

An enterprising nerd by the name of Ryan VanMiddlesworth is clearly a bigger Portal fan than you, since he’s cobbled together a GLaDOS-simulating voice pack for Garmin Nüvis. Just don’t try to prevent “GLaGPS” from constantly trying to divert you to cake-related points of interest, else you may find yourself tossing your Garmin into an incinerator. Video after the break.

We don’t normally get very excited about things that involve scary things like nature, bugs, and sunlight. In this case, though, DeLorme’s Earthmate PN-40 GPS device sports some seriously interesting features that we couldn’t pass up. It uses a high-sensitivity 32-channel Cartesio chipset that speeds up signal acquisition, a dual-core processor for insane redraw speeds, 3-axis compass with accelerometer to allow use in any position, 500MB of internal Flash memory, and supports SDHC cards. Phew. So there you have it, one of the most intense GPS units of doom you can possibly get. Good luck out there, nature people!

Here’s one for the hunters. Strap the Garmin DC 30 collar onto your hunting dog, fire up your Astro 220 receiver, and you’ll not only know where your dog is, but you’ll also know if he is running, pointing, or treeing, even in dense cover. Range is good for up to seven miles, and the tracking even covers the dog’s direction so you can figure out where that delicious nubbin of turkey is hiding. The receiver can track up to 10 dogs at once, and the collar is good for 17-36 hours on one charge. The DC 30 is sold separately for $199.99 or for $649.99 as part of an Astro 220 combo, and should be available third-quarter 2008.

UPDATE: Garmin was nice enough to send us proper shots of the actual DC 30. Thanks!

We don’t normally get very excited about things that involve scary things like nature, bugs, and sunlight. In this case, though, DeLorme’s Earthmate PN-40 GPS device sports some seriously interesting features that we couldn’t pass up. It uses a high-sensitivity 32-channel Cartesio chipset that speeds up signal acquisition, a dual-core processor for insane redraw speeds, 3-axis compass with accelerometer to allow use in any position, 500MB of internal Flash memory, and supports SDHC cards. Phew. So there you have it, one of the most intense GPS units of doom you can possibly get. Good luck out there, nature people!

We may be a little overexcited about Mio’s Knight Rider GPS unit, but we’re not about to apologize for that. This is one beautiful union of KITT and navigation that was meant to happen since the day LCDs and GPS chips first hung out. With that out of the way, we have some hands-on impressions.

The unit feels solid and small enough to be portable while the screen remains just big enough to be of use. A nice anti-glare coating looks to keep things visible during daylight hours. Yes, standard fare.

Peep the gallery below and don’t miss the video after the break.

But wait! Startup. Oh, startup. Complete with KITT’s scanner and flashing red lights, the Mio’s bootup is almost worth the $269 price alone. As for interface, you’re looking at standard Mio fare here, which means it’s nothing amazing nor is it a disaster. Truth be told, it could be a bit faster, but this was a test unit we were looking at, so we’ll give that a pass for now.

Mio has loaded the unit with over 300 names, and we were able to find one of ours in the long list — hearing William Daniels say our name fulfilled at least half of hour childhood dreams.

In short, the Mio Knight Rider GPS won’t change the world of navigation, but it will certainly make some wannabe Michael Knights wish they were driving a Trans Am.