Stylish burgundy TomTom ONE is just in time for Moms’ Day
The stylish burgundy TomTom ONE adds a pop of color to the 140's formula.
(Credit: TomTom)
Still looking for that last minute Mothers’ Day gift for the matriarch in your life? If your mom is anything like mine, she’s probably a busy woman with many places to …
Originally posted at The Car Tech blog
Garmin Oregon 550T navigates and photographs the great outdoors
With a built-in 3.2MP digital camera, you may not have to lug a separate camera with you on your hikes.
(Credit: Garmin)
Garmin has just announced its newest outdoor handheld GPS units, the Oregon 550 and 550t.
The new units pack a 3-inch, color touch screen and a high-sensitivity …
Garmin sees drop in first-quarter earnings
Slower consumer spending and lower demand from retailers led to Garmin’s “most challenging quarter” since going public in 2000, the GPS device maker’s CEO said Wednesday.
Total revenue for Garmin’s first quarter, which ended March 29, dropped to $437 million, down 34 percent from $664 million in …
Originally posted at News – Wireless
Azentek puts a GPS in your rear-view
In-dash navigation continues to be one of the hottest categories in the Al & Ed’s stores, and adding a Bluetooth hands-free device is almost automatic with each install. There are a number of vehicles, though, that don’t lend themselves well to radio removal, or perhaps the client wants the benefits of navigation and Bluetooth, but likes the factory radio just the way it is. A portable navigation device works, but then one has to deal with suction cups, wires, plugs and that add-on feeling. The SmartMirror from Azentek is a good solution.
The SM450 is a replacement rear-view mirror that also has built-in navigation and Bluetooth. Unlike the “behind the glass” screens available, Azentek wisely provides a separate 4″ color touch-screen that takes up about 1/3 of the mirror’s area. The rest is a standard rear-view with very good optics. It’s not much bigger than a factory mirror, but has plenty of usable real estate. The front of the mirror is simply laid out with five buttons. There are Power and Main Menu buttons, and the rest are for the Bluetooth hands-free. Answer, Hang-Up and Pairing buttons are all easy to use and intuitive.
The SM450 includes a GPS screen on the right-hand side.
(Credit: Al & Ed’s Autosound)
The screen itself has good brightness, color and contrast, although it can wash out in bright sunlight. My wife’s car is a convertible, so this is more of an issue for her than in most cars, where the mirror lives in relatively shaded surroundings. The touch screen operates easily and the menu system requires little getting used to. There is a built-in speaker for navigation commands and for the hands-free operations. The mirror has a flip-out antenna for acquiring GPS satellites, but also has an external antenna (included) if the vehicle has metalized tint or if the mirror is set back too far to get signal. Two nice features of the nav are a Lane Assistant view, which gives you a good idea about what’s happening in freeway merges and turns, and a Text to Speech feature usually found only on the “better” navs. This calls out street names for you, making it easier to get your turns right, especially where street blocks are close together.
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Originally posted at The Car Tech blog
