Garmin, TomTom, Mitac consider adding mobile TV to nav units

While they'd hardly be treading new territory, DigiTmes is reporting that GPS bigwigs Garmin, TomTom, and Mitac are all considering adding mobile TV functionality to their navigation units, an area they've previously shied away from. According to DigiTimes, some unspecified manufacturers say that by simply using their devices for plain-old navigation, customers are "unable to fully utilize their PNDs," and that adding mobile TV would "bring about a new selling point." While that remains to be seen, at least some folks seem to be big on the idea , with "sources at chipmakers" describing the potentially-upgraded navigation units as a "key device for future mobile TV deployment."

[artman1033 @ Sep 28th 2007 3:05PM]

Watch out for police!!! I have been pulled over late at night because the blue glow from my GPS was perceived to be a TV. If you have a TV screen within view of the driver, it is against the law in many states.

[MrFuNKy76 @ Sep 28th 2007 3:32PM]

Yeah, just what everyone needs, one more distractions while driving.

[Mike @ Sep 28th 2007 3:49PM]

damn straight, means i can keep up on my episodes of greys anatomy

[Paragraph @ Sep 28th 2007 3:52PM]

How did I live without this! -_-

I wish everyone who gets this and/or any DVD/TV in thier car would just replace the airbag with a screen and the seatbelt with a headset. That way we weed out the stupid ones... survival of the fitest, darwinism at it's best.

But seriously, if this isn't something that will require an extra box for each TV (eg: you cannot watch TV on your GPS, you need to get a screen that links to the GPS, a-la Sirius' TV) then i seriously doubt this will last after the first idiot runs himself into the ass end of a mack truck.

[L.Rawlins @ Sep 28th 2007 3:59PM]

This is hilarious.

A story on the six o'clock news tonight on the BBC covered a story on the new edition of 'The Highway Code' (last updated eight years ago, rule book of the British roads), and how it now advises AGAINST such mobile distractions as smoking, drinking, map reading, hands-free and sat-nav.

Now I read this! My best guess is we'll now see another edition next year with 'TV' added to the end of that sentence; that is if the Government here don't outlaw this blatantly dangerous sales gimmick first.

[tvgpsman @ Sep 28th 2007 3:58PM]

Beautiful!! Now you can use hybrid TV+GPS positioning so that the devices work indoors and in urban areas! Once the tv tuner is there, you can do the hybrid implementation in software. Excellent.

[roger_huston @ Sep 28th 2007 7:52PM]

Convergence!

To keep up, they will have to add phone functionality as phones are adding GPS functionality.

In the end, I would prefer to have only one small rectangular electronic box with an LCD screen to do everything, rather than having to carry several small electronic boxes around that can only do a few things.

- Roger

[Mike @ Sep 28th 2007 6:17PM]

This is just plain stupid. i bet a large percentage of GPS users don't even know how to work their MP3 player or eBook reader in their current units. And what about battery life? Sounds like a solution looking for a problem.

[MoonWalker @ Sep 29th 2007 12:01AM]

Guys, this is nothing at least in Korea. They have GPS devices that are 7"/8"/10" that has not only GPS / TV full screen but also PIP, yes, GPS navigation while watching TV/movie on the go. Well, I'm all against watching TV, even at home, but somehow you gotta give it to the convenience when you're stuck in traffic and wondering what's wrong.

Oh, by the way, I wonder how much it's gonna cost for this kind of digital TV subscription since analog TV is almost over in the US.