XRoad has released a few of its GPS units 'round these parts, but it looks like it's sticking close to its home base with its latest V7 model, which will apparently be exclusive to Korea. If that doesn't preclude you, however, it looks like you can expect a pretty decent unit, with the new V7 3rd version boasting a 7-inch 800 x 480 display, all the usual PMP functions, 4GB of flash memory, an FM tuner, a DMB mobile TV tuner, picture-in-picture, real-time traffic information, and a generous 4200mAh Li-Ion battery, to name but a few features. No word on a price or release date just yet, but we wouldn't expect it to be too far off the $600 or so the previous model demanded.

[Via Navigadget]

TomTom may be having some profit troubles these days, but that's apparently not stopping it from getting plenty of new products out the door, with it now announcing four new models in its TomTom ONE and TomTom XL series, along with a spiffy new car mount to go along with 'em. As before, the TomTom ONE 130 (pictured above) occupies the low end with a 3.5-inch display, though it sports a redesigned and slimmer body this time around, along with a companion model in the form of the ONE 130S, which adds text-to-speech functionality. Moving on up a bit, the TomTom XL 330 boasts a 4.3-inch widescreen display, and is also available in an XL 330S text-to-speech model. Otherwise, all the models will give you support for TomTom's Map Share technology, support for an optional RDS-TMC traffic receiver, and TomTom's new EasyPort mount (pictured after the break), which can be folded away into the device itself. Look for the whole lot to be available next month, with the ONE 130 setting you back $200, the ONE 130S and XL 330 each running $250, and the XL 330S coming in at $300. If none of those float your boat, you can also take a gander at TomTom's previously-announced x30 series devices, which the company informs us are now available in North America.

[Via GPS Review, thanks Tim]

Ever the one to find a somewhat unique selling point for its GPS units, NDrive has now announced a pair of new devices that employ what the company claims to be the "world's first photo mapping system." That slightly dubious claim aside, the new G280 and G800 units certainly look like they'll get the job done and then some, with them each boasting visual and audible speed camera alerts, a pedestrian mode for out-of-vehicle use, and of course the usual range of PMP features with an SD card slot provided for expansion. The G800 also takes things a couple of steps further with built-in Bluetooth and an FM transmitter to pump audio through your vehicle's speakers. No word on a release 'round these parts, but those in the UK will apparently be able to grab 'em later this month for £199 and £315 ($400 and $630) for the G280 and G800, respectively.

It may have given him the runaround at first, but it looks like Circuit City is now finally doing the right thing after totally trashing the Honda Civic owned by an 8thcivic.com forum user that goes by the name VTECnical. As you may recall, that damage, which totaled over $12,000 in all, was incurred after VTECnical had Circuit City install a Pioneer AVIC Z2 GPS unit and some other components he purchased at the store, all of which went horribly wrong and left the car unsafe to drive. Now according to Autoblog, however, it appears that not only has Circuit City's insurance provider come through with over $10,000 to cover repair costs, but Circuit City has paid out the remaining amount itself, and thrown in a brand new $2,000 Pioneer AVIC Z2 to boot. No word if VTECnical's going to have Circuit City install it or not though.

Just like we heard, AT&T is now offering Motorola's MOTO Z9. $150 (after $50 on-line discount and 2-yr contract) nabs the new slider with GPS for AT&T's rebranded TeleNav service -- now called AT&T Navigator. It's also stuffed with microSD expansion, stereo Bluetooth, and quad-band GSM with WCDMA 850/1900 supporting 3.6Mbps HSDPA data. Surprisingly, the 2 megapixel camera we saw in the early prototype last year has been whittled back to 1.3 megapixels. Come on Moto, what's 0.7 megapixels between friends?

[Thanks, Mark and Orhan C.]

Update: AT&T's bad! The camera's still a full 2 megapixels after all -- we just confirmed it.

Installs gone wrong certainly aren't all that uncommon, but the tale told by one VTECnical of the 8thcivic.com forum is undoubtedly a cut above the rest, and could well have you reconsidering that suction cup option. As VTECnical tells it, he bought a Pioneer AVIC Z2 GPS unit and some other components from Circuit City last July for more $3,000 and decided to let their installers do the installation work for him -- apparently after he was told that it'd slide into his Honda Civic without any modifications.The problems then allegedly began when the installer whipped out a heat gun, which was purportedly intended to be used to mold a mounting guide for the GPS unit but instead wound up melting one of the Civic's heating ducts. As if that wasn't enough, the installer apparently also used tape to hold the GPS unit in place, installed the antennae on the inside of the car instead of the outside, and used a glue gun to install the speakers instead of bolting them in place. All told, that apparently not only resulted in over $12,000 worth of damages but, according to the estimate from a Honda dealership, left the car "unsafe to drive." For its part, Circuit City apparently did eventually remove the equipment and refunded the full $3,000+, but VTECnical is now left dealing with Circuity City's third party insurance company to recover the rest of the damages.

[Via Autoblog]