While many GPS manufacturers seem to be still seeing how much they can milk out of minor feature updates and monthly subscription fees, Navigon is going for the jugular with the new 2200T. The 3.5-inch-screened nav device offers up free real-time traffic updates for life -- a service that usually will run you $10 a month -- in addition to fun stuff like Reality View Pro (3D images and actual road sign text), Lane Assist Pro and text-to-speech, all for a mere $229. Three years of map updates will cost you $80, but the built-in maps for US and Canada should get you pretty far. We saw the 2200T at IFA, and while it's nothing so special to look at, that price is going bruise up some of the competition. No word on when this will hit stores, but our guess is soon.

Most of the geotaggers we've seen have written location data to your photos using some fancy software on your machine after you've pulled images off your camera, but ATP's PhotoFinder mini moves the tagging step backwards in the process, writing geodata directly to images on your memory card. Like similar devices, the PhotoFinder mini records timelogged GPS data from a SiRF Star III chip while you shoot -- but when you're done, you insert your card into a base station, which tags your images using their EXIF timestamps. Sounds like a much simpler system than relying on third-party software to integrate with your photo-management apps -- we just wish the dock was also a card reader, which would make this a one-step process. No pricing info yet, but if this thing is reasonable, it'll certainly be tempting.

[Via Photography Blog, thanks Mark]

When you're cruising down the highway on your hog, wind in your face, hair trailing behind you, teeth covered with insects, you probably want a GPS unit that's as rugged and unafraid of dying as you are. That's where Becker's Crocodile (AKA Traffic Assist Z 100) comes in. Nothing says "fearless badass" like a crocodile-skin satnav, replete with a 4.3-inch touchscreen, 2GB on-board memory, 3D terrain and city views, and 42 country maps pre-installed. The device is rubber coated and water resistant, and features turn-by-turn directions optimized for motorcycles, making it ideal for your cross country biker gang meet-ups, or just long weekends cruising the coastlines. The Crocodile will be released in October for €300 (or around $438).

It looks like U.S. International Trade Commission judge Carl Charneski has managed to cause quite a stir in the GPS industry this month, with him first ruling earlier this month that chipmaker SiRF infringed on six of Broadcom's GPS patents, and him now recommending that the ITC issue an all out product import ban on products using the offending chips. Given that one of the supposedly infringing chips is the ever-present SiRF Star III, that would obviously shake things up in a pretty big way. A final decision on a ban won't come until December, however, and SiRF looks to be exploring all of its options in the meantime, including asking the U.S. Patent Office for reexamination of the contested patents. As Reuters reports though, that hasn't stopped SiRF's shares from falling 24 percent to an all time low on Tuesday, and at least one GPS device manufacturer doesn't look to be waiting around to see how things shake out either, with DigiTimes now reporting that Mitac is set to stop using SiRF chips in its GPS devices in the fourth quarter of this year. Then again, that is DigiTimes, but we doubt that'll be much consolation for SiRF right about now.

Read - Reuters, "SiRF hit after ITC judge urges product import ban"
Read - DigiTimes, "Mitac to give up SiRF GPS solutions due to patent dispute"

[Via Linux Devices]

Though not quite as bad as toting the GPS module around with you, one particular marijuana farmer had to be mighty embarrassed / wondering what he ever did to deserve such bad luck when a GPS-equipped turtle meandered into his crop. As the story goes, a close friend of the police -- a box turtle with no fear of Big Brother -- just happened upon a pot stash on US park property. Clearly, Mr. Isiah Johnson (the culprit) was heavily stoned when choosing US land to farm his ganja, and now he's in custody until he's "extradited back DC to face drug charges." And you thought all you had to do was dodge those CCTV cameras...

[Via TechDigest]

Call it a hunch, but we'd say TomTom is gearing up to have some real fun at IFA. With the PRO 4000 / PRO 8000 units being outed yesterday and this newfangled GO 940 LIVE surfacing today (930 pictured), we get the feeling it's planning a Garmin-esque onslaught here in just a few days. Nevertheless, a pre-order page up at Handtec shows off this all new navigation system, yet completely fails at delivering any pertinent information outside of a price. And given that said price is pegged at £468.83 ($871), you probably couldn't care less.

[Via GPSLodge]

Compal's been a vocal supporter of Intel's MID followup to the tragic UMPC platform ever since It was announced in April of last year. Hell, the Taiwanese ODM even dedicated a team to crank out all the devices expected in the first half of 2008 but never came thanks in part, to Intel's Atom slippage. Now Compal looks ready to toss a MID to consumers (either direct or through a third-party manufacturer, it's not clear) with the unveiling of this handheld at Intel's IDF in San Francisco. The QWERTY slider packs GPS, a Linux-based OS with media player, browser, eMail and IM clients, and Option's GlobeTrotter Connect and GTM501 HSPA data kit offering tri-band HSUPA/HSDPA and quad-band GPRS/EDGE connectivity the world-over. No pricing or availability has been announced but we hope to hear more later today.

Update: Ah ha, it's the same reference design used by Aigo's Patriot, aka, M528.

[Thanks, Stuart L. and LosOutlandos]

Update: The whole gang just got official. Check out the details here.

Read - Nikon's Coolpix P6000
Read - The rest of Nikon's stable

Okay, so the vast majority of you won't be needing a navigation unit that also provides pertinent information while cruising several thousand feet above your nearest freeway, but for the amateur pilots out there looking for the best of both worlds, take notice. Bendix/King's AV8OR is a self-proclaimed handheld Multi-Function Display, which gives pilots "enhanced situational awareness" by providing "real-time satellite weather information, topographic terrain and aeronautical navigation information." You'll also find more traditional GPS capabilities suitable for ground transportation routes, and the 4.3-inch display ought to be large enough for most. 'Course, the $749 price tag will likely keep most non-pilots at bay, but those thinking of picking up an ultralight aircraft probably won't flinch at such a comparatively minute figure.

Somehow this doesn't surprise us. According to a statement released ahead of Garmin's Q2 earnings call, the company says it will be delaying the release of its Nuvifone from late 2008 until the first half of 2009. In the press release, the satnav-maker says it has "found that meeting some of the carrier specific requirements will take longer than anticipated," and claims it is "working toward making necessary design changes to meet their requirements." Here's hoping the bump stems from these minor niggles with carriers, versus trouble with the phone itself, which was running only a partially operational OS last time we saw it.

[Via GPS Tracklog]

Navigon's 2150 Max isn't revolutionary in terms of design nor specifications, but it does feature a rather delicious list of features for just £229.99 ($458). All-too-trusting UK motorists can look forward to a 4.3-inch display, pre-loaded maps of 39 countries, built-in Bluetooth, text-to-speech and support for live traffic information. Oh, and in case our header was unclear, it's shipping this very moment in time.

[Via BIOS Magazine]

For those who spend just as much time getting lost in the forest as they do on the highways, Garmin's nüvi 500 holds quite a bit of promise. Combining four modes covering cycling, boating (optional), driving and walking, this waterproof navigator has nearly every walk of life covered. GPS Magazine recently got to spend some time with the Q3-bound unit, and not surprisingly, it came away very impressed. On the roads, this device performed just as admirably as any other Garmin unit. When traveling off the beaten path, things were just as great. The only real knocks on this were the added bulk / weight and the omission of text-to-speech, but true adventurers aren't apt to care about that when consolidating four GPS devices into one.

[Thanks, Fletch]