Just two days shy of their one-year birthday, Panasonic is introducing a couple of successors in the Strada F-Class line. Announced in Japan, the June-bound CN-HX1000D and CN-HW1000D are both destined for gaping holes in dashes and possess a 7-inch 800 x 480 resolution display, built-in Bluetooth, iPod compatibility, AM / FM tuners, digital terrestrial TV tuner, DVD / CD player and an internal hard drive for storing map data and Sade jams. The only noticeable difference is the physical size; the former is a single-DIN unit while the latter touts a double-DIN frame. These two also allow for home control, so you can lock your doors, turn the heat down and flip off the porch light from the driver's seat. Sure sounds pleasant, if only they weren't ¥354,900 ($3,388) apiece.

[Via AkihabaraNews]

No need worrying that as much as you'd like to change the Dash Express, you can't. Because you can, savvy? Announced today, Dash Navigation has cracked its platform open for third-party developers and simultaneously launched the industry's first dynamic API program at O'Reilly's Where 2.0 Conference. Dash is hoping that eager devs will spend time crafting DashApps, which would theoretically provide web-based content to consumers while still in the car. The outfit also took the wraps off of the first five partner-created applications, which give Express owners Coldwell Banker Home Search, myFUNAMBOL Calendar, BakTrax Radio, Trapster and MyWeatherBug buttons. Unfortunately, details beyond that were slim, but you certainly tag the read link to learn more about the aforesaid few that are already created.

Sure, there's something to be said for turning a workout into a game, and the Wii Fit has that in spades, but there's also perks to a system that tracks every aspect of your for-realsies workouts at all times. The THP² Personal Training System from Korea's Nury Tec combines a GPS pod, body fat scale and chest strap hear rate receiver to track your well being during and after a workout. All the gadgets transmit wirelessly to a watch controller, which in turn transmits to a PC receiver to download all your stats to an included program. It's like Nike+ on steroids (minus the steroids... don't do drugs kids!), and with a projected price of $180 when this hits the States this year, not a bad alternative on price either.

Despite issuing an early statement of objection, the EC has come around to see the merits of a TomTom / Tele Atlas deal. In fact, the two companies have received "unconditional clearance" from the European Commission for the proposed acquisition. The US already approved the deal in October. Thing is, shareholders better get a move on since the bidding-war-boosted $4.2 billion offer (plus another $300 million thanks to the weakass dollar) made in November is set to expire on May 30th. Although it could be extended. Of course, Garmin made a move for Tele Atlas early on with a $3.3 billion bid of its own. Nevertheless, with TomTom profits heading downward and Garmin's own, hotly anticipated Nuvifone on the horizon, maybe Garmin will be laughing last after all.

A couple things you should know about this purported Philips Xenium X-Connect before churning your gadget juices through the emotional Osterizer. First, it's clearly a product rendering. Second, Philips Xenium cellphones are primarily found in Asia Pacific region -- as such, a European or North American launch is likely out of the question. If the X-Connect is the real-deal, however, here's what we'll be missing: Windows Mobile 6, 3G UMTS/HSDPA radios, GPS receiver, AA/AAA battery backup, microSD slot, and Bluetooth 2.0 all powered by a 624MHz Intel processor beneath a 3.0-inch (presumably touchscreen) display. Still, as a broadly positioned "communication device," maybe we'll see Philips reach out to different geographies this time around.

Update: Oh snap, this thing sure looks like the Xenium 800.

[Via ToTouch, Thanks Giovanni]

It's times like these when holding our fingers back from buying that one-way ticket to Tokyo is so incredibly difficult. Just today, Pioneer has introduced the Air Navi AVIC-T10, a portable car navigation system that "supports communications modules and provides drivers with new communications services for the Japanese market." According to the release, this bad boy is "clearly distinguished from conventional PNDs," provides oodles of information about traffic, weather, local events, gas station prices, etc. and packs a pretty impressive list of specs. We're talking a 5.8-inch WVGA display, 1-seg TV tuner, 4GB of flash memory, integrated gyro sensor and built-in Bluetooth to boot. Those lucky enough to be in the right nation can snatch this gem next month for a currently undisclosed price.

[Via AkihabaraNews]

Really, QSTARZ? You've actually had independent testers confirm that your BT-Q818 eXtreme is the most powerful GPS receiver on the entire planet? We're guessing not, but for what it's worth, the second incarnation of the BT-Q818 features 51-channel tracking, 32-hours of navigation time, -158dBm sensitivity, USB connectivity, built-in Bluetooth, adjustable 1 to 5Hz update rate and a 36-second signal acquisition time (when cold). Sounds pretty run-of-the-mill from here, but QSTARZ wouldn't fib about this thing's world ranking, now would it?

[Via NaviGadget]

Check it, Europeans -- Clarion has just dumped a new duo of PNDs on the market, and they're both geared up to route you all over your humble lands. It appears that the only major difference between the MAP680 and MAP780 are the actual maps loaded in; the former is available in four regional versions, while the latter features a full 43 European countries. Specs wise, we're lookin' at a 4.3-inch widescreen display, text-to-speech, built-in TMC tuner, 3D display of buildings / POIs, lane assistant, Bluetooth (with phone book transfer and audio streaming), a 400MHz CPU, multimedia player and 2GB (MAP780) / 1GB (MAP680) of internal memory. No word on a price or any of that good stuff just yet, but feel free to get more acquainted with the pair in the gallery below.

[Via NaviGadget]

MTI Micro is edging dangerously close to vaporware status, but until 2009 comes and goes, we suspect we still owe it the benefit of the doubt. The ever-boastful company is at it once again, this time showing off a purported fuel cell powered-GPS prototype at the International Small Fuel Cells Conference in Atlanta. The Mobion-powered device promises to provide "three times as much energy as GPS devices powered by four disposable AA batteries," meaning that users could see up to 60-hours of continuous use on a large, full-color screen navigator. You'll also find an integrated USB port for using it as an energy source, so you could theoretically utilize your NAV to charge your handset / PMP / ray gun. At this point, however, we wouldn't get too excited here -- it's not like there's any guarantee that we'll ever see this thing in commercial form.

[Via I4U News, image courtesy of John S.]

We know it's coming in Q3 but the price of Garmin's hotly anticipated Nuvifone has always been a mystery. Until now. We just received a screenshot that a helpful reader snagged from a Garmin survey. In it, our tipster was asked the following question:

"Now, how likely would you be to buy the Garmin nüvifone (for yourself or as a gift) if offered by AT&T for $499.99 with a two year contract? You would be required to have both a data plan that would include unlimited Internet browsing and unlimited Navigation for $19.99 per month and one of the standard voice rate plans for a monthly fee."

So dear readers, we ask you... does that sound reasonable for a 3.5-inch touchscreen cellphone with GPS navigation, 3.5G data, WiFi, audio and video playback, and 3 megapixel camera?

The war for the low end of the GPS market promises to be a bloody one, and it looks like TomTom's suffered the first major injury: quarterly profits at the device maker dropped 83 percent from last year, and the company says it's due to competitive price cuts. TomTom made a net profit of just €7.3M ($11.4M) this quarter compared to €44M ($66.2M) in the year-ago quarter, results which led the company to lower its outlook for the entire year. The company actually sold 50 percent more devices than it did a year ago, but as PND prices steadily fall, it looks like TomTom will have to figure out a new way to pad those margins and refill its piggy bank if that $4.2B all-cash Tele Atlas deal goes through.

[Via TrustedReviews]

Finally, the EU's Giove-B GPS satellite was shot into space by the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Strapped atop a Soyuz-FG rocket, the Giove-B reached orbit at 8:01am this morning, and is the second satellite launched for the nascent next-generation European Galileo satellite navigation system. This particular model is kitted out with dual redundant rubidium atomic clocks that the ESA says are "the most accurate in space". The next bird -- just three of thirty -- is slated to go up in 2010 with a full-system launch around 2013. Until then, it looks like they'll be stuck using the US's crappy, less-sensitive GPS network (boo hoo).

[Via Physorg]

Back in the day, integrated GPS units were the stuff of luxury cars, gargantuan SUV cruisers, and lost old ladies. Suzuki is looking to change all of that by including the Garmin T.R.I.P. on all 2009 SX4 Sport and SX4 Crossover vehicles -- at no extra charge. As Suzuki gleefully points out, this marks the first time a sub-$16,000 car has included a GPS unit as standard equipment. The T.R.I.P. (Travel, Real-time traffic, Information and Play) sports a flip-up 4.3-inch screen and Bluetooth connectivity. As for software, it will include real-time traffic, weather forecasts, local event listings, community-based recommendations, and a gas station finder that can filter based on fuel prices. We're still fans of portable GPS units, but there is something elegant about those big-screened integrated monsters.