Hello all,
There have been some questions about GPS and Navigation options for
the iPod Touch, which does not come with embedded GPS. Currently,
Navigon MobileNavigator, and some other GPS app makers, sell versions
of their software that can be purchased and downloaded onto an iPod
Touch. However, in order to navigate, the iPod Touch needs to be
fitted with a GPS unit that plugs into the dock connector (where you
normally plug in the sync cable).
Dual Electronics has just released their GPS Navigation & Battery
Cradle for sale at the Apple Store:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/H1062LL/A
This device is specifically developed and optimized for iPod Touch
use. The cradle is designed to provide additional battery charging
for the device, as well as powering the GPS. It also includes an
amplified speaker for voice prompts. Unlike the design of the
Magellan and TomTom car kits (which also supply GPS functionality for
the iPod Touch), the cradle is designed to be carried separately, as
well as hooking into the car kit mount -- that is, there is no large
protruding connector for hooking onto the car windshield mount. The
built-in battery for the cradle is capable of powering the GPS for 10
hours of use. This device mounted on an iPod Touch has also been
tested with a range of standard GPS apps, including Navigon's
MobileNavigator. These have been documented over the last few months
in the blog for the XGPS300 GPS Navigation & Battery Cradle for the
iPod Touch at:
http://gpsforipodtouch.blogspot.com/
The product debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this
year, but this is the first commercial release (running a month late,
and much later than last year's product announcement which originally
placed the device for release in November 2009). The main Dual
Electronics web page for the product is:
http://www.gpscradle.dualav.com/
At $199, this is more expensive than the TomTom or Magellan car kits,
or the Orange Gadgets iGPS360 (only for Jail-Broken iPod Touch models,
and with no charging/battery solution or speaker -- the unit just
plugs into the dock connector of the iPod Touch). The Dual XGPS300
also has its own NavAtlas U.S. & Canada app that is available for free
download at the iTunes Store:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/navatlas-u-s-canada/id345119799?mt=8
Like Navigon and other GPS apps with built-in maps, this is a sizable
download (about 2 GB). It appears to only be available for the U.S.
and Canada. There is no way to test the accessibility of the app
without the cradle attached. (The software has been up at the iTunes
Store since the Consumer Electronics Show in January, but when you
launch it you get a message checking that the GPS unit is connected).
However, as mentioned in the blog, this device has been checked out
with a range of GPS navigation apps in Southeast Asia, India, the
Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Australia, Greenland, Iceland, the
South Pacific, and Antarctica.
For comparison the Magellan Premium Car Kit for the iPhone and iPod
Touch costs $129.99, and the TomTom Car Kit for the iPod Touch costs
$99.95. Both require separate purchase of Navigation app software.
My informal reading of the reviews at various places suggests that the
Magellan Car Kit is the better of the two options and also somewhat
easier to use as a portable carrier when detached from the car mount.
For a more comprehensive review of the Magellan Car Kit, see the
Navigadget web site:
http://www.navigadget.com/index.php/2010/03/02/magellan-iphone-car-kit-review
The TomTom Car Kit for the iPod Touch can be purchased through the
Apple Store (be careful to get the model for the iPod Touch, if you
are interested in this), while the Magellan Car Kit can be purchased
through Amazon.
HTH. There is more information about the Dual Cradle at their web
site and at the Apple Store link.
Cheers,
Esther
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