Palm Releases New GPS Navigator Smartphone Edition

Posted By: Ryan Tuesday, August 15, 2006 11:01:06 AM

Palm today announced the Palm GPS Navigator Smartphone Edition, featuring new TomTom NAVIGATOR 6 software. Drivers using the new GPS Navigator with their Treo smartphones can rely on voice-guided, turn-by-turn directions to easily find their destinations as well as millions of points of interest, including gas stations, restaurants, parks, airports and more.

Palm's new Bluetooth(R) enabled SiRFstarIII(TM) GPS receiver, which features a sleek design and easier-to-see LED lights, seamlessly pairs with Palm Treo 650, Treo 700w and Treo 700p smartphones. The product is simple to set up, thanks to a 1GB memory card preloaded with maps. Travelers simply pop the memory card into their Treo smartphone and pair the GPS receiver to access highway and street-level maps covering the United States and Canada. No desktop syncing or downloading of maps is required. Using the smartphone's high-resolution screen, TomTom's NAVIGATOR 6 software automatically shows the receiver's (and hence, the car's) current location.

Palm Smartphone GPS KitSmartphones are expanding the market for mobile navigation," said Jim Schwabe, general manager of accessories for Palm, Inc. "The beauty is that this powerful GPS solution is always readily available because it's part of something people are carrying anyway -- their Treo smartphone."

"The convergence of portable navigation devices is growing in the United States," said Jocelyn Vigreux, president of TomTom. "Palm's bundle offering with TomTom's new NAVIGATOR 6 software reflects our joint efforts to continue providing customers with essential smartphone solutions. The Treo smartphone series provides an ideal platform for portable navigation."

TomTom is the leading provider of personal navigation products and services. TomTom NAVIGATOR 6 software offers coast-to-coast and cross-border navigation, as well as new and enhanced options. New features include trip planning based on preferred arrival time, speed-limit information and integrated navigation to the smartphone's contact list.

How It Works
The Bluetooth technology-enabled receiver identifies the car's position using satellites. By communicating with the GPS receiver via Bluetooth, the Treo smartphone obtains real-time location information and displays 3-D maps on the Treo smartphone's high-resolution screen. After a destination has been programmed, TomTom NAVIGATOR gives voice-guided, turn-by-turn instructions in one of more than 30 available voices. It will also automatically recalculate a route after a wrong turn, avoid roadblocks or circumvent traffic congestion.

Palm's GPS Navigator Smartphone Edition includes a Bluetooth enabled SiRFstarIII GPS receiver, TomTom NAVIGATOR 6 software featuring the latest Tele Atlas maps, a 1GB memory card with preloaded maps of the continental United States and Canada, a vehicle device cradle with windshield mount and a charging system. It is priced at $299 (estimated U.S. street price).

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Not yet

gijsraggers @ 8/15/2006 2:19:01 PM # Q
… featuring TomTom® NAVIGATOR 5…

RE: Not yet
Ryan @ 8/15/2006 2:29:59 PM # Q
oh... Palm hasn't updated their site yet. I can't seem to find the new kit online yet. The link goes to the old version.

We are working on a review of this unit for this week.

RE: Not yet
hkklife @ 8/15/2006 2:40:39 PM # Q
Sit tight folks...the review is on its way and this one's a doozy! It's perhaps the best OOBE I've ever had with a Palm-branded product (I'm serious).

Who would have expected Palm to come out of nowhere with (admittedly just a bundled collection of very solid parts from other companies) such a strong entry into the personal GPS market?!



Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

RE: Not yet
freakout @ 8/15/2006 5:54:31 PM # Q
Looking forward to it, hk. TomTom 5 is fantastic. Can't wait to see what this new version offers.

Tim
I apologise for any and all emoticons that appear in my posts. You may shoot them on sight.
Treo 270 ---> Treo 650
Quick questions
freakout @ 8/15/2006 6:22:26 PM # Q
My Treo pulls double-duty in the car as both GPS and mp3 player. Can you install this version of TomTom to your own SD card, or do you have to use the included, preloaded one?

Hope not! Because it would eliminate my favourite use for the Treo.

Tim
I apologise for any and all emoticons that appear in my posts. You may shoot them on sight.
Treo 270 ---> Treo 650

RE: Not yet
hkklife @ 8/15/2006 8:05:56 PM # Q
Yes, you can use either the bundled pre-loaded 1gb MMC OR you can roll your own flavor of TomTom and load as few or as many maps to your own external storage. Now with 4gb SD cards plummeting in price you'll be able to have all of Europe or all of the USA on a card and still have plenty of space left over for your other goodies.

The bundle really becomes more attractive when you consider the economics of it. Not only do you get a 1gb MMC (yes it's writable and yes you can put other "stuff" on it other than the preloaded map data) but you also get a nifty SD/MMC USB 2.0 reader in the box as well as a pigtailed car charger for both the Treo and the GPS unit.

Review will be up tomorrow, folks. Keep on sending in the questions and I'll address them as much as I can given my time constraints.

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

RE: Not yet
marcol @ 8/16/2006 4:54:43 AM # Q
Link to the 'Palm® GPS Navigator Smartphone Edition 2 featuring TomTom® NAVIGATOR 6' page:

http://web.palm.com/products/Product.jhtml?id=650006&cat=40004

Reply to this comment

Really?

neuron @ 8/15/2006 2:39:27 PM # Q
If it comes with TT6, it is really hot. The TT6 software has nothing special but it does come with a new version map. The map set in TT5 is almost 4 to 5 years old, too many mistakes and absences. I checked Go 910 which also has version 6, most of those problem have been corrected.

Does it mean the TT6 navigation will be available for purchase soon?

RE: Really?
hkklife @ 8/15/2006 2:44:10 PM # Q
From what I gather, Palm's got an exclusive on selling the TT6 software for the time being in this bundle...at least for Palm & WinMob smartphone devices.

TT6 has a ton of small usability improvements & tweaks that don't seem like much on the surface but add up for a much better experience than 5 offered. Of course the new basemaps are much more up to date as well.

No kidding, this thing is HOT! Based on the limited around town experiences I've had with TT6, I'd guesstimate its maps to be ~2 years old and its POI detail is considerably improved.

I think the rollout plan by TomTom for Navigator 6 is first on their self-branded Go devices, then on this co-branded Palm then for general standalone sales a bit down the road.

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

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GPS on any phone....

treo007 @ 8/15/2006 2:44:57 PM # Q
What good is GPS on a phone if you're talking on it while in your car?

Yes, I could get a multi tasking OS, but they've always proven to be more trouble than they're worth in terms of crashes, battery issues, etc.

Get the GO 910 if you want in car navigation....

RE: GPS on any phone....
neuron @ 8/15/2006 2:47:42 PM # Q
You can use both phone and GPS at the same time if you don't use the bluetooth headset (Treo 650). In treo 700w, you can use bluetooth headset and GPS at the same time. You don't need a Multitask OS, although it will be much more elegent. Bluetooth 1.2 is the key here.

This kit doesn't be compatiable with treo 700p, which is weird.

RE: GPS on any phone....
neuron @ 8/15/2006 2:52:48 PM # Q
Update, it does be compatiable with treo 700p, sorry.

RE: GPS on any phone....
gijsraggers @ 8/15/2006 3:55:37 PM # Q
Yes, TomTom on my Treo 650 is great, and yes, not being able to use the bt headphone is a serious Palm OS drwaback. Still it is an amazing killer app.

RE: GPS on any phone....
pascanu @ 8/15/2006 5:57:29 PM # Q
I've been using TomTom5 on my Treo650 (with a bluetooh GPS) for quite some while now and I have to say it does just fine. TomTom knows how to handle quite well incoming calls, you get the call and after you're done it goes right back to the maps without interuption. I use to put it on speaker so I don't have to plug the earpiece (yes quality is less then perfect but it's usable).
Dialing is also easy, presing the phone button while in Tomom takes you to the phone application and you can speed dial from there (again, it goes back to the maps when done).
The nice part of having a non-integrated GPS is that it doesn't eat up your battery, and you can even use it while walking with the GPS receiver in a pocket or clipped to your belt.

Handspring Visor -> m505 -> Zire71 -> Zire72 -> Treo650
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Can TomTom 6 do this?

batmon @ 8/15/2006 6:33:59 PM # Q
Hello,

I think TomTom 5 is fine but I wish it does the followings

- can do direction from/to different state. ex. from philadelphia airport to cherry hill, NJ. TT5 can't do this, it can't even show direction across states.

- is it possible to do google yellow page, find the place with address, and than click & paste to TomTom Nav?

RE: Can TomTom 6 do this?
hkklife @ 8/15/2006 8:09:06 PM # Q
1. Yes, you can navigate across state lines or even from USA to Canada

2. Haven't tried it but I doubt you can do this. It DOES have tremendously improved POI support, however.



Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

RE: Can TomTom 6 do this?
4s @ 8/15/2006 9:49:27 PM # Q
In my experience, you can navigate across state lines, provided the states are on the same map. For example, for me to drive from VA to DC is no problem, because VA and DC are both on the same map. However, when I drive to NC, I have to navigate to the VA/NC border and then navigate to my destination in NC.

However, it can be kind of cool: when driving from NC back to VA, I put on the VA before I got to the state line, so on my screen, I could see the interstate in VA coming closer and closer to me, which made my Treo screen look like I was landing my Ford Escort on a runway. :)

<><

RE: Can TomTom 6 do this?
pascanu @ 8/16/2006 1:16:57 AM # Q
The european version does the trick by including in every country map ALL the european major roads. So if you have for example loaded the map of France you will not have all the streets in Berlin but you will be able to navigate through Germany and, most important, plan routes across the borders, anywhere in Europe.
I would expect the american version to do the same.

Handspring Visor -> m505 -> Zire71 -> Zire72 -> Treo650
RE: Can TomTom 6 do this?
freakout @ 8/16/2006 2:21:26 AM # Q
"Is it possible to do google yellow page, find the place with address, and than click & paste to TomTom Nav?"

TomTom 5 comes with a "Contacts Navigation" app that allows you to navigate to the address of someone in your Palm contacts book with one click. So in theory you could cut-and-paste any address from the web into your contacts and navigate that way. A bit fiddly, though.

Tim
I apologise for any and all emoticons that appear in my posts. You may shoot them on sight.
Treo 270 ---> Treo 650

RE: Can TomTom 6 do this?
marcol @ 8/16/2006 2:38:03 AM # Q
Really 6? Wow, that's a real scoop for Palm if it's true!

Does it do text-to-speech and read out street names and SMSs like the top-end GO?

Speed of app loading on the 700w (by all accounts 5 was rather slow)?

RE: Can TomTom 6 do this?
marcol @ 8/16/2006 3:31:06 AM # Q
Also, what about the rest of the world? :) Will Palm offer a European version?

Will the software only be available as part of the kit? I really don't need two BT GPS receivers.

Reply to this comment

Time for integraed GPS

marcol @ 8/16/2006 3:37:25 AM # Q
'"Smartphones are expanding the market for mobile navigation," said Jim Schwabe, general manager of accessories for Palm, Inc. "The beauty is that this powerful GPS solution is always readily available because it's part of something people are carrying anyway -- their Treo smartphone."'

It's good to see Palm thinking like this but the 'always readily available' argument is nonsense unless you always have the GPS receiver with you. I hope Palm take this reasoning to its logical conclusion and stick the SiRFstar chip in a future Treos. They could certainly sell one to me.

RE: Time for integraed GPS
freakout @ 8/16/2006 5:14:29 AM # Q
Yes, it is time for Treo GPS - next to a 3.5mm jack and wifi it's the most logical thing to include in an all-in-one device.

http://blog.treonauts.com/2006/04/treo_with_built.html

Getting closer all the time...



Tim
I apologise for any and all emoticons that appear in my posts. You may shoot them on sight.
Treo 270 ---> Treo 650

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