GPS

Sometimes, you don't want a ton of bells and whistles on your GPS device. Sometimes, you just want to reliably and cheaply get from point Alpha to Bravo.

Enter Garmin's Essentials series of Nuvi GPS navigators. Specifically, we're taking a look at the largest model in the entry-level Essentials series: the 5-inch Garmin Nuvi 50.

There aren't many surprises here where design is concerned. If you've handled a Garmin Nuvi in the last half decade, you'll know exactly what to expect from the 50. The icons are all where you'd expect them to … Read more

Happy Cyber Monday! I've always preferred this "holiday" to Black Friday, as it allows me to shop in my preferred garb: bathrobe and slippers. (Tried that on a Black Friday once; I am no longer welcome in the mall.)

Indeed, this is arguably this biggest shopping day of the year for the ol' Cheapskate, as all the deals are, by definition, online. I'll be discussing some of my favorites live today on CNET's Holiday Help Desk, which airs at 3 p.m. ET, noon PT.

In the meantime, here are some assorted Cyber Monday goodies … Read more

Just yesterday I was discussing the merits of standalone nav systems with my brother-in-law Charles (who's as savvy a cheapskate as there ever was--and I mean that in the best possible way).

I said, "Hey, look, here's a GPS with lifetime traffic for under $100." His response: "I'd rather have lifetime maps."

Well, sir, how about both? Today only, Staples has the TomTom VIA 1405TM 4.3-inch GPS for $99.99 shipped (plus sales tax in most states). It comes with free traffic data and map updates for life.

The Via 1405TM is … Read more

TeleNav's new navigation platform promises to link cars and smartphones.

Drivers frequently find themselves consulting a phone for an address, then typing it into a car's navigation system. At the Telematics Munich conference, TeleNav announced a solution to this problem, seamless interactivity between smartphones and TeleNav-equipped cars.

A use case described to CNET by Mark Scalf, director of automotive products for TeleNav, involved a user getting an appointment notification on his cell phone, and easily sending the address for the appointment to the car's navigation system. After parking, the TeleNav system transfers navigation back to the phone, … Read more

Ford has announced an update to its much-criticized car tech interface, previously plagued by slow performance and cluttered screens.

Ford came out with its new MyFord Touch interface on the 2011 Edge last year. This interface featured LCDs on the instrument cluster showing navigation, phone, audio, and trip data, along with a big center touch screen allowing control over these different car tech functions. But the touch-screen interface came under much criticism by CNET and others for its slow performance and cluttered displays.

Today, Ford showed off an update to the system intended to address its various problems. According to … Read more

CSR's new GPS architecture taps additional satellites, plus cell tower and Wi-Fi access points, to improve navigational accuracy.

During a meeting in CNET's offices, Kanwar Chadha, CMO of CSR Technology, noted that all content is becoming location-aware. Smartphone apps and navigation devices can tailor information to a user's personal surroundings. Taking advantage of that trend, Chadha's company, which provides GPS chips for navigation devices, has developed a new generation of products that can pinpoint locations both outdoors and indoors.

As an initial step to improve accuracy, the company's SiRFstarV architecture not only uses the U.… Read more

Toyota's European Touch Life infotainment system is the first platform to allow true smartphone replication on the in-dash display.

The new system takes advantage of the Car Connectivity Consortium's MirrorLink (formerly Nokia Terminal Mode), which lets drivers and passengers access all of their smartphone apps from a car's in-dash touch screen. However, there are some limitations. True smartphone mirroring is only available on Nokia phones equipped with the Symbian Belle operating system. The Nokia Car Mode app lets drivers access the device's telephony, voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation, and audio entertainment functions while the car is in use, but prevent them from using all other applications until the car is parked. … Read more

You may have heard of Google's autonomous Priuses that have clocked more than a 190,000 miles on the open road, but you may not be as familiar with the company's fleet of self-driving golf carts.

The technology giant has been tinkering with a fleet of autonomous golf carts that some engineers use to travel between campus buildings. Users request these low-speed vehicles online, and at the scheduled time, the carts automatically depart the parking garage to meet the passenger at their designated pick up zone. Passengers can drive the cart themselves, or let the system ferry them to their destination so they can focus on work. After they exit the vehicle, the carts park themselves--no valet needed, no tip required. … Read more

The cars of the future will use vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication for advanced safety technology that will help them avoid accidents, but what about the old clunkers sharing the road with them?

To make sure all cars have this new capability, GM is working on an aftermarket device that could work in all cars to communicate road and traffic hazards with other vehicles.

Unprotected turns, inclement weather, and road hazards are scenarios that can lead to automobile accidents. But V2V technology could help avoid these and up to 81 percent of all traffic accidents, according to a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (PDF).

Using sensors already installed on the vehicles, the system gathers information about traffic and weather and transmits this information to other vehicles, so drivers have more time to react to road obstacles. The system can also activate a vehicle's accident avoidance technologies, such as electronic stability control. … Read more