Mio stuns at CeBIT with ultra-sleek Moov V780 MID

Uh, folks — we’ve an identity crisis on our hands. Is this a MID with a penchant for navigating

Garmin and TomTom cling to profits, hope

As everyone knows, Garmin and TomTom have their backs against the ropes in a fight to remain relevant in an age of free GPS turn-by-turn navigation on smartphones (thanks Google and Nokia ). While dedicated personal navigators are almost always superior to their converged competition, the gap has certainly narrowed such that it’s become difficult to justify another device when an increasing number of people already carry a fine navigation device in their pockets. But that’s just gut instinct talking, where’s the hard evidence?

Manufacturers redirecting R&D on declining GPS device orders?

If you enjoy the decimation of an industry as much as Google does then you’re going to love the latest rumor sourced from DigiTimes ‘ manufacturing moles. According to the Taiwanese rumor rag, personal navigation device R&D teams at the manufacturing powerhouses of Foxconn (aka, Hon Hai) and Wistron have been shifted to other devices in the face of “declining PND orders.” Seems logical as GPS-equipped smartphones snuff out their dedicated forebears with the same converged precision that turned wrist watches into items of fashion.

Mio MiBuddy GPS units to trade Windows CE for Android

If you’re keeping tabs on Mio Technology’s GPS happenings, you’ll be interested to dip into some facts that PC World has uncovered about the company’s upcoming offerings. According to the mag, the next version of the electronics-maker’s MiBuddy satnav unit will dash the underlying Windows CE architecture for Google’s newer and far more suave Android platform. The new device will be pushing into MID territory, boasting a 4.7-inch touchscreen along with a hardware slider keyboard, the ability to browse the internet, and WiFi and Bluetooth onboard

Google adds free turn-by-turn navigation, car dock UI to Android 2.0 (video)

Those nat service providers’ fears were actually quite justified.

TomTom XL 335S: mostly the same, but slightly cheaper

Maps cost money, people — and if you’re TomTom and you’re trying to shave a couple bucks off your latest nav unit, you can do it by leaving some out. Like, say, maps of Mexico

Garmin’s nuLink! service powered by AT&T — more connected nuvis to come?

Connected PNDs have it rough. Ever since Dash folded , the future has been murky at best for any GPS company hoping to rope consumers in by promising real-time information on the face of their navigator

TomTom intros 5-inch XXL 530S and XXL 540S navigators

TomTom felt the need to out its new GO lineup at IFA earlier this month, but evidently these critters didn’t quite make the cut. The new XXL range is comprised of the XXL 530S and XXL 540S (shown above), both of which pack 5-inch touchscreens and the outfit’s own IQ Routes technology (which surveys a variety of factors in order to get you from point A to point B in the quickest fashion)

GPS study finds that real-time traffic updates save drivers four days per year

You know what we hate? Sitting in gridlock when we could be, you know, out doin’ stuff .

Garmin’s connected nuvi 1690 and browser / camera-equipped nuvi 1860 leak out

Garmin already had a little fun at CeBIT this year, but it looks as if the PND maker is gearing up for quite a thrilling IFA, too. For starters, we’ve confirmed that the nüvi 1690 you’ve seen floating about is legitimate, and if Garmin prices those connected services right (read: gives them away), it stands a chance of being a real winner. Slated to launch on September 3rd just as IFA kicks off, the 1690 will pack a 4.3-inch WVGA display, North American maps, text-to-speech, Bluetooth handsfree support and EDGE data for pulling down weather, flight statuses, fuel prices, movie times, traffic and Google-powered local search results.

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