IranMap

The Pioneer AVIC-S2 has complete GPS navigational capabilities for thirty European countries. It ranges over seven million kilometers covering 1.4 million points of interest (POI). More maps of other countries can be installed for a price of around $180 per continent. Its hassle-free installation and hands-free usage enabled by Bluetooth technology puts the Pioneer AVIC-S2 in the top slot among GPS devices. The SD memory card has a capacity of 1GB which can take in many more updates from the PC or an SD card. The AVIC-S2 is one of the few devices which support pedestrian navigation too. And you can listen to your favorite music over the built-in MP3 player. You can also choose from the range of voices-male/ female with American/British/Australian and other accents.

Like its other GPS counterparts, the AVIC-S2 performs the basic navigational functions like routing, directions, calculation of arrival times, speed, distance and rerouting with ease. It has a sleek look with its 3.5 inch touch screen and audio capabilities supporting 20 languages. The menu can be viewed in seventeen languages. Other attractions are the Hands Free Calling, Phone Book Transfer, speaker phone, List Display (Phonebook/ Call Log/Preset Dial), 10-Key Direct Number Dialing, speed camera tracking, optional Cellular Telephone Auto Muting and optional hard-wiring. It does have its drawbacks like any other device. The main one is the inability to play music while navigating. However, you can make and take calls while navigating. Another minus is the short battery life. On the whole, the AVIC-S2 is top class in terms of value for money, ease of use and reliability.

Digital map provider NAVTEQ announced a new agreement with Microsoft for its map data and additional products. With this new contract Microsoft now has access to all 74 countries in the NAVTEQ map database. This multi-year agreement also allows Microsoft the rights to utilize NAVTEQ content including business listings, NAVTEQ Transport (truck-related map attributes), NAVTEQ Discover Cities (pedestrian attributes) and NAVTEQ Voice (NAVTEQ Voice translates names and named places into phonetic language to generate spoken words for guidance).

Microsoft will utilize NAVTEQ data in its Internet and mapping software solutions. NAVTEQ and Microsoft forged a relationship ten years ago when Microsoft selected NAVTEQ to supply map data of the United States and Canada for its product applications. The relationship expanded in the years that followed to include map data for Western Europe, Asia and Mexico.

Garmin is continuing to invest in the sports and fitness segment with the launch of the Garmin FR60 sportwatch (read: No GPS in there) that ups the ante from the Garmin Forerunner 50 watch that first brought the Garmin name to an entry level sports watch product. Fashioned after the Garmin Forerunner 405, the new FR60 has a sleek body, and is packed with some features that will allow it to compete well in the sports watch category.

Two versions will be offered: The Black FR60 sportwatch will come with a heart rate monitor (HRM), and footpod (The men’s version in red and the woman’s version in lilac include just the HRM), which offers a wireless connection to monitor the number of paces you have taken in your workout. The HRM is of course wireless too. The beauty of the unit is that the wireless capabilities run over Garmin’s proprietary ANT+ system that offers short range low power consumption communication. They are including the ANT+ Stick that is a USB dongle/stick thing that you plug into your computer and when you want, you can wirelessly sync the Garmin FR60.

The Garmin FR60 in Black – with footpod and Heart rate Monitor will list for $199, while the Red or Lilac versions – with the heart rate monitor only will retail for $129. The Garmin FR60 will be available this spring.

The wireless features of the FR60 are enabled by ANT+ personal area network technology. ANT+ is a leading wireless interface protocol enabling ultra low power applications like fitness monitors. ANT+ offers all the benefits of digital wireless communications with much lower power consumption than other wireless protocols. The men’s version of the FR60 weighs just 44 grams, the women’s model weighs 41 grams, and each has a user-replaceable battery with a one-year life.