GPS Gets Smarter, Cheaper, Sleeker

Las Vegas -- Navigating the acres of exhibit floor at this week's Consumer Electronics Show here should be as easy as driving across country with one of the current crop of GPS devices, several of which were announced today by such vendors as TomTom, Mio Technology, Cobra, and Alpine. But stealing at least some of their thunder is a new $199 in-car GPS from ViaMichelin that redefines the entry level for the category.

Take a look at some of the new GPS devices in a video that PC World shot on the CES show floor.

TomTom Goes to Work

A new service introduced today by TomTom lets small and midsize companies communicate with in-vehicle GPS devices to coordinate tracking and management. TomTom Work, www.tomtomwork.com, combines a GPRS-equipped box installed in the vehicle, the company's GO 910 or 510 in-car GPS, and the TomTom WebFleet browser-based application to create a vehicle tracking and management system that scales from as few as a handful of vehicles to dozens or even hundreds, according to the company. The service is currently available only in Europe; U.S. availability and pricing have not yet been announced.

Cobra Shrinks Its Traffic-Equipped NAV ONE

One of the first in-car GPS devices to integrate traffic information received via FM radio was Cobra Electronics' $1000 NAV ONE 4500, which debuted early last year. The company's new NAV ONE 2100, which will be available this May, features the same 3.5-inch screen as its predecessor, but it is lighter and takes up less space. And Cobra claims the device can operate in temperature ranges of 4 degrees to 158 degrees Fahrenheit, which are extremes that would freeze/fry most other GPSs. The NAV ONE 2100 will retail for $350; the traffic option is an additional $100, plus a $60 annual subscription fee.

Sub-$200 Standalone GPS Arrives from ViaMichelin

In North America Michelin is known primarily as a tire company, but in its home continent of Europe, the Michelin name is tied to maps, hotel and restaurant reviews, and a range of other travel services, including a MapQuest-like Web service for finding driving directions from place to place. Now the new ViaMichelin offshoot has introduced the X-930, a basic in-car GPS device that at $199 retail is priced $100 lower than other similarly equipped entry-level navigators.

Mio GPSs Play Tunes When You're Not Navigating

Two new GPS products from Mio Technology combine a bright screen, compact size, and long battery life with a build-in media player that lets you listen to audio files via headphone or through the devices' own speaker, or play MPEG4 videos. The DigiWalker C250 and C520, which are scheduled to ship in the first half of the year, have 3.5- and 4.3-inch screens respectively. The C520 adds support for Bluetooth connectivity for placing and receiving cell phone calls.

Alpine Enhances GPS That Connects to Your Car's Stereo

This spring Alpine Electronics will release its second dash-mounted GPS device, the Blackbird PMD-B200, that features a built-in tuner for receiving traffic information, just as its predecessor the Blackbird PMD-B100 does (90 days of traffic data free, and $60 a year after that). Both models also let you hear driving directions (or play audio files via an SD memory card) through your car's stereo, but the B200 includes a Bluetooth link. The Blackbird PMD-B100 costs $500 without the annual traffic subscription; the price of the PMD-B200 has not yet been announced.