GPS Navigation Gets Smarter

LAS VEGAS  -- The GPS gold rush is in full swing at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show, with industry veterans introducing increasingly sophisticated navigation systems while newcomers try to get a foot in the door.

New PNDs (personal navigation devices) are adding features ranging from real-time information feeds (such as data on gas prices at nearby stations) to 3D maps (Tele Atlas technology in Mio Technology's C620) to speech recognition for hands-free operation (Garmin's Nuvi 880). Newcomers abound, and a couple of prototype systems integrate support for hands-free phone calls.

Let Me Tell You Where I'm Going

GPS giant Garmin brought a range of new and updated navigation products to CES, including the not-yet-released $1000 Nuvi 880, whose sophisticated speech recognition technology permits completely hands-free operation.

The Nuvi 880 and the Nuvi 780 (which doesn't support hands-free operation) models are among several navigation systems that give users the option of augmenting the usual maps, directions, and point-of-interest data with real-time downloadable traffic alerts, news, stock quotes, movie listings, and gas prices from Microsoft Direct, a service slated to cost $50 a year or a flat one-time charge of $130 after a three-month free trial.

The service will integrate with Windows Live, too, so you can upload travel plans and destinations to your PND, without having to type them in to the device. Hewlett-Packard offers users of its iPaq Travel Companions a similar service through its new iPaq Navigate Web site, which also has community features and reviews.

TomTom, another popular PND maker, announced that it has added fuel prices to its companion TomTom Plus traffic and data service.

Dash, which last month began accepting prerelease orders for its Internet-connected GPS, has a big presence at the show. The company touts its devices as delivering the benefits of two-way communications: You get traffic and other information, and at the same time your device (anonymously) sends Dash information about your location and driving speed, which the service intends to use to generate better real-time traffic updates--once a critical mass of users is reached.