Dual Electronics has updated their site promising that the XGPS300 Navigation Cradle for the iPod Touch, originally expected in November ‘09, will be shipping later this February. The cradle offers GPS support for all models of the iPod Touch and comes bundled with a Windshield Mount kit and the NavAtlas App all for the price of $179.99. While some critics have taken aim at the price point claiming it to be too steep for a consumer who might as well buy a dedicated standalone GPS unit, there are some features of this that might make the expense a little easier to swallow.
Adding significant value to the deal is the battery pack portion of the cradle which can be switched on and off as necessary. Whether it be to keep the GPS from draining all of the touch’s power or simply as a power boost to keep the it kicking, the XGPS300 is capable of doubling its battery life. Battery pack cases alone usually cost between $60-$100, not to mention that this also means you’re not tethered to your car. Unlike many other standalone GPS units, which get all of their power from the cigarette lighter, this one can be taken hiking, biking, swimming…well maybe not swimming, but you get the idea. Continue reading GPS for an iPod Touch, Coming in February »
Okay, so you have an iPhone .. and although nice, you’re getting pretty tied of playing the same old style RPGs and puzzle games. How about something a little more left field, like Glu Mobile’s new project called 1000 Find Em All. Explained in detail by Chris White, head of the studio, the game’s concept is simple. Your goal is to find and build a collection up consisting of 1000 highly weird and wonderful ‘things’. You start off in a grey, dark and lifeless world but as you guide your character around this world it will gradually bring colour and life to the objects and places around you.
Now for the fun part. Glu Mobile dropped 1000 virtual objects both in the real world and in-game, so it probably won’t be surprising to hear that you can actually play ‘1000 Find Em All’ without the need for GPS. There are three ways you can join in on the fun – the first being over GPS! Activating GPS in-game will instantly show you a map of your current surroundings and gifts available for pickup. To pick-up a gift you simply walk over it. Gifts you pick up are then stored in your virtual library within the game.
Some iPod touch users though may not have GPS, and therefore Glu have built the game to work in two other modes too. The first is in-game. Even when you’re not connected to GPS, 1000 Find Em All provides a huge virtual world for you to explore and navigate, in an attempt to find these 1000 objects.
The last mode in the game is one which surprised me. Not by it being there, but how it will work. In Wi-Fi mode the game will pick up all the Wi-Fi hotspots around you and turn them into game characters. These are called ‘Gifters’ and become sources to collect gifts. With no release date or price mentioned by Glu, 1000 Find Em All looks to be a cool take on usual bog-standard gaming experience targeting the iPhone and iPod touch .. one I personally can’t wait to play!
The iPod Touch is sometimes considered the iPhone’s “baby brother” of sorts. While it’s matured into a formidable device, there are still a few things that us iPod Touch users don’t have: a camera, for example, and an always-on cell connection with GPS. Location Services on the iPhone are a cinch thanks to GPS. But what about iPod Touch users? Location Services can be incredibly useful, but there’s nothing more frustrating than clicking “deny” every time an app requests to use your location in order to avoid a long, fruitless search. Well, it turns out that iPod users haven’t been left out of the loop…not quite.
If you’re one of the lucky ones, your iPod’s Location Services will work the instant you connect to a WiFi network, like they’re supposed to. But for the many of us, that nasty “Location cannot be determined” pop-up is a constant reminder of our device’s limits. So why does this work for some people, and not for others? It all depends on where you live and what wireless networks your device finds. For example, my iPod’s Location Services were absolutely useless at home, but when I drove two hours to the Apple Store to have them look at it (hey, I had other shopping to do, too!), suddenly there wasn’t a problem.
The reason for the discrepancy is that the iPod relies on Skyhook for location information. Don’t be surprised if you’ve never heard of it; the Apple “Geniuses” hadn’t, either. Skyhook is essentially a database of known WiFi points and their addresses that supplies the technology behind non-GPS Location Services on the iDevices. (See the “how it works” page.) Here’s the catch, though: if your WiFi access point isn’t registered with Skyhook, Location Services simply won’t work. Skyhook’s coverage is far from comprehensive, focusing primarily on urban areas, so this isn’t exactly an uncommon problem.
To remedy the situation, you can register your router on their website by entering your email address, your physical address, and your router’s MAC address. Instructions for finding your MAC address are available on their website, and after submitting the information it takes 1-3 weeks for Location Services to work.
And that’s it! So, if you were wondering why Location Services just won’t work on your iPod…here’s the likely answer.
Let us know if you’ve had a similar experience, and/or if this works for you. As for me, I’ll be enjoying my newfound ability to, you know, use Maps. What a relief!
Fed up with your two random friends on Loopt knowing where you are but your hundreds of Facebook friends not having a clue? Well have a look at Map Social and you may have just found the answer to your problems.
Last week, I worked my way through all of the currently available iPhone on-board GPS applications. I stuck with just the applications that held all of the maps on-board — meaning that you didn’t need to have a network connection to use the maps or routing. CoPilot came out as our winner as it has the best features, though some very confusing, for it’s price.
But we thought it would be a good idea to do a re-cap and compare all 5 of the GPS I looked at last week and include the first iPhone GPS application, G-Map.
iGo My Way 2009 is yet another contender in the search for the best on-device GPS application for the iPhone. Features a very non-iPhone interface that while lacking in extra features is quick and has a solid base. It’s just not iPhone ready yet.
TomTom first announced their GPS app at the 2009 WWDC in June. Hotly anticipated, it’s finally here. But, it came in at the most expensive option available. $100 seems to be a lot for an app these days. Is it worth it?
Navigon is considered by many to be the current king of on-device GPS applications for the iPhone. While it’s not without it’s faults, it turns out to be a really good GPS app.
E3 was definitely an exciting event, but there was nothing that promoted the uniqueness of the iPhone quite like Seek ‘n Spell. Due to the lack of meeting space at E3, we decided that it would be best to take the game out to its intended play area, the great outdoors (aka, outside the convention center).
The goal of Seek ‘n Spell is to spell out a word with letters that are virtually hidden all around you. After you have found a nice, open area, the game starts by scattering a bunch of letters across your iPhone map. Using GPS technology, you run around the field in an attempt to make as many words as possible. In our attempt at a game, Jeff and I faced off in a battle to the death. The rules were simple… the first one to spell a word wins. Due to time constraints and bizarre LA rain, we were forced to play a short match. My attempt at glory was quickly thwarted by Jeff, spelling something dumb like “WIN”. Apparently trying to spell “antidisestablishmentarianism” right off the bat wasn’t a smart move. Such is life.
Although I lost, I had a blast nimbly jumping over concrete barriers to quickly grab the 25+ tiles I needed for my word (I only got 3). Apparently I’m not the only one that has had fun with the game in the last few weeks… COAP 2009 (Come Out And Play) awarded Seek ‘n Spell with the “Best Use of Technology” award, which it definitely deserves.
Be sure to check out Seek ‘n Spell in the App Store, and if you like it, join up with the Retronym team in San Fran for one of their soon to be legendary Seek ‘n Spell meetups.
Seek ’n Spell
Category: Games / Word Released: 2009-04-22 Price: $2.99
At a fraction of the price of its console version, CAPCOM’S iPhone port of Street Fighter IV features beautiful graphics and visceral game play. The iPhone version is very impressive and remains loyal to the franchise, but its game play, while solid, does slightly suffer from the virtual-control scheme, but not enough to negatively affect overall game play/value.
Dual Electronics has updated their site promising that the XGPS300 Navigation Cradle for the iPod Touch, originally expected in November ‘09, will be shipping later this February. The cradle offers GPS support for all models of the iPod Touch and comes bundled with a Windshield Mount kit and the NavAtlas App all for the price of $179.99. While some critics have taken aim at the price point claiming it to be too steep for a consumer who might as well buy a dedicated standalone GPS unit, there are some features of this that might make the expense a little easier to swallow. 
The iPod Touch is sometimes considered the iPhone’s “baby brother” of sorts. While it’s matured into a formidable device, there are still a few things that us iPod Touch users don’t have: a camera, for example, and an always-on cell connection with GPS. Location Services on the iPhone are a cinch thanks to GPS. But what about iPod Touch users? Location Services can be incredibly useful, but there’s nothing more frustrating than clicking “deny” every time an app requests to use your location in order to avoid a long, fruitless search. Well, it turns out that iPod users haven’t been left out of the loop…not quite.
The reason for the discrepancy is that the iPod relies on Skyhook for location information. Don’t be surprised if you’ve never heard of it; the Apple “Geniuses” hadn’t, either. Skyhook is essentially a database of known WiFi points and their addresses that supplies the technology behind non-GPS Location Services on the iDevices. (
- VERY USEFUL
- IMPRESSIVE
The goal of Seek ‘n Spell is to spell out a word with letters that are virtually hidden all around you. After you have found a nice, open area, the game starts by scattering a bunch of letters across your iPhone map. Using GPS technology, you run around the field in an attempt to make as many words as possible. In our attempt at a game, Jeff and I faced off in a battle to the death. The rules were simple… the first one to spell a word wins. Due to time constraints and bizarre LA rain, we were forced to play a short match. My attempt at glory was quickly thwarted by Jeff, spelling something dumb like “WIN”. Apparently trying to spell “antidisestablishmentarianism” right off the bat wasn’t a smart move. Such is life.
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