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Navigadget: TwoNav Aventura is a new handheld GPS navigation device that is quite different than most other handhelds out there. It can accept any kind of maps, provided you are capable of creating vector maps and raster imagery. You can even scan your own according to gpstracklog and calibrate it to use on TwoNav Aventura.

Another feature of TwoNav Aventura (perhaps where the “two” is coming from) is that it can also act as a GPS navigation system for your vehicle, giving you door to directions.

Apparently it is being released in Europe this June for 650 Euros [...].

Here are some specs:
* Li-Ion battery
* Battery slot can be replace with 3AA battery slot
* Up to 20 hours battery life
* electronic compass
* barometric altimeter
* rainproof
* SiRFStar III GPS chip

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Gizmag: Could the end be nigh for plasma and LCD screens? Seiko Epson has recently announced a further development in ink-jet technology, which does away with some of the problems still dogging the much-vaunted organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display technology. In particular, Seiko Epson has signaled it is moving toward a 37-inch HD OLED screen by creating a uniform deposit of organic material while removing the uneven layering of the ink-jet method.

To date, OLED technology has been used for smaller-scale screens, due to an inability to reliably form uniform organic layers on larger panels or substrates, as they are known. Until recently the most widely used process for depositing organic materials was vacuum thermal evaporation (VTE). This method, however, is fraught with technical complications and is one of the main reasons that mass production has been hindered.

Read more at Gizmag 

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Futuremusic: Run to your browser and pick up these puppies for your favorite Dachshund and iPod lover. Although the sound quality most likely will come up wanting, is there no better way to say “I love you” – we think not…

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Electronista: Nokia’s long-in-progress sequel to the N800 series tablet may largely be a more advanced version of the N97 smartphone, a leak on Monday hints. Possibly called the N900, MobileCrunch claims it would have a 3.5-inch touchscreen and a slide out (if non-tilting) QWERTY keyboard but would carry a much sharper 800×480 resolution, a faster TI OMAP processor and 1GB of memory thanks to a 768MB virtual memory cache.

It would run the Linux-based Maemo OS instead of Symbian. Many of its other features would also remain familiar, including the combination of 32GB of internal storage and a 5-megapixel camera with dual LED flash, but it would gain new features in software thanks in part to the faster hardware. It would be capable of capturing 800×480 video and would run Firefox as its browser, including with full Flash support. Despite the form factor, it would still have GSM, EDGE and HSPA-based 3G and could make cellular calls as well as using the access for data.

If accurate, the N900 would ship as early as July for Asia, the Middle East and T-Mobile’s worldwide divisions; T-Mobile USA would get the tablet with native 3G in August or September, and the rest of Europe would have access in October.

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Anythingbutipod: Those that know me know that my MP3 player has more podcasts and audiobooks on it than music. I’m out and about a few hours a day and have a job on the side of the studies which is more or less a muscle memory job. Listening to the same music over and over would drive me crazy, so some years ago I started using podcasts and audiobooks to keep myself entertained instead.

When it comes to getting audiobooks, you have several options, from libraries to audiobook services online. Then you have to select a player – if you want Audible support, you need a player that can support it and so on. Then there are players which have special audiobook sections that give you extra options regardless of what format the book is in, while others treat audiobooks as music. Read on for a guide on how to get started with audiobooks.

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Gizmag: Mobile phones and the beach are generally not a great mix, but for anyone looking to stay in touch while soaking up the rays there are a few more details filtering through regarding Sharp’s waterproof, solar-powered phone. [...]. There’s no word on if or when the phone will be released outside Japan.

The new phone will claim a world’s first in being the first waterproof phone to embed a solar panel into its lid. The solar panel can charge up to 80% of the battery’s capacity and can draw enough power from ten minutes of direct sunlight for a one-minute call, or two hours of standby time. Other details about the Solar Ketai are thin on the ground. Going by the picture it won’t be a touchscreen model like Samsung’s previously announced Blue Earth solar powered offering, but with still no release date set for the Blue Earth, it could beat its solar-powered competitor to market.

The Solar Ketai by Sharp is expected to be priced somewhere in range of 40,000 to 60,000 yen, (approx. 300-450 euro) and will be released in June through Japan’s KDDI – just in time for summer.

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Reuters: Nokia on Monday began rolling out its much-anticipated online software and content store, Ovi Store, as it aims to follow the success of Apple’s App Store.Nokia said it had started moving Ovi Store to production servers, preparing for the global commercial launch, and the store was opened to users of a few of its phone models in Australia and Singapore on Monday.

Nokia has promised to open the store globally this week.

To cope with slowing phone demand Nokia is building a new business from mobile Internet services — like games or maps — but is scaling back separate investment plans due to the slowdown, and focusing on merging the delivery of services.

Nokia, which made its first ever quarterly pretax loss in January-March, is cutting annual costs at its key handset unit alone by more than 700 million euros ($979.7 million) to counter plunging demand.

The Apple App Store has proved extremely popular, with one billion applications downloaded in less than a year, and operators and technology firms including Vodafone Nokia, and Microsoft now want a piece of the pie.

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Electronista: Digital map and dynamic content creator Tele Atlas on Wednesday announced it will soon offer 3D, photorealistic images of major European city centers called Advanced City Models.

Meant for in-car and portable navigation systems, the highly detailed images match the actual surroundings and help users find locations and services.

The images were developed in conjunction with Norway-based BLOM, which provided Tele Atlas with aerial imagery of the city centers. With its Advanced City Models, Tele Atlas is hoping users will find navigation experience improved, as it will be easier to recognize city centers, buildings and landmarks through a simple glance and regardless of whether they’re driving or on foot.

By June, Tele Atlas will make 40 major European cities available and add more in quarterly releases. Sometime in 2010, Tele Atlas is expecting to have hundreds of cities mapped, including those from North America and Asia Pacific regions.

Tele Atlas has been providing 3D maps for Mio and Pioneer GPS units, as well as Sony’s PSP, since 2006.

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DigiTimes: Around 1.4 million LCD TVs were sold during the three-day May Day holiday in China, up 75% on year, with local vendors dominating sales, according to industry sources in China.

Sharp was the only international brand that made it to the top-five ranking for the three-day sales, which the Japanese vendor shared 12%, the sources noted. The rest of the top-five were all China-based vendors:

1. Hisense with 14%,
2. TCL with 12%,
3. Skyworth with 11%, and
4. Konka with 10%.

In terms of screen sizes, 32-inch was the most popular with 33% of the May Day LCD TV sales, followed by 42-inch with 19%, 46-inch with 10%, and 37-inch with 9%, the sources added

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Fox News: Mismanagement and underinvestment by the U.S. Air Force could possibly lead to the failure and blackout of the Global Positioning System (GPS), a federal watchdog agency says.

The risk of failure starts in 2010, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report quoted by PC World. The failure would impact not only military operations, but also the millions of people and businesses who rely on the satellite-based navigation systems built into cars, boats and cell phones.

“If the Air Force does not meet its schedule goals for development of GPS IIIA satellites, there will be an increased likelihood that in 2010, as old satellites begin to fail, the overall GPS constellation will fall below the number of satellites required to provide the level of GPS service that the U.S. government commits to,” the GAO report states.

The report says the Air Force has struggled to build successful GPS satellites within cost and on schedule.

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EngadgetHD: Count the Blu-ray Disc Association as the latest to jump on the 3D standards bandwagon, announcing the formation of a task force to create a universal 3D home entertainment spec.

It’s already been said that Blu-ray will be a great delivery mechanism for 3D, but without a standard, even incredible productions like Coraline come home in anaglyph 3D instead of the stereoscopic 3D format that more HDTV sets are beginning to support. We won’t even begin to wonder who they will back, there’s not even a timetable for meetings yet but hopefully all this gets worked out sooner rather than later so we can enjoy our Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience at home, the same way we did in the theater (3 times, it was fantastic.)

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CEPro: Panasonic, the world’s largest plasma TV maker, lost $4 billion in its fiscal year ended March 31, the company’s first loss in seven years.

Like most other Japanese electronics makers in the red (see Sony, Pioneer, Toshiba), Panasonic is blaming the recession for its losses.

Panasonic had a record net loss of 444.3 billion yen for the January-March quarter, compared to a profit of 61.6 billion yen one year earlier. Last year, Panasonic posted a record net profit of 281.9 billion yen.

The Osaka-based company says business was down across all segments due to lower demand for flat-screen TVs, digital cameras, home appliances and semiconductors. Here are the sales numbers: Sales in its Digital AVC Networks unit fell 13 percent Home Appliance sales were down 9 percent Sales in its PEW and PanaHome business were down 9 percent

Overall, sales fell 14.4 percent to 7.77 trillion yen, while operating profit plunged 86 percent to 72.9 billion yen. Panasonic expects business to drop another 10 percent this year for an estimated $2 billion loss by March 2010. Panasonic offered the following statement:

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