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Navigadget: Nokia just announced that its mapping and navigation platform smart2go would be free for all. The platform is a hybrid map solution combining map data from Tele-Atlas and Navteq which can be downloaded directly via wireless network (e.g. GPRS/3G/WLAN) and stored on the devices memory card as needed.

So you’ll be able to download all the maps for free but if you want a full fledged turn-by-turn navigation system you’ll have to upgrade and buy a licence. These licenses will be available in various terms, from a week to 3 years.

The free downloads will be available starting today. We have no information on the pricing yet but the sample images give us a clue:

Perhaps 7.99€ per week? Oh by the way, you’ll probably need a bluetooth GPS receiver if your mobile device doesn’t have one.

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Gizmodo: If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck it must be a duck, right? Not necessarily. Samsung has announced one diddy of a new smartphone, the F700. This phone is part of Samsung’s Ultrasmart series of phones and carries the fullscreen touch-screen interface that is becoming very popular as of late.Samsung is also trying to one up its competitor with one specific feature… a slide out full-QWERTY keyboard. From the pictures here it seems that the addition of a slide-out keyboard didn’t make the phone necessarily bulky like other QWERTY-sliders have.

Other features include 7.2 Mbps HSDPA, 5-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, 2.78-inch touchscreen display, pretty Samsung interface (designed by Adobe) and the usual slew of media features like a video and music player. I’m not going to lie, this little diddy catches my eye more than that other thing out there.

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Navigadget: The Acer P630 we announced back in September 2006 are finally showing up at online stores in Europe prices ranging from €290 to €375.The P630 comes from the P600 series which contains slim and portable navigation devices that integrate a bright 4-inch display, which is great for navigation, viewing photos and listening to audio files.

For navigation the Acer P630 relies on the SiRF Star III GPS receiver for signal acquisition and ALK’s CoPilot 6 for software. The maps are provided by Navteq.

This is not your entry level system, so you are also getting a hands free bluetooth capability letting you use the speaker and the microphone of P630 for your phone conversations. Using the SD card slot you can bring your audio files and listen to them while navigating.

–Device Features–

• 400Mhz Processor
• Bluetooth for Handsfree calling
• 4″ Wide clear display
• SD Expansion Slot
• CoPilot Live 6 Software with latest Navteq maps of UK and Western Europe

–CoPilot Features–

• Maps of UK and Western Europe, down to street level
• Address manager
• POI (Point of Interest)
• Favorites
• Recent location
• Car mode/walking mode
• Trip planner
• Avoid routes

Included in the box are Mini-USB sync cable, car charger, car mount kit, AC adaptor, pouch, SD card with preload Map of UK and Europe and a CD Set (Acer Companion CD / Navigation software CD).

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Navigadget: Back at CES2007 Navigon was also promoting a new GPS navigation system called P9611, a colloboration between Navigon and Porsche. This system uses Navigon’s MobileNavigator Premium software which in our opinion looks better than any of the Garmin interfaces.

The hardware on the P9611 is also pretty impressive. It features a 4.3″ screen, bluetooth hands free communication support, 1400mAh Li-Ion battery. (…)

AE: the Navigon Porsche P9611 should be available for Europe in Spring 2007.

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T3: If you’re disappointed with the Microsoft Zune’s slightly fussy restricted music sharing, it might be worth checking out the Blu-Sens G14. This little-known Spanish mini media player lets you share as many files as you like wirelessly via Bluetooth and WiFi.

The compact player is compatible with MP3, WMA and OGG audio files, as well as JPEG photos and MPEG4 videos, including DivX-encoded stuff, which you can gawp at on the 2-inch screen. There’s an FM tuner too.

It’ll be launched in 1GB and 2GB editions, probably priced at around £120 (180 euro) and £150 (225 euro) respectively, but as with the Zune, there’s no word as yet on a UK launch.

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Gizmodo: Instead of designing this like traditional wireless iPod docks where you place your iPod in a dock and use a clumsy remote to control the music, Belkin’s iPod dock adapter lets you use your iPod itself as a remote. Ingenious? Definitely.The Dock adapter comes in two pieces, one for your iPod and one for your iPod dock. It uses Bluetooth to mimic an actual dock and stream commands and music from your iPod to the dock. Much better than trying to read the tiny screen from across the room.

The dock adapter launches in March for $129 (about 100 euro).

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Electronista: German Bluetooth specialists ANYCOM have announced the FIPO, an upcoming bridge device for iPod docks. Instead of enabling iPod content to be played elsewhere, as one might expect, the FIPO actually permits any Bluetooth-enabled music player — including a cellphone — to stream audio through the dock.

Once paired, the player and the FIPO can then exchange control commands, such as play, pause and track skip. This works both ways, such that buttons on a car stereo, for instance, can change tracks on a phone. The FIPO will begin production for Europe and the US on February 15th and cost about $99 (76 euro).

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MobilitySite: Famous surfing apparrel maker Quicksilver has recently announced a range of clothing items supporting Bluetooth and iPod.

The line-up includes:

• Quiksilver Double Daffy Snow Jacket featuring Plantronics stereo sound and voice technology with Bluetooth: The jacket is part of Quiksilver’s Limited Edition Outerwear Collection and is both iPod and cell phone ready.

• Quiksilver Pulse Helmet featuring Plantronics stereo sound and voice technology with Bluetooth: The lightweight helmet, constructed from injected ABS, has adjustable side vents and comes in a black camo print.

• Roxy Teen Angel Snow Jacket featuring Plantronics stereo sound and voice technology with Bluetooth: iPod and cell phone ready.

• Roxy Shiver Helmet featuring Plantronics stereo sound and voice technology with Bluetooth.

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Engadget: Germany manufacturer Peiker has released a new connection device, which they claim to be the “world’s first” system to integrate handsfree calling and music into your car’s stereo.

The device is meant to be “professionally installed” into your car’s stereo system, and allows you to converse wirelessly on your Bluetooth-enabled phone, stream tunes from your A2DP-enabled device, listen to your iPod via an optional cable, or connect any music device via a 3.5-millimeter aux input.

The diminutive device touts an intuitive-looking menu with oversized buttons to navigate from music to your address book and everywhere in between, but interestingly enough the “handsfree” aspect becomes somewhat laughable when many functions need a few button presses to get things in order.

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Australian IT: British microchip designer CSR plans to make an all-in-one GPS and Bluetooth chip for mobile gadgets.

CSR chief executive John Scarisbrick told reporters the super-sensitive technology would be far more effective than traditional GPS and could be used indoors.

The chips would also drain less power and be cheaper for handset makers than having two separate chips in their devices.

The benefit comes from loading software for the two technologies onto a separate chip and making the one processor do all the work.

It is also likely to open up new a host of new uses for phones and mobile gadgets such as allowing worried parents to track children and giving emergency services a way of locating casualties.

Mr Scarisbrick said its combined GPS and Bluetooth chip would cost manufacturers an extra $US1 per chip as opposed to around $US5-$US10 for a standalone GPS chip.

He said mobile handset makers had already expressed interest.

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Engadget: Here is Clarion’s new “semiconductor car stereo”; an in-car stereo with “no moving parts,” which means you won’t find an optical drive or HDD in here.

The single-DIN FB275BT instead receives music care of the SD slot (unfortunately, no SDHC support was mentioned) behind the front white panel or over Bluetooth, and pumps out the tunes with its 50-watt x 4 internal amplifier.

Aside from also boasting handsfree connectivity with your mobile, it features an FM tuner (no AM), two-line LCD display, rear auxiliary input for your DAP of choice, two-channel RCA output, and a modest assortment of equalizer / bass boost presets.

The faceplate boasts eight large, curved buttons as a part of Clarion’s HMI (Human Machine Interface), which reportedly seeks to “minimizes the number of buttons while maximizing functionality,” and plenty of indirect lighting. Retail is around €190.

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DotGizmo: Garmin has released a software download, which will allow many of their sat nav products to link to your Bluetooth mobile and read out any text messages you receive whilst you’re on the road.

It’s completely free, works with the nüvi 660, 360 and 360T as well as the StreetPilot c550 and comes on top of the other stuff they have, like an MP3 and audio book player, JPEG picture viewer, travel alarm and currency converter.

There’s also additional language packs for when you’re abroad, making it oh so much more than a sat nav.

The free download is available from Garmin’s support site at www.garmin.com/support/, and a list of compatible mobile phones can be viewed at www.garmin.com/bluetooth/phones.jsp.

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