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NaviGadget: Toyota and TomTom have been working together in Europe as it can be seen with the Toyota Yaris SR, and just today they announced a partnership in Australia announcing a portable GPS navigation system that fits into your vehicle’s dashboard.

It is called FollowMe navigation unit and it also takes care of the audio in your vehicle.

When in portable mode the TomTom device can be used in other vehicles or even in pedestrian mode. FollowMe gets traffic updates from Suna Traffic Monitoring Services to help you battle with traffic, has bluetooth connectivity to pair up with your phone, and it can even read your text messages out loud. Now that’s a life saver.

TomTom FollowMe has a 3.5″ screen, and it can even hook up to rear view camera if you opt-in. FollowMe’s motorized tilting front panel can be adjusted up to 30 degrees to reduce sun glare, and hides the CD slot. You’ve got an optional iPod connection kit (costs extra) that brings your GUI to the dash, and if you remove your navigator you can still use all the other functions of FollowMe.

FollowMe – which really resembles an Eclipse AVN2210p by the way – uses a built-in gyroscope and accelerometer that calculates vehicle speed and direction, even in tunnels where satellite signals generally drop out

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WhatCar?: The Modular ICE system features two seven-inch screens that fit to the back of the front headrests.

The master screen has a side-loading DVD slot and USB port, and can play MP3, MP4 and DivX files.

You can tilt and adjust both screens, and play videos or connect games consoles and cameras.

They can be used separately, too, with the master screen showing a DVD and the other linked to a games console.

Alternatively, buyers can pay to have two master screens, which can then show two films independently.

The screens are removable, and can be used indoors using mains power. Two sets of infra-red headphones and a remote control are also provided.

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eeTimes: Japan’s Sony Corp. and Toyota Industries Corp. have consolidated their two LCD joint ventures in an effort to cut costs.The firms announced an agreement to integrate management of their ST Liquid Crystal Display Corp. (STLCD) and ST Mobile Display Corp. (STMD) joint ventures.

Sony and Toyota will establish a new LCD company effective Dec. 1. When the new company is established, Sony’s share will be 86 percent and Toyota Industries 14 percent.

STLCD and STMD currently manufacture low-temperature polysilicon thin film transistor liquid crystal displays for mobile products. Sony and Toyota Industries established STLCD in October 1997, combining each company’s respective strengths in the production of LTPS-TFT-LCD panels. Responding to additional increases in demand, Sony and Toyota Industries established STMD in March 2005.

”With this management integration, the companies will unify manufacturing functions, and facilitate more efficient and responsive management operations with the aim of reinforcing business competitiveness,” according to the companies.

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Dutch sat nav firm TomTom said that its third-quarter net profit rose 24% to €73 million, after sales rose 41% to €353 million.

The company said that it shipped 1.2 million portable navigation devices in the quarter, up 119% from a year ago, as the market for its products continued to grow strongly.

TomTom said that it’s now expecting 2006 sales in a range of €1.3 billion to €1.4 billion, up from a prior estimate range of €1.1 billion to €1.3 billion.

TomTom expects a gross margin of at least 40% and an operating margin of above 20%.

In related news, TomTom have also signed an exclusive deal with Toyota to bundle their GO710 unit with new cars sold in Taiwan.

Source: MarketWatch

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