Logicom has launched its first connected PND underneath the Mappy brand, with MyLive Traffic®, full Coyote speed radar services along with a catalogue of other applications.

First distributed in Auchan, the devices may also be offered at Boulanger, Carrefour, Casino, Cdiscount, Pixmania and rueducommerce retail channels through the end of October.

For sale today for €199, these devices offers real-time traffic information from NAVTEQ, real-time speed camera information from Coyote Systems, parking availability from Oumegarer, business listings from PagesJaunes (in addition to PageBlanches personal listings) and worldwide weather data from CustomWeather.

However, because the PND is made about the MCT2. Open Telematics OS from Cellular devices, more applications could be added later.

“Demonstrating how the PND is definitely an open platform for services was extremely important within the strategy of the launch” said Marylène Ozon, spokeswoman for Logicom.

Cyril Zeller, VP of Marketing and advertising at Mobile Devices , commented: “This latest connected PND launch shows how you can the next where all connected PNDs depends with an open OS, enabling these phones add services on the run. Currently, Mobile Devices’ option would be the only real viable environment to create that happen.”

Despite being €100 cheaper than its direct competitors, the Ulti 590 packs in additional unique features.

Mappy’s new connected PND includes Mobile Devices’ MyLive Traffic®, which enables live, personal route calculation and traffic jam alerts. The service uses NAVTEQ’s live and historical traffic data feeds within the route calculation. After that it alerts the motive force if the event happens on his route.

The Mappy Ulti 590 also includes:

* The entire PageJaune and PagesBlances services, with use of a regular updated database of 5.two million professionals and 25 million individuals in France.

Mappy Ulti 590

* Use of Oumegarer, the only real parking database in France to possess indexed a lot more than 90% from the car parks – some with tariff info, reservation systems, car size info and live availability data.

* CustomWeather services, giving motorists use of the most recent weather information to assist them to arrange for any hazardous driving conditions, including snow, sleet, freezing rain, fog, and high winds. The information includes current visibility updated every half an hour, detailed 48-hour weather forecasts in addition to extended 7-day forecasts and astronomy reports.

Built about the Open Telematics OS form, Mobile Devices  enables the PND to become available to other 3rd party applications and helps to ensure that each service is integrated perfectly using the navigation function and also the other applications. Consequently, a route calculation with live traffic information could be initiated from the Phone book google listing.

Cellular devices delivers a number one open telematics OS and it is SDK for an array of devices and solutions targeting both consumer and fleet markets and enabling a marketplace for telematics services. Mobile Devices  is a leading provider of next generation connected navigation devices, smart displays, dongles and black boxes, all running via a single open telematics OS and cloud-based gateway solution. (http://www.mobile-devices.fr)

Mappy PNDs are caused by a unique partnership between Mappy and Logicom. Logicom, created in 1994, is really a specialist in neuro-scientific electronics and, more particularly, in telecommunication terminals. Logicom has supplied France Télécom since 1998, and it has been selected by Sanyo being its exclusive distributor of audio-visual products in France.

Andrew Eisner, director of content at Retrevo says, “We’re not sure if there are more people feeling lost and looking for direction or they just want to own one of the hottest digital lifestyle gadgets, but Retrevo is seeing lots of interest in everything GPS from cheap GPS devices to high-end GPS devices. There are some great GPS values this holiday season.”

Hot GPS Features This Season

Avoiding traffic jams is top on every commuters list this year. Real time traffic information often requires an extra device to receive the data sent on FM, cellular, or satellite signals. You’ll also often have to pay a monthly, annual, or lifetime fee. MSN Direct, bundled with some units like the Garmin nuvi 680 is available for 120 cities and not only gives you traffic info but adds gas prices, weather, and movie times. Some GPS devices like the Navigon 7100 include free lifetime traffic.

Text-to-speech (TTS) lets the GPS device give you audible street names, directions, and points of interest (POI) information. This feature is sometimes called spoken street names and is pretty standard in most high-end devices. The Navigon 2100 is a new low price GPS device that offers TTS.

Great GPS Gift Ideas

The Garmin Forerunner 205 is a GPS device that you wear like a wristwatch. It tells you how far you ran and how long it took. Serious runners rave about this GPS device. You can buy the Garmin Forerunner 205 for around $180. The older Garmin Forerunner 201 which reviewers don’t like as much as the 205 can be purchased for around $120 or you can buy the higher end Garmin Forerunner 305 that adds a heart rate monitor for around $220.

The Garmin eTrex family that includes very small, portable, and waterproof handheld GPS devices make great companions for outdoor activities. They come with WAAS accuracy enhancement technology and run for many hours on AA batteries. The basic Garmin eTrex sells for around $100. The GARMIN ETREX LEGEND sells for under $200 and offers 36 hour battery life and a color display.

Black Friday Hot Sellers You Can Still Buy

Retrevo looked at what happened in the world of GPS devices on Black Friday and found there are still plenty of good values out there. Here are a few:

The TomTom One LE was a doorbuster at Best Buy for $119. It has a 3.5 inch display, Bluetooth, an SD card expansion slot, and comes with a windshield mount which are illegal in California and Minnesota. You can currently buy the TomTom One LE at Best Buy for $149.

The Navigon 2100 has an MSRP of $249 but they were gobbled up on Black Friday at Staples for $99. Staples had the Navigon 2100T the T is for traffic and was included in the price. You can currently purchase the 2100 now for a little over $200. The Navigon 2100 is part of a Navigon GPS family that just started selling in the U.S that includes The Navigon 2100, Navigon 5100, and Navigon 7100. The 2100 and 5100 have a 3.5 inch screen while the 7100 is a widescreen device. Traffic is included free in the 5100 and 7100. The 2100 gets good marks for industrial design and flash-like graphics but there are concerns about icon and font readability and data entry.

The Mio c230, featuring text to voice was on sale at Radio Shack for $149. You can get this basic 3.5 inch screen GPS that offers Text-to-Speech functionality and gets high marks for performance and ease of use for well under $200.