Here’s a roundup of a few additional points and information that have been released since the initial launch earlier this week.

Firstly, there are rumours that O2 are going to allow the iPhone 3G to be tethered to a laptop via Bluetooth, ie you can get access to the internet from the laptop via the iPhone. This is unconfirmed, and some people have indicated that the early iPhone 2.0 firmwares do not contain this functionality, so unless Apple pull something out of the hat at the last minute, this may not happen. Of course, many people argue that the iPhone has enough capability that you won’t want or need to use your laptop at all!

On the more positive, Unlimited WiFi will be available on the iPhone 3G at 9,500 hotspots covering both The Cloud and BT’s OpenZone network, which will be added in on 11th July, the iPhone launch date.

There’s no front facing camera, despite what a few people are claiming, so no 3G video calling.  Whether this was something that was dropped from the development to meet the timescales, or whether it was a purposeful decision (after all, how many of us make regular video calls, compared to voice calls…?) we’ll never know, but for now, there’s no capability.

There’s some questions over navigation apps, with some people claiming that companies like TomTom will not be able to release SatNav software because of a clause which prevents real-time navigation apps.  We believe that this clause relates to the use of the SDK to access the Google Maps data, which, of course, TomTom will not be using.  As such, we doubt this clause will prevent a wide raft of SatNav applications becoming available.

All in all, we suspect there will be a lot more news about the iPhone between now and a month’s time.

Maplin are selling a GPS Tracker, which offers the ability to record your location as you travel around.  It can record at a variety of differing levels, providing either greater accuracy, or a greater time period the logs are recorded for.  Unlike other units, it doesn’t support external media cards, so you are limited by the internal memory, but for most people it will still easily cover a day or two of photography.  It uses the Sirf Star III chipset for greater accuracy, measures 47 x 29 x 12mm and weighs only 21g.  It’s claimed to be compatible with Google Maps and Google Earth, and is water resistant.  For £39.99, it might well be worth a look for many budding photographers…

Thanks to Mark at Automated Home for the heads up.

After Nokia extended their map coverage into 9 new countries, NavNGo have announced they are about to release maps for Argentina, Brasil and Colombia.  In combination with their 3D mapping, they are trying very hard to compete with the established players, and if they can get their iPhone application we covered before released soon, they could become even more popular.

In contrast, within hours of Apple’s iPhone 3G launch yesterday, TomTom confirmed that they have their SatNav software working on the iPhone 3G, and plan to release it soon (although they have yet to announce an actual date).

Finally, here’s an interesting picture…

This appears to be (if it’s not fake) an iPhone running Navigon’s software, so it looks likely that all the major players are planning on iPhone solutions this year.

Navigon picture courtesy of Navigadget.

No, it’s not another update to the software, this time it’s the maps; Nokia have extended their coverage and have now got maps available for Venezuela, Jordan, Phillipines, South Korea, Vietnam, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, and Swaziland. These new maps are only available to the new Nokia Maps 2.0 client, so if you are still using the elder client, you won’t be able to access these maps.

Nokia have announced that if you are running the Map 2.0 beta version (ie from the Nokia Beta Labs website), then the support for satellite images within the program will finish soon. However, the solution is easy; upgrade to the full Nokia Maps 2.0 released version, and you will continue to be able to view satellite images.

Download the released version here.

Nokia Maps 2.0 has now been formally released by Nokia and is available for download from here. Although this adds little since the last beta version, all the beta versions have added lots more functionality than Nokia Maps 1.0. The main new features since 1.0 are improved car navigation and pedestrian modes, support for satellite images, much more local content, multimedia city guides, and a new user interface. Other features we should coming (as mentioned before) are near real time traffic information, and links into “Share with Ovi” for sharing POIs and routes.

One of the fixes that’s occurred between the first beta and the release is that UK 7 digit postcodes now work properly.  They’ve also added Network based positioning (similar to that used in Google Maps) for a rough location until the GPS can precisely locate you.  This works on most phones today, although the E90 will need a “software update” will should be released soon.

This all bodes well for Nokia, although they are still a little behind TomTom and Garmin with their feature range, and some people are still questioning their pricing model. It will be interesting to see how many current phones get new firmwares with this version installed by default..

Nokia have announced that Nokia Maps will link into their Ovi user content sharing platform. Maps on Ovi will allow users to plan their trips on their desktop and then synchronise (automatically or manually) this data to their smartphones. Also, users will be able to record routes and POIs whilst out travelling and upload them to Ovi to share them with their friends and family. Although not available now, Nokia hope to have this technology released around September time (missing most people’s Summer Holiday, but that might give them more time to iron out any bugs or issues before people come to rely upon it). More news over the coming months as and when we get it.

In the meantime, Nokia have recently updated the Nokia Maps 2.0 beta version, so if you are trying out the new software, we’d recommend getting the latest update.

Picture and some content courtesy of Crave.

Here’s the new HTC Touch Diamond. HTC have redesigned their TouchFlo interface, and hope that many users won’t even realise it’s Windows Mobile 6 underneath their interface. The specs are:

• Windows Mobile 6.1
• Triband GSM/GPRS/EDGE at 900/1800/1900 MHz
• Qualcomm 528 MHz CPU
• Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
• WiFi b/g
• eGPS
• FM Radio
• 128 MB RAM
• 256 MB ROM
• 4 GB flash
• 2.8″ VGA display(640×480)
• Front and rear cameras (rear 3.2 Megapixel)

O2 have confirmed they will be releasing the XDA Diamond. It’s also likely that the Touch Diamond will ship with TomTom Navigator 7, and a single downloadable City Map, with the ability to purchase further maps.

If you like the idea of a nice new interface, but already have a Windows Mobile device, or don’t want to buy a Touch Diamond, then head over to Pointui, who have produced their own interface for Windows Mobile, which may be a suitable candidate. Thanks to Mark at AutomatedHome for alerting us to this option.

Nokia have announced an agreement with ARC Transistance, the European network of automobile clubs, to provide near real time traffic data across Europe for the new Nokia Maps 2.0 software. This will allow Nokia Maps to take this data and dynamically reroute based on the traffic. ARC can provide data for 20 countries, and uses iTIS Holdings in the UK as it’s data provider. It’s not clear when this data will be available. No word on pricing yet, although we suspect it will be a similar amount that everyone charges…

TomTom have announced a range of new units over the last few weeks. Firstly, they have updated the TomTom RIDER motorcycle unit (now called RIDER 2), with MapShare, trip statistics, itinerary planning and Help Me! functionality. This functionality will also be available to existing RIDER units via a software update, and the new maps should be available in a month or two as well.

They have also announced two new ONE models, the TomTom ONE and ONE XL. These feature a new ultra slim form factor, large speaker and a unique mount solution. Known as EasyPort™, the new mount design allows it to be left attached to the device and folded against itself making it small enough to fit easily into a pocket or bag.

Some content and picture courtesy of PocketGPSWorld.

Over at Pocket GPS World, they’ve published a full and frank review of the SatMap Active 10. They’ve covered all aspects of the device, in fact the only additional “Con” we would add to the Pros and Cons is the overall cost, especially if you want a lot of OS maps on the device. Head over to read the review.

[Via Mapomatic]

This 8 megapixel is not unique, but certainly different from the standard camera you can buy. As well as the 3″ touchscreen on the rear, it includes a GPS module to record exactly where the picture was taken. The press release (pdf document) refers to their solution as a GPS Navigation solution, indicating the camera contains maps as well as the actual GPS hardware, but it’s not yet clear how good the maps are, nor which countries they will be providing mapping for. However, it’s certainly the sign of things to come, and we can expect many more cameras with GPS (or GPS addons) in the coming months.

Story and picture courtesy of NaviGadget.

There’s a nice review of Garmin’s Mobile XT over on Tracy and Matt’s Blog. The biggest drawback appears to be the fact that Garmin link the software to the serial number of the SD card, meaning you can’t move the software and maps to another larger card. Head over to read the review.

Thanks to Mark for the heads up.

Google have expanded their range of devices supported by dedicated Google Maps clients, and they now have a dedicate, native UIQ version, which is compatible with the Sony Ericsson phones with touch screens; P1, W960i, W950, M600, P990, and the Motorola Z8. Also compatible are the upcoming Sony Ericsson G700 and G900, as well as the Motorola Z10. It’s available now by pointing the browser on your UIQ phone to google.com/gmm and following the prompts.

The UK SatMap Active 10 GPS device, which offers a whole range of OS maps (at additional charge) has just received a fairly major software update. The new version, v1.15 features the following updates:

• A blue ‘You Are Here’ dot to distinguish current location from the red track dots.
• The ability to hide inactive routes to avoid ‘clutter’ on a map. (Main Menu > Settings > Routes Control)
• A battery meter that gives a more accurate indication of the power remaining, and an indication of when the unit is connected to an external power source.
• A more accurate record of the trip data.
• The ability to download the raw track data from the Active 10 onto a PC (via SatSYNC).
• The ability to display elevation data derived from the GPS system as opposed to from an in built height data set. (Main Menu > Settings > GPS Settings)
• The ability to calibrate the compass from the compass page.
• A low power mode that automatically sets up the unit up to maximise the battery life. (Main Menu > Settings > Advanced Power Control)
• The ability to reset the track and the trip log simultaneously. (Main Menu >Routes Menu > Reset Data)
• A 15 second screen off option. (Main Menu > Settings > Power Control)

“The new software also has a new power management system that significantly reduces the overall power consumption of the Active 10, thereby improving battery performance. It should also improve the GPS acquisition time and upgrade the signal lock in difficult conditions such as under tree canopies. The most obvious change is to the start-up operation: when switched on, the Active 10 (with no map card loaded), goes to the GPS status screen first. Yellow blocks appear on the bar chart whilst the unit is picking up the satellites, which turn orange once they have acquired the data from each one. Once a sufficient number of satellites have been acquired, the unit locks on, and then automatically switches to the GPS Map screen.”

About the only thing missing from the SatMap website is information on how to obtain the new software…

If you have a Garmin SatNav and you’ve started to receive the odd “your maps are out of date” warning on your unit, then one option is to buy the new 2008 maps for your unit. If you head over to the Garmin website, you can enter your serial number, and it will confirm if there are new maps available (and which exact format of Garmin maps you need). Garmin have stated that right now the retail map upgrade DVD only supports the Nuvi, Zumo and Streetpilot C5xx series of devices, so if you have any other device you may have to wait a bit longer for the upgrade maps to be released.

If you use the FON hotspot network (actually, even if you don’t), then you might be interested to hear that all users of FON hotspots can now access GMail for free without needing a day pass. Google News, Google Maps, Google Search have been available for some while, but Google Mail now joins that list. These websites are available for free as an encouragement to new members to try out the FON network, and hopefully go on to purchase a FON router and share their network too.

Navigon have provided options like this before (when their main solution was PDA SatNav software), but this is a first in recent times. As well as announcing the new 2100 SatNav device, this unit comes with their new FreshMaps service, where you are able to receive 12 map updates over a 3 year period - ie every quarter you will be able to download new maps for free.

In other respects, with Lane Assistance, Reality View, and a 4.3″ widescreen, this is a high end device that Navigon are providing at mid range pricing (eg $299 for the US).

Specs and Picture courtesy of Pocket GPS World.

TomTom has used CeBIT (as usual) to announce it’s new units for the year. These are the 530, 730 and 930 units. In a similar way to last year’s x20 units, the 530 will have UK & Ireland mapping, the 730 has Western and Eastern European mapping, and the 930 will have US, Canada and Western and Eastern European mapping. The units are of a similar style to the existing x20 units, although these new units come in “very sophisticated soft touch black with “real metal” detailing”. Again, as usual, these units come with new software.

More information in the rest of the article.

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Nokia Beta Labs have updated their Location Tagger Beta (to 1.0Beta2). This version now supports more devices (it should now work on most S60 3rd Edition devices), improve usability (if there is no GPS signal, the window to look back on for a previous GPS fix has been extended from 10 minutes to 1 hour; if there was no GPS fix in that time, the picture will be held for a configurable amount of time to see if a GPS fix becomes available), there is a Show on Map feature (using Nokia Maps), and a number of key bug fixes, including one that could result in the software draining the battery on your phone. Well worth upgrading to.