TomTom?and?Garmin?saw their share prices plunge on Wednesday, supposedly following the announcement from Google that it was entering the "Real time" navigation sector.

The news coincidently came as TomTom announced poor Q3 results with earnings down over 64 million euros based on last years figures.

"In regards to today’s news, there are a lot of interesting developments and opportunities in the digital mapping and navigation markets", a spokesman told Pocket-lint before adding that "We believe there are opportunities for all of us".

TomTom who has offered mobile software for sometime has only just moved into the?iPhone?app market space with its dedicated app and car docking system.

"We’re seeing a growing number of customers adopt our solutions and have expanded our market reach to include not just automotive but wireless and enterprise customers".

Google Maps Navigation will go live, initially in the US only, on 6 November on Android 2.0. A product manager in Google's Mapping department told Pocket-lint that the company currently has no plans to port it to other operating systems.

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Tags: Car And GPS Biz Google TomTom Garmin GPS Google Maps Navigation

TomTom shares plunge on poor Q3 results and Google announcement originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:54:00 +0000

Garmin's new Edge 500 brings sleek GPS functionality to a set of handlebars near you. If you don't want the mapping that the Edge 705 offers, the 500 will give you a much more compact unit.

It is still packed with technology however, offering GPS functions, so you always know your speed and distance, as well as a barometric altimeter.

It can gather your heart rate data, can be hooked up to Garmin speed/cadence sensors and is also compatible with ANT+ third-party power meters.

The battery promises 18 hours of life and all your data can be extracted and shared via Garmin Connect, an online portal where users can share routes or search for routes in their area, and upload it straight to their device.

It also has a simple twist mount, which makes it easy to move your Edge 500 from bike to bike.

Andrew Silver, fitness product manager for Garmin said: "Using feedback from the best focus group imaginable - the professional tour cyclists of Team Garmin-Slipstream, we’ve developed a lightweight cycling computer that’s powerful enough for the pros, yet simple enough for beginners. Complete with a redesigned handlebar mount, Edge 500 streamlines your ride data at a very competitive price".?

As a stand-alone device the Garmin Edge 500 can be yours for ?199, or with the heart rate monitor and speed/cadence sensor for ?249.?

Tags: Sports Fitness Sports Fitness equipment Cycling Garmin Garmin Edge 500 GPS Photos Heart rate monitors

PHOTOS: Garmin Edge 500 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:43:40 +0100