“Nokia has announced Ovi Maps as a FREE download with turn by turn navigation available now at the Ovi Store.  The new version of Ovi Maps includes high-end car and pedestrian navigation features, such as turn-by-turn voice guidance for 74 countries, in 46 languages, and traffic information for more than 10 countries, as well as detailed maps for more than 180 countries.

In conjunction with this announcement, Nokia has now launched the Ovi Maps Racing app, also free (for a limited time).  Ovi Maps Racing allows you to grab your location and set up a track to race around your (virtual) neighborhood.”

“Anyone can go down to the local bike shop and pick up a crappy bike computer that tells you how fast and far you’ve ridden. But there’s a whole new breed of wireless bike computers, ANT+, that not only track how fast or far you’ve gone, but also things like heart rate, cadence, power and more. The Pedal Brain is the first product that connects your current ANT+ devices with an iPhone app.

Pedal Brain Synapse is the device that syncs your ANT+ data with an iPhone to provide realtime data that you can see on your iPhone. With GPS from the phone, you can track your own rides, find your cycling buddies, and then analyze the data with your coach after the ride.

Pedal Brain should be available in March for between $130 – $190, and you can get a monthly subscription to store your data online.”

[Via]

Check out the video of the new Google Nexus One smartphone which is supposed to hit the market in the next week or two.  One thing that seems super clear, in the blurry video, is the speed at which this phone handles user requests.  Scrolling is smooth, animations are clean, and performance seems blazing fast.  Will this phone get me to put my iPhone down?

Congratulations Joseph (he wants to track his parents)!!!  You have won yourself a very cool gadget… the LandAirSea Tracking Key Pro (a $269 value).  Hopefully you check your email soon to claim your prize… or this puppy goes to the runner up.  Thanks to everyone for entering.

We already told you what we thought about the Tracking Key Pro in our recent review… long story short… we like it.  Now is your chance to get your very own GPS tracking gadget (a $269 value) for freeeeee.  Details on how to win after the break… not to worry… it is very simple.

• Register for Gadget Kings email RSS feed. Simply click on this link and opt-in.
• Leave a comment below. You can leave any comment you like. We prefer funny… but anything will do
• One comment only please. You may enter this specific giveaway only once.
• A winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive (1) LandAirSea Tracking Key Pro valued at $269.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified via e-mail. Winners must respond within three days of notification email. If we are not able to contact you another winner will be chosen.
• Entries can be submitted until Wednesday, December 9th.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENT OF ONE OF THE 50 UNITED STATES OR D.C., 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO SWEEPSTAKES. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, ALL U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Sweepstakes ends at midnight PST on December 9, 2009.

It looks like the folks at LandAirSea have done it again… their latest GPS Tracking Key Pro works flawlessly and has double the battery life.  Read on for the full LandAirSea GPS Tracking Key Pro review.

New Features:

LandAirSea’s Tracking Key (let’s call it version 1) worked great but battery life wasn’t super long and there wasn’t a way to power the device with anything but the AAA batteries.

Things have changed with the Tracking Key Pro (version 2).  The pro version is a much cleaner design and runs twice as long using AA batteries.  The device still stores 100 hours of driving time which is a ton of data… almost too much in reality.  One of the best parts besides the fact that you can change batteries without using a screwdriver is the fact that you can power the device off of the cars 12V system (must buy an additional cable).  This means the device can stay on the car for a looong time.

•    1 Hour per Day Driving batteries will last for 6 Weeks
•    2 Hours per Day Driving batteries will last for 4 Weeks
•    4 Hours per Day Driving batteries will last for 2 Weeks

Power Draw – Track Mode: 49mA, Sleep Mode: 0.072mA

Usability:

The GPS Tracking Key Pro is water resistant but not waterproof.  We put ours in a zip lock bag and used the device on a rainy day with no problems.  The accuracy is good… down to 2.5-meters which is pretty close to perfect.  The data that is recorded includes address of stops, speed, time en route, duration of stops, and final address.  The amazing battery life is aided by a built in motion detector that puts the device in sleep mode after two minutes of inactivity.

Getting the data off of the gps tracker is very easy, simply plug in the (included) USB cable to any Windows 2000, XP, or Vista PC (must install the bundled software and google earth) download the data and enjoy.  There are three options for viewing the data “a daily text log; route display over animated digital street map; or route display on satellite imagery with Google Earth interface.”

Since the device is a passive GPS tracker there are no service charges or fee’s.  The only catch is that you physically need to recover the device to enjoy the data.

We had one issue (a mistake on our part) and had to call LandAirSea’s technical support… they answered the phone and helped us resolve the issue in a matter of minutes.  Kudos.

Screenshots:

GPS Tracking Key Pro Specs:

• Superior GPS reception
• No monthly fees
• Records route, speed, direction and stops every second
• Runs on just two (2) AA batteries (alkaline or lithium)
• Easy-access battery compartment
• On/off switch
• Up to 100 hours of flash memory
• Included software allows 3 options for data viewing
• Water-resistant
• Compact and lightweight for covert placement
• Powerful magnet for easy installation, inside or outside vehicle
• Motion-activated; enters sleep mode after 2 minutes of inactivity
• Optional 12-volt accessory cable
• Free technical support from domestic-based LAS representatives
• 12 month Manufacturer Warranty

You can purchase the GPS Tracking Key Pro here for $269 (they also sell the cables to run off of the cars 12V system as well).  And if you are interested in fleet management they do that to…

Looks like Mercedes-Benz couldn’t resist (come on Lexus… I need this) popping out their very own iPhone app (and BlackBerry if you are in to that type of thing).  The Mercedes iPhone application is actually pretty useful, it allows you to lock and unlock your vehicle, locate your car via satellite, and more.

I have yet to see a Google Android phone that comes close to the iPhone.  But… I sure would love to have free turn-by-turn navigation on my iPhone… instead of an overpriced iPhone ap.

On that note Google maps navigation is being offered for free to users of Android 2.0.  Some nice features, other than being free, are turn-by-turn directions, destination by voice (no need to type), live traffic, etc… 

Video after the break.

The overpriced Tom Tom car kit is available for purchase now for a whopping $119.  Pair the $119 cradle with the $99 app and you are out the price of an iPhone to have a cradle and turn-by-turn GPS.  Video after the break.

Some day we will completely merge the cell phone and camera.  I don’t mean the crappy low resolution camera with no optical zoom or flash.  I mean a real camera… on a real cell phone.  Casio agrees with their latest upcoming release of the Casio Exilim CA003 which has a 12.2MP camera with a 28mm wide angle lens (with autofocus) and a 3x optical zoom.  The back side sports a 3.3-inch WVGA OLED screen, a GPS, Wi-Fi, FM radio, and Bluetooth.  Pretty snazzy huh?