GPS

A fastball of high-energy matter from the Sun is blasting toward the Earth and is expected to cause the largest solar radiation storm since 2005.

Late last night, a solar flare caused a coronal mass ejection, or the release of a burst of charged particles, from the sun's atmosphere, and it's heading toward the Earth at 1,400 miles per second, according to NASA.

The concern is that a magnetic storm from the solar flare could affect GPS systems and some communications systems, especially in higher altitudes in the north. NASA estimates that the storm could reach the … Read more

The Supreme Court struck down the U.S. government's argument that it can use GPS to track a suspect's vehicle without a warrant.

In a unanimous decision, the court said the Fourth Amendment protection of "persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures" would be violated if law enforcement agencies were allowed to attach a GPS location to a suspect's vehicle without obtaining a warrant.

Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor, and Chief Justice John Roberts sided with that opinion. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan, and Samuel … Read more

LAS VEGAS--As its luxury competitors showed off new connected-car features and integrated apps, Mercedes-Benz lagged, until now.

At CES 2012 Mercedes-Benz revealed a full-featured new telematics system, Mbrace2, which gives drivers access to a number of useful and popular apps in the dashboard. This new system will first see production in the updated 2013 SL-Class, then roll out to other 2013 models.

Mercedes-Benz enhanced its traditional onscreen interface with a carousel menu structure, and one of those carousel items leads to the apps. These include Facebook, Yelp, a news reader, Morningstar Finance, Google search, Google Street View, and Panoramio. Most … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Audi delivered remarkable technology with its A7 model last year, and now the company is bringing even more advanced features to the low end of its lineup, in the new A3.

Although Audi did not have a new A3 on display at CES 2012, the company did bring its dashboard. The completely functional head unit in this dashboard showed off Audi's latest cabin technology. More importantly, it showed that Audi won't reserve this technology for its high-end models.

One of the top features, which also made the A7 such a standout, is the dedicated data connection into … Read more

LAS VEGAS--TomTom's iOS app for iPhone and iPad devices is about to get a helping of the same social-networking love that surprised us in the Go Live 1535M navigation device...and then some.

The new update to the TomTom App, version 1.10, gains integration with Facebook and Twitter, allowing users to share destinations and arrival times via the social networks, SMS text messages, and e-mail. Users can also access their Facebook places, events, and friends as potential destinations for turn-by-turn navigation--even the 1535M PND can't pull off that last trick.

Like previous versions of the TomTom App, … Read more

LAS VEGAS--You'd think that Ford's own Sync Destinations app would be among the select few that offer connectivity with the automaker's voice-controlled Sync AppLink technology, but oddly it wasn't...until now.

Ford has announced an updated version of the Sync Destinations app for iPhone that gives drivers voice control over the app when connected to an AppLink-enabled vehicle. Like the original app, users will be able to save favorite destinations and access driving directions and traffic reports to them utilizing their cloud-based Sync Services account. However, now users can simply speak the commands "Mobile Apps,&… Read more

LAS VEGAS--Available as an iOS app in the iTunes App Store, accessible online at Scout.me, and coming soon to Ford Sync AppLink, TeleNav's new Scout service aims to help users discover and navigate to destinations whether on foot, at home, or in the car.

On the iPhone, Scout presents users with a dashboard that gives an overview of personalized, real-time commute times to work or home and shortcuts to local search and saved favorite locations. Digging deeper, the app also offers a search-and-discovery engine for finding, for example, a local bar or restaurant. User reviews are aggregated from … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Garmin's no stranger to connected portable navigation devices (PNDs), but its newest top-of-the-line model connects to the Internet using the connection that you've already got in your pocket.

Previous generations of Garmin's connected PNDs utilized an internal GSM antenna to connect to the NuLink service. The new Nuvi 3590LMT is able to connect via Bluetooth to an Android phone running its Garmin Smartphone Link app, gaining access to Garmin's live services such as traffic information, traffic camera images, weather, and fuel prices to its navigation device, utilizing the smartphone's mobile data plan. The free … Read more

Stand back, folks, I think we've got ourselves a record-breaker here.

While supplies last, TigerDirect has the refurbished Magellan RoadMate 5045-LM 5-inch GPS for $69.97 shipped. That's after applying coupon code AXX51184 at checkout.

That's not only the lowest price I can recall for a 5-inch GPS, it's definitely the best deal I've seen on a 5-inch GPS with lifetime maps and traffic.

It's true: in addition to a nav system with a nice, roomy screen, you get a forever subscription to realtime traffic conditions and the latest North American maps. All for … Read more