Most Engadget readers will have grown up with GPS, but the UK’s Newcastle University has realized that many in the older generation might be first-timers and unfamiliar with all those keep-lefts and turn-rights. Development is underway at the school for a new satellite navigation system that would be easier and more intuitive for your grandfolks, with features that include calling out direction changes by landmark names, limiting turns to the safer variety and keeping the route off of high-speed motorways. When this might come to your local high street shop isn’t known, but the university has a

If you’re prone to hitting the road in a trailer or camper, you probably know that the road isn’t exactly made to accommodate to your less-than-dainty vehicle. In a bid to express its deepest sympathies (and, you know, make money), TomTom is unveiling a device made specifically for caravan owners. In addition to offering the standard TomTom Live features for keeping up to date with traffic and weather reports, the Go Live Camper and Caravan includes warnings for narrow roads, low bridges and the like, and it also highlights the nearest rest stops and other points of interest for road trippers. And because you probably trade in that motorhome for a smaller set of wheels on occasion, TomTom lets you switch to a different profile, complete with customizable specifications for size, weight and speed. The Go Live Camper and Caravan will set you back

If you’re prone to hitting the road in a trailer or camper, you probably know that the road isn’t exactly made to accommodate to your less-than-dainty vehicle. In a bid to express its deepest sympathies (and, you know, make money), TomTom is unveiling a device made specifically for caravan owners. In addition to offering the standard TomTom Live features for keeping up to date with traffic and weather reports, the Go Live Camper and Caravan includes warnings for narrow roads, low bridges and the like, and it also highlights the nearest rest stops and other points of interest for road trippers. And because you probably trade in that motorhome for a smaller set of wheels on occasion, TomTom lets you switch to a different profile, complete with customizable specifications for size, weight and speed. The Go Live Camper and Caravan will set you back

Move over, My Tracks — you’ve got serious company. Google’s own adventure tracking app just got majorly one-upped by a company that also happens to make heated jackets. Columbia’s just-launched GPS Pal app is not only available on both Android and iOS, but it’s actually designed to be used with a user account so that activity logs are neatly housed in a searchable, organized portal. It’s free to download, and aside from monitoring your hikes and treks via GPS, it also syncs photos, videos, and trail information to a web journal automatically, complete with pinpoint geotagging information on each piece of media.

As for data points? It’ll keep track of elevation changes, current speed and distance traveled, and it makes sharing said trips to social networks quite the lesson in simplicity. Naturally, you’ll need a data connection in order to upload media while on the trail — something that’s often hard to find — but at least the app tells you how poor (or great) your GPS signal is at all times, which is all that’s required to keep track of your actual steps. Head on past the break for a promo video, or hit the links below to grab it for your platform of choice.

Continue reading Columbia’s GPS Pal app for Android and iOS logs your hikes, geotags memories (video)

Columbia’s GPS Pal app for Android and iOS logs your hikes, geotags memories (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 02:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This video shows a new beta release of the xGPS software by Xwaves which now has voice navigation. The demo shows an iPod Touch 1G with an iGPS360 module from Orange Gadgets and its headphone jack is connected to the car stereo so you can here the voice directions.