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First single-chip GPS from Broadcom

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After buying Global Locate California based mobile chipmaker Broadcom is quite fast delivering its first single-chip GPS.

The BCM4750 chip is positioned at the mobile device market, like personal digital assistents (pda’s), cell phones, mp3-players and personal navigation devices (pnd’s)

The BCM4750 is a single-die CMOS GPS receiver used for tracking and navigation, primarily in mobile devices. Its massive parallel hardware correlators provide faster signal searches, accurate real-time navigation, improved tracking sensitivity and very low average power consumption. With tracking sensitivity of -162 dBm, the BCM4750 sets a new benchmark for the industry.

It features:
Single-chip solution (AGPS baseband and CMOS RF frontend integrated on a single-die) minimizing board space footprint (<35 sq mm2 PCB area for a complete AGPS solution)
Up to 2-Hz update rate
Advanced low-power RFCMOS technology and low-power tracking at 15 mW for the longest battery life
Broadcom software provides protocol layers for control plane (RRLP and RRC) as well as user plane (SUPL)

I think we will be hearing more of this chip and Broadcom in general (concerning GPS!)

via GPS Business News

Galileo facing another delay

Galileo, the answer to the US GPS system is delayed another time. This time it is said not being financial, but problems with the launching schedule of the Soyuz rocket that should bring the Galileo satellite up.
Put the new date in your pda: so around March 2008.

Navizon: virtual GPS software for iPhone and more

The last few days the was a lot of talking about the Navizon Peer-to-Peer Wireless Positioning Software. The iPhone ready software is available since a week or two. This is great news! GPS support one way or another should have been built-in from day one to my opinion. The software for Blackberry, Symbian and other OS have been on the market longer.

Navizon is a positioning system that triangulates signals from Wifi access points and Cellular towers. It is based on a collaborative database where users who have a GPS device can contribute data on Cell towers and Wifi APs locations that will let other members of the community simulate a Virtual GPS on their phone.

This means that the area you are driving or walking with the Virtual GPS software must be covered by the data in the Navizon database. Interesting to know is that you can earn money with collecting data for Navizon. Now you are listening, right?! ;-)

You can try the software for 15 days for free, that you have to pay $ 24,99 (€ 18,57)

HERE is how to get Google Maps with Navizon. I am not sure whether this will work for every device.

Can wait to give it a try. And I will and tell you about it!
via GPS Gizmodo

Proporta’s Freedom key ring GPS

For a guy or girl that always wants to carry his/her GPS, the Proporta Freedom keychain GPS looks the right way. Impossible to forget.

• small
• SiRF III
• hits up to 20 channels
• 30 grams
• keyring
• car charger 12/24V
• USB charger

Nothing really new, but the size is right!
At a price of about 100 euro (130 US dollar) this little fellow could make your day.

via Engadget