Garmin: Napoleon Super Bowl XLII Ad

Garmin returns to the Super Bowl Ads with another round of commercials advertising their popular GPS systems. They seem to have hit a hot streak last year and followed up this year with a nod to the ever short Napolean. Seems the little guy can't see over his steering wheel but thanks to a Garmin GPS he knows how to get to the battlefield.

Garmin Nuvi Super Bowl Commercial: Napolean Finds His Way w/ GPS Add to My Profile | More Videos

Web-Based Mapping Tools Help Governments Transform GIS into New Services

Not so long ago, only a select group of users could take advantage of GIS tools and applications. The general public barely knew what GIS was, let alone knew how to use it. Today, the Web allows GIS data to be distributed via ever-evolving avenues, from the practical - traditional GIS services made available online - to imaginative applications like Google Sky, a Web-based, 3-D map of the universe.

Citizens, businesses and governments are finding new ways to reap the benefits of this revolution in how location data is understood and depicted. Data once found exclusively in GIS circles is appearing in common, everyday tools.

Some people wonder if these emerging applications should be considered GIS at all. Has the combination of location data and the Internet created something altogether new? How can government use new mapping tools to not only enhance citizen service, but also improve internal efficiency? And how do traditional GIS applications match up against the new kids on the block? These are just a few of the questions that have arisen in what may well be the golden age of GIS. (...continue)

Google Earth Heading Towards Extinction?

Google has announced two new features for Google Maps that mimic features in Google Earth, begging the question: is Google Earth on borrowed time?

The first new feature is the additional of terrain in Google Maps. The terrain fly over feature has long been available in Google Earth, but now you can fly over a map and see the contours of the land, all without the need to download Google Earth.

The second new feature mimics the community contribution feature of Google Earth. "Our Maps" brings wiki-style collaboration to Google Maps, with users able to annotate places and share those notes with friends or the greater public.

• Google Earth Heading Towards Extinction? >

Black Friday Sale - Magellan Maestro 4000 GPS

GPS fans looking for a new toy for the holidays can hopefully grab the Magellan Maestro 4000 which is expected to drop $100 on Black Friday sales, the after Thanksgiving sale. Also reported to have huge price drops will be the Mio C220 and the Magellan Maestro 3100.

• Magellan Maestro 4000 GPS Drops $100 On Black Friday >

Toyota’s Customized Map Updates for Your Car

Just how hard is it to update the maps on in-dash GPS navigation systems? The fact that Toyota’s announcement — that it has developed a way to simplify and speed up the process by only updating the maps relevant to the driver — is getting the attention it has suggests that it is pretty involved; the news release says it’s normally done twice a year, with the resulting delay in getting new map data to drivers.

GPS SHOES MAKE PEOPLE FINDABLE

It's the latest implementation of satellite-based navigation into everyday life - technology that can be found in everything from cell phones that help keep kids away from sexual predators to fitness watches that track heart rate and distance.

GPS units are put into shoes because shoes aren't as easy to lose, unlike phones, watches and bracelets. The Quantum Satellite Technology promises to locate the wearer anywhere in the world with the press of a button

Garmin to air TV commercial during Super Bowl XLI

Once again, GPS is going prime time.. this time with a featured spot in an ad during Super Bowl. Looks like location has been a pretty lucrative technology recently if this is any indication. Industry-heavyweight Garmin has scored big and will be airing a 30 second TV ad this week-end on superbowl Sunday.

The ad will feature Garmin Man and a Maposaurus! The theme of the commercial is "Grab your Garmin, Take on the World" – demonstrating how Garmin personal navigation devices can save the everyday consumer time, money, and hassles. Taken to the extreme, the commercial is a humorous 1960s-style sci-fi piece. The commercial's quirky low-tech production treatment is in playful contrast to Garmin's cutting edge GPS technology and other advertisers' use of complex computer effects. Catch the ad on Sunday. You can see some images of garmin man and maposaurus here.