Even as the rise of free navigation apps gives most paid competitors pause (if not killing them outright ), Navigon has managed to stay well ahead of the pack with a robust, oft-updated smartphone solution, despite charging over $80 for the privilege. But now, even that last bit can change. For $30, Navigon’s MyRegion gives you its premium MobileNavigator software at around one-third the price, with the simple caveat that you only get maps for one-third of the US (East, West or Central) to go with it. Should you drive out of your designated zone, Navigon will generously allow you to buy another chunk a la carte for $15; and all of Navigon’s other add-ons , including the new MyRoutes feature (customized route recommendations and alternate routes) are similarly available. It’s not quite as delectable as gratis, but we have to admit a certain admiration for Navigon turning software investment into impulse buy. Oh, and speaking of impulsive: Navigon’s offering MyRegion for the low, low price of $25 through April 12th

Here lately, Navigon has been crushing it on the iPhone GPS front. Every couple of weeks, it seems that MobileNavigator is getting yet another fantastic update, all while TomTom’s lackluster offering hangs back in the land of complacency. Thankfully for us all, the outfit has just pushed out the v1.3 update, which adds real-time traffic (an unfortunate $19.99 add-on), Google local search, updated roadways, automatic music fading between text-to-speech instructions and the ability to add locations from other apps and websites. We’d still recommend Navigon’s software if you’re looking to buy into iPhone GPS for the first time, but this is certainly a boon for those already locked into the TomTom alternative.

Ovi Maps has been a focal point for Nokia in the last few weeks since they gave it all away for free, so it’s not surprising a hardware company wants to use their turn-by-turn navigation for cars. If you’ve got an Alpine car system with a dashboard or speakers, then you’ll be able to connect your Nokia handset by either Bluetooth or USB, with navigation displayed by Ovi Maps on the dashboard. Navigation updates and music can come through your car’s speakers rather than the Nokia’s puny little speaker, and even information about the fuel levels and engine health can be integrated into Ovi Maps, so if you’re in need of fuel for example, Ovi Maps will tell you where the next petrol station is. No products have been shown off just yet, but this Terminal Mode will be available on Nokia phones soon apparently—and with well over 3m downloads of the free Ovi Maps , upgrading your car system could prove very tantalizing for some. [ Alpine via Engadget via SlashGear ]

What’s the one biggest hurdle to throwing out your dedicated GPS nav unit and going ahead with the free turn-by-turn navigation offered by your smartphone ? If your answer was that most phones don’t have the great big screens or easy installation systems of some satnav devices, look out, because Nokia’s about to shake up your world all over again. Alpine has just announced its partnership with the Finnish giant aimed at integrating Nokia handsets — complete with free Ovi Maps navigation — into car dashboard systems. Yes, that means you can use your superb six-amp speaker systems to boom out music or voice nav instructions from the phone, as well as your in-dash 7-inch LCD for showing you the right way home.

Don’t count on your navigation unit seeing a sudden improvement anytime soon, but Raytheon has announced that it’s landed an massive $886 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to develop a new element of GPS called the advanced control segment (or OCX, somehow). Once complete, that promises to not only provide a range of ehancements for military GPS use (including anti-jam capabilities and improved security), but improved accuracy and reliability for civil GPS users as well. Details are otherwise a bit light, and this contract only represents the first of two development blocks, but it looks like GLONASS and Galileo may have to step up their game a bit further if they want to stay competitive in the great sat-nav race.

Announced at CES, the GPS-enabled EX-10HG from Casio has been a bit of a mystery so far, but has just been given full launch details, with the price expected to be in the region of $400 when it hits in October. That’s a good 10-month long wait, and it’s not like the EX-10HG is the first camera with geotagging—though Casio uses three-axis accelerometers and an orientation sensor for gauging the correct GPS position, which can sometimes become unclear when indoor. This 12.1-megapixel model has a 10x zoom lens and records video at 720p, so it’s not like it’s just a basic point and shoot with a GPS sensor rammed in as an afterthought. Alternatively, the Eye-Fi Geo SD card adds geotagging to your photos, and doesn’t have a 10-month wait. [ Photography Bay via Gadget Venue via Geeky-Gadgets Image Credit: DC Watch

Announced at CES, the GPS-enabled EX-10HG from Casio has been a bit of a mystery so far, but has just been given full launch details, with the price expected to be in the region of $400 when it hits in October. That’s a good 10-month long wait, and it’s not like the EX-10HG is the first camera with geotagging—though Casio uses three-axis accelerometers and an orientation sensor for gauging the correct GPS position, which can sometimes become unclear when indoors. This 12.1-megapixel model has a 10x zoom lens and records video at 720p, so it’s not like it’s just a basic point and shoot with a GPS sensor rammed in as an afterthought. Alternatively, the Eye-Fi Geo SD card adds geotagging to your photos, and doesn’t have a 10-month wait. [ Photography Bay via Gadget Venue via Geeky-Gadgets Image Credit: DC Watch

A Wired writer wanted to test just how effectively the Spot GPS Messenger could save his life. So, in the dark of night, he walked for 8 aimless hours into Tahoe National Forest. Then he pressed Spot’s emergency button. Having covered his tracks carefully and inserted himself as deeply into the forest as he could, it took only 30 minutes for a squad of rescuers, including snowmobiles, skiiers and a snowcat, to find him. Every ten minutes, the Spot GPS device relays its location to 48 different satellites. You can have this data beamed to a website so friends and family can track your trek, but it’s also available, when you hit the 911 button, to the GEOS International Emergency Response Center in Houston, Texas.

While these actual, real, strap-’em-to-your-hands-and-navigate-ski-slopes gloves are, you know, real , I much preferred the GPS gloves concept from two years ago. Give me a bionic hand over insulated glove any day of the week. Still, there’s something to be said for GPS gloves you can actually wear, and while Zanier hasn’t confirmed the price of their Xplore.XGX ski gloves , they’ll be going on sale sometime this year. Sure, you can just download a ski app on your iPhone which can help steer you down the slopes, but unless you’ve got an ultra-padded compartment for it I wouldn’t risk taking one skiing. But then you’re probably far less clumsy than I

If you don’t quite think you have what it takes to GoPro , now you have another option: GoBandit. This waterproof, GPS-enabled videocam can capture your finest moments in HD and then overlay the footage with location, speed, and altitude data. In addition to capturing 720p video, you can set the GoBandit to take 5 megapixel snapshots every 2 or 5 seconds. All these extreme memories are recorded onto 2GB of internal memory, expandable by an SDHC card. The GoBandit’s most attractive feature, though, is its ability to augment your video with information on your activity—so when you tell your friend, “I swear I was flying down that hill at 35 MPH,” you’ll have some hard evidence to back it up