Dual Turning iPod Touch Into PND
By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 1/25/2010
Las Vegas —
Car electronics supplier Dual is turning the iPod Touch into a portable navigation device (PND) that delivers turn-by-turn driving instructions.
The company plans February shipment of a windshield-mounted GPS-equipped cradle, which holds the Touch and features an amplified speaker. It will be used in conjunction with a downloadable app that incorporates maps and route-calculation algorithm. The combination is tentatively priced at an everyday $179 through $199.
The device delivers driving instructions by voice, offers lane assistance for many intersections, charges the Touch, and pauses the Touch's music when the Touch instructs the driver to make a turn.
Although Dual offers PNDs, the company has begun to focus more on installed in-dash navigation systems, and it is now supplementing that direction with the GPS cradle, said Dual president Jim Braun.
Dual's GPS cradle joins a similar cradle previously announced by PND supplier Magellan for the iPhone and Touch and by PND maker TomTom, which offers separate kits for the iPhone and Touch.
Magellan's can also be used as a full-duplex hands-free kit for use with any Bluetooth-equipped cellphone, thanks to embedded Bluetooth and built-in noise-canceling microphone.
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