Heathrow, Fla. – Dual Electronics will ship later this month one
of the first kits to convert an iPod Touch to a portable navigation device.
The kit is designed to enable the estimated 24 million iPod Touch
devices in the marketplace to receive a GPS signal for turn-by-turn directions
and to also use other location-based service apps, said Dual president and CEO
Jim Braun. TomTom’s
recently introduced GPS kit, for example, only works with the iPhone and
not the Touch.
The Dual system includes a snap-on module and a window mount kit
plus a GPS app. The module snaps on the back of the Touch and includes a GPS
receiver and rechargeable battery. It also has a built-in speaker to amplify
voice prompts for turns, and it includes a mini USB port and audio-out jack to
connect to a car stereo. It uses a NavAtlas turn-by turn app that is based on
the GMap app and also comes with a windshield mounting kit.
The Dual system, called the GPS Navigation & Battery Cradle,
offers text-to-speech pronunciation of street names, maps of the full United States
and Canada, and 2 million points of interest at $179.
By comparison, TomTom’s iPhone GPS kit carries a price of $119
plus $99 for the navigation app.
