COMPUTER-CHINA

Car audio and navigation maker Clarion has unveiled a new prototype of its handheld mobile Internet navigator device that's due to be launched later this year.

Now, this isn't a completely novel idea. We've seen GPS modules that you can add to cameras, such as the Pharos Trips & Pics and the Sony GPS-CS1KA, to get this functionality. However, Mio's device aims to do away with extra accessories and let you carry just one do-it-all gadget. No word on when the camera will be available and even if it will make its way to the States, but perhaps SiRF Technology founder Kanwar Chadha's prediction is coming true? Will 2008 be the year where we see major manufacturers integrate GPS into digital cameras? And do you think this is a good idea?

It was on show at the booth of parent-company Hitachi at the Computex trade show in Taipei. Computex, one of the world's largest IT shows, opened on Tuesday.

An earlier version of the prototype was shown at CES in Las Vegas in January and at a recent Intel news conference in Tokyo.

The greatest difference between the latest prototype and previous model is its shape, which has gone from being rectangular to trapezoidal where the top edge is shorter than the bottom edge.

The machine, which is based on Intel's Centrino Atom platform, has a 4.8-inch screen, runs Linux and comes with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It will be launched in North America later this year and in Europe in 2009 and will cost around US$700, said Noriko Ueda, assistant manager of Clarion's marketing group. A more expensive version with built-in 3G (third-generation) wireless capability is also planned, she said.

Mio Technology is hoping to take GPS to new places, more specifically, beyond the car. At Computex 2008 (Asia's largest technology trade show), Mio unveiled a new concept product called the "PND (portable navigation device) camera" that integrates a GPS radio into a digital camera. Details and specs are pretty light at the moment, but according to GPS Business News, the device will feature a 3.5-inch touch screen and with the two integrated technologies, the camera will be able to geotag your photos.

In addition to GPS (Global Positioning System) navigation it comes with digital TV, a Web browser, e-mail client, Flash player, image viewer, PDF (Portable Document Format) viewer and quick access to Google Earth, YouTube and MySpace.