Mio and Navman have teamed up to offer you three affordable, functional and stylish models in their newly launched sat-nav range. Unimaginatively titled Navman Mio, there are some seriously great models on offer. You can choose between a 3.5 inch screen (on the Spirit 300) a 4.7inch screen (Spirit 500) and 4.7 incher (Spirit Flat). Unsurprisingly each device comes with built in GPS, but they're also synced up the ATIS traffic service, so you'll be warned of the latest jams and accident areas in plenty of time to avoid them.

If you're a car owner who's eco-conscious the Econav is a great way of assuaging your guilt. The idea behind it is that you're purchasing a premium looking satnav, equipped with the usual features such as GPS, gear change indicators, speed indicators and traffic alerts, but you're also getting their customised Econav technology built in.

And what does that mean exactly? Well the idea is that it will help save you money on fuel and cut your carbon emissions, and it does this by analyzing various route options and giving you an eco-related readout of the potential cost to yourself and the environment.

Despite what the 'Want Respect Use a Condom' campaign dupes you into thinking, you can't erase your poor judgement by rewinding time. And despite what people who like to 'have it' say, drinking and driving is not cool - no matter how many times you drunkenly slur the words "I'm ok to drive, it's fine". So before you do something reckless, whilst in denial about how inebriated you really are, might I suggest investing in the Keychain Breathalyzer Flashlight? It could save you *a lot* of tears.

For some, being blindly intoxicated isn't enough of an indication that they shouldn't get behind the wheel. But one blow into this device will give you a clear sign whether or not you should take the wheel, based on the traffic light code. So, green means you're good to go, amber, means take caution and red means STOP do not get behind that wheel unless you want to suffer the harsh consequences, or simply, get a cab.

Are you the kind of person who knows the little known automobile fact that deflated tyres increase fuel consumption? Or are you one of those people who know the exact fuel prices of surrounding petrol stations in your area? Or maybe you're that particular breed of driver who charges mates a few quid just for a half a hour journey? Does that sound like you? Are you bit tight fisted of a miser when it comes to fuel and driving in general? Sounds like you could do with the free software from Garmin called ecoRoute, designed to help drivers (with a Garmin nüvi device) avoid squandering fuel money away on the long routes, when there are short cuts, back roads "less fuel" route options to take.

As well as economising fuel money, it'll provide you with details of mileage expenses, CO2 emissions, economical routing with the cost of journeys before it begins, and tips on how to improve driving to be a more environmentally friendly driver. You'll be a walking driving advertisement for what has been dubbed 'green driving'.

Honda is putting in the Ecological Drive Assist System into their 2009 hybrid Insight cars, which works as a kind of colour coded eco fairy. Whilst environmentally friendly driving will keep the speedometer green, over use of the gears and naughty engine revving will result in it turning blue.

It'd clearly be more useful as a colour alerting speedometer, which could then be put in all cars, not just the hybrid models. Still, coloured lights are pretty, saving the environment is good, combining them does no harm to anyone. Go Honda.

[via DVICE]

A sat nav with a 5-inch screen is a long sighted person's dream. However, when it comes to its price tag (£175) the enthusiasm for the Medion GoPal P5430 may turn down a notch. But it is an impressive sat nav, so perhaps there's still time to sway and convince you it's a good piece of kit.

So what are you getting for all that cash? Firstly, it's all eyes on that 5-inch screen, wiping the floor with other models which offer measly screen sizes in comparison. I don't need to tell you how practical a 5-inch screen would be to your travels, so lets move on to its other features.

What I like about the Mini Coyote dashboard device from Novus is that it allows drivers to unite together and alert each other of impending speed cameras that have been spotted, giving you time to slow down, feign innocence and act as if you'd never dream about going above the speed limit. A nifty little button can be found on the device and a simple press of said button transmits the location of the money grabbing speed trap to a processing centre. Better still, the information is relayed back in a matter of seconds, giving the driver travelling at least 300 yards behind ample time to slow down. It'll even tell you how long it'll take before you hit the camera too.

There's no room for error, which essentially means the end of speeding fines pouring through your letterbox.

Now I trust my boyfriend, honest I do. He may occasionally run late/forget where we're meeting/ smell suspiciously fragrant, but hey, he just likes to borrow my products right? But imagine if all this occurred and we didn't have a mutual bond of trust and respect. I might be tempted to use the Zoombak to secretly keep tags on his whereabouts and check up on him... a LOT.

Say hello to the Zoombak, the credit card sized personal GPS, which, as it says in the marketing, 'keeps track 'real-time and on-demand' of what matters to you most.'

TomTom have been busy this year. They've already given us updated versions of their IQ route system (an intelligent service that uses recorded data to help you avoid traffic hot spots) and you've even had the option of Wogan delicately telling you to 'turn right here'. They previously filled us in with details of their new sat navs at IFA, but as they're going to be available in the next couple of weeks we thought we'd give you a refresher course in them.

-The LIVE functionality (the important part)

The devices are equipped with a Vodafone sim, and if you're hooked up to the Live service (free for 3 months, £7.99 pcm after) you can access all the below features- HD Definition, Fuel Price Search,Weather, Google Search and Buddies.

The modern plight of blindly following your sat nav only to find yourself stuck down a country path half the width of your car could be solved, if TomTom and Navteq have anything to do with it. They're developing the Advanced Driver Assistance Programme, which as well as route planning, will offer information such as any obstacles on the road, the gradient and advise on when to change gear to maximise fuel efficiency.

The standalone system is expected to hit the shelves in the next three years, but Audi and BMW are already rumoured to have plans to install it in all their future models. I'm pretty sure that makes it no more than four years til we can just programme in our destination and sit back whilst the car drives itself, KITT-style. And then I'll never need to take a driving test.

[via The Telegraph]

Like that? More car gadgets here

Now this is an electric car I can work with. It looks like a proper car, not one you'd be ashamed to be seen in, like one of those geriatric mobiles we've been seeing driving past or sitting stationary while charging up at power stations. This car is actually cool. The Mini's come a long way from being a 60s icon to the super BMW Mini it is today. And now it can add an all electric version to its list of achievements too.

The Mini E is a zero emission, two seater version of the famous 3 door hatchback, swapping a gas guzzling internal combustion engine for a lithium-ion battery powered motor.

Sat Navs don't really generate the most enthusiasm and excitement, but it's not their fault, they do try. That may all be about to change with Navman's rather stylish S100 - the latest addition to the S-series. First of all, let's talk style. The S100 is rather nice on the eye with its slim (the thinnest in the market apparently) brushed aluminium shell with as much robustness as you'd need (we should know we watched one drop on a wooden floor) for something you're going to be using on a regular basis whether you're driving or walking to your destination. Its flat screen gives it a bit of a TV feel and at 4.3-inches it's a decent size to navigate on.

Don't trust your kids to follow the stringent rules of the Highway Code? As they wave goodbye while getting into their suped up car, do you suspect they'll bomb down the road and demonstrate a total disregard for driving responsibly once out of sight? If you've answered yes twice, it's safe to say you would benefit greatly from being able to keep a watchful eye on them yes? You might want to direct your attention to Ford's MyKey system then.

It's not big brother, so you won't be able to watch their every move. But what you can do, is ensure they adhere to a particular speed limit (80 mph max), keep the radio to a driver friendly volume (44 percent of its max output) and make sure they wear their seatbelts at all times. Failing to buckle up will set off an unrelenting chime *and* mute the tunage until everyone's safely strapped in. It'll be like your parents are riding up front right beside you.

Zara Rabinowicz writes...

Today a press release popped into my inbox. ''Essential Car Care for Girls' it screamed. Fair enough, I thought. I objected slightly to the fact that the book is pink and targeted at girls (surely drivers are considered women?) but I could let that go, and dismiss it as another irrelevant release when the next sentence caught my eye.

'Women are now ready to get their hands dirty and take control over their own cars,' said author Danielle McCormick. What? I repeat what?? And this is written by a woman/ I mean GIRL?

TomTom release details of three new sat nav systems that might help make your commute less stressful. The new systems are equipped with dynamic navigation that helps you avoid any major traffic snarls as well as take into consideration the time of day, weather conditions and local traffic info.

There are three new models, the TomTom GO 940 LIVE, GO 740 LIVE and GO 540 LIVE, and they connect to TomTom's high definition traffic service, which means live information regarding any accidents or traffic hotspots.

Has anyone *not* had the old 'wouldn't it be great if there was an LED scrolling text bar at the bottom of your back windscreen you could use to convey your displeasure to other drivers' conversation? It tends to happen about 40% through your epic car journey, just before you decide that your need to increase your blood sugar is too great and you pull over to a service station.

This is a starting point. An alternative to the 'Baby on board' sign, you can stick this to your back windscreen and then use the remote to choose your signal. There's thanks, sorry and a smiley face - so far so good. There's 'back off' - slightly more aggressive, no? Then there's The Finger. And if you use this, you deserve to lose your wing mirrors. Weirdly, it's been ok'd by the Department of Transport.

Cute Gadgets for 22.95

... and their specs aren't too bad either. The cameras in question are the S560 and the S610. One boasts "the world's fastest start-up time", and the other features "the world's most compact design". But which one's which?

In no particular order, it's the S610 up first. This is the one making claims about speedy start-up times - apparently 0.7 seconds. Whether this is true, or a clever ploy by Nikon to give it added appeal, we don't know. Only time will tell. It has a right to boast a little bit though - spec-wise. It packs a 10 megapixel resolution, 4x optical zoom, 3200 ISO capabilities and a mighty 3-inch display. It also features Nikon's Scene Auto Selector, which recognises your surroundings and automatically applies the appropriate scene mode. It's not too bad on the eye either and comes in brown, silver or deep red.

Last night I went to see The Dark Knight and I was pretty impressed. The action was fast and furious, the characters twisted and tormented, and the car, well the car was pretty cool. My favourite part of the tank like Tumbler would have to be the different modes it could be set too, where you could choose from Loiter, Intimidate and Attack. It also turned into the Batcycle when damaged, and that was really awesome.

It wouldn't be that handy down the supermarket though, as it would be a nightmare to park. So what kind of supercar would be suitable for everyday use? I take a look at what everyday people would want from their vehicles.

Dear Sat Nav users,

It has come to my attention that there are some of you who are treating your satellite navigation system less like a guide, and more like divine words from the Almighty. The Evil Tabloids are reporting 300,000 accidents have happened because instructions have been followed to the letter, rather than as an addition to your own common sense.

I suggest this: when it tells you to turn left, have a look and see. Is that a one way street? Can you see a tell-tale train heading towards you? Does there appear to be more cows than you'd necessarily expect on a road? Reconsider, folks! Use 25% sat nav, 25% blind faith and 50% eyes. But remember, mostly eyes.

Susi (Road Safety Officer)

Bluetooth headsets may very well be legal for a bit of hands-free talking, but that doesn't mean they're comfortable, or that they won't make you look ridiculous. Bluetooth headsets are particularly annoying if you have a pierced tragus, or small ears for that matter. Isn't it good news then, that the follow on from the Parrot Minikit has landed today - presenting the Parrot Minikit Slim.

The Minikit Slim is a really stylish, compact and lightweight (83g) Bluetooth speaker, designed for using pretty much wherever you darn well please - the car, the office, a mate's house or while out for a stroll. It also features a discreet clip, so it attaches easily to your car's sun visor, to something on your desk, or maybe you want to be a bit different and clip it onto your lapel. Doing the latter might make you look a tad silly, but who's to say you can't do that at home eh? Design-wise, it looks pretty good, although it doesn't have a screen, but this in no way affects the device's performance.