If you’re really into the whole fitness thing, you can also pick up a $299 version which comes with a “footpod” which lets you accurately track your performance by uploading information to your computer, like the Nike+ system.

The watch also works with cyclists wanting to track their bike riding skills, which is something the Nike+ can’t offer you. It has a user-replaceable battery that will last about a year, and weighs 44 grams. It’ll also play nice with other ANT+ fitness devices, which probably means something to gadget fans who actually exercise. To me, not so much.

[Garmin]

The module relays this information to your GPS unit via Bluetooth where you will be able to view a set of customisable gauges that provide details on things like fuel economy, RPMs, throttle position, intake manifold pressure, coolant temperature, intake air temperature and emissions.

Awesome? Yeah, sure. Will it save Garmin from destruction at the hands of a possible Google navigation juggernaut? No, probably not. [Cnet via NaviGadget via Ubergizmo via DVICE]

TomTom owns Tele Atlas, who drives the roads of the world in order to make maps, and until recently was a major map provider for Google. Nokia owns the only major competitor, Navteq, who has also provided maps for Google. Look at Google Maps now, though, and you’ll see that the entire US bears just one single copyright: Google’s.

Street View wasn’t just a neat way to get imagery to accompany the data already found in Google Maps. As it happens, it was a way to drive the same roads that were already in Google Maps, tracing them with Google’s own road teams, and—through efficiency and brute force—do away with those costly map licenses. Google has mapped the US, and will surely map the rest of the world soon enough.

Garmin might have a long-standing relationship with Navteq, but they don’t own any maps. How can they compete when they still have to pay? TomTom owns the maps, but they make money licensing maps to car makers, competing GPS makers and web services — like Google. Before, Google was a fat revenue source for TomTom; now Google is a sprightly competitor.

If a unique supply of data was the only thing keeping TomTom and others on the Google chuck wagon, who will be next to fall off?

I was always afraid of spiders growing up, not because of the eight legs or the umpteen eyes, but because of the way they kill their prey. They get them in a nice convenient position, then they use their venom to hollow out their victim’s insides, until they’re just dead-eyed shells. To be killed in such a manner is my worst nightmare; perhaps I should ask TomTom how it feels.

I am a fan of Google products, and a daily user of them. This is not an attack of Google’s business practices, but an explanation of the sort of destructive innovation that has made them so huge so fast. (It’s also a warning to consider carefully any entities that gets this strong, especially if you plan on going into business with one.) Though predecessors like Microsoft experienced similar explosive growth, and grew a similar sudden global dependence, we’ve never seen the likes of Google. The GPS business isn’t the only one that will be consumed by its mighty maw before its had its run.

We’ve already seen the devaluation of the office apps that make Microsoft rich; we’ve already seen how Google’s experiences with Apple and others helped it create telecommunications platforms (both mobile with Android and completely virtual with Google Voice) that threaten its former partners’ existence; we’ve already seen how Google converts photos, videos, news wire stories and other former commodities into freebies by smashing the false notion of scarcity that “service” providers had literally banked on.

So who is next? What other hallowed brands will go the way of Garmin and TomTom? Reuters and AP? Corbis and Getty? Warner and Disney?

This is a tale already told, bound to be told again, but the fundamentals are worth studying (even if we use Google Docs spreadsheets to do it). I have never spoken with a spider, but I am certain they’re not evil, despite what fantasy lore tells us. They’re just doing what comes naturally, and doing a hell of a job.

The Dakota comes in two flavours: the 10 and 20, which cost $349 and $449 respectively. Both units have 850MB of internal memory, which is enough for 1000 personal waypoints, 50 routes and a tracklog of 10,000 points and 200 routes. The 20 adds a MicroSD slot, a digital compass and a barometric altimeter, plus wireless for sharing all that outdoorsy-info with other Dakota 20 packing friends.

Garmin’s also released the Oregon 550, which is the high-end bushwalker’s companion. It’s waterproof, has a 3.2MP camera built in and won’t drain the battery at all when not in use apparently. It can take all different types of maps, from turn-by-turn street navigation to topographical and marine, and costs $749.

[Garmin]

If and when we will ever see the M20 in the states is open for debate. After all, we are still waiting on the Linux-powered G60. The problem is that many people probably stopped caring about a Garmin GPS phone months ago. [CENS via Engadget]

Dubbed the 1000 series, the new nüvi satnavs measure in at just 15.5mm thick, and all come loaded with the latest version of WhereIs mapping. There’s a range of features and prices, all of which are detailed below:

nüvi 1250 – $299
3.5” screen
Ultra-thin GPS (15.5mm)
Preloaded Australia & New Zealand maps
Text to speech
ecoRoute – for fuel efficient navigation
Traffic compatible (with optional traffic receiver)
Preloaded Safety cameras

nüvi 1260 – $349
3.5” screen
Ultra-thin GPS (15.5mm)
Bluetooth hands-free calling
Preloaded Australia & New Zealand maps
Text to speech
ecoRoute – for fuel efficient navigation
Traffic compatible (with optional traffic receiver)
Preloaded Safety cameras

nüvi 1350 – $399
4.3” widescreen
Ultra-thin GPS (15.5mm)
Lane assist
Preloaded Australia & New Zealand maps
Text to speech
ecoRoute – for fuel efficient navigation
Traffic compatible (with optional traffic receiver)
Preloaded Safety cameras

nüvi 1390 – $449
4.3” widescreen
Ultra-thin GPS (15.5mm)
Lane assist
Real View Advanced Lane Guidance
Preloaded Australia & New Zealand maps
Text to speech
Bluetooth hands-free calling
ecoRoute – for fuel efficient navigation
Traffic compatible (with optional traffic receiver)
Preloaded Safety cameras

nüvi 1390T – $549
4.3” widescreen
Ultra-thin GPS (15.5mm)
Lane assist
Real View Advanced Lane Guidance
Preloaded Australia & New Zealand maps
Bluetooth hands-free calling
Text to speech
ecoRoute – for fuel efficient navigation
Built-in traffic alerts
Preloaded Safety cameras

Other differentiating features include colour-coding the units to represent Bluetooth capabilities (if it’s black, you can call back; If it’s silver, there’s no Bluetooth inside and there are few words that rhyme with silver so get over it) and the ability to enter an address without knowing what suburb it’s in (thank the Gods!)

[Garmin]

Fun fact: A healthy couple could’ve produced two children in the time it’ll take Garmin to bring the Nuvifone from the press office to customers’ hands, in Q4 of this year. By then, the oldest would be learning to walk.

During a conference call today, a company rep told analysts that the phone, which shipped last month in Taiwan, is in the final stages of testing with US carriers, plural, which is either a mistranscription or a sign that the Nuvifone will see a wide launch, worthy of its, ahem, extended introduction.

A lot has been said about how the Nuvifone’s allure has been killed by its lateness, and this is no doubt true — it’s just not clear to what extent they’ve been killed. I’m seeing two sides to this: on the one hand, a lot has happened since we saw Garmin “drop a phone in the GPS,” including two new iPhones, the rise of Android, and the Palm Pre. But at the same time, the Nuvifone did look pretty great, and freshness—to users, at least—counts for a lot, so don’t give up on our little Neverfone quite yet. [Twice via Phonemag]

The problem, of course, is that monthly fees will most likely be part of the deal—monthly fees that many GPS users are probably not willing to pay. Still, the nuvi 1690 appears to be on its way, for better or worse—although pricing and a release date have yet to be announced. [Electronista]

It was January of 2008 when we first caught wind of Garmin’s widening ambitions, and grabbed our first joyful glimpse of the navigation-centric handset, followed by an (also joyful!) hands-on. But that was in February, nearly a year after the announcement. And also, again, that was February, about six months ago. The ASUS-built Nuvifone was uniformly impressive from the start—with a custom-built Linux OS, creative location-aware applications, clean styling—but it’ll have a much tougher go of it in the age of app stores, especially against the 3GS, Pre, and Hero, which have pretty impressive GPS integration in their own right.

Sadly all we’re learning today is that the G60—to be followed closely by the much less exciting Windows Mobile M20—is shipping somewhere—US release, decidedly not happening in Q3 of last year, is still unknown, as is the price. [Garmin]