I went to the SmartDemo show last week, where Intelematics, a car intelligence systems company (owned by the RACV) were showing off Australia's first traffic data system, SUNA Traffic Channel. SUNA (as in, get there 'sooner'... get it?) will be launching in September, and should be available through a number of GPS brands before Christmas.

The quick news is you should expect to pay between $100 and $300 extra for a unit with SUNA support, but that gives access for the life of the unit. The September date is for Melbourne (they're actually already broadcasting there), with Sydney and Brisbane expected mid 2008, and Adelaide and Perth later next year.

For the longer take on why this is awesome news (and probably the best service in the world right now), and what you need to know right now if you're thinking of buying sat nav (you should be able to buy a 'traffic ready' units now and upgrade later, if you just can't wait for a fully operational unit), read on.

Read More »