In theory, we've no qualms with TomTom's LIVE services. Sure, they're over-hyped, overpriced and generally slow to react, but they're definitely nice extras on an otherwise vanilla PND. That said, we simply can't (and won't, ever) justify the crazy monthly rates for having access to basic information that even a dumb smartphone could find. Nevertheless, TomTom's doing its darnedest to push those very services to the masses by trickling 'em down from the GO 740 LIVE to its popular XL model. Folks across the pond can pick one up next month for €219 ($301) or €249 ($342) depending on whether you need a regional model or one with 42 European nations, but you'll still be asked to shell out €9.95 ($14) per month if you want those LIVE services.

Navigation devices are everywhere and just keep getting better and better thanks to the 3D maps provided by the likes of Tele Atlas (owned by TomTom) and NAVTEQ (owned by Nokia). Now Tele Atlas is announcing its photorealistic "Advanced City Models" destined for in-car and portable navigation systems and mobile devices. In June, Tele Atlas will release 40 maps based on BLOM arial imagery for cities across Europe -- hundreds more cities, including those in North America and Asia, will be available in 2010. Remember, Google already has laid ink to paper to give it rights to Tele Atlas maps for use in Google's mobile, desktop, and on-line offerings. And with Tele Atlas maps loaded on PSPs and navigators from Pioneer, Mio, and of course TomTom, just think of this as a hint of what's to come.

Way back at CES, TomTom proudly announced that its GO 740 LIVE personal navigation device would be its very first "connected GPS" to hit the United States of America. Just last month, the company announced that said unit was finally shipping to anxious consumers. Hardware wise, there's nothing here outside of the ordinary, but it's the little extras that make all the difference in the world here -- or, at least that's what TomTom wants you to think. Is this $400 navigator worth the up front costs, let alone the monthly fee to keep it connected? Head on past the break for our take.

TomTom decided to bust out a pair of announcements this morning, so we won't waste any time getting right to the crux of it. That splendiferous GO 740 LIVE, which was introduced at CES this January, is finally shipping in the US of A. If you'll recall, this is TomTom's first connected navigation system, which can download real-time traffic information, fuel prices, weather reports, etc. If you're intrigued, you can snag one now with three months of LIVE Services for $399.95. Moving on, we've got four new systems entirely: the ONE 140 / ONE 140s (3.5-inch display; 140S announces spoken street and place names) and the XL 340 / XL 340s (4.3-inch display; 340S includes speech functions). Each of these include the company's IQ Routes technology and Advanced Lane Guidance, features that were previously reserved for higher-end PNDs; furthermore, the new crew also includes maps of Mexico. Catch 'em all this month for $179.95, $199.95, $229.95 and $249.95 in order of mention.

[Via GPSReview]

Read - GO 740 LIVE now shipping in US
Read - ONE 140 Series and XL 340 Series

Well, that was fast -- just a month after Microsoft set the open-source world on fire by claiming that TomTom's use of Linux violated its FAT filesystem patents, the two companies have settled, with TomTom paying the always-popular "undisclosed amount" and letting MS license four of its navigation patents for free. What's more, TomTom has also agreed to remove certain functionality from its PNDs within two years. That's huge -- not only did TomTom's attorneys calculate that the total cost of this settlement was less than the cost of a trial and a potential loss, the overwhelmingly one-way nature of the deal implies they felt they were holding a bad position. Since we don't know if that was more to do with the navigation patents or the FAT patents, we can't really say what's going to happen next, but Microsoft's made no bones about the fact that it thinks Linux violates all sorts of its IP, and cruising to an easy settlement in a month like this just might encourage its legal department to go digging for gold in troubled economic times. We'll see.

Call it coincidence or call it fate, but nary a month after Microsoft filed a patent lawsuit against TomTom over Linux-based GPS systems, TomTom has just been taken into the warm, loving arms of the Open Invention Network. Said company, which was formed to "enable and protect Linux," has just extended the Linux ecosystem with the signing of TomTom as a licensee. What this means is that TomTom is now cleared to leverage the benefits of Linux and all patents owned by OIN; the only catch is that TomTom cannot "assert its patents against the Linux System." 'Course, TomTom has been friends with Linux for quite some time now, but this deal could lead to faster development and enhanced innovation compared to what we've seen in the past. Color us intrigued.

Microsoft has long maintained that Linux infringes at least 235 of its patents, and it looks like it's reaching deep into the bin for some extra ammo in a new case filed against TomTom over nav systems -- of the eight alleged patent infringements in the complaint, five are specifically about portable navigation devices , while the remaining three cover what look to be filesystem-management techniques inherent to the Linux kernel itself. It seems like the Linux issue is less important to Redmond than the GPS patents -- deputy general counsel Horacio Gutierrez says there aren't any broader plans to go after Linux vendors and that it "respects and appreciates" open source -- but if Microsoft scores a victory here, it'll have an incredible advantage should it decide to take on any other Linux-based products. We'll be following this one very closely, we'll keep you in the loop.

[Via Business Insider]

Read - Techflash
Read - Microsoft complaint [PDF]

Evidence that the economy has been ground to a fine powder continues to pile up, and today's brought another batch of bad news. Tales of woe abound, but looming largest is Sony, which announced its 2nd quarter earnings yesterday, then warned today that they expect to post a $1.7 billion loss this year (though we've seen other reports that are now putting the number at well over $2 billion). Additionally, Samsung is expected to post a first-ever quarterly loss when it reports its earnings Friday, which are expected to run somewhere in the neighborhood of a $67.7 million net loss. Moving on, Seagate's also announced an unsuprising cut of about 6 percent of their workforce in Thailand. Finally, LG has reported a $487 million loss, while TomTom announced a "cost cutting program," meaning they're cutting about 7 percent of their global workforce. Seriously, does anyone have a light-hearted Dilbert strip or something to ease some of the pain? Sheesh.

Read - Sony, Warning of Annual Loss, Escalates Cost-Cutting plan
Read - Samsung may report first ever quarterly loss
Read - LG Electronics Posts $487 Million Loss
Read - TomTom Cost-cutting programme
Read - Seagate to lay off up to 800 local workers

They're far from common, but we've definitely seen modular GPS concepts before. If this leaked FCC documentation is any gauge of reality, however, TomTom will be making those wild, wild dreams into something entirely more tangible. The DUB1 is an up and coming navigator which is designed to operate in a snap-in portal located in your nearest dashboard or in the palm of your nearest hand. It's likely that said portal will be a double-DIN aftermarket accessory, but we suppose TomTom could nail down contracts with automakers to provide it from the factory. There's little left to do but wait and see, but given just how nuts Garmin went at CES 2008, don't be shocked to see this as one of the many coming from its main rival in just under a month.

[Via NaviGadget]

Love GPS'ing? Love TomTom? Well you're in luck, because the company has just sneaked out another iteration of its popular GO series -- the 630. The device boasts a 4.3-inch, 480 x 272 touchscreen, SD card support, Bluetooth functionality, and comes loaded with maps of US and Canada. We're not going to pretend that the 630 sports any features which are too outstanding, but with things like "points of interest," a "windshield mount," and included "USB cable," you can rest easy knowing this does... something. The satnav unit is available from RadioShack right now for an affordable $349.99 (a $50 savings off its list price).

[Via GPS Tracklog]