(Click here for a larger view of the TravelPoint 300)

The TravelPilot 300 is built around SiRF's Atlas III, a highly integrated SoC (system-on-chip) that includes a 396MHz ARM926EJ-S core, a 264 MHz DSP, and support for displays up to 800 x 480 pixels. A faster version of the company's Atlas II, the Atlas III runs Windows CE natively and has 30-channel, hardware-accelerated GPS baseband capabilities.


Atlas Sirf Star III application diagram

The amount of RAM featured in the device is not stated, but the TravelPilot includes 4GB of flash storage, about four times the amount found on most PNDs. The unit also has an SDHC-compatible card slot, which Blaupunkt says can be used to add at least 8GB of additional storage.

The TravelPilot 300 has a 4.3-inch touchscreen display with 480 x 272 resolution. The screen can show JPG or BMP still images, or WMV videos. In addition, the device plays music in MP3, WMA, or OGG formats, even while it is also being used for navigation. Other multimedia features include a voice recorder and five different video games -- Sokoban, Solitaire, Sudoku, and two puzzles.

According to Blaupunkt, the TravelPilot features maps supplied by TeleAtlas. Details of more than 20 Western European countries are built in, and data for 20 Eastern European countries can be uploaded via a DVD supplied with the unit. GPS functionality includes a "go-home function" from anywhere, and route calculations that can avoid toll roads, ferries, or specific highways.

"Adaptive adjustment" can take driving behavior into consideration when calculating routes, Blaupunkt claims. Further, the TravelPilot 300 can be programmed to sound visual or acoustic warnings when the legal speed limit is about to be exceeded.

Another unusual feature cited by the company is the ability to add personal POIs (points of interest) to the device. Users can accomplish this by obtaining GPS coordinates of interest from a website such as Google Earth, entering them into a PC program supplied with the TravelPoint 300, and then moving them to the PND via an SD card.

Apart from GPS, the TravelPilot includes Bluetooth, for handsfree operation of a mobile phone. It also receives Traffic Message Channel (TMC) broadcasts, playing back those that are relevant to a user's present position. (TMC is currently broadcasting in a variety of western European countries, with others expected to come online soon, according to TMC Forum, the TMC trade association.)

Specifications listed by Blaupunkt for the TravelPilot 300include:

• Processor -- SiRF Atlas III (396MHz ARM926EJ-S core and 264 MHz DSP)
  
• Memory -- 4GB flash
  
• Display -- 4.3-inch touchscreen display with 480 x 272 resolution
  
• Wireless interfaces:
  • GPS
    
  • Bluetooth
    
  • TMC receiver
• Other I/O:
  • 1 x USB 2.0
    
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
    
  • DC input
• Expansion -- SDHC-compatible SD slot
  
• Battery life -- approximately five hours
  
• Weight -- 7 ounces (225 g)
  
• Dimensions -- 4.9 x 3.6 x 0.7 inches (123 x 90 x 17.5mm)

The TravelPilot 300 will be available in April for 300 Euros, according to Blaupunkt.

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