That's true for standalone GPS devices such as TomTom or Garmin and smartphone navigators like Navigon.

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Specifically, the Touch Pro, Saga, and Omnia have all been mentioned as getting fully unlocked, standalone GPS via firmware updates in the first half of next year.

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Last-minute holiday shoppers might jump at discounts on standalone GPS devices like the basic ones from Garmin and Magellan, but those gifts may not get much use, analysts suggest.

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Away from device sales, the company's location and commerce department had a difficult quarter, but the sale of map content licenses (to companies like Amazon) offset the dwindling popularity of standalone GPS units.

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What with standalone Bluetooth-based GPS receivers getting smaller all the time, it's natural to assume that there's a limit to how small said devices can get, which will inevitably lead to manufacturers adding features that are peripheral to the original intended purpose in an attempt to differentiate their own offering from the competition.

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Thanks to smartphones there's less of a reason to invest in a standalone navigator, and while GPS companies have been selling mapping apps of their own, that doesn't quite make up for plunging device sales, now does it?

ENGADGET

Navigon is a German-based GPS maker that was, even before its acquisition by Garmin, focusing on GPS apps for mobile devices rather than selling standalone hardware units (a wise move in light of market trends).

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