What caught my eye was its cute looking GPS 9553 – a small and lightweight Bluetooth GPS module that can be attached to a jacket and used in conjunction with a PDA or Smartphone GPS application.



The device uses the latest SiRFStar III chipset. This is apparently much more sensitive than the previous generation which means that it can even receive a GPS signal inside a jacket pocket. I’m looking forward to getting one in to the office so we can check out whether that really works. I hope it does, as that will make walking around and navigating via GPS much easier – which ought to please our columnist Sandra Vogel, at the very least.

Admittedly this was first unveiled back in Septermber 2004 but it passed me by, which demonstrates that not everything at CeBIT has to be brand new to be of interest.

What was more than new however, was a ‘pre-release’ TomTomGo rival called the LR-9700 located behind glass upstairs in the press area, pictured here.



Also on show was a Leadtek Voice Over IP (VoIP) BV888P device. VoIP is increasingly popular and we have just recently reviewed a handset designed for Skype. UK availability was uncertain but while Leadtek has done deals with France Telecom, I can’t see BT being quite as keen somehow.




There's a whole lot more to come, so stay tuned as the CeBIT party continues.