Todays & Tomorrows Technology

Well this is pretty cool, if I do say so myself. If you get tired of the same old electronic-tinged voice providing you with instructions on your GPS, then you’ll be pleased to hear TomTom has added one certain famous cartoon dad to their offerings.

That’s right. Now, Homer Simpson can provide you with directions to your next destination. He says fun things like, “Whoo-hoo, you have reached your destination.” Other staples include, “At the end of the road, turn left, then take the motorway, hee-hee-hee.”

So, voice skins aren’t a new thing, I know, but personally, Homer beats everything else out there by a long-shot. Though, I’d imagine listening to “D’oh!” a million times during a cross country trip could become quite irritating. You can get the new Homer voice skin now for $13.

Of all the software brought out to demonstrate the developing capabilities of Apple iPhone OS 3.0, the most interesting has to be TomTom’s turn-by-turn navigation app. Both a software app and an accompanying car kit were announced, complete with Points Of Interest (POIs) and both 2D and 3D mapping.

There’s also portrait and landscape modes, with the mapping automatically rotating to suite. TomTom have given the app a night mode, which changes the colors to low-glare alternatives, and the car kit will support the iPhone in both orientations.

The kit also supplies power to the iPhone, and can be used to “enhance GPS data” presumably with some sort of integrated GPS antenna of its own. Meanwhile it also has a speaker and microphone for hands-free calls. We don’t yet know how much software or car kit will cost, though something tells us it won’t be all that cheap.