First we would like to thank you for the interest in our project. More than 200 pre-orders have been received and we are still receiving some. Great and thank you!
A little clarification about our goals need to be stated. We want to sell these xGPS modules to enable you to use your iPhone v1 or iPod touch like a great GPS device. We are not here to make profit or to sell these modules in large quantity as a “normal” company would do. Hence we will accept only a limited amount of orders. We are planning to produce about 100 to 150 modules, depending on the demand. After that we will be done 
! In the extreme case, where many people could not have ordered their modules, we could plan another production slot but that’s too far away from now! That was about our goals and our thoughts.
Now the juicy news. We are developing an application allowing the xGPS modules owners to use their iPod touch or iPhone as a GPS in their car or while they are walking etc… It means that the application doesn’t require an Internet connection at all. It works as follow: Maps are downloaded from the Internet before starting to drive or to walk by selecting the desired town’s maps. Then the users can enable the GPS mode and their position will be displayed on the map and updated each second without requiring an Internet connection.
Now many people will ask the question: Would it be possible to get directions or to search for a place ?. The current answer is no. But don’t be sad ! It is planned. It is the next major improvement that has to be done on the application. The big problem is that the application need to know somehow the street names etc… So it will be only possible to get directions when there is an available Internet connection. Fortunately the directions data will be very small (and so won’t cost a lot if you are using EDGE). Moreover when the directions are downloaded, they can then be used without any Internet connection.
To summarize our application will be likely the same as the iPhone Map application but without the need to have an Internet connection while driving! This application will be available on the same time as the xGPS module will be shipped. Screenshots and demo of this application will be shortly available.
We have also some great news to say about the xGPS module. As there were a lot of request about cables type or length, we have decided to produce different xGPS modules. There will be 3 models:
- Standard xGPS module as presented on the final prototype picture.
- Small cable between the module and the iPhone / iPod touch (30 cm)
- Black case of dimension 54x37x21 mm (See picture below).
- Same as 1. but:
- Longer cable between the module and the iPhone / iPod touch (60cm)
- Same as 1. but:
- Long cable (60cm) between the iPhone / iPod touch with a USB plug to recharge the iPhone / iPod touch with the standard Apple© charge
The price of these different modules will vary. We cannot say a precise price for the models 2 and 3 but the model 1 will be a little less expensive as announced last week. The price of the first model of the xGPS module will be 70$ for the module AND the box. This price does not include the shipping fees.
The shipping fees will depends to which country you are ordering and which sending option you take (Economic or Priority). We will ship to all the Europe and the America (United-States and Canada). The shipping fees are as follow:
| Country |
Economic |
Priority |
| All Western Europe (Italy, Germany, France, United Kingdom…) |
8 US$ (5-10 days) |
13 US$ (2-4 days) |
| United States |
10 US$ (7-17 days) |
19 US$ (3-10 days) |
| Canada |
10 US$ (10-22 days) |
19 US$ (3-10 days) |
If your country is not listed, please contact us.
The orders will be opened in about 1-2 weeks. The 10 first orders will have 10% off on the original price of the module. We will not start the production until at least 30 orders have been received correctly. If there is not enough orders, the placed orders will be totally refunded (obviously).
We will start shipping the orders on the 28th of July 2008. Maybe a little bit before if the orders are placed rapidly.
If you still have any question after this (very) long article, feel free to contact us.
Thank you.
