Gizmondo to get full GPS mapping suite next month

Tiger Telematics is set to launch a suite of GPS location-based mapping software for its Gizmondo handheld console at the end of September, offering fully-featured satellite navigation to locations around the UK and Europe.

The suite, called Gizmondo Navigator 2006, will ship on a different SD card for each geographic region and will show navigation guides in both 2D and 3D, as well as offering voiced instructions for each turn in the route.

The software will enable Gizmondo owners to finally take full advantage of the console's global positioning functions, which also have the potential to be used in videogames which factor in the user's location as part of the play experience.

Tiger Telematics plans to launch a car cradle and charger for the handheld alongside the GPS pack, allowing the console to be used properly for in-car navigation.

A special version of the Gizmondo console, with the Smart Adds direct marketing enabled, will be sold bundled with the navigation software for GBP 199, while the software itself will be available for GBP 99 (for the UK only) or GBP 199 (for all of Europe).

Gizmondo's launch in the US was recently subject to a fresh delay, and it's not been announced whether a similar navigation package will be available in the US market when the console finally arrives there.