tomtom

TomTom, sued earlier by Microsoft for patent infringement related to GPS technology and TomTom's implementation of Microsoft's FAT, or file allocation table, technology in Linux, is fighting back. Unfortunately, its countersuit relates to four of its GPS patents that it claims Microsoft infringes, not the Linux patents that have the open-source community up in arms.

Neither side, in other words, is backing down. Despite my earlier concern that TomTom couldn't afford to fight Microsoft's allegations, it looks as if TomTom has found both the money and the will to fight.

I just wish that it were … Read more

Updated at 3:30 p.m. PDT with additional detail and to correct the filing date for TomTom's suit, which was Monday.

TomTom has responded to Microsoft's patent suit by filing a patent claim of its own against the software maker.

The GPS device maker, based in The Netherlands, filed the countersuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on Monday. TomTom says Microsoft's Streets and Trips products infringe on four patents it owns related to vehicle navigation software.

In a statement, Microsoft lawyer Horacio Gutierrez said the company is still in … Read more

On Thursday, TomTom introduced a new plan for delivering map updates to its customers. Dubbed TomTom Map Update Service, the subscription-based service brings quarterly map updates for a one-time fee as low as $39.80 or $9.95 per map release.

The service is available starting today. If you subscribe, you will be alerted to new updates when you connect your GPS devices to your PC and the TomTom Home service (the company's free desktop software). From there, you'll be able to download the maps, which reflect all road changes that have been verified by TeleAtlas. The update … Read more

There are lots of reasons to believe that Microsoft isn't going after open source with its TomTom patent infringement suit and, as Rob Enderle points out, TomTom can hardly afford to defend itself, anyway:

TomTom, which hasn't exactly been an open source poster child, has a problem....Tom Tom really doesn't have the resources to defend against an IP infringement attack during what is likely to be an ugly revenue year. It recently warned that it probably won't be able to repay creditors -- it took a 989 million euro fourth-quarter loss -- and doesn't … Read more

Q: I am writing to ask you about what GPS device is the best for someone interested in traffic updates (preferably free), as well as Bluetooth capability. I also like the idea of Lane Assist because I fear missing exits. Also, is the voice response option really a practical one at this phase? Hope to hear from you soon. --Alex via e-mail

A: Hi Alex. I'll start with your last question first. Voice command functionality is just starting to show up in portable navigation devices, letting you enter addresses and perform some other tasks simply by speaking to the GPS. As with any new technology, I can understand your apprehension. Is it good enough? Is it actually useful? In other words, is it ready for prime time?

In the case of voice commands and GPS, it's not quite there yet. The idea behind it is good. The ability to enter addresses and perform certain functions with the sound of your voice would seemingly save you the time and trouble of going through various menus and tapping onscreen buttons to achieve the same goal.

Being able to do things like increase system volume and zoom in on maps via voice commands is particularly useful since you can keep your hands on the wheel instead of reaching over to fiddle around with your PND's touch screen.

However, in practice, the technology still needs some work. Voice command functionality is available on a handful of GPS models, such as the TomTom GO 930 and the Magellan Maestro 4250, but of the current offerings, there are only two models where I'd consider the voice command feature satisfactory: the Garmin Nuvi 880 and Navigon 7200T.

These two systems returned fairly accurate results when dictating addresses, and the Nuvi 800 had the bonus of offering 30 voice commands to perform other functions, including volume control and activating the hands-free speaker system. Unfortunately, they're also on the pricier side ($700 to $1,000 for the Garmin and $300 to $500 for the Navigon), and I wouldn't say the voice command functionality is so great that it's worth the extra expense. … Read more

I woke up this morning to a special deal from Amazon.com on a TomTom GPS device. While its one-day, 33 percent discount almost certainly has nothing to do with Microsoft's announcement that it is suing TomTom for eight counts of patent infringement, the appearance of Amazon trying to clear its inventory of the TomTom One-S couldn't have better comic timing:

I don't want to prey upon TomTom's misfortunes, however. I'm going to be waiting for the "75 percent off" sale next week. :-)

Follow me on Twitter at mjasay.

Despite Microsoft assurances that a patent lawsuit against GPS navigation company TomTom is not targeting the overall Linux community, open-source leaders said on Thursday that the legal action is antagonistic toward the movement.

Microsoft on Wednesday filed two separate actions against TomTom before the U.S. District Court in Washington and the International Trade Commission, alleging infringement of eight patents, three of which involve Linux. Microsoft deputy general counsel Horacio Gutierrez said the legal actions were taken after attempts to negotiate on licensing failed.

Asked whether Microsoft would sue other open-source developers, Gutierrez said the software giant's dispute was … Read more

Last week, Microsoft promoted Horacio Gutierrez, formerly vice president of intellectual property, to corporate vice president. This week, Gutierrez polished his new business cards and sent them TomTom's way, with a patent infringement lawsuit.

As CNET News' Ina Fried reports, Microsoft on Wednesday launched a patent infringement lawsuit against TomTom, maker of GPS systems. TomTom, for its part, summarily rejects the claims and says it will "vigorously defend" itself. Lawsuits are filed all the time, but this one is of particular interest to the open-source community because it includes three claims of patent infringement related to Linux … Read more

REDMOND, Wash.--Microsoft's top intellectual property lawyer said that the company's legal action against TomTom over Linux was specific to that company, but he declined to say whether other suits over the open source operating system might follow.

"I wouldn't speculate at this point," Horacio Gutierrez told CNET News in an interview late Wednesday. Gutierrez did add that Microsoft's patent suit against TomTom, which includes three claims related to file management techniques used in the Linux kernel, was specific to that company.

It is the "TomTom implementation of the Linux kernel that infringes … Read more