Having some sort of tie-in with Nokia handsets (while not excluding everyone else) isn't a must, but it'd be nice, right? We'll have to wait and see.

Here's what we do know: It'll be "HD ready" and have an Atom processor—hopefully that means Nvidia Ion-based. It will also have Wi-Fi, HDMI, and an SD Card reader. With a 12 hour battery and weight of 2.75 pounds, there's some massive potential here, if only on paper.

Problem is we won't know more about its flavor of Windows-or any other specs and pricing-until Nokia World on September 2. Stay tuned. [Nokia]

It was January of 2008 when we first caught wind of Garmin's widening ambitions, and grabbed our first joyful glimpse of the navigation-centric handset, followed by an (also joyful!) hands-on. But that was in February, nearly a year after the announcement. And also, again, that was February, about six months ago. The ASUS-built Nuvifone was uniformly impressive from the start—with a custom-built Linux OS, creative location-aware applications, clean styling—but it'll have a much tougher go of it in the age of app stores, especially against the 3GS, Pre, and Hero, which have pretty impressive GPS integration in their own right.

Sadly all we're learning today is that the G60—to be followed closely by the much less exciting Windows Mobile M20—is only shipping in Taiwan for now, which we can at least take to mean the product is finally ready. US release, decidedly not happening in Q3 of last year, is still unknown, as is the price. [Garmin]

Dell's also throwing in the Loki browser plugin for FireFox and IE, which integrates your Mini 10 with their location aware web portal and a few other supported sites, like Flickr, Loopt and Brightkite. The Dell Wireless 700 location solution, as it has been christened, will be available from next week, but pricing options remain to be seen. [Dell]

The Epson Infineon is a 12th generation GPS transmitter/receiver built upon a 65nm manufacturing process. Just 2.8 × 2.9mm (or 25% smaller than any A-GPS on the market), it's still powerful enough to communicate with satellites indoors, tracking you to the Motel 6 before your loved one discovers you—living a second life in which you rent Motel 6 rooms just to hang out and watch bad cable alone. [News via Engadget]

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• Dual-band UMTS/HSDPA (850MHz/2100MHz)
• 950 mAh battery
• 105.5 x 53.5 x 15.8 mm
• 240×480 2.8-inch LCD
• 3 megapixel fixed-focus camera, with VGA video capability
• 100MB of memory with microSD support up to 16GB
• Bluetooth 2.0
• USB 2.0
• Wi-Fi
• EMP U330 Lite Chipset

While there's no info on exactly what OS the unit'll be running, there is word that it's under testing in AT&T's labs and should hit the streets before Christmas. [BGR]

Nokia N79

• Personalise your device with 3 Xpress-on™ smart covers
included inbox, with automatically matching wallpaper
themes
• Automatically change from portrait to landscape with
orientation sensor
• Easily navigate using the NaviWheel™
• Geotagging of pictures captured, and view them on a map
• Organize photos by albums and tags, and
synchronize with PC
• Upload and share pictures and videos directly toOvi and the web
• Enjoy great audio through standard 3.5 mm jack
headphones, built-in 3D stereo speakers or Bluetooth
technology
• Digital music player with support for playlist editing,
equalizer and categorized access to your music collection
• Synchronize and manage music with Nokia Music client
• Integrated FM transmitter and FM receiver
• Search, browse and purchase songs online inNokia Music Store
• Built-in GPS with A-GPS support and integrated 3-month
navigation license
• Multimedia city guides and navigation services available
for purchase. Drive: voice guided car navigation,
or Walk: pedestrian guidance for walking routes
Connectivity & Data Services
• GPS receiver with support for assisted GPS (A-GPS)
Full-screen video playback to view downloaded,
streamed or recorded video clips
• Access internet video feeds through Nokia Video Center
• Transfer videos from compatible PC,
using Hi-Speed USB 2.0
Games:
• N-Gage™ experience and one free game activation
voucher
• Try and buy from a broad catalog of innovative, made-for-
mobile titles that feature connectivity and stunning
graphics
• Titles developed by leading publishers

Technical Profile
System: WCDMA900/2100 (HSDPA), EGSM900,
GSM850/1800/1900 MHz (EGPRS)
User Interface: S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2
Dimensions: 110 x 49 x 15 mm (L x W x H)
Weight: 97 g
Display: 2.4 inch QVGA (240 x 320 pixels) with up to
16 million colors
Battery: Nokia Battery BL-6F, 1200 mAh

Media
Memory: Up to 50 MB internal user memory,
4GB in-box micro SD memory card
Video playback: MPEG-4, H.264/AVC, H.263/3GPP,
RealVideo 8/9/10, WMV
Up to 30 fps, up to VGA resolution
Music playback: MP3, AAC, eAAC, eAAC+, WMA orientation sensor

Main Camera
Lens: Carl Zeiss Tessar™
Image capture: Up to 5 megapixels (2584 x 1938)
JPEG/EXIF (16.7 million/24-bit color)
Video capture: MPEG-4 VGA (640 x 480) at up to 30 fps
Aperture: F2.8
Focal length: 5.2 mm
Flash: LED camera flash and video light• Enjoy great audio through standard 3.5 mm jack
headphones, built-in 3D stereo speakers or Bluetooth technology

Operating Times
Talk time: Up to 210 min (3G), 330 min (GSM)
Standby time: Up to 400 hrs (3G), 370 hrs (GSM)
Video playback: Up to 5 hours (offline mode)
Music playback: Up to 24 hours (offline mode) • Built-in GPS with A-GPS support and integrated 3-month
navigation license

Connectivity & Data Services
• WLAN IEEE 802.11b/g with UPnP support
• Micro-USB connector, Hi-Speed USB 2.0
• 3.5mm stereo headphone plug and
TV-out support (PAL/NTSC)
• Bluetooth wireless technology 2.0 and
enhanced data rates (EDR)
• GPS receiver with support for assisted GPS (A-GPS) • Access internet video feeds through Nokia Video Center

Nokia N85

• Watch high-quality video on the 2.6 inch OLED display
• Full-screen video playback to view downloaded, streamed
or recorded video clips
• Access internet video feeds through
Nokia Video Center
• Transfer videos from a compatible PC,
using Hi-Speed USB 2.0
• Enjoy great audio through standard 3.5 mm jack
headphones, built-in 3D stereo speakers or Bluetooth
technology
• Easily control playback with the dedicated media keys
• Integrated FM transmitter and FM receiver
• Search, browse and purchase songs online in Nokia Music
Store
• Assisted GPS (A-GPS) provides fast and accurate location
information
• Multimedia city guides and navigation services available
for purchase.
• Drive: voice guided car navigation, or Walk: pedestrian-
optimized turn-by-turn guidance. Integrated 3-month
navigation license inbox
• More than 15 million points of interest with Nokia Maps 2.0
• Geotagging of captured pictures, and online sharing
• Organize photos by albums and tags, and synchronize
with PC
• Upload and share pictures and videos directly to Share on
Ovi or 3rd party services directly to the web
• N-Gage™ experience.
• Try and buy from a broad catalog of innovative, made-for-
mobile titles that feature connectivity and stunning
graphics
• Titles developed by leading publishers
• At least 10 games preloaded and one free game activation
voucher

Technical Profile
System: WCDMA 2100/1900/900+GSM
850/900/1800/1900
WCDMA 2100/1900/850+GSM
850/900/1800/1900
User Interface: S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2
Multimedia Menu
Dimensions: 103 x 50 x 16 mm (L x W x H)
Weight: 128 g
Display: AM OLED 2.6 inch QVGA (240 x 320 pixels)
with up to 16 million colors
Battery: Nokia Battery BL-5K, 1200 mAh

Media
Memory: Up to 74 MB internal dynamic memory,
up to 78 MB internal NAND flash memory,
8 GB in-box micro SD memory card
Video playback: MPEG-4, H.264/AVC, H.263/3GPP,
RealVideo 8/9/10, WMV
30 fps, VGA resolution
Music playback: MP3, AAC, eAAC, eAAC+, WMA

Main Camera
Optics: Carl Zeiss Tessar™
Image capture: 5 Megapixels (2584 x 1938)
JPEG/EXIF (16.7 million/24-bit color)
Video capture: MPEG-4 VGA (640 x 480) at up to 30 fps
Aperture: F2.8
Focal length: 5.45 mm
Flash: Dual LED camera flash and video lightMaps and Navigation:

Operating Times
Talk time: Up to 270 min (3G), 410 min (GSM)
Standby time: Up to 360 hrs (3G), 360 hrs (GSM)
Video call: Up to 160 min
Video playback: Up to 7 hours (QVGA, 15fps)
Music playback: Up to 30 hours (offline mode) Photos:

Connectivity & Data Services
• WLAN IEEE 802.11b/g with UPnP support
• Micro-USB connector, Hi-Speed USB 2.0
• 3.5mm stereo headphone plug and
TV-out support (PAL/NTSC)
• Bluetooth Specification 2.0 and
Bluetooth stereo audio support
• GPS receiver with support for assisted GPS (A-GPS)

One of neato aspects of the iPhone 3G's engineering is that it crams a whole bunch of wireless stuff, like 3G, Wi-Fi and GPS into just two antennas, which are integrated into the "metal ring around the camera, the audio jack, the metal screen bezel, and the iPhone circuitry itself." But that doesn't mean it's always going to get a solid GPS signal (same with most phones), like when it's indoors or between skyscrapers. So it uses assisted GPS, also known as aGPS or A-GPS, like most phones with "GPS," though it can mean a couple different things.

In the iPhone's case, it means location is determined with a combo of GPS, Wi-Fi and cell towers, depending on what's available—and all that data is crunched by the "assistance server." There are several benefits to A-GPS. It's wayyy faster for one. With vanilla GPS, to get a lock, you need several strong signals for a decent length of time. With A-GPS, the assistance server tells your phone where the closest satellites are and does the serious computational legwork, cutting down the number of frequencies the phone has to scan and the numbers it has to smash, making the whole process a lot faster. Also, the server can take paltry, choppy ones and make use of 'em. And this all makes it a lot more battery friendly too.

The nicest thing about the iPhone 3G's setup is that the you-are-here circle indicates how accurate the assistance server's guesstimation is, like when it derives your location in less than ideal conditions. Unlike some phones' A-GPS, Apple implies iPhone's A-GPS will still work without a cell signal (it "finds your location via GPS or by triangulating your position...") in case you're camping or just in the boonies. (Update: As commenters have pointed out, an issue would be getting the Google maps, which need to be downloaded via cell or Wi-Fi. A third-party app from TomTom or such with locally stored maps would solve that problem, so main issue is still the chip's capabilities to work without assistance.)

It's unknown how hard the GPS is going to punch the battery life. The iPhone turns it on and off "quickly and automatically" when needed. But we anticipate it'll sock it pretty good when the chip's actually active, especially for decent stretches—like during live tracking, possibly, but we think it might power on the receiver only at needed intervals to save juice, doing the rest of the crunching internally or by other means if they're available (like cell towers).

Okay, so the only hands on time we've had with the iPhone's GPS apps comes from Brian's brief time with it, and that did reveal a couple quirks. (Well for one, it couldn't quite find him.) Maps and photo geotagging both asked him for permission to use his location, which kinda bugged him, but since he got the first demo, I'm relatively certain it only does that the first time you use the phone, like the E911 option.
In case you're wondering about the live traffic info, that's been Google mojo for a while.

Hopes for a more robust or simply different navigation app from one of the majors like Garmin, TomTom or Telenav are foggy right now. TomTom says they've got one running already, but there's also a weird clause in the SDK that would seem to prohibit other GPS apps. On the other hand, big companies could talk to Apple directly (and very probably are) to get their apps okayed on the iPhone, which would be smart for both parties. It'll make the iPhone an even more serious GPS device, and it'll give the established makers a piece of the pie they fear losing. But we'd still like to see some sweet (and free) homebrew stuff too. [Giz Explains]

Something we missed, or you still wanna know? Send any questions about 3G, GPS, G-spots or anything else to tips@gizmodo.com, with "Giz Explains" in the subject line.

The Price: The Zoombak for pets is a steep $200, with water-resistant pouch; the one for cars costs $250, because of the installation kit. On top of that, there's a service charge of $10 per month—looking at the price, there's no forgetting that this device is, essentially, a little cellphone.

The Verdict: I don't have a dog, so I tested it on my in-laws. The thing is small and light, and it really, really works. I activated one of them, set a safety zone perimeter using my address plus 1/2 mile, then handed it over to my father-in-law. After a short while, I got a text message naming the closest street intersection to where he was. (This can also come in the form of an email; it's your call.)

The messages didn't start coming right when he crossed the invisible threshold, but the data seemed to be timely: throughout the day I periodically got new updates as to his whereabouts. At one point, when my father-in-law was sitting not far away, I got a text that he was at some address I didn't recognize. Then I looked at the map and realized it was, indeed, the closest intersection to my house, even though it was just through a patch of woods, and outside our development. If I were really looking for him, he probably wouldn't have been hard to find.

There are some things to keep in mind: as with any other cellphone, it's got a battery that needs recharging. This one lasts up to 5 days or 150 location requests, so keep it charged and put it on your pets (or in-laws) when they're out the door. Also, the web interface is in need of some improvements, but those are easily tweaked and I know Zoombak is adding additional features even now, so I'm not worried. It's a good start; if you're really worried about a wayward pet or other family member, check it out. [Zoombak]