GPS functionality is starting to become a given with smartphones and while the car computers are sweating the GPS manufacturers have started to look for new markets. The next step is said to be notebooks since Windows 7 offers improved support for integrated GPS functions. It has come such a long way that Microsoft has ordered 1,000 flash units with integrated GPS transmitter to offer software developers the chance of developing applications for GPS.
The GPS units ships from Swiss company U-Blox that have been working alongside of Taiwanese circuit manufacturers to develop GPS solutions that can integrate directly into our notebooks.
The market is said to start with thin notebooks next year. The easier to carry along the better. Ming Chiang, responsible for U-Blox operation in Taiwan, says that integrated GPU will become standard in smaller notebooks in the future, which sounds more than plausible.
