14 DAY TRIAL // There are quite a lot of companies out there that have the relatively nasty habit of parading some highly innovative product at some technology show, and then come up with the actual product months (if not years) after the initial announcement. And that's also the case with Clarion, which presented back at CES a concept GPS navigator, the ClarionMiND, with the actual, end product being (partially) unveiled just yesterday, at the Intel Developers Forum.
Why IDF? We'll, that's because this hybrid between a MID (mobile Internet device) and a GPS navigator is built around Intel's famous CPU for mobile devices, the Atom, powerful enough to carry out various tasks, other than displaying the navigation maps and running the built-in OS, of course.
The wide range of Internet connectivity options is probably one of the main selling points of the device from Clarion. Thus, the ClarionMiND incorporates a WiFi module, but also a Bluetooth one, which allows users to pair the navigation device with a mobile phone for convenient service options. And one of the most interesting such options is represented by the possibility to download POIs in real time, a feature that could really come in handy, especially when visiting some remote location.
The aforementioned connectivity options not only that allow users to enjoy the normal navigation experience (via the 800 x 480 touchscreen LCD TFT screen) but they also deliver comprehensive Internet browsing capabilities, including here optimized MySpace and YouTube applications. Additionally, as most other similar products available on the market, the device also allows users to enjoy full multimedia playback, whether we're talking about music or movies.
"ClarionMiND represents the next generation of portable navigation devices. It will deliver turn-by-turn directions, provide real-time POI, help you get there, and while you are there, finally give you the full Internet experience you always wanted but could never get on today's mobile devices," stated Adam Thomas, Clarion's vice president of marketing.
Unfortunately, Mr. Thomas has not mentioned a very important detail, namely the price point, which means that we'll probably have to wait until this product becomes available in stores (theoretically, in the 4th quarter of 2008) before providing the pricing details.
We are just a few, but there are many of you, Softpedia users, out there. That's why we thought it would be a good idea to create an email address for you to help us a little in finding gadgets we missed. Interesting links are bound to be posted with recognition going mainly to those who submit. The address is 
.