With the TomTom GPS iPhone module’s future in serious doubt , it seemed like the beautifully huge multi-touch screen in the iPhone would never see its full glory as a GPS receiver. Lo and behold, partfoundry has taken up the task of bringing a legit iPhone GPS plug-in module to market. We’re hearing that a February 2008 launch in in the cards - just in time for the iPhone SDK . The partfoundry GPS module is set to deliver 16 channels of satellite positioning and will work with any GPS navigational software that you choose. Of course, this means that partfoundry will be looking to third-party iPhone software developers to bring a workable GPS navigation application to market - but with a healthy dev-community already in place and the SDK slated to come out soon, we’re not worried about that part. What we are worried about is that hideous looking module you see above. A nice sleek cover is a must for anyone outside the geek-chic crowd. Partfoundry is taking pre-order for $89, so if you just can’t delay that need for gratification, head on over to their site and order yours today. Check out the video of the partfoundry prototype in action. partfoundry ---Related Articles at IntoMobile:TomTom developing GPS module for iPhone?Samsung SGH-i617 BlackJack II confirmed with integrated GPS - available Black FridayiPhone to get a GPS in 2008GPS location data on your iPhone - kinda, sortaGoogle GPhone confirmed to be manufactured by HTC

We can’t tell you how much we love grainy spy-shots and questionable rumors. Like this one, for example. The image you see to the right shows what looks to be a TomTom-made GPS module plugged in to the bottom of an iPhone, with GPS navigation prompts displayed on the screen. With the iPhone SDK slated for a February release and widely rumored to already be available to a select few developers , it’s entirely feasible that TomTom has been “tap-tapped” to bring GPS functionality to the iPhone by way of an official “Made for iPhone” accessory. On the flip-side, we’ve seen many a rumor come and go - which is to say, completely fail to materialize. For what it’s worth, we don’t see any reason why Apple wouldn’t want to offer GPS navigation on the iPhone, and TomTom would be a logical choice for Apple. That is, it would be a perfect stop-gap until the 3G iPhone with GPS launches - right? [Via: Engadget Mobile ] ---Related Articles at IntoMobile:Garmin and Tomtom to make phones?Garmin and TomTom to launch their own GPS-enabled phones this year?Deal: Buy a Treo and get a free TomTom GPSiPhone to get a GPS in 2008Mio plans to go mobile next year

Patent applications, be they from Apple, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Microsoft, etc., all have one thing in common - they employ hand-sketched, incredibly vague images that outline their ideas. Well, Nokia’s breaking rank with their newest patent application filing. The image you see below isn’t some poor-quality spy-shot of an N-series slider in Nokia’s pipeline, rather, it’s the image that was included in the patent application wherein Nokia outlines plans to incorporate a swiveling/rotating camera module - much like we saw used in the Nokia 5700 . The idea is that a swiveling camera-module will give users more control over the camera’s “imaging axis.” Right, that makes sense, but the swiveling camera isn’t what piques our interest here. A close look at the patent application’s included images shows what looks like a lower-resolution, grainy spy-shot of a real-life Nokia N-series slider that’s already in the works in Espoo. Even closer inspection reveals what looks like an “8 Megapixel” or “6 Megapixel” branding emblazoned on the camera module. Did someone take the time and effort to sketch a fairly-detailed, if grainy, image of a handset for the sole purpose of including an image in the patent application? We’d put our money on “no.” We’ll likely have to wait until next year, but we won’t be too surprised if Nokia drops an N-series slider with a rotating/swiveling camera module on us. FCC source [Via: Unwired View ] ---Related Articles at IntoMobile:Apple patent application hints at theft-detecting, security-enabled power adaptors for iPhoneApple patent application hints at Apple iPhone Nano!Samsung E950 - 3 megapixel sliderSony Ericsson's patent application for dual-sliding QWERTY-keyboard and numeric keypadSamsung to launch G600 - handset with 5 MP camera