We've had a couple rumors dropping in for the past couple of months about upcoming plans for Apple's future line of hardware and software products. Recent rumors suggest that all these changes are growing imminent: the next-gen iPod Nano and iPod Touch, the latest iTunes update, and Mac OS X 10.5.6 introducing Blu-ray might be just around the corner!

Zoombak, known for its GPS-based product portfolio, has just announced at the RetailVision 2008 conference that it will be launching its Universal GPS Locator in the future which combines the power of GPS and cellular technology. Find out more on their latest offering in the full article.

President Vladimir Putin of Russia wants to use GLONASS, the Global Navigation Satellite System, to constantly track his black labrador dog, Koni. With Russia currently developing this system, it won't be long before this becomes a reality.

More information about this after the jump.

If you couldn't get over the sight of the Nissan GT-R in Gran Turismo 5's TV spot, then you may want to check out this trivia in case you want to get yourself a Nissan GT-R 2009: the car has a nifty GPS feature that removes its speed limiter once it enters Japanese domestic circuits. However, that may pose a problem for U.S. motorists. Find out why in the full article.

GPS devices and services provider Pharos Science & Applications Inc. has rolled two new models for its Drive GPS line. The Pharos Drive GPS 250 and GPS 150 includes a SiRFStarIII GPS receiver and is compatible with most smartphones on the market today.

While it doesn't exactly have dual-purpose capabilities like other GPS devices, this specialized device does its job quite efficiently.

Check out the specifications of the new models right after the jump!

Good news for cyclists and joggers everywhere: a new kind of yarn has been developed that, when weaved into clothing, will make the cloth glow and make you visible even in the pitch black of midnight. Motorists would go "oh my god, there's a Christmas tree on the road" and slow down so they don't run over you.

The yarn was developed in the University of Manchester, and all it needs is a battery to make the yarn light up like the sky on the Fourth of July. It's made of two layers of yarn. The inner layer of yarn, called electroluminescent yarn (EL yarn for those of us who can't be bothered with such a long name) is dipped in light-emitting ink that lights up when electricity runs through it.

The outer layer of yarn is regular yarn (yarn for short). The two are separated by a transparent insulator with holes where the inner and outer layer of yarn can touch. Once electricity flows through the ink of the EL yarn, the whole thing lights up. The yarn is currently less flexible than standard yarn but more flexible than optical fibres which do the same thing so its better for weaving it into clothes.

So it's not the Halo armor, but at least you don't have to worry about getting run over in the dark anymore.

It's a known fact: GPS trackers are now fast becoming invaluable tools in this day and age. The use of tracking devices for any and all things that people want to keep their eye on is fairly widespread, with GPS trackers attached to many things ranging from laptops, cars, and even wayward children that parents don't want to leave alone.

However, some people are finding new uses in how to use GPS devices. In an effort to keep track whether his stepson is going over the speed limit (again), Roger Rude, a retired deputy, installed a GPS tracker on his son Shaun Malone's Toyota Celica. The GPS tracker was then used to monitor his speed by checking the time logs generated  by the device.

Malone at first hated the GPS tracker, but it soon proved to work for him when he was pulled over for a speeding ticket that Malone believes was unjustly issued to him. Rude encouraged his stepson to contest the ticket in court, using the GPS tracker's time logs as proof that he didn't go over the speed limit. Said Rude:

I'm not trying to get a guilty kid off. I've always had faith in our justice system. I would like to see the truth prevail and I would like Shaun to see that the system works.

The decision whether to dismiss the speeding ticket issued to Malone or not will be handed by a Sonoma traffic commissioner within two weeks.

A good old one-two to divert the attention away from the competition would be similar to what Ultimate series creators i-Mate did recently: drop two high-end bombshells. Introducing i-Mate's Ultimate 8502 and 9502, two QWERTY high-end cellphones running on Windows Mobile 6 operating system and sporting a specifications set like other sweet features decked on the competition's bleeding edge mobiles.

The 8502 and 9502 go all out black, though the 9502 (image to your right) sports quad-band GSM, 3.5G connectivity, and tri-band HSUPA powered through Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6 operating system. It also comes with a video out port aside from providing crystal clear, crisp images through its sliding VGA LCD display, and LED flash for still captures.

But yes, it also jogs all the way down to the 2.5 millimeter audio jack, which doesn't quite broaden your headset options.

The 8502 in contrast touts a more simplistic design (no slide-down LCD screen), though its feature set is anything but simplistic. Aside from the usual WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth connectivity, you get 256 MB ROM and 128 MB RAM from the get-go, plus the 9502's 400 MHz Qualcomm processor. The camera slices down to a 2.0 megapixels from the 9502's 3.0 megapixel camera.

There are no details yet on price and retail shipping yet, so we can't tell you how much moolah you'll have to burn for i-Mate's new muscle gizmos. But as soon as they come up, we'll let you know. For now, feel free to visit i-Mate's website to take a gander at these beauties. The link redirects you to the Ultimate 9502 section.

Details on Nokia's N810 internet tablet are now out, and we couldn't help but feel awed by its presence. Make no mistake, this is not really a phone and does not work by receiving phone signals. The N810 connects to the internet (and make internet phone calls through Skype or Gizmo) via Wi-Fi connection through Boingo Wireless, Earthlink and The Cloud, among other Wi-Fi service providers.

The N810 looks like Sony mylo's older sibling, with the same sliding qwerty keypad and similar basic functions. It's small enough to fit in one's pocket, however, making it an indispensable tool for online communication on the go. It basically lets you fire off instant messages, check emails, make internet calls, all without having to lug a laptop around.

The N810 has a 4.13" inch screen with a crisp 800x400 widescreen resolution, and also has an integrated GPS receiver making it an ideal device for tracking and navigation via Wayfinder. It also has an integrated VGA camera, and with an optional 10GB memory card, you'll never have to venture out into the world unprepared.

Always plagued by a bad sense of direction whenever you drive to new places? Nokia just has the thing for you: the Nokia 500 Auto Navigation system.

Nokia's new device for the driving consumer is housed in a 4.3 inch widescreen display that enables easy reading while on the go. The Digital Signal Processing (DSP) technology embedded into the gadget also makes sure that both voice and text messages get across whatever car you're using.

The meatier part of this nifty gadget is the GPS and in-car navigation system, and the ability to subscribe to the Traffic Message Channel that will give you directions on how to avoid traffic jams whenever you're in a hurry. The split-screen display also gives added details such as what to expect on the next turn, or estimated time of arrival, as well as distance remaining towards your destination.

As an added bonus, the Nokia 500 also has a music player, and has video and photo playback, perfect for occupying the passengers' time and to stop them from repeatedly asking "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"

If you're interested in installing this gadget in your ride, the Nokia 500 Auto Navigation system is worth approximately 500 Euros, or US$ 408.