[OSM-talk] open satnav hardware

[Robin Paulson]

i've become interested in the openmoko/neo1973 phone software/hardware
stack ( openmoko.org ) over the last few months, and this got me to
thinking about the hardware OSM runs on. one user here said recently
that he has a navman device, with the OSM maps loaded on it, which to
me seems analogous to buying a pc, complete with windows tax, then
wiping everything and installing ubuntu or fedora.

so, my question is: are there any satnav devices out there that don't
include a charge for the map data, relying on OSM (probably not, with
the coverage rates)? i'm sure this can save on the cost of the device
(and most users would not be interested in uploading OSM data to their
jupiter - far too fiddly)? if not, are there any community-based
projects underway to develop a satnav, like the homebrew mobile phone
club ( hbmobile.org )?

i'm aware of the gumstix and buglabs modules, but most people want
something pre-built, with an easy upgrade path for new maps (i.e. plug
in to a pc, click 'update maps' or whatever).

would anyone here be interested in starting a project to do this?

is this something that OSM would be interested in
supporting/promoting/integrating?