Here’s a fresh Apple rumor in the run-up to MacWorld: a TomTom GPS module for the iPhone. We just received this supposed photographic “evidence” of said device from a Dutch tipster. Our take? Might be, might not. TomTom is a Dutch company and a righteous, straight-talkin’ Dutchman would never tell such a fib, would he? On the other hand, that device is clearly not in a car heading to Rotterdam. Still, it could be a route demo and that stretch of highway (A13/E19) is a favorite for internal TomTom validation studies. Surely a move towards GPS is a logical next step for Apple — particularly after that little VW concept. And with Apple on the verge of opening the iPhone to third party developers, well, anything goes, eh?

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If you thought Magellan’s RoadMate 2000 series was low-end, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Turns out, the company has oh-so-quietly released a (relatively unsightly) RoadMate 1200, which has managed to slip under the radar until now. Spotted online in a number of locations for less than $200, this 3.5-inch navigator features a QVGA touchscreen, a Centrality Atlas processor, QuickSpell / SmartDetour functions, 1.3 million POIs, NAVTEQ maps of the continental United States / Puerto Rico / Hawaii on a 1GB SD card and a rechargeable Li-ion that’s good for around three hours. It’s a real yawner, we know, but there’s a decent chance this thing’s pricetag could sink even lower on Black Friday with a little luck.

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It’s getting increasingly hard for manufacturers to distinguish one GPS / PMP unit from the next these days (especially in Korea), but it looks like AnyDrive has made a decent attempt at it, with it now bundling a 40GB external hard drive with its new X1 device. Apart from that addition, however, the device looks to be pretty standard fare, including the de facto 7-inch display, along all the usual PMP features (including DivX, OGG, and WMA9 support) and integrated DMB TV capabilities. For some out-of-vehicle entertainment, the external hard drive can also be used as a standalone media player, with a remote control provided to control it when its hooked up to your TV. No word on a price or release date, but you know where you’ll have to go if you want to pick one up.

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Sanyo, not the first name you think of when you dream of GPS navigators, just came out with the NVM-4070, equipped with a 4-inch, 16:9 touchscreen, a SiRF Star III receiver, traffic, text-to-speech for reading off street names, 1.8 million points of interest, Video/Photo/MP3/WMA playback and an FM transmitter to get the nav and music channeled through your car stereo.

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While GPS units seem to be getting increasingly indistinguishable from one another these days, Korea manufacturer Mercury’s latest device looks like it won’t have much trouble standing out, with it boasting an integrated black box to record the final moments before an accident (GPS induced or otherwise). Apparently, the system uses a camera to track vehicles in front of you, with it able to detect when a car’s break lights go on. If there’s an accident, the system kicks in to store 12 seconds of video before from the accident and six seconds after — it’ll also try to warn you if it thinks you’re headed for an accident. Otherwise, you’ll get pretty much all the other features you’d expect, including the usual array of PMP functions and built-in DMB TV capabilities, which should make that black box all the more important.

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As if you weren’t already super into Google maps, now geek airline supreme Virgin America is getting Gmaps integrated into its Linux-based Red seatback system. As with other seatback GPS systems, users can see position, airspeed, and temperature, but we’re stoked to finally get a flight ETA and some interactivity up in here. VA’s implementation lets users have eight levels of zoom, as well as pan off the aircraft if they want to go exploring the city they just flew over. Plus, all the map data is cached on the plane’s local network, so it’ll be even faster than sitting across the street from Google HQ at a Starbucks in Mountain View.

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As we’ve seen time and time again, the desire to really know what’s going on behind the scenes seems to be a growing trend, and while there’s a number of pre-fabricated methods to keep track of your vehicle, mischievous offspring, or straying SO, why not take a little initiative and build an alternative yourself? Thankfully, a crafty DIYer has done just that, and has spelled out the details in order for you to replicate his work. The homegrown device is built around the Telit GM862 GSM-GPS module, and all told, he spent around $286 to scratch the mobile GPS itch. The device is small enough to be crammed into nearly any nook or cranny, and can transmit its position via text message to the owner. So go on, give the read link a visit and bust out your credit card — just be sure to not let the soon-to-be-tracked individual know what you’re up to, capiche?

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