Buddy Beacon, a program that is already available on mobile phones such as the iPhone, lets users find exactly where their friends are at (given their approval).

uLocate assures us that Buddy Beacon is not a tracking device, so predators are not as much of an issue as they could be.

Privacy is not jeopardized unless you want it to be, but with Garmin’s addition of Buddy Beacon, you won’t have to tell your friends where you are for them to find you. They can just find you on their GPS!

This should be a fantastic tool for those who suspect that their spouses are cheating on them.

It should be noted that Buddy Beacon not only integrates with mobile phones, but a number of social networks as well, like Facebook.

It is quite fascinating to see the new places where social media features are popping up. It makes you wonder if similar features will be incorporated into the major search engine map entities in the near future, given the MySpace-Google and Facebook-Mircosoft relationships.

Sit in front of your computer, work out a route, and then send it to your car with just a few clicks – that’s the basic idea here.  And we predicted something like this would happen after Google and TomTom made a similar arrangement five months ago.  Yet Garmin seems to have one-upped its competitor by going after MapQuest.

 Send Directions To Your Garmin GPS Unit

"Our relationship with MapQuest gives our users even more of what they’ve come to expect from their Garmin products – ease of use and an array of options," explained Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales, in a statement.  "Planning a trip, whether it’s to a new restaurant, a business meeting or a family vacation, has never been easier or more efficient."

If Bartel and Garmin paid or received any money to make this happen, they’re not saying.  In any event, both options should be free to users, and they’ll be available by April 15th.  Garmin’s current product line includes 50 different units, and the company claims to have sold over 5 million devices since its 1989 founding.

 MSN Direct, which transmits information over FM airwaves to devices, will allow the GPS to receive live traffic, fuel prices, weather reports, movie listings, local events of interest, news, and stock prices. Also, users will be able to look up destinations at home in Windows Live Local, then click a button to send it directly to their GPS unit. Very nice.

Amazon has the 780 for $900. It has a sunlight-readable 4.3 inch touch screen, weighs six ounces, an anti-theft feature, internal solid state memory (plus an SD card slot) and a headphone jack for use as an MP3 player. MSN Direct is free for the first three months, followed by a yearly $50 charge. You can also pay $130 and never have to pay the subscription fee again.

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