u-blox has announced that its SARA-N2 Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) module is the world’s first cellular radio module compliant to the 3GPP Release 13, Narrowband IoT (LTE Cat. NB1) standard. Designed for use in applications such as smart buildings and cities, utilities metering, white goods, asset tracking and agricultural and environmental monitoring, the module will operate for between 10 and 20 years from a single-cell primary battery.

u-blox has announced a miniature UDR (Untethered Dead Reckoning) receiver which measures just 7x7mm, making it suited for small-sized vehicle trackers. The EVA-M8E provides untethered dead-reckoning performance without any electrical connection to the vehicle, using low cost inertial sensors and offers continuous positioning even before GNSS signals have been received.

KIWI PLUS has launched a children’s smartwatch developed in collaboration with u-blox. LINE Kids Watch is a tiny and colourful wearable with LINE emojis functioning as an Android-based smartwatch and officially distributed by KT Corporation. It enables precise tracking of the whereabouts of children, while also offering educational and interactive content.

u-blox has announced a firmware upgrade for its NEO-M8P high precision GNSS modules. The small, highly cost effective and very precise Real Time Kinematics (RTK) modules now support BeiDou. Complementing u-blox's existing support for GPS+GLONASS satellite navigation systems, this release introduces 8Hz RTK update rates for GPS, making the NEO-M8P suitable for applications with high user dynamics.

  u-blox's ELLA‑W1 and ODIN-W2 short range radio module series have been certified by the National Communications Commission (NCC), an independent statutory agency regulating the information, communications and broadcasting industry in Taiwan.

Designed for first mount or aftermarket road vehicle applications, such as in-car navigation, infotainment systems, telematics units and fleet management, u-blox has released its 4th gen firmware for 3D ADR (Automotive Dead Reckoning) GNSS modules and chips. The upgraded GNSS receivers now offer real-time continuous navigation output with an update rate of 20Hz, enabling low latency for applications such as interactive HUDs.

Following the January 2016 launch of the u-blox 8 GPS/GLONASS receiver platform, an update of the u‑blox 7 platform, u-blox has released its u-blox 8 module series. This new module portfolio addresses power sensitive usage, whereas the existing u-blox M8 platform continues to serve applications where navigation performance and highest accuracy are paramount.

A new collaboration between u-blox and Neul is urging the need for an extra power class for devices used in Narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT) applications. As a result, a maximum transmit power of 20dBm has been approved on the occasion of the latest 3GPP RAN working group meeting ramping up to the 3GPP Release 13 of NB-IoT standards in June.

EVA-7M, a u-blox GPS/GNSS receiver module, has been embedded in the tiny IoT development board LoRaONE by SODAQ, now running a campaign on Kickstarter. The product is a 32-bit Arduino compatible board equipped with Low-Power WAN connectivity that enables development of any kind of IoT solution, anywhere. The matchbox-sized product (40x25 mm) is packed with sensors. The u-blox EVA-7M that is on the board enables a quick positioning fix.

Qihoo 360 has launched a third generation of child-tracking watches, developed again in collaboration with u-blox. Kids Guard 3S, a personal tracker in a tiny and colourful watch format, is designed to monitor the whereabouts of children. "We wanted to offer a high performance tracking solution, accurate enough to reassure parents worried of their child’s whereabouts, as child abduction is a serious concern in China.

In collaboration with u-blox, Pietro Fiorentini has announced the RSE gas meter family for use in residential and industrial areas, where power efficiency, product robustness and reliability are crucial. The meters use the u-blox cellular module, SARA-G350, which is certified according to ATEX, an EU Directive defining the technical requirements and conformity assessment procedures to be applied to equipment deployed in potentially explosive envi...

u-blox has announced the NINA-B1 Bluetooth low energy (Bluetooth Smart) stand-alone module. Compliant to the latest Bluetooth 4.2 specification and certified to global radio type approvals, the module is key to bringing Bluetooth low energy-based IoT designs to market in the shortest possible time.

Hailed as the industry's first, the NEO-M8U Untethered 3D Dead Reckoning (UDR) module has been introduced by u-blox. With no connection to the vehicle other than power, the NEO-M8U provides accurate positioning even where GNSS signals are weak or not available by combining multi-GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo) with an onboard 3D gyro/accelerometer.

Measuring just 12.2x16x2.4mm, u-blox's NEO-M8P devices are claimed to be the smallest high precision GNSS Real Time Kinematic (RTK) module available based on GPS and GLONASS satellite-based navigation systems. The rover with the u-blox NEO‑M8P‑0 receives corrections from the u-blox base receiver NEO-M8P-2 via a communication link that uses the Radio Technical Commission for Maritime services (RTCM) protocol, enabling centimetre-level position...

u-blox has announced the LILY-W1 single band 802.11n 2.4GHz WiFi transceiver module. This ultra-compact host-based module, measuring just 10x14mm is suitable for providing Wi-Fi connectivity to an increasingly broad range of industrial and commercial products with LTE connectivity.

TOBY-L2, a u-blox LTE module, has been embedded in the first ever 4G LTE Maker Modem by M2M Circuits, now running a campaign on Kickstarter. The Maker Modem is the only 4G modem designed for the MakerSpace enabling direct cellular connection to single-board computers and microcontrollers for M2M applications.

Measuring just 16x26x3mm, u-blox's 96-pin LGA-packaged SARA-U201 is claimed to be the smallest cellular module supporting both 2G and 3G connectivity. Providing 5-band UMTS, quad-band GSM and having global radio regulatory approvals, the SARA-U201 is suited for a wide range of industrial, automotive telematics and consumer applications that must be able to operate on any 2G or 3G network in the world.

The latest products and technologies from u-blox will be demonstrated at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona (February 22-25) in meeting room 2C1MR. There will be a demonstration of the NB-IoT Waste Management Route Optimisation. The demo will consist of a "system solution".

Now supporting Galileo, in addition to GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, QZSS and SBAS, u-blox has released a new firmware, FW 3.01, for its M8 concurrent multi-GNSS platform. It can track up to three constellations concurrently and makes use of all SBAS and QZSS augmentation systems at the same time.

  Complementing the company's GNSS platform portfolio by addressing power sensitive usage, u-blox has released the u-blox 8 GPS/GLONASS receiver platform. The existing u-blox M8 platform will continue to serve applications where navigation performance and highest accuracy are paramount.