January 3, 2008 6:00 AM PST

Pharos brings GPS to digital cameras

Posted by Bonnie Cha

Pharos Trip & Pics

(Credit: Pharos)

The official kickoff to CES 2008 is still a few days away, but some companies are creating preshow buzz by making some early announcements, including Pharos. This morning the GPS manufacturer unveiled Pharos Trips & Pics, a geo-logger that brings GPS capabilities to your digital camera. Available later this month for $89.95, the kit includes a Pharos iGPS-500 receiver and a pocket-size battery unit that you take with you on your trip, allowing you to record such details as time, location, heading, and speed. You'll also be able to define how often you want the receiver to log information--anywhere from 1 second up to 5 minutes. Once you've returned from your expedition, you can then export this data to your PC and display them on a map of your choice, such as Google Maps or Microsoft Streets & Trips.

Pharos isn't the first company to come up with this idea (Jobo and Sony have similar products), but CES will be the first time I actually get to see this type of solution in action. Is it actually viable or just a cumbersome setup? Check back soon when I report back live from the show floor.