Archive for: gps
With all the various smartphone platforms and emerging GPS/navigation apps, long-time offerings such as Verizon’s VZW Navigator have lost their luster. Back to win you over is VZW’s newly revamped VZW Navigator VX. Besides all the old features, the new Navigator VX includes support for:
- Smart Routes with Real-Time Traffic: Traffic updates every 60 seconds telling you when traffic is ahead and mapping out detours to get you around it.
- Voice Turn-by-Turn Directions
- “Real” signs and road views that accurately depict highway signs and guide you into the correct lanes in an effort to prevent last minute lane changes (and idiots from driving into lakes).
- Location Sharing: Use Place Messaging or Facebook to share your real-time location or the place of an upcoming meeting.
Interested parties can either point their browsers to http://nav.vzw.com/vznav or scan the QR code located just after the break…
We normally deal with technology news here at Gadgetsteria. Though every once in a while, something unique and “different” makes its way to the front page. This month’s unique topic — Department of Defense “GPS Tests” and a month-long GPS-less spell for the southeastern United States. According to a publich announcement by the FAA (PDF), special “GPS tests” being conducted by the DoD will apparently cause GPS issues for humans and GPS devices alike beginning today, January 20th and stretching through February 11th from 0000-0245 UTC. After which, tests will halt for a few days and then resume February 15th and last until February 22nd, again from 0000-0245UTC. During the scheduled times, tests will follow a 45-minute on/15-minute off approach, with any changes being detailed at least 24 hours in advance.
We’re not making this up — really.
Today, popular GPS maker Garmin, unveiled their first iPhone app. Dubbed “StreetPilot”, the new app more or less looks exactly like the stand alone GPS units in regards to functionality — and that’s a good thing. The app includes some of the most important features of the stand alone units such as lane assist, speed limit indicators, and free traffic alerts. The cloud-based (internet connection required) app retails for $39.99 in the App Store.
If stand alone GPS devices are more up your alley, Garmin’s new 2400-series will be more to your liking. Available in four separate models, the new nuvi 2400 devices all feature a 5-inch display as well as the company’s traffic-learning “nüRoute” which incorporates trafficTrends and myTrends in order to better predict travel times the more you travel a particular route. The new 2400 series will start at $249 and reach up to a still manageable $349.
The StreetPilot iPhone app is available today in the App Store while the Nuvi 2400 series GPS devices will be showcased this week at CES.
- November 23, 2010 12:51 pm
If there’s one thing Germans really like, it’s Google’s Street View technologies and services. Unfortunately, the latest wave of crackdowns in European nations are forcing Google to blur domiciles that don’t want to be featured online. Apparently, some people have a problem with this. But instead of lobbying government (rarely works), the disgruntled group choose eggs instead — hurling eggs to be more exact. Attached to those little eggs were notes that simply stated “Google’s Cool”. Confused?
- November 3, 2010 10:08 pm
After several dismal years of failed attempts to gain smartphone acceptance, Garmin is officially throwing in the towel. The news came during Garmin’s summer fiscal discussions. While the GPS giant is down and out of the smartphone hardware business, the company reiterated their plans to continue developing smartphone apps and stand alone GPS units — two areas they are still enjoying expansion.
It’s been a quick, bumpy ride for Garmin since unveiling the Nuvifone back in January of 2008. Initial reception was far south of what Garmin was hoping for. Sales were also nothing to write home about — ever. The nail in the coffin, however, was the actual number amount of revenue, or more specifically, the lack thereof. In the entire two years that Garmin and Asus teamed up, $27 million is all they have to their name. In contrast, Apple has sold over $8 billion this past summer alone.
There’s really nothing more to say.
- September 27, 2010 12:25 pm
If there’s one thing I could say I miss most about my Android device after moving to an iPhone 4, it’s Google Navigation. It was free and it was awesome. There’s several free options for iPhone as well, but they’re not all that great (prove me wrong and recommend your favorite in case I missed). But a newcomer that will soon grace the US and European App Stores (already available in the UK and Ireland) looks like it may just cure my homesickness for Google Navigation once and for all.
Developed by Navmii, Navfree for iPhone brings turn-by-turn in a much cleaner and polished package than other apps. However, what notches Navfree one step higher than Google Navigation is the fact that all the maps are stored locally — You don’t need a cellular connection to continue navigating. For users who traverse sparsely covered terrain, this is a god send. Of course, local storage means several GB’s of space on your phone will be taken up by downloaded map data. Again, Navfree isn’t the first to do this, but it’s certainly a rarity in the $0.00 market space.
For now, Navfree is only available in the UK and Ireland App Stores, but the company is actively working on bringing their product to US and other European App Stores. I for one can’t wait. While I don’t venture out into the wilds of the planet that often, having a quality, free, turn-by-turn app is certainly more than welcome.
Stay tuned…
It’s that time again folks — time for another Waze contest. On that note, who doesn’t like free stuff? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Everyone. With that said, who wouldn’t like to win one of three iPads Waze is giving away to users who simply collect the most points by driving around. Yup, simply driving around can net you a shiny new iPad.
The new contest being held by Waze is in support of the World Cup and features all new Soccer Ball “road goodies”. Over 100 countries will be able to participate, with the final 16 users being whittled down to the Final Four and eventually three winners.
The Schedule:
- June 11: Competition begins
- July 4th: Final Four selected
- July 11th: Competition ends at midnight GMT – winning country and iPad winners will be announced within 24-48 hours.
**After each elimnation/round, road goodies will be reset so it’s in your best interest to get your path of destruction marked down and memorized, ’cause all that matters at the end of the day is the person with the most points. That is, if you want an iPad. If you care more for aimlessly wondering about, well then…have at it…
The full rundown of the competition can be found over at Waze’s website. You in?
You may remember a social based, crowd sourced GPS app called “Waze”. Don’t let the “crowd sourced/social” tags scare you away from what is really an awesome GPS app. I’ve had the pleasure of using Waze on both iPhone and Android always pleased with how it worked. And now, BlackBerry users have their very own turn.
To celebrate, Waze is offering up quite the proposition to get BlackBerry users using their app — a free iPad. True to Waze’s beliefs in exploring the blob we live on, the winner will have to traverse across many lands, munching on as many on-screen BlackBerries as possible. The person who snaps up the most gets the coveted iPad, free of charge.
If you’re (1) a BlackBerry user (2) GPS nut or (3) an iPad hopeful, a local odyssey may be just the ticket to happiness. Give Waze a shot and let us know how you like it.
Waze
Thanks Dan
The GPS industry has already had a handful in recent months with Google’s completely free and generally completely awesome mobile navigation/turn-by-turn mobile app that debuted on the Android platform. But the Goog’s has plenty more to dish out as they are planning on releasing Google Navigation for iPhone “and plenty of other mobile platforms“, they announced today at a London Tech conference.
