522 cool apps are launching today for the iPhone 3G, but TeleNav unfortunately is not one of them. However, it will be soon and will provide full colour 3D moving maps along with turn-by-turn voice guidance for the iPhone. This is great news and a fairly large hole that will be filled by this service. It’s exactly what users want with their new GPS enabled 3G iPhone.

The other good news is that it will be available through the App Store meaning that network providers have nothing to do with the pricing of the software and therefore, cannot add any premiums to it.

Source – Gizmodo

I was taking a quick read through of InformationWeek’s “How iPhone 3G Apps to Watch” article and found a section on TomTom for the iPhone. Last month, Reuters reported that TomTom already have a version of it’s navigation software that works on the iPhone. With the iPhone 3G’s GPS capabilities it will make a great platform to run this software on.

Although TomTom have created a version for the iPhone, it is still unclear if they are actually going to sell this software…

“it looks good and works very well. We will have to look more closely to Apple’s strategy before we can say more about what kind of opportunities this will bring us.”

Lets hope that the opportunities TomTom refer to are good enough to see their software launched on the new iPhone 3G platform.

Source – InformationWeek

The S50 3D is the latest Satnav to be launched by Navman. Navman have stepped up a little with this launch in making the 3D mapping features actually 3D by displaying nice graphics of buildings on the screen.

Navman S50 3D Features

* Local search via Navdesk and Bluetooth
* Stylish intelligent design
* Safe, easy to use menu
* Latest map data with 3D landmarks
* Brilliant, sharp 4.3 inch high quality touch screen
* Real-time traffic information incl. Route Traffic Overview (optional)
* Integrated Bluetooth hands-free calling
* Preloaded Safety Camera Data – Free trial
* Secure PIN code lock
* Up-to-date maps with Navman’s iUpData
* NavPix: Navigate to pictures
* Navman Desktop Manager incl. Mileage Reporter

The device has Bluetooth built in which allows it to use data on your mobile phone to download information on the local area such as restaurants, services, hotel details etc… Hands free calling is also an option with the Bluetooth connection.

NavPix technology is used to display the 3D images of buildings and the service is actually online and allows you to download both day and night images of the buildings to make things easier on the eyes at night.

This is a nice step forward for Navman and I expect to see more good ideas like this coming soon.

Source – NavMan

I can certainly relate to the GPark idea as I once lost a rental car in Paris (I eventually found it at 2am in the pouring rain). Had GPark existed back in 1999 I would have simply parked the car, hit the Park Me! button on my iPhone which takes a GPS reading. I would then have gone walking around Paris like I did, completely forgetting where my car was. However, with GPark it wouldn’t be a problem because I would simply whip out my iPhone and hit the “Where Did I Park?” button which will then load up Google Maps and quickly direct me back to my car. Cool!

There is a downside to this application though. Although it does exactly what it says on the tin… ie, bookmark where your car is. How many people actually loose their cars on a regular basis? I know I don’t (ok, maybe once in a huge unfamiliar city).

Via: etre

Researchers are working on a new sat nav device that will use a mixture of artificial intelligence (AI) and connectivity between different navigation devices. The system is named “Congestion Avoidance Dynamic Routing Engine” which luckily has a shorter name of CADRE. Each vehicle using the system will be fitted with a special GPS unit which will share details among other users with the system. Should a traffic jam occur then the other devices on that same route will be notified and a new route with the AI, planned accordingly. If successful, the system will be able to notify motorists about 5 to 10 miles before the situation so steps can be recommended to avoid it.

CADRE will use a system called “fuzzy logic” which attempts to mimic human reasoning. Fuzzy logic it’s self is not a new system and has been around a good few years now. By using fuzzy logic the system will be able to gather all the data from surrounding units and then predict either an alternative route, or a carry on with the same route.

So far, I have been unimpressed with traffic alerts on mobile phones. I am always left with the feeling that my detour actually slowed me down and I often wonder when I am re joining the main route how many miles I am behind had I actually stayed on route. Maybe I did move quicker, maybe I didn’t. Who knows? With this new system I do hope that a trust can be built knowing that the details you are provided with actually do save time.

Another cool thing about CADRE is it’s ability to learn constantly and retain that information. Long term data will be kept about all roads and their general slowdowns during rush hour traffic along with average speeds for certain times of days. With this historical data about all roads where it travels on I would expect things to get more accurate as time goes on and as data becomes more accurate. Only by working together with a community of GPS units will congestion be tackled a little better.

Via: ScienceDaily

The Garmin 860 nüvi is quite possibly the first full menu speech controlled satnav device. However, if your a man then would you want to “ask for directions” even though it is a computer

As well as the standard mapping features of all navigation devices, the Garmin 860 nüvi has all the safety camera alerts as well as emergency location assistance and hands free calling. Photo navigation by Google Panoramio is also built in too making this one snazzy little device. The speech control system was designed with safety in mind. By allowing full menu control by voice, the 860 allows you to keep both hands on the wheel while paying attention to the road ahead. With the 860’s bluetooth connectivity the voice commands can also be passed on to the phone and your phone can be controlled via voice making the speech control an even more safer approach.

A traffic receiver allows real time traffic data to be sent to the Garmin 860 every minute meaning you can always plan the quickest route to avoid traffic. I do wonder though how this compares to TomTom’s high def traffic information which is supposedly very good.

On the technical side the Garmin 860 has a 4.3 inch colour touch screen display, although who needs a touch screen when you can just yell at the device for the same results.

Overall it seems like an impressive device and one I will be looking out for.

Via: MobileWhack

Do you believe that SatNav devices can make the roads safer to drive on? Having an extra distraction in the car might make you think not, but according to a study done by TomTom they believe the opposite to be the case. After reading the results I can actually see where they are coming from on this one.

TomTom published results of a safety study which was performed in the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the US. The results show that awareness of the road is increased when using a SatNav device. The reason for this is that when driving through an unfamiliar area with SatNav, you do not need to particularly worry about where to go and if you missed a junction. The SatNav (if set up correctly) takes that stress and worry away from you allowing you to concentrate on the road ahead.

On another positive side of things, SatNavs can be more friendly to the environment due to people not getting lost as much and reaching their destinations in the quickest times rather then being stuck for an hour or two finding a particular place.

“We are pleased to see objective research further validate the fact that navigation contributes to driving safety and efficiency. Furthermore, the study shows that using a navigation device – compared to navigation by conventional means – reduces the number of miles that people drive when travelling through an unknown area to an unknown destination, which in turn has a positive effect on the environment and fuel costs.”

Via: TechRadar

About 6 months ago I was trying to find a local post depot to pick up a package. I had never been to this particular company depot before and it was in an unfamiliar part of town. Not a problem, I would just fire up the Satnav and be guided there by TomTom. Normally that’s all good, but this time I was listed as being in Portugal with a few thousand miles to my destination… TomTom was clearly going crazy.

I came across this news item today claiming that the Northern Lights could be sending Sat Nav devices in the wrong direction. Scientists have been performing studies and found that the aurora can change signals as they pass through the lights. Being based in the UK and fairly high up on the globe, us brits could also be effected. I am sure that my experience above was not related to the Northern Lights, although it does show that Sat Nav isn’t a system that works 100% of the time.

The GPS signals that pass through the aurora can be broken up which then causes problems for the GPS receiver. According to more research there is more increase aurora activity in recent times. If the trend continues then will GPS be an effective solution in the UK? I think GPS (or the EU version due out soon) will always be a working solution, although steps to change how the devices work may be needed. If signals are being broken up when passing through the north then it could be a matter of just ignoring the data from satellites at certain co-ordinates. Who knows? I have no doubts that a fix will be made though.

“Space weather impacts on GPS include the introduction of range errors and the loss of signal reception, both of which can have severe effects on marine and aviation navigation, surveying, and other critical real-time applications,” says the research published in the American Geophysical Union’s International Journal of Space Weather.

Although it’s not completely essential for the driver of a vehicle to always have 100% coverage (although it would be nice), people who do rely on accurate data are pilots who navigate around the globe. It will be interesting to see how accuracy is effected, especially for those in the north of the UK.

Via: NewsLite

The Latest Mio Moov numbered the 380 is a GPS device which will be available very soon. The latest 380 model is very minimalist on the design side of things but has some nice features packed in. The feature that separates this apart from the rest is the integrated SIM card support. This allows you to plug in your SIM card and use GPRS services to download search data (like POI/Traffic etc..) and use the Moov 380 as a mobile device for making hands free calls.

The navigation is run by the ever popular SiRF Star III GPS chipset and the processor inside runs at 400MHz (built by Samsung). The screen is 4.3 inch and touch screen. Memory side, this device can have it’s storage capacity increased by the way of a microSD card.

Mio Moov 380 GPS Navigation Specifications

* Display: 4.3″ TFT with touchscreen Flat Panel
* Resolution: 480 x 242 Pixels (WQVGA)
* GPS Chipset: SiRFstarIII
* Battery Capacity: 720 mAh
* CPU:Samsung 2443—400Mhz
* Built-in Speaker
* GPS Receiver: SiRFInstantFixII
* Operating System: Win CE .Net 5
* Network:GSM 900/1800/1900 SIM Card Slot
* USB V2.0
* Memory Slot:MicroSD
* Microphone
* Earphone Jack: 2.5 mm
* Navigation Software: MioMap 2008

Overall it looks to be a nice piece of kit that runs the MioMap 2008 software. No pricing is available just yet, but we expect it to be at a good price point (we hope anyway).

Via: Funponsel and NaviGadget

Europe have launched their second satellite named Giove-B which will demonstrate Europe’s Galileo sat nav system. The satellite was launched from Kazakhstan on a Soyuz rocket. The satellite was launched to allow for tests to be done on the key technology that will power the Galileo sat nav system which will eventually consists of 30 satellites in 2013. Equipment to be tested will be the atomic clocks which provide timing to with in 1 billionth of a second per 24 hours as well as other equipment.

The new Galileo system will allow for more a accurate fix on position (with in 1 meter anywhere around the globe) and also should achieve quicker first fix times.

Via: Pocket-Lint