Hasta La Gadget!

Don’t let it be said that Apple isn’t working to improve its once-maligned mapping app. We’re still in the rumor stages here, but Bloomberg is reporting that Cupertino has managed to acquire popular navigation tool HopStop, to help improve its own simply-titled Maps. The deal comes hot on the heels of Apple’s Locationary buy — we wouldn’t quite qualify it as a shopping spree yet, but it’s certainly a start. No surprise, the sources for this one are anonymous, due to the non-public nature of the deal. That said, we’ll still be reaching out for comment, because that’s what we do. More info when we get it.

Update: Apple seems to have confirmed as much — albeit in a fairly roundabout way, telling All Things D that it, “buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans,” a similarly cagey response to the one the company issued post-Locationary.

Filed under: GPS, Software, Apple

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Source: Bloomberg

Telenav has been steadily improving Scout, its personalized navigation platform, ever since its introduction. Today, Scout users will finally get the crowd-sourced traffic info they were promised back in April. Scout for both iOS and Android now provides you the wisdom of its 100 million users and traffic partners, allows you to see which roads are congested and calculates up to three possible routes — letting you find the most efficient way from point A to point B. That real-time traffic info augmented with user input also enables drivers to share a more accurate estimated time of arrival, so your dinner date will know exactly how long you’ll be delayed due to that unforeseen fender-bender on the freeway. Additionally, the update adds several new recommendation categories to its Things to Do feature, so it’ll now tell you about live music, local festivals and outdoor activities, too. Sound good? You know the drill, Google Play and the App Store await.

Filed under: GPS, Software, Mobile

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Source: Google Play, App Store

The revamped Google Maps design reached Android last week; now, it’s iOS’ turn. Google Maps 2.0 is gradually rolling out worldwide for Apple’s platform, and it’s bringing the Android version’s discovery and exploration components as well as some new-to-iOS features. Long-anticipated iPad support is the highlight, although there’s also indoor navigation, live traffic updates and incident reports. Maps 2.0 hasn’t hit the US just yet, although it should be available shortly.

Update: It looks like it’s hit the US App Store as of midnight ET or so, check the link below to grab the update yourself. If you’re looking for offline maps, those are available with an Easter Egg like the one first featured in the Android version. Just zoom to the area you’d like to cache, then type “Ok maps” in the search box. [Thanks @carloslarez]

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Tablets, Mobile, Google

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Via: 9to5 Mac

Source: App Store (US), Google Maps (Twitter), Google Maps Blog

Garmin built its empire on dedicated GPS devices, but those are obviously facing extinction in the face of smartphones that can replicate their function without requiring an expensive secondary hardware purchase. Today, Garmin announced a device that could help it capitalize on its changing role in the navigation ecosystem, while still allowing it to sell hardware to consumers.

The Garmin HUD is just that, a heads-up-display that sits on your dash and projects a simple set of basic navigation data onto a transparent film affixed to your windshield. This replicates some features found in very expensive and well-appointed luxury cars, and it’s relatively inexpensive at $129.99.

Information displayed on the readout includes current speed, speed limit, an indicator to show when you turn next and the distance to said turn, as well as estimated arrival time. There’s no detailed map or points of interest, which is actually very good in that it will help keep drivers more focused on the road. It also shows yo upcoming traffic delays and traffic camera locations, and auto-adjusts for night and day. The smartphone HUD will work with any Bluetooth-capable smartphone running Android, iOS or Windows Phone 8 that can run Garmin’s StreetPilot and Navigon applications, and will arrive this summer for $129.99.

Garmin and others who make third-party smartphone apps that offer navigation services face an increasingly challenging market: Apple and Google both offer free software that does turn-by-turn navigation on mobile devices, either built-in or free, and offerings like Waze (which Google just acquired) really does a fantastic job of giving you all the bells and whistles for free, with a system that’s intelligent and adapts to changing traffic and road conditions in real time.

How do you differentiate as a dedicated navigation company? Offering your own accessory hardware is one very good way. The HUD from Garmin provides a real, tangible advantage to using Garmin’s paid apps over the free and easy competition. Until HUD projection becomes a built-in feature of every smartphone or in-car infotainment system, at least.

India will soon have a positioning system of its own. Much like our own GPS, the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) is scheduled to provide location information to civilians and government users alike, with a position accuracy of 20 meters or better. Seven satellites will make up IRNSS, including three in geostationary orbit and four in inclined geosynchronous orbit, which will rotate with the Earth. GPS currently covers the Indian subcontinent, as it does the rest of the world — like GLONASS in Russia and BeiDou in China, IRNSS will provide additional utility to users within 1,500 kilometers of the Indian mainland. It’s expected to come online by 2016.

Filed under: GPS

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Via: PCWorld

Source: Hindustan Times