Hasta La Gadget!

This week the folks at Telenav have revealed their next-generation in-car personalized navigation system expansion with “Scout for Cars: Built In:, bringing on in-dash navigation for a whole new generation of smart vehicles. You’ll find Scout for Cars bringing on real-time personalized information the likes of which you’ve only otherwise been able to access with Scout for Phones before this week, this time in an iteration that carmakers are able to make all their own with custom branding! And what’s more – you’ll be able to connect to your Scout for Phones service to share the information between your car and your phone for one great learning system that remembers your preferences.

You’ll have in-vehicle navigation with Scout for Cars like you’ve ever before thought possible as this next-level system comes through on not just your car’s display, but your phone and your desktop computer as well. With the webpage Scout.me, you’ll have management of your favorite locations, early looking up of places you’ll want to go, and more! With a built-in system in your vehicle you’ll have instant connectivity.

Above: our most recent hands-on experience with Scout in-vehicle integration. Below: Telenav’s official quick spot on Scout for Cars and the ties between it and Scout for Phones!

Key features of the Scout for Cars interface include the following:

• Personalized Information: Favorites, recent trips, and commute times automatically sync between the computer, phone, and car

• Fresh Maps & POIs: Access to up-to-date maps and millions of POIs

• Local Weather: Real-time weather and forecasts

• Local Search: Integrated one-box search with automatic suggestions makes it fast and easy to enter addresses & POIs

• Real-time Traffic: Drivers save time with live traffic overlays and updates that automatically reroute them around traffic jams or road congestion

• Voice Control: Safety is increased as drivers are able to keep their hands on the wheel with voice-activated commands

• Flexible Branding: OEMs can offer embedded navigation in their vehicles under their own brand, look, and feel

• Companion App: OEMs can use Scout for Phones or their own branded smartphone app to bring connectivity and services into the car

From our long history with Telenav – the folks behind Scount and this ever-expanding high-powered GPS navigation environment and experience – you’ll find that this group of workers is second to none when it comes to creating a top-notched program. This isn’t just a system that leads you to the places you need directions to: it’s a companion for you both in and out of your vehicle. With Scout in its many iterations you’ve got your own personal guide wherever you’re going!

Have a peek at a timeline of Scout and Telenav bits and pieces below to see how far the system has come! Also be sure to hit up our Car Hub to see the many different ways the automotive industry is getting technologically powerful and makes forward thinking a must-have for your next-generation vehicle!

Scout for Cars: Built In brings Telenav’s newest built-in GPS system bid is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The last we heard about TeleNav’s Scout GPS app was back in December, but the folks behind the popular navigation app are back with a new update. This time around, users will be able to take advantage of 3D buildings and landmarks while they navigate through unfamiliar cities, thanks to the SSAO technology that TeleNav has added on to the app.

TeleNav announced the update via their Twitter account, noting that the new 3D features will “give drivers a better view and navigation experience.” The feature will be available later this year, along with crowd-sourced traffic reporting like we’ve seen in Waze. It’s not said exactly when the update will hit, but hopefully it’s sooner rather than later.

TeleNav will rely on its 34 million subscribers to report various accidents and traffic jams around the country, and the app will update itself in real-time with the traffic information it receives from its users. This means that Scout will suggest faster alternate routes when it detects that you’re about to hit some heavy traffic.

The video above shows off the 3D buildings in a demo, and while you can clearly see the outlines of the buildings, they don’t get in your way of the navigation, and you can still through the buildings and look ahead to what roads you’ll be turning on. When the update eventually does hit, it’ll be available for both free and premium users of the app.

TeleNav’s Scout gains support for 3D buildings and landmarks is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Before satellites, getting from A to B without radio signals involved cumbersome inertial systems found only on advanced civilian and military aircraft. Those are still the best backup for GPS, and working with the University of Michigan, DARPA has found a way to reduce the once fridge-sized units to half the width of your fingernail. The chips contain everything needed for precise navigation including an accurate master clock, a three-axis gyroscope and three accelerometers, all contained in three hair-width layers. If it gets out of the lab, it would give soldiers another option in the event of an enemy GPS attack or when they’re in a tunnel, and might even guide you to that Macy’s restroom if it ever hits civilian form.

Filed under: GPS, Science

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Via: Gizmag

Source: DARPA

Text messaging while driving is quickly making its way into law books across the US, and so is even talking on your phone. However, that leaves a bit of a gray area as far as using maps and GPS on your smartphone, but the State of California has cleared up the confusion and officially made it a law that you can’t use the GPS function on your smartphone unless it’s hands-free.

The California appeals court ruling essentially states that using your phone in any way while driving will get you a ticket, even if you’re trying to look up where your old friend lives. Of course, the problem doesn’t exactly lie with using GPS while driving, but using GPS to look down at your phone to type in an address to scroll through a map.

You can still use your phone while driving, but it must be completely hands-free, meaning that you have to hook it up via Bluetooth and use voice control to navigate through your phone. Of course, a recent study determined that even hands-free use of a phone is still dangerous, since your brain still focuses its attention on the phone, rather than on the road.

However, there are a lot of loopholes in the new law. For instance, many newer cars come with navigation systems built into the dashboard, and many of them are completely touch-controlled, which means it’s essentially the same thing as using the GPS on your smartphone, only it’s built into the car. These are still legal, but we’re guessing that auto makers will be more aware of creating navigation systems that are more voice-controlled — not only to follow the law, but to actively make driving safer.

[via Techdirt]

California bans using hands-on GPS while driving is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It looks like Garmin has managed to lock down a very solid deal following its automotive group’s compelling demo at CES. The company’s in-dash GPS software is now set to roll out with future Mercedes-Benz models — Garmin’s navigation system is scheduled to be fully integrated within the next four years, and will begin appearing with select 2014 models. The solution sounds similar to the version we saw on display during CES, and includes a primary panel in the center console, along with a secondary display located behind the steering wheel, tasked with providing key driver stats, along with next turn info, for example.

Mercedes will share more details once specific launch vehicles are announced, but Garmin said to expect features like Advanced Driver Assistance (ADAS), to help out with vehicle positioning, while the car manufacturer will bring tools like a rotary controller and voice commands to the table. What remains to be seen is how TomTom will fit into the mix — last month, the company announced plans of its own to provide HD Traffic service to certain Mercedes vehicles, though it’s unclear if the two GPS giants will be working together on this latest venture.

Update: Garmin reached out to clarify that the company will be providing the GPS software for Mercedes-Benz’s own infotainment solution. So it’s not all Garmin under the hood.

Filed under: GPS, Transportation

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