Hasta La Gadget!

Google has expanded its Maps traffic coverage before, but rarely on a grand scale. The search giant isn’t standing on tradition this time: it just flipped on live traffic data for at least the major roads in over 130 cities. Most of the coverage centers around smaller cities in the US, although Google is tipping its hat to Latin America with first-time support for Bogota, San Jose (in Costa Rica) and Panama City. Coverage has also been improved in a dozen other countries worldwide. While the widened reach still won’t ease the burden of anyone already caught in a traffic jam, any democratization of smarter driving directions is good in our book.

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS

Google Maps adds live traffic for over 130 cities, boosts existing coverage originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 18:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Interior technology is increasingly the main battlefield for automotive giants. We shouldn’t be surprised, then, that Chrysler is bringing in some bigger guns for its Uconnect service through a team-up with Sprint. The carrier will integrate its cellular data into a Uconnect Access system where the source of pride is precisely how little Chrysler drivers will need to touch it: the two want voice commands that cut down the amount of involvement needed to plot a new course, change the music input or send a text message. Smartphones also get much more of a say in the matter this time around, providing remote control to open and ready the car before owners even set a foot inside. WiFi hotspot support carries on as well. Just be aware that you’ll have to go big or go home to get an early taste of the new Uconnect — it’s available only in the 2013 model years of the Ram 1500 and SRT Viper for now, neither of which is especially gentle on the pocketbook.

Update: It looks like the 2013 Dodge Dart R/T will also get the Uconnect goodies, which Sprint’s press release neglected to mention. [Thanks, Nathan]

Continue reading Chrysler taps Sprint for new Uconnect in-car data, wants always-on internet that’s hands-off (video)

Filed under: Transportation, Wireless, Networking

Chrysler taps Sprint for new Uconnect in-car data, wants always-on internet that’s hands-off (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 23:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember Mavizon’s plans for its Mavia car tracking device (formerly the AutoBot) from almost two years ago? The company promised availability sometime in 2012, and we’re here in earnest with the car companion ready for pre-order. The business model has changed significantly since 2010, however. It’s a cheaper $169 up front for the Bluetooth cellular OBD-II peripheral — $99 for the first hundred through the gates, or $299 for a two-pack — but the full tracking service will cost $5 a month, or $49 every year. Those who do make the leap can get a look at their car’s vital signs as well as set up geofenced notifications, track long-term performance and receive impromptu driving directions to a friend’s coffee shop check-in. The first batch of Mavia units should arrive within several weeks, we’re told, and should have both browser- as well as iPhone-based apps waiting in the wings.

Continue reading Mavizon Mavia tracker reaches pre-order at last, makes best friends of cars and iPhones

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Transportation

Mavizon Mavia tracker reaches pre-order at last, makes best friends of cars and iPhones originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google has been very busy adding new features to its Google Maps service over the last several months. The latest addition to the service has been announced this week and brings something that visitors and New York City locals will really appreciate to Google Maps directions. Google Maps now has integrated messages about subway service alerts.

That means if your Google Maps directions send you to a subway to get to your destination, and the particular subway platform suggested has some sort of service alert, those alerts will be offered right in the app or on the driving directions page. That means you’ll no longer show up at a platform only to discover that the train is skipping your platform for some reason on that particular day.

Google says the relevant subway alerts will be integrated directly into the step-by-step directions offered to get you to your location. The new service covers any of the 468 New York City subway stations labeled on Google Maps. Subway station alerts are available online via maps.google.com and on the Google Maps for Mobile Android application.

The alerts will allow the user to adjust their travel by choosing another suggested route or changing the departure time. This update should prove very useful for many people during the summertime travel season. Google says that it will continue to roll out new features and to add new cities to Google Maps globally.

Google Maps adds NYC subway service alerts is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

TomTom has announced the launch of its new hands-free car kit for smartphones. The new hands-free car kit comes in two versions, and they are designed to work with the iPhone or other smartphones that use a micro USB charger such as Android phones. The new car kit has advanced noise and echo cancellation systems to reduce background noise for the caller and remove ambient noise for the driver.

Among the features of the new hands-free car kit for smartphones are new mounting options to make the use of the system safer and more convenient. The new smartphone kit has an adjustable grip that will fit any smartphone with or without a case or cover, and the new kit has an extendable microphone. That extendable microphone can be clipped to the sun visor for clear audio.

The new car kit can be paired to two mobile devices at the same time via Bluetooth. Voice-recognition functionality can be activated so the driver can navigate and dial their phone without taking hands off the wheel. The system has an integrated 2-watt speaker for clear voice calls and navigation instructions. The kit also promises to fast charge the phone on the go.

The dual mount mounting system of the new car kit allows the driver to mount the device to the dashboard or the windshield. When mounting to the dashboard the driver uses a self-adhesive disc that is included with the kit. The car kit also has easy to reach answer and reject buttons for voice calls. The iPhone or smartphones version of the new hands-free car kit are available for €99.95. TomTom also offers a kit for the iPhone that includes a Western Europe navigation app for €149.95.

TomTom launches new hands-free car kit for smartphones is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.