Navigon iPhone update adds Street View

If you need better navigation from your iPhone than Maps can provide (until iOS 6, anyway), then Navigon’s software might be a good fit. The company has updated its iPhone app today to add new features, and will be reducing the cost of the app and in-app purchases for a limited time. New features include Google’s Street View, Cockpit, manual route blocking, and performance enhancements.

The use of Street View is the major new feature. It allows users to keep an eye on the street level images just in case they’re having difficulty finding the right building, and Street View will automatically pop up as users approach their destination. Drivers will also be able to jump into a full-screen 360 degree view if they want to scope out the surrounding area.

Cockpit displays various stats about your travel, such as gForce, speed, horizontal and vertical position relative to the ground, plus adjustable speeds and altitude graphs. On top of that, there’s compass and altitude options for off-road drivers.

Finally, manual route blocking allows drivers to look at their current routes and tell the navigation software to ignore certain paths using a simple tap. The app then programs an alternative route automatically. In addition to all of that, Navigon says that the startup time and map rendering of the app should be much faster.

The updated app is available today, and Navigon is also running some discounts until July 16th. Navigon North America will cost $39.99, down from $59.99, and Cockpit will see a reduction to $3.99. Other in-app purchases will also see discounts.

[via Engadget]


Navigon iPhone update adds Street View is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Fujitsu, NICT create indoor navigation for the blind using ultrawideband, Android phones, kind hearts

Fujitsu, NICT create indoor navigation for the blind using ultrawideband, Android smartphones, kind hearts

There’s no shortage of navigation outdoors, and even a little bit of help indoors, but there’s been precious little aid for the blind indoors — leaving them little choice but to move cautiously or get outside help. Fujitsu and Japan’s NICT have crafted a system that gives the sightless a greater level of autonomy inside through ultrawideband-based impulse radio. A grid of UWB radios positioned around a room gauge the distances between each other and transmit the data to a PC, which then talks to the traveler’s Android phone. The device then gives spoken directions based on a 12-o’clock system and far subtler distances than GPS can manage: the positioning is accurate to within a foot. While the indoors navigation is only just getting a demo this week, it’s already being refined to detect objects in the room as well as to help even the fully sighted. If Fujitsu and NICT have their way, buildings ranging from hospitals to malls will have their own turn-by-turn navigation. For some, the freedom of movement could be a life-changer.

Fujitsu, NICT create indoor navigation for the blind using ultrawideband, Android phones, kind hearts originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jul 2012 00:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon reportedly acquires UpNext, 3D map wars begin in earnest

Amazon reportedly acquires UpNext, 3D map wars begin in earnest

We might as well call 2012 the year of the 3D map. We’ve seen both Apple and Google show their cards, but GigaOM now hears that Amazon has jumped in by acquiring newcomer UpNext. The details are scant, but the approximately $2.5 million deal would give Amazon the startup’s 3D, Android-native maps of 50 US cities, complete with navigation and extra information about notable buildings. The online reseller hasn’t confirmed whether or not the acquisition is happening, which leaves it very much in rumor territory for now. That said, it’s not hard to imagine Amazon taking that leap. The Kindle Fire is cut out of the official Android ecosystem and won’t get built-in 3D maps without effort on its creator’s part — a buyout would certainly put that mapping on the fast track.

Amazon reportedly acquires UpNext, 3D map wars begin in earnest originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jul 2012 20:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CVUK-TR44 7.0-Inch Touchscreen GPS Navigator

_CVUK-TR44-7.0-Inch-Touchscreen-GPS-Navigator

Find your destination without delays with Chinavasion’s brand new 7.0-inch touchscreen GPS navigator, the CVUK-TR44. The device features a 7.0-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen display, a powerful SiRF STAR III GPS chipset, a microSD card slot (4GB card included), a built-in multimedia player, an FM radio, Bluetooth, a built-in 1W speaker, a 1500mAh rechargeable Lithium Ion battery and runs on Microsoft WinCE 5.0 operating system. The CVUK-TR44 sells for $116.59 and comes with a wireless nightvision rearview camera. [Product Page]

Future Drones Will Autonomously Navigate the Skies Without GPS [Guts]

Military drones rely heavily on GPS for navigation guidance while in the air. But in areas where a signal can’t be found, or where someone is using a GPS jammer, a drone will find itself in a troublesome predicament. Military sub-contractor BAE Systems has come up with a solution to that problem: A positioning system called NAVSOP that uses any wireless signal to find its location. More »

BAE Systems’ NAVSOP does positioning without GPS, makes sure the only jammin’ going on is yours

BAE Systems' NAVSOP can do positioning without GPS, makes sure the only jammin' going on is your own

Just in case GPS and GLONASS didn’t make for enough of an acronym soup, BAE Systems wants to add one more to the navigation broth. NAVSOP (Navigation via Signals of Opportunity) uses some of the basic concepts we know from cell tower triangulation and WiFi location-finding to lock down a position, but goes much further to geolocate from nearly anything that pushes out a signal, such as nearby radios and TVs. It doesn’t even need to know what kind of signal it’s looking at, and it can get its position in places there’s no GPS to work from, whether it’s in an urban canyon or the natural kind. BAE is most excited about the prospects of ending GPS jamming against soldiers and UAVs, once and for all: not only is the new technology mostly impervious to attempts to block its signal, it can use the jamming attempt itself to get the position fix. Thankfully, the company’s roots in defense aren’t precluding use for civilians, so there’s a chance that future smartphones might never have to use guesswork to get their bearings — provided that governments around the world sign off on the idea, that is.

BAE Systems’ NAVSOP does positioning without GPS, makes sure the only jammin’ going on is yours originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jun 2012 10:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TomTom opens up MapShare to all 60 million of its GPS units (video)

TomTom's MapShare offers crowdsourced updates as a free daily download

TomTom has seen the inexorable rise of smartphone navigation and decided that it needs a cheaper way of updating its head units. Its cunning solution has been to open its MapShare community to all 60 million TomToms in the wild — which was previously limited just to smartphone apps and select devices. MapShare works by allowing users to update their, erm, maps, when they spot a change has been made, which is then uploaded when they get home. It’ll now be aggregated and pushed out as a free daily download. Users can filter updates, deciding if they want ones submitted by “some,” “many” or those officially verified by the company itself — so don’t bother trying to game the system to make your morning commute easier.

Continue reading TomTom opens up MapShare to all 60 million of its GPS units (video)

TomTom opens up MapShare to all 60 million of its GPS units (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 09:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TomTom to Update Its Maps Every Single Day [Maps]

TomTom was already a big player in digital mapping, and then it went and signed up to work with Apple on the new iOS maps app. Good news, then, for anyone who uses a TomTom provided service: their maps are soon set to update every single day, for free. More »

Google modifies Maps, YouTube for Nexus 7 tablet (video)

We’ve seen Google take Maps indoors, with interior schematics and even photos, but the Nexus 7 tablet brings a new twist to that familiar nav experience with 360-degree venue photos. Engineering Director Chris Yerga demonstrated the new feature within a local San Francisco bar called District, moving the device to show us how the compass and gyroscope work to provide 360-degree views based on your current direction and angle — it’s a pretty slick effect. There’s also offline map viewing that expands the Google Labs map caching to include entire cities, which should definitely come in handy for navigating beyond your comfort zone (and mobile coverage area). Naturally, there’s also an updated YouTube app, letting you take full advantage of that 7-inch display with video preview grids and HD playback, with a familiar Play store-like interface. Stay tuned for a closer look at these apps and more in our Nexus 7 hands-on.

Check out our full coverage of Google I/O 2012’s opening keynote at our event hub!

Continue reading Google modifies Maps, YouTube for Nexus 7 tablet (video)

Google modifies Maps, YouTube for Nexus 7 tablet (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 13:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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