After years of keeping watch over the likes of Android and iOS in the premium GPS navigation realm, the folks at Telenav have revealed their intentions with their current brand Scout for Windows Phone 8. This Scout app has been optimized for the Windows Phone 8 environment, taking its already diverse user interface and giving […]
Windows Phone 8 users partial to Telenav Scout can now leave the long line of people twiddling their thumbs waiting for their favorite apps to arrive on the OS. Previously available on iOS, Android and older Windows Phone versions, the newest Scout on the Marketplace works on all WP8 devices. It comes with all of the bells and whistles one would expect from a personalized navigation platform, including a user’s current location, nearby establishments, real-time traffic flow, possible routes to take and the commute duration for each. Voice guidance (and voice command), as well as traffic and red light alerts are also available — assuming you’re willing to pay $25 per year for the privilege. If, however, you’re immune to Scout’s navigational charms, there’s always alternative options like Drive+, MapQuest and CoPilot to help your not-so-aimless wanderings.
Filed under: Cellphones
Source: Windows Phone Marketplace, Scout
If you’re carrying a smartphone or driving a modern car, you’re a potential probe, and Nokia would love to unlock your location for its HERE Maps services. The company already has its own gathering programs in place yet, for all its gigabytes of daily data, Nokia’s HERE 3D mapping car is only one part of […]
Find your destination without delays with Chinavasion’s latest motorcycle GPS navigation system (can be used with cars as well), the Rage. Powered by a 950mAh rechargeable li-polymer battery, this waterproof device (IPX7 rating) is equipped with a 4.3-inch 480 x 272 resistive touchscreen display (16:9 aspect ratio), a Media Tek MT3351 CPU, a 128MB RAM, a 4GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot (up to 16GB), a built-in antenna, Bluetooth, a mini-USB port, a 3.5mm audio out port, two power cables that can be connected to either a car cigarette lighter port or a motorcycle battery and runs on Windows CE 6.0 operating system. The Rage will set you back $139.99. [Product Page]
Most GPS is a relatively imprecise tool, honing in on your location to within around a few meters, but new Kickstarter project Piksi aims to provide accuracy within a single centimeter, via a new GPS receiver that uses Real Time Kinetics (RTK) it’s trying to fund via Kicksarter. The Piksi combines open source software and hardware to give UAV hobbyists and others access to the advanced RTK tech at a fraction of the price you’d normally find.
The price still isn’t exactly bargain basement at $500 for one of the first production devices, and that gets you only one Piksi unit; because of how RTK works, you’ll need two to get the super-accurate, 1-centimeter resolution location tracking working, which means the $900 level is where you’ll have to start if you’re after the hyper-specific positioning. Compared to what else is out there, however, that’s still very affordable indeed.
And the Piksi isn’t just for those building a home drone fleet; it could come in handy for rocketry hobbyists, aerial photography geotagging, building autonomous robot lawnmowers and more. As with most open source hardware aimed at the DIY engineering community, the limits of how Piksi can be used basically come to down to an individual’s imagination.
The specific details of how RTK works to provide such heightened accuracy are extremely geeky, but the team behind PIksi does a good job of providing an explanation over on their project page, which I wouldn’t do justice by trying to repeat here. Suffice it to say, they use science, and that science is very smart.
PIksi is the product of Swift Navigation, a San Francisco-based startup that consists of Colin Beighley and Fergus Noble, two engineers who previously developed a commercial RTK GPS system for a company called Joby Energy. Noble has an MSc in Physics from the University of Cambridge, and Beighley has a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of California at Santa Cruz. The two have been working with GPS or the past few years, but founded Swift Navigation in 2012 to turn that work into their own company.
The Piksi has already exceeded its $14,000 goal, so it’s getting made whether you back it or not (in time for a September 2013 delivery, too), but if you’re a backyard hardware hacker who craves extreme precision, there’s still time to get on board.
Despite apps that let a few lucky Glass owners control their Nest thermostat or unlock that Tesla Model S, one of the futuristic headgear’s most practical applications is still just the default turn-by-turn directions that come courtesy of Google. The R&D department over at Mercedes-Benz realizes that as well, but wants to take it a step further. According to a report in the Silicon Valley Business Journal, the automotive company is working on a Google Glass project that combines both pedestrian and automotive directions to take a user literally from door to door. MBRDNA President and CEO Johann Jungwirth told the publication that he wants Glass to seamlessly transition between walking and in-car navigation. Of course, not everyone has access to the pricey wearable just yet, so the project won’t likely see real-world application any time soon. In the meantime, Mercedes does have a few more down-to-earth solutions for the gadgets you might already have.
Filed under: Transportation, Google
Source: Silicon Valley Business Journal
Hey—Texas did something smart!1 By sending fake GPS data to a superyacht’s navigation system, University of Texas students were able to override the actual GPS signals and send an $80 million ship veering off course without rousing any suspicions whatsoever.
     |
When tech giants buy developers, they frequently let app support fall by the wayside — and Apple is continuing that trend following its acquisition of HopStop. Windows Phone users can no longer download or run their version of the HopStop app. Instead, the developer is asking them to use the mobile website for directions. Curiously, though, the Android app is still hanging around; Apple isn’t dismissing all competing platforms, like it did after buying Siri. Neither Apple nor HopStop have offered explanations for the move, but it’s clear that Windows Phone users will have to lean on alternatives like Here Transit to plan their daily commutes.
[Left image credit: Roman DeSilva, Twitter]
Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Mobile, Apple
Via: AllThingsD
Source: WindowsObserver
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
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
Via: 9to5 Mac
Source: App Store (US), Google Maps (Twitter), Google Maps Blog
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
