You probably turn to Yelp to look for single, stand-out restaurants and businesses. But there’s a lot of data inside all those reviews, which can make for fascinating analysis—letting you spot trends across geographic locations.
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When speaking with executives from the Google Maps team earlier this year at I/O, I was reminded that Maps wasn’t even a product in 2004. In less than a decade, one of Google’s bright ideas has completely and unabashedly transformed the entire routing industry. (Avid readers will no doubt recall this graph, depicting real moves in the stock market moments after Google Maps Navigation was first introduced.) That development, coupled with the explosion in smartphone adoption across emerged markets, has left players like Magellan in quite the predicament. It wasn’t that long ago that dedicated PNDs (personal navigation devices) were the gift to get for the holiday season. And indeed, many units from Garmin in particular delighted me plenty over the years.
But the reality today is that PND makers have found themselves redundant. A few have resorted to innovating on the software side and nailing down partnerships with automakers and fleet-management firms in order to keep revenue rolling in, while Magellan has opted to create a new piece of hardware. That hardware, of course, is the SmartGPS. Rather than being a standalone PND suitable for mounting on one’s dash or window, the device works best when used in concert with an accompanying iPhone or Android app (sorry, Windows Phone and BlackBerry users). In essence, the company is hoping that by creating a product that extends the functionality of your smartphone, you’ll be inclined to hand over $250. After a week of road tripping through the US southwest, however, I’m inclined to believe differently.
Gallery: Magellan SmartGPS review
Filed under: GPS, Transportation
Source: Magellan SmartGPS product page
Traveling, even when its meant to relax, can be an immensely overwhelming experience. And sifting through the endless sea of apps supposedly meant to “ease” the process doesn’t exactly help the situation. TripWhat, however, takes those apps you already know and love and combines them to make one, comprehensive conglomerate of an app that takes at least some of the pain out of trip planning. More »
Mini sold some 66,000 vehicles in the United States last year, and despite being on American soil (in its current incarnation, anyway) for just 13 years, this market has quickly become its biggest. Those drawn to the brand are likely intrigued by, if not outright enamored of, its quirkiness. Mini likes to say that the company is “Not Normal,” and it only takes a glance inside its cartoonish Countryman to see what that means.
During a recent kickoff event to celebrate the impending launch of its Paceman model, we sought to get beneath the sheet metal and gear ratios, instead looking at the kinds of decisions that impact the marriage of automobiles and technology. Turns out, Johnly Velasquez and Chris Potgieter — two gentlemen in charge of determining what technology ends up in Mini products — were more than happy to discuss those nuances. In particular, we discussed how those details relate to the future of its Connected platform, the role that infotainment plays in its entire range of motorcars and the opportunities that lie ahead for Mini to embrace alternative power.
Could Mini’s prioritization of technology as a pillar of automotive manufacturing influence the entire industry? That’s exactly what we’ll explore just beyond the break.
Gallery: 2013 Mini Paceman launch gallery
Filed under: Transportation
Source: Mini
Yelp is great for sizing up unvisited eateries, and soon some users will be able to complement review results with a side of hygiene inspection ratings. “Health Scores” will be added to listings in New York and San Francisco over the next few weeks, with Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago next in line. The most recent rating will show up on the restaurant hub, but go deeper and you’ll find a history of recent inspections, including notes on any violations. A “new open data standard” called LIVES (Local Inspector Value-entry Specification) is behind the feature, allowing local authorities to add inspection outcomes straight into Yelp. We’re sure users will appreciate the extra info when scoping out new places, or even checking up on old favorites — but they might not like what they find. One example restaurant linked in Yelp’s blog post has a Health Score of 92 out of 100, which sounds all good until you see one of the most recent violations was due to “Rodents / Roaches / Flies / Other Animals.” Tasty!
Filed under: Internet
Via: The Next Web
Yelp is pushing its service even further. Today, the San Francisco-based service is announcing that it is bringing restaurant inspection scores to Yelp pages. Basically, users can now add and view restaurant hygiene scores, something that was not available in the past. “While ratings and reviews are incredibly powerful ways to guide spending decisions, we’re always looking for new ways to supplement the information to provide a better experience for consumers,” Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelma announced today. (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Nokia Cuts 1,120 Jobs, AT&T To Expand Its Business In Europe [Rumor], 
Graph Search, which we’re going to call Facebook search from here on out because nobody wants to read or write “Graph Search,” is a dramatic new way to browse Facebook. But its implications spill over its rivals—which companies lose the most? More »
It’s no secret that the GPS business has faced an uphill battle these past few years. Thanks to smartphones there’s less of a reason to invest in a standalone navigator, and while GPS companies have been selling mapping apps of their own, that doesn’t quite make up for plunging device sales, now does it? Well, Magellan has an interesting solution: the firm just announced the smartGPS, a dashboard navigation device that’s designed to work in tandem with an iOS / Android app.
Naturally, both the smartGPS and the app have turn-by-turn navigation, so you can use either when you’re in need of directions. But really, the device does so much more than that. Thanks to Magellan’s new cloud service, all of your data — recent destinations, etc. — will get pushed across your various devices, including the navigator and mobile devices with the mobile app installed. (There’s also a website where you can manage all of this.) By default, this syncing happens over your home WiFi network, but if you already left the house and are out of range, the smartGPS will instead use Bluetooth to talk to your phone. So what does this all mean? For starters, if you search for a restaurant on your phone, you can send it to your navigator so that you don’t have to enter the address manually (and we all know how annoying that is). What’s more, the navigator and app both have Yelp reviews and Foursquare offers built in, so if you wanted you could peruse reviews of cafes on your phone and then push the directions to the device.
As an aside, it’s neat to see user reviews built into a personal navigator, which isn’t exactly a typical feature. It also seems pretty well-implemented: there are big, yellow stars indicating the overall rating, so you needn’t worry about having to drive and read a two-paragraph write-up at the same time. By default, the driving map takes up the whole screen, so you can keep those Foursquare offers hidden if you find them distracting. The smartGPS will be available in March (price TBA) with applications for both iOS and Android. (Note: these won’t take the place of Magellan’s existing apps.) Turn-by-turn navigation will be a premium feature — an in-app upgrade. That’s all she wrote for now, but if you want to see the whole setup in action, we’ve got a demo video embedded just after the break.
Filed under: GPS
We wrote to you last month about a negative review on Yelp that ended in court. The defendant is a woman from Virginia named Jane Perez who took to Yelp, and also on Angie’s List, to express her disappointment with Dietz Development’s service. Perez says that Dietz workmen damaged her house and also stole her jewelry. Dietz owner Christopher Dietz accused Perez of Internet defamation, saying that the allegations were not true. Today, the Virginia Supreme Court has overturned a judge’s previous preliminary injunction to alter or edit the reviews. (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Gmail gets a new look, Zlango: Instant Visual Messaging for Personalized Real-Time Communication,
With the holiday season behind us, you may not be planning on traveling for another year, unless you’re currently counting down the hours left in your work day until you get away for a New Years trip. If you’d like to experience more from the airports you’ll be making your way through this weekend, you might want to give Airport Chatter a download.
Airport Chatter is an application for the iPhone that makes your experiences at the airport more social. You can view your airport within the app to check out profiles for the various shops and services, their hours of operation, location and even check into them and post or read reviews. Think Yelp, but specifically for airports.
As helpful as finding and learning more of venues inside of an airport is, especially when you absolutely need a Cinnabon at 3 a.m., the application has big ambitions as it would like to be your go-to app for airline travel to include the ability to track flights, booking transportation to and from the airport and even chatting with fellow travelers who you would otherwise ignore.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: US ITC Judge Recommends Import And Sales Ban Of Samsung Products, Signal Strength Of The Nokia Wireless Charging Pad Put To The Test,
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