Hasta La Gadget!

If there’s two things the world needs, it’s a complete lack of international roaming charges, and GPS signals that never fade. Oh, and for Slash to not play the last Super Bowl with the Black Eyed Peas — we suppose that makes three. At any rate, at least we’re moving somewhat closer to a reality that solves the middle issue, with TeleNav announcing this week that it’ll be implementing “hybrid navigation technology” into its apps (including the new iOS version) in the very near future. Post-implementation, TeleNav software will automatically cache maps and directions for routes you look up, and if you drop your mobile connection or GPS signal en route, you’ll still be able to have a look at the original plan. ‘Course, any deviations from the prescribed route will lead to endless frustration, but if you (or your 63 year old father) are familiar with following a paper map, you ought to be just fine. The company asserts that the new addition will be rolling out to “select applications” that it develops for carrier partners “in the near future,” and you won’t be ask to pay a dime more for the added convenience. Sometimes life’s just too kind, eh?

Update: TeleNav pinged us to say that its version will actually download full maps to the device (so you’ll need a good chunk of free space), so you really won’t suffer too much from not having a live connection. Also, the iPhone build is better known as AT&T Navigator v1.8i.

TeleNav bringing hybrid navigation to GPS apps, eases reliance on data connection originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 18:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The European Commission has just completed its mid-term review of the EU’s Galileo satellite navigation system and — surprise, surprise — they found that they need an additional €1.9 billion ($2.56 billion) to finish the system. This latest budget recommendation ups the cost an extra €200 million ($269 million) since the Commission’s last report, and cites larger development and more expensive launch vehicles for the increase. The EU remains optimistic that Galileo will provide a financial windfall when completed — but given its estimated €800 million ($1 billion) per year operating costs, constant delays, and competition from Russia, China, and good old-fashioned GPS, we’re not so sure we agree.

EU’s Galileo sat-nav system’s budget overruns continue, European Commission asks for an extra €1.9 billion originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 09:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember that Roadmate 9055 that popped up in the FCC’s database back in September? Looks like Magellan’s using CES to officially launch it. Listing for $299.99 here in the States, this monstrous 7-inch navigator packs a WVGA touchscreen, Bluetooth and a lifetime supply of free traffic updates. It’s preloaded with maps of the 50 US states, Canada and Puerto Rico, not to mention six million points-of-interest, loads of content from the AAA Tourbook Guide (including Diamond ratings and descriptions for US and Canada), and a roadside assistance feature that provides your precise location in case you need to tell it to some fine man or woman on the other end of an emergency call. If you’re more of an argonaut, the Explorist 310 handheld navigator is likely more your speed. This one’s retailing for $199.99, and it includes a 2.2-inch color display, a rugged, waterproof enclosure, a SiRFstar III GPS chipset and a slew of features catering to the outdoor navigation market — things like waypoint creation, a premium, preloaded World Edition map, active tracking, and track summary. There’s also 500MB of user-accessible memory (for adding extra maps), and we’re told that two AA batteries can power it for an astounding 18 hours. So, where’s life planning to take you?

Magellan reveals Roadmate 9055 and Explorist 310 GPS units originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 14:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ah, the games that grown-ups play. It’s a situation that’s beginning to feel an awful lot like the Google Voice fiasco that made the rounds in mid-2009, but if it ends in a similar fashion, you won’t find us kvetching about the teases. As the story goes, a bona fine Google Latitude app made its appearance in Japan’s App Store hours ago, only to be yanked before it could sashay over to any other nation. TechCrunch reckons that it was El Goog doing the pulling — it’s quite possible that the folks in Mountain View weren’t quite ready to publicly reveal it, and with all that Chrome action going down yesterday, it’s not hard to imagine how an impending launch was overlooked. At any rate, the description of the app as well as most of the screenshots were in English, so we’re cautiously optimistic that it’ll resurface in the near future once a few Is are dotted and Ts crossed. With iOS 4 supporting background location, there’s hardly a reason to wait any longer, right?

Google Latitude makes brief appearance in App Store, gets yanked post-haste originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 09:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mall maps integrated into an online mapping system? It’s not exactly a minty fresh concept, but Microsoft has managed to seriously up the game with its Bingified mall directory maps. These zoomable, highly detailed maps help you see the layout and store count at a glance, with each click inside of a store yielding an exact address, phone number and links to ‘Directions’ / ‘Send to Mobile.’ Heck, you can even use ’em to discover the best place to park. Only problem? They aren’t exactly mobile friendly just yet, which all but defeats the purpose. Except, of course, if you’ve got the photographic memory that every stressed-out college student in existence longs for. Hit the source link to see if your nearby shopping complex is one of the 22 listed — if not, you can only pray that it’s added prior to December 24th.

Bing’s detailed mall directory maps improve Paul Blart’s livelihood, should be on mobile originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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