Hasta La Gadget!

There’s no shortage of iPhone navigation apps out there, but we can’t say we’ve seen too many that come with 1.6GB of offline map data — especially for free. That’s the hook for NavFree USA, which just went live in the App Store — sure, it also has some interesting social features like crowdsourced map updates and navigating to friends, and you can buy add-ons like traffic and speed camera info, but we think most people will use the free turn-by-turn and call it a day. That is, until Apple builds navigation directly into the OS. PR after the break.

Update: Commenter marklarson just pointed out the hilariously misguided compass icon in the upper left there, and now we are downloading this app just to look at it whenever we need to be cheered up.

Continue reading NavFree launches free US iPhone navigation app with offline map data

NavFree launches free US iPhone navigation app with offline map data originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 18:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google’s never been afraid to “blow it out” with Google Maps, most famously with its inclusion of Navigation, which knocked the legs out from under a lot of the GPS device and navigation app market. Google Maps 5.0 for Android might seem similarly earth shattering, but it marks a significant change to the basic technology of Google Maps. Most importantly, Google is now using vector graphics for its maps, which are scalable and much lighter weight than the traditional stitched together images used in most Google Maps incarnations. The vectors also enable something else a whole lot sexier: a two finger swipe can “tilt” the map and now you’ve got a 3D view of the landscape. It’s not quite as flashy as Google Earth, but it looks a whole lot more useful. The other thing these low-bandwidth vector maps enables is offline caching of maps, specifically your most frequently visited locations, and entire trips that have been routed in Navigation, including potential reroutes. Anybody with an Android 1.6 or higher device can download 5.0 right now for free, but the 3D and offline features are 2.0+ only.

Continue reading Google Maps 5.0 hits Android, includes new 3D map view and offline Navigation

Google Maps 5.0 hits Android, includes new 3D map view and offline Navigation originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Dec 2010 13:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What’s that? You’ve never heard of caching? For shame! In all seriousness, we’re surmising that quite a few of you out there may have overlooked this up-and-coming jewel of recreation, but Garmin’s doing its darnedest to change that. The GPS maker has just opened up a new online community at OpenCaching.com, hailed “a completely free online community for creating, sharing and finding geocaches around the world.” For those out of the loop, caching is akin to a sophisticated game of hide-and-seek, where individuals download GPX files and then head out on adventures that’ll lead them to various surprises and / or treasures. A two-month old honey bun, an original script from Step Brothers, or maybe even a sealed bag of Deutsche Marks from last century — you know, things of that sort. The site even lets users rank the ‘Awesomeness’ in addition to size, terrain and difficulty, and while it’s obviously hosted by Garmin, it’s platform agnostic in nature. Head on over if you’re looking to blaze a few trails over the holiday break.

Continue reading Garmin launches OpenCaching community, pushes caching closer to the mainstream

Garmin launches OpenCaching community, pushes caching closer to the mainstream originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 01:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google has just unveiled their new, refreshed Maps 5.0 app for Android, launching soon. What’s new about it? Well, it renders buildings in 3D, loads faster, works offline and will automatically rotate the map according to the phone’s compass. More »

Magellan may not be the head honcho when it comes to standalone PNDs here in North America, but that’s not stopping the outfit from keeping its iOS app up to snuff. With TomTom, Navigon and Garmin all introducing iOS 4-compatible apps over the past few months, Magellan has finally done likewise — version 1.3 of the app now enables navigation to occur in the background, meaning that iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 users will still hear turn-by-turn guidance while using another application. Better still, real-time traffic information is provided free of charge through NAVTEQ, alerting motorists to accidents, traffic flow and the nearest ice cream truck. If you’ve already sunk cash into this one, now’s a solid time to check those updates — otherwise, you can hit the source links for a trifecta of versions catering to various regions.

Magellan RoadMate GPS app updated for iOS 4, includes real-time traffic and multitasking originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 22:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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