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One of Waze's earliest rivals is calling it quits
If you were quick to embrace smartphones as navigational tools, you may know Trapster. It gives you crowdsourced alerts for speed traps, road hazards and other conditions that can affect your commute. Unfortunately, you won't have access to it for much longer; Trapster will shut down in the next few weeks after looking at its "ongoing investments." We've reached out to the company for more details on what's happening, but it's easy to see why it might close up shop. One of its main rivals over the years, Waze, is now under Google's wing -- it's difficult to imagine most crowdsourced location services competing against a company with that much clout. The news is undoubtedly sad if you're a loyal fan, but you'll at least have some alternatives (including Waze and Cobra Electronics' gear) for keeping tabs on driving conditions.
Cobra Vedetta speed trap detectors and CXT two-way radios make for a manly drive
There's a traffic cop on the road ahead and he's just waiting to slap a fine on your speed-freakin' self. But it's cool: Cobra's new Vedetta range of radar/laser detectors will tell you to hit the brakes 30 percent sooner than the previous XRS models, and they additionally come with 2.4-inch LCD displays, the ability to mount almost anywhere on your windscreen or dash, plus optional integrated GPS and access the company's AURA database of known speed traps. Soon as you're back down to 50MPH, you can warn the rest of your undercover convoy to do the same, thanks to the new Cobra CXT two-way radio line-up featuring a range up to 35 miles, NOAA Weather Radio and a dedicated button for crude one-liners. Read on for the press releases, but don't expect much detail on pricing or availability -- at least until CES rolls around.
Trapster 3.0 helps you avoid speed traps, encourages safety first
Speed limits, highway patrol, other drivers, it can all be such a bummer -- especially, if you're sitting back in one of these. With a little crowdsourced aid, however, and a free Android app, you can still fulfill that need for excessive speed. Recently released on the Android market, Trapster's v3.0 update refreshes the look of its checkpoint alerting mobile app and throws in some new features for good measure. In addition to the cleaner UI, there's also a new homescreen widget that lets you vote on upcoming traps and terrain maps to complement the existing standard and satellite versions. But the real standout feature here is the inclusion of a real-time speedometer that should have the heavy-footed reaching for that brake more often. The new function alerts drivers with color-coded warnings should their speed demon ways get the best of the road's limit. Alright, so the app may discourage your burnt rubber predilections, but that shouldn't stop you from hitting the source link to download this ticket-avoiding application.
Cobra iRadar on the CES 2011 show floor
We liked the idea of the iRadar when we first heard about it, and Cobra put the device front and center at its CES 2011 booth (well, right next to the girls in skimpy police uniforms). The iRadar is a radar detector that hooks right up to Cobra's official iPhone app, and it will not only alert you when you see speed radar units out on the road, but it will also tune in to two different services. "Aura" is Cobra's own service that keeps a "verified" database of red light cameras and speed traps, and the iRadar ThreatCenter is a database specific to the iRadar that tracks, in real time, when the iRadar goes off. In other words, if someone with an iRadar drives by a speed trap right before you do, you'll be alerted ahead of time. Cobra told us that it has seen over 30,000 downloads of the app, so there's quite a bit of interest out there. The iRadar itself is designed to be a very simple radar detector -- it's just got a small button and a speaker, since most of the information is relayed through the iPhone. But Cobra confirmed that it is working on other radar detector models that will work with the app (as well as an Android version sooner rather than later), and it's even considering bringing the ThreatCenter system to non-smartphone enabled models. Eventually your iPhone may be alerting other Cobra users, even those without phones, about the speed traps you see. "That's why the app is free," the Cobra rep joked. iRadar is US$129, and both the detector unit and the dock come with the purchase. You may not have a need for speed, but if you do, Cobra's unit offers a nice integration with your iPhone. Please note that radar detector use may not be legal in some jurisdictions. TUAW reminds all our readers to always avoid distractions, focus on the road and drive prudently and safely. Be sure to check out the rest of our CES coverage on our CES page.
Speed trap checker Trapster for iPhone updated to 4.0
We've mentioned Trapster once here on the site before, but we haven't really covered it in any depth yet, I believe. It's the official iPhone app [iTunes link] for an online database of speed traps, so that you can get fair warning when the police are checking speeds in a certain part of town. It's a very popular app with over 3 million users already (and if you're constantly looking to dodge speed traps, you've probably already heard of it), but as with all community databases, one of the questions is always confidence: is the information you're getting true, or is it a perception that could be wrong? The company has just released version 4.0 out onto the App Store, and most of the upgrades are designed to help you out with confidence in their listings. There's a new feature called Patrol, which will show you just how recently another Trapster user has driven down the same road you're on, which means the information there is much more recent. Another mode called Caravan will actually let you watch the locations of friends or other users in real-time, so if you're road-tripping with friends, you can track your trip together. There's new Facebook and iPhone connections, and lots of new "trap types," so you can even track accidents, construction zones, or just mark off dangerous intersections. Sounds good, and even better, the app is completely free. The only issue we've heard from users so far is that the app can use battery power like crazy (given that it's tracking GPS and sending information back and forth constantly), but if you've got a car charger going while you're driving around, that shouldn't be an issue. If you do a lot of traveling with your iPhone, it's definitely worth a look.
Cheetah's GPSMirror detects red-light / speed cameras
Giving you yet another venue to throw down your hard-earned dollars instead of just taking it easy and obeying traffic laws while motoring, Cheetah has introduced a GPSMirror that can detect just about anything you'd need to know about whilst cruising down the highway. Sporting a SiRF Star III GPS receiver, anti-glare coating, and the ability to divulge alerts via voice, visuals, or frighteningly loud sounds, this rear view mirror replacement purportedly keeps you informed of upcoming speed cameras of all varieties, radar / laser detectors, and accident zones. Additionally, the device can even display your speed from behind the mirrored glass in case the speedometer in your '72 Beetle has been pleasantly perched on zero for the past decade. The unit supposedly plays nice with your current radar / laser detector, and can relay data via its aural abilities to slow you down. Speedsters can pick up the GPSMirror now for £199.99 ($395), and thanks to the PC-based interface and internet database downloads, there are no monthly fees for its handy services.[Via NaviGadget]
