TrafficUpdates
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Apple wants to make your calendar sensitive to location and traffic, get you there on time
As Apple rushed to allay privacy concerns over its handling of location data, it also let slip that it was working on a "crowd-sourced traffic database". Now a patent application dating from 2009 has been made public which suggests Apple is thinking of this technology not merely as an add-on to iOS Maps, but as something which could feed into other areas such as calendars and alarms. The implicit suggestion is that if Apple can figure out how long it will take you to get from A to B, then it should be able to adjust your appointments to make sure you get there on time without having to go on a rampage. Until then, if everyone just stays out of the way, then no one will get hurt.
TomTom promises lifetime (free) map and traffic updates for select 2010 PNDs
It's a funny thing. Ever since Google changed the game up with its Maps Navigation software, TomTom's really been in the giving mood. After bringing free lane guidance, text-to-speech and iPod control to the outfit's iPhone GPS app, its following in the footsteps of Navigon and Nextar by promising gratis traffic and map updates for select navigators starting in Q2 of this year. Unfortunately, exact details on which products will be included under the "no cash needed for updates" umbrella are nonexistent, but here's hoping more than a few are included (and that Garmin, et al. follows suit in short order).
Navigon brings gratis real-time traffic updates to entire product line
In a move that we can only hope signals a trend, GPS maker Navigon has announced that real-time traffic updates will now be free for all users of its wares. For awhile now, the outfit has offered gratis traffic updates on its higher-end models, but now, it's taking the Free Real-Time Traffic Updates for Life program to each navigation system it produces. There's no extra hardware to buy, no hidden fees -- just good, clean, free traffic updates. What's not to love?
Panasonic launches its first US in-car navigation unit
Looking to establish itself as a "leader in the U.S. mobile navigation market," Panasonic has finally launched its Strada CN-NVD905U, the company's first in-car GPS receiver for American consumers. Besides getting you from here to there using NAVTEQ maps on a 7-inch touchscreen, the 905U -- first introduced almost six months ago -- also offers an impressive suite of entertainment options, including DVD and MP3 CD playback, a 30GB hard drive, iPod video compatibility, and either Sirius or XM satellite stations through the use of optional tuners and antennas. Other nice features include Sirius Traffic capability, Bluetooth support, and inputs for a rear-mounted camera, but since this $1,800 package requires a double DIN slot, Panasonic's gonna have to work a little harder if it really wants to replace our TomToms, Garmins, and Pioneers.
Porsche Design working on a GPS receiver?
We've seen the Porsche Design team try its hand at radios already (both self-branded and in conjunction with Grundig), and now it's apparently looking to enter the GPS game with an upcoming receiver powered by Navigon software. Dutch site Pocketinfo is claiming that their mole contact inside Navigon has revealed a device known as the P9611 (supposedly standing for Porsche 911 + Mobile Navigator 6 -- seems like P9116 would make more sense, though) which features a 520MHz Xscale processor, 4.3-inch, 480 x 272 pixel display, built-in traffic update support, and even an embedded Bluetooth car kit from Parrot. Details are still pretty thin at this point, but Pocketinfo is reporting that the unit will start shipping in October, for a Porsche-like $950. Apparently the P9611 will also work in non-Porsche vehicles, but it'll be pre-programmed with the locations of all Porsche dealerships worldwide, and will beep like crazy every time you pass one until you finally cave in and pick up at least a Boxster.
