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The Scout navigation app adds chat, meetups and personalized traffic
Scout has always been a worthwhile free alternative for people looking for something beyond Google and Apple Maps. A just-issued update gives users predictive, intuitive traffic push notifications for users' everyday trips, eliminating the need to manually check for traffic delays. Also added is a chat function for groups, so you can coordinate getting together. The app also supports inviting guests from contact lists, picking a day, time and location. Then Scout offers real-time location and ETA insights so guests are able to view the position of other guests on the navigation map. Scout is powered by OpenStreetMap (OSM), which is not best-in-class navigation data, but it is used a lot and is frequently updated. I gave the updated Scout a try and found all functions to work well. The ETA feature is similar to Glympse, but not as flexible feature-wise. The chat functions works, but should never be used while driving. The personalized traffic reports are a clever idea, and you can schedule report updates giving you road conditions and advising you of alternate routes. I still don't think the Scout POI database can touch Google or even Apple's, but it is serviceable. Scout is certainly worth a look, and many people will like the integration of traffic, ETA and the chat function for getting groups together in a coordinated way. Scout offers a subscription service that provides offline maps, but at US$25.00 a year Scout starts to brush against better and less-expensive competitors. Scout requires iOS 7 or later. It's optimized for the iPhone 5. Hopefully another update will let it more fully match the screen resolution of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
Scout GPS app keeps your gas and coffee detour to a minimum
Telenav wants its latest Scout update for iPhone to stand out from other nav apps by giving what it claims 80 percent of us want while driving: gas, coffee, or food. You can now select a spot serving one of those sans typing and be sure it's decent thanks to a user feedback feature that even accounts for the time of day. Then, Scout will only search places on the road ahead, not behind, to efficiently re-route you -- a feature surprisingly lacking in most GPS apps. Other new tweaks include a guide to the closest and cheapest parking, real-time ETA info relayed to your loved ones and the ability to report traffic conditions, even when not navigating. All of this is free, though it only works in the US and certain features, like offline maps, require a $24.99 in-app buy.
Scout iOS navigation app is updated with hands-free voice commands
Scout has been a popular free navigation app for iOS that includes turn-by-turn directions and crowdsourced traffic information. It also has reliable directions to restaurants, shops, gas stations and all the other destinations you may want. Today, Scout was updated to include hands-free voice commands. Unlike Siri, where you have to hold down a button to start talking, Scout will listen to your commands without any type of physical input on your behalf. If Scout is running, you can say "Hey Scout" to get the app to pay attention, and then tell Scout where you want to go. Sadly, the theory is better than the reality. When I asked "Where are the nearest restaurants?" Scout replied with a street address in Bullhead City, Ariz., hundreds of miles away from me. Asking for the nearest gas stations got me a list of Honda dealers, one in New Jersey. And so it went. I tried it in noisy and quiet environments, but seldom got a correct hit. The app works great when physically touching any of the points of interest icons, and gave reliable navigation, but the voice recognition misses almost every request. I like the idea of saying "Hey Scout" and never touching my phone to initiate a trip, but this new feature simply didn't work for me. Although Siri does require a button press, it almost always parses my phrases correctly. I should add that if your phone auto-locks, Scout becomes deaf so your requests won't be heard. Scout does have a lot of features not included in the Apple Maps app. The app has destination sharing, and it lets you know what events are happening in your community. The Scout database is good and detailed, but voice response clearly needs work. Scout requires iOS 6 or later, It's not a universal app, so it's best suited to the iPhone. The app is optimized for the iPhone 5. Scout does offer enhanced features either monthly or yearly as an in-app purchase, but most people will be able to get along just fine with the free version, unless they try talking to it.
Telenav Scout adds real-time, user-reported traffic data to iOS and Android apps
Telenav has been steadily improving Scout, its personalized navigation platform, ever since its introduction. Today, Scout users will finally get the crowd-sourced traffic info they were promised back in April. Scout for both iOS and Android now provides you the wisdom of its 100 million users and traffic partners, allows you to see which roads are congested and calculates up to three possible routes -- letting you find the most efficient way from point A to point B. That real-time traffic info augmented with user input also enables drivers to share a more accurate estimated time of arrival, so your dinner date will know exactly how long you'll be delayed due to that unforeseen fender-bender on the freeway. Additionally, the update adds several new recommendation categories to its Things to Do feature, so it'll now tell you about live music, local festivals and outdoor activities, too. Sound good? You know the drill, Google Play and the App Store await.
iPhones will play a big part in the upcoming automotive revolution
I just spent a few days in San Francisco attending a conference sponsored by Telenav, one of the leaders in navigation and services in both the automotive and smartphone worlds. Much of what is discussed at these kinds of get-togethers is off the record, giving reporters a sneak peek at upcoming technology. One session that was on-the-record was a panel of industry experts on the future of electronics, particularly navigation in cars. I think this panel pointed the way to what we will be seeing in future years, and hints at how important the iPhone will be. There was input from people at Ford, Delphi, Nuance, Gracenote and, of course, Telenav. One thing that emerged rather starkly is a general belief that built-in navigation systems in cars are fast diminishing in popularity. It is so easy to add free or low-cost navigation by using your iPhone or other smartphone that more and more buyers can't justify the cost a built-in system. Built-in prices are dropping, but they will never get as low as the smartphone solution, and those manufacturer-provided nav systems don't update nearly as often as your iPhone apps. Of course, fiddling with your phone to set up trips can be a real safety issue when driving. The iPhone screen is smaller than a car display, and as a result, it requires more attention. That's why we're seeing more apps controlled completely by voice, both for ease of use and safety. Apple's Siri / Maps and Google's Maps are both natural navigation companions for voice, while manufacturers like Ford have gone voice-controlled in a big way for phone / car communication. Many states, like California, are mandating that you can't even touch your phones while driving. More states will follow. The natural evolution of all this is to somehow get the iPhone screen to the big screen in the car, something we saw from Telenav late last year. Telenav's Scout app mates with Ford Sync via a Bluetooth or USB connection; drivers can access local search, gas prices and directions on the car screen. The logical extension is that someday in the future, perhaps, your iPhone will activate the screens in any car and transfer your personal info, destinations and other items right to the car screen. For safety, all this must be voice-enabled. Brian Radloff was on hand from Nuance (developers of Dragon for Mac and Dragon Dictate for iOS) to say that he saw the future as more personalization in cars, as the vehicle becomes more integrated into each individual's lifestyle. That was echoed by Harris Warren of Telenav, who expects to see the addition of real personalization to the driving experience. The car will become more of a consumer experience than just a way to get you from point A to point B. That means help finding relevant shopping and recreation destinations, and the further integration of both incoming and outgoing messaging. Most of the experts on the panel said that cars are rapidly moving from closed environments to open ones, accepting more outside software and the easy plug-in of hardware. Even today, there is hardly a car being offered that doesn't support Apple connectors for iPods and / or iPhones. Of course, the industry representatives were also not happy with the new iPhone 5 connector, that left the industry and consumers stuck with some non-working ports or buying more cables. In fact, the industry leaders, like John Absmeier of Delphi, expect that soon there will be seamless connectivity between your car, your house and your devices. It's also clear that the iPhone will be key to this transition. Many of these automation and automotive apps come out for the iPhone first, then slowly migrate to Android. It's pretty clear the car cockpit will change pretty radically in the coming years, with Apple playing an important part in that evolution. That should be exciting.
Telenav is offering car companies an embedded navigation system that links to smartphones
One of the problems with using an iPhone or other smartphone for navigation is the screen size. Manipulating the phone while driving can be a serious distraction. To address this shortcoming -- and leverage the large-screen displays that are present in some modern vehicles -- Telenav has announced a new embedded system called Scout for Cars. Scout for Cars lets your smartphone running a Telenav Scout application connect to the built-in car navigation screen. That keeps the navigation data up to date, and lets routing or other information transfer seamlessly between the Scout app and the in-car system. Scout for Cars works in two directions, allowing navigation information from the head unit to go back to the Telenav app for last-mile information or walking directions to a destination. The system features up-to-date maps, transferred from the smartphone, local weather with real-time conditions and forecasts, local search, traffic information and voice control. Telenav considers this solution a new breed of service that combines the best of built-in systems with the fresh data available from smartphones like the iPhone. This approach will allow the Telenav app to be branded by others. Of course, car makers need to cooperate with this approach to make it all work and give built-in screens connectivity to the Telenav app, but Telenav representatives say there is interest. I got a demo of the system this morning in San Francisco and the marriage of the two approaches seems worthwhile. My biggest gripe about my car's built-in system is that even if I update my maps and local info it is already out of date. %Gallery-185813% The product family is available for automotive companies now. Telenav already provides services for partners like AT&T, Ford, T-Mobile U.S., Sprint Nextel and others.
Telenav announces Scout for Cars: Built In, brings together phones and in-dash systems in navigation harmony (update)
Telenav has long been a purveyor of navigation apps for phones, browsers, and cars, but today the company's revealed Scout for Cars: Built In to bring those platforms together. It's an in-dash system that provides both the form factor and UX optimized for autos and all the features of the Scout for Phones app. It works using Bluetooth to connect to iOS, Android, or Windows Phone devices to sync your info and let you access the mobile app's current map info. It also borrows your phone's data connection, which gives users access to voice control and search and discovery features, plus real-time weather and traffic updates using the in-dash touchscreen. Scout for Cars: Built In can also seamlessly hand off navigation duties to the phone when you exit your car -- a convenient feature for folks as directionally challenged on foot as they are behind the wheel. And, if you're worried about getting lost should you forget to bring your phone, fear not, for Scout for Cars: Built In uses your handset to provide a better experience, but it's not dependent upon it, so it still gets you where you need to go on its own. The system is currently available to automakers right now, so the system should be finding its way into dealerships sometime soon.
Scout for iPhone adding 3d building and crowd-sourced traffic info later this year
Telenav today announced some major enhancements to its free Scout navigation app. Of note, 3D buildings and landmarks are included in the upcoming update, along with significant improvements to the Scout traffic content and user interface. Using some graphics techniques from the game industry, Scout will add 3D in many major metro areas around the US. As drivers near upcoming turns, Scout will dynamically change screen views to show relevant landmarks and give drivers better information to assist with upcoming turns. The 3D data is locally cached and automatically downloaded as locations change. Telenav will also incorporate some significant changes to what's currently offered in traffic information. Users will be able to add traffic information to share with others, and the Scout app will offer alternate routes based on the reported traffic information. The Scout app will update at the midway point of the trip to see if conditions have changed. These updates are expected to be added to the free and premium versions of the app later this year. Telenav and others are aggressively adding features to compete with big players like Apple and Google.
Telenav Scout for Phones to go 3D, get crowd-sourced traffic reporting in 2013
There are plenty of choices to meet your mobile mapping needs, from feature-rich offerings from big names like Google, Apple and Nokia to crowd-sourced services like Waze. Telenav's Scout app falls somewhere in between, and today the company announced that it'll get both 3D buildings and landmarks and crowd-sourced traffic reporting (backed by TomTom's database) later this year. Graphically, Scout in 3D looks similar to Google Maps and will initially be available for major metro areas in the US. As for traffic reporting, Telenav will be asking its 34 million subscribers to report accidents and traffic jams, and will update its database in real-time. That means that as road conditions change, Scout'll suggest faster alternate route options to get you from point A to point B hassle-free. No word exactly when these new capabilities will make it to users, but when they do arrive later this year, both premium and free users will get 'em. In the meantime, check out the video of the new 3D maps in action after the break.
Scout navigation app for iPhone gains location sharing and ETA notifications (video)
Beyond its free price, users of Scout for the iPhone have an extra reason to smile today as the navigation app now supports location sharing. More specifically, users will be able to share their current location or future destination via either text message, email or Facebook. By leveraging Telenav's HTML5 navigation system, recipients can take advantage of the company's browser-based, turn-by-turn directions by merely clicking the sender's enclosed link. As another nice touch, Scout also now supports automated notifications, which allows users to provide estimated arrival times via text message to chosen contacts whenever they depart for a specific destination such as home or the office. For a peek at the new features, in addition to a quick introduction of the new Things To Do menu and revised My Dashboard, be sure to check out the video after the break.
TeleNav updates free Scout nav app, optimizes for iPhone 5
In the battle of the navigation apps, there's a silent warrior that's left out of the skirmishes between Apple, Google and the rest. That app is TeleNav's Scout (free, Scout Plus service available via in-app purchase), and it just received an update to make it even more useful. First, the app has been optimized for the larger screen of the iPhone 5. The UI has been cleaned up, providing a much clearer view of the map and major function icons. There's a new My Dashboard view, providing one-tap access to places that you've listed as favorites as well as recent trips. Scout also shows upcoming turns when you're navigating, and discovery capabilities have been vastly improved in the new version. Many of the new features of the award-winning Scout app are displayed in the video below.
Telenav Scout for Apps comes to Android and Windows Phone, Scout Drive Button released for website-based nav
iOS app devs got Telenav turn-by-turn navigation access in March of this year, and now the same can be said for folks programming for Android and Windows Phone. In case you forgot, the Scout for Apps platform allows developers to incorporate Scout's personalized navigation directly into their applications. Not only that, but Telenav's making it easier for website owners to do the same for their websites with the release of the Scout Drive Button. The button puts the power of browser-based GPS mapping in an easy-to-implement widget, for free, with no coding expertise required. It also allows users to click the Drive button in their desktop browser to send a link to their phones that'll launch navigation directly, as opposed to inputting the address into a nav app manually. Interested? More info awaits after the break, and devs can get down and dirty with both Scout for Apps and the Drive widget at the sources below.
Telenav's free Scout nav app gets offline navigation, speech recognition
In January of 2012, Telenav announced Scout, a free "daily personal navigator" app for iPhone. Today the company has released a new version of the app with improved features including Always There Navigation, a downloadable offline navigation feature that provide GPS navigation whether or not you're in a wireless coverage zone. Always There Navigation is downloaded by U.S. region -- Western, Central or Eastern. You can download different regions if you're traveling outside of your home area, or download all three regions to your iPhone. This service is available for US$9.99 per year or $2.99 per month, and includes some other premium features. One of the other new features is the addition of speech recognition. By tapping one button, voice commands are activated for a hands-free search. Commands like "Find McDonald's" or "Drive Home" are interpreted, and Scout either finds nearby results or creates the best route summaries to your home or office, based on current traffic conditions and your location. Here's a video demonstrating the new features of Scout. You can try out all of the features of the new Scout free for 30 days.
Telenav's Scout gives iOS users offline navigation in exchange for ten bucks
We know that iOS 6 will bless iPhone users with some in-house-made mapping, but that hasn't stopped Telenav from bettering its own Scout navigation offering for Apple's favorite handsets. Scout now does offline navigation by letting users download maps of the west, central or eastern United States over WiFi only. Plus, Scout now takes voice commands, so on your next road trip you can tell it to find the nearest Whataburger whether you have cell signal or not. Interested parties can head on over to the App Store to get their download on, but you'll pay for the privilege -- offline navigation costs $9.99 a year or $2.99 a month, though the free, data-dependant version of Scout for iPhone still includes speech recognition. Still not sold? Perhaps the video after the break will persuade you.
Telenav opens up Scout for Apps, the HTML5 GPS navigation service, to all interested devs
At the end of last year, Telenav revealed its browser-based HTML5 turn-by-turn navigation system and made it available to a select few devs to put it to good use. For an encore, it unveiled its personalized GPS service, Scout, at CES. Now, the company has created Scout for Apps and made the service available to all developers who want it, assuming they're coding iOS or HTML5 applications (Android support is in the works, and is slated to arrive later this year). That means that apps and websites can now incorporate turn-by-turn navigation directly, as opposed to launching a separate application to get you where you want to go. Keep in mind that Telenav isn't pitching this as a full GPS replacement -- more a value added proposition to developers -- and after spending some time using Scout, we can see why.We tested the browser-based Scout service on our Android handset to run a few errands, and we found it a useful tool, but it certainly pales in comparison to its application counterparts. There's noticeable lag when attempting to swipe around maps, no pinch to zoom (onscreen buttons are the only option), and it lacks features like traffic reports or a way to remember favorite locations. That said, it does do a good job of getting you where you want to go, and the rudimentary nav functionality is certainly more appealing than the static maps found in apps currently. Plus, it's quite nice to not have to launch a separate application to get directions. If you want to test Scout for Apps on your mobile, hit the source link below, but check out the PR and video after the break to learn a little more before you do.
Telenav offers "Scout for Apps" service to developers (Updated)
Earlier this year, TeleNav launched a free Scout app and promised an online, HTML5 navigation service. Perhaps those weren't gaining enough momentum, because TeleNav is now offering the service to developers, who can embed TeleNav's turn-by-turn Scout.me services into their apps. Read more about Scout for Apps using HTML5 on the TeleNav blog. Apparently the first to do this will be the Yellow Pages app. TeleNav's developer blog has a few more details, although no mention of cost to developers. Instead, there's a mention that "you'll also be able to participate in future revenue sharing opportunities with no additional effort" -- which sounds like advertising may appear at some point to monetize this whole thing. Still, if you're looking for a quick mapping solution in your app with voice turn-by-turn directions, Scout for Apps is definitely one solution. Update: A note from their PR and the press release is below. Turns out you can turn off ads for a fee. "Scout for Apps is free to developers (ad-supported). For developers who prefer not to support ads, we can provide other licensing options. This info is on the press release (pasted below)." Show full PR text Scout™ for Apps, Telenav's HTML5 Voice-Guided GPS Navigation Service, Now Open to All Developers Available for consumers on Scout.me and shareable via text, email, Facebook and Twitter; Also launching today on Avantar's Yellow Pages app and available soon on other mobile apps including AroundMe, Life360 and WedVite Sunnyvale, Calif. - March 27, 2012 - Telenav, Inc. (NASDAQ: TNAV), the leader in personalized navigation, today opened its free Scout for Apps service to all mobile web and app developers. Scout for Apps gives developers an easy way to offer consumers free, turn-by-turn, voice-guided GPS navigation, directly from their app or website. Scout for Apps is the first HTML5, browser-based, voice-guided turn-by-turn GPS navigation service for mobile phones. Developers can integrate the service by simply adding one line of code, making it ideal for social, travel and shopping apps, or any other app or website that includes points of interest, places or addresses. Avantar, the media company behind the Yellow Pages app with more than 90 million monthly listings, was one of the first developers to test Scout for Apps and today launched Scout for Apps with an update of its popular app. "Previously, when users clicked on an address in our Yellow Pages app, we provided a standard map experience to help users get to their desired destinations," said Adrian Ochoa, CEO of Avantar. "Now with Scout for Apps, our customers will receive full-blown turn-by-turn, voice-guided directions, and they will never have to leave our app to get those directions and guidance. We love being able to offer this type of service on our platform." Additionally, Telenav has integrated its browser-based navigation service on the Scout website (www.scout.me), which helps people discover and explore new places and events before they hit the road. Once a user has found an event or place on Scout.me, they can select "Navigate" and choose "Phone" or "Email" in order to send the link to themselves or to someone else via a text message or email. In addition, they can post it to their Facebook wall or share the link via Twitter. Users with compatible phones can then click on the link to launch voice-guided, turn-by-turn directions from Scout for Apps. "Because Scout for Apps is browser-based, we will be able to rapidly and consistently update the service moving forward," said Sal Dhanani, co-founder and vice president of products for Telenav. "Further, these updates will roll out immediately to consumers, so developers know that their customers will continue to receive our most updated technology. We will continue to work with developers to add or update features and enhance usability based on feedback." Other developers who are already working to implement Scout for Apps and plan on soon launching the HTML5 navigation service as part of their apps include: · AroundMe provides its users the ability to search for nearby restaurants, hotels, movie theaters and other businesses based on category and distance from their current location. AroundMe will integrate Scout for Apps to give users navigation to any location they select. Life360 Family Locator uses GPS and other location technology that allows more than 14 million people to locate their family members using their phones, providing a convenient safety tool that delivers peace of mind. Life360 Family Locator will include Scout for Apps so that, for example, parents can navigate with turn-by-turn directions to pick up their kids at their current locations. WedVite is a mobile invitation app that allows brides and grooms the ability to share their wedding day information with guests. The app includes details such as directions to the venue, the guest list and gift registry information. WedVite will soon include Scout for Apps to provide guests with the ability to get directions to the wedding and reception. "Kids aren't always great about keeping track of what time it is and where they should be. Maybe soccer practice runs over and then they head to the nearby store for a treat afterwards without notifying their parents. Knowing where your kids are at any moment provides peace of mind in these situations," said Chris Hulls, CEO of Life360. "Scout for Apps means there's one less thing for our customers to have to worry about when it's time to pick their kids up – no more following a dot on a map, reading written directions, or cutting and pasting an address into a GPS device. Scout for Apps was so simple to add to our app and it offers so much value to our customers. If you have a location component to your app, I don't know why you wouldn't use it." Scout for Apps is currently optimized for the iOS platform. Telenav plans to optimize Scout for Apps on Android later this year. "Launching Scout for Apps allows us to offer our services to more people and is a huge milestone for us as we continue to work toward our vision of bringing daily personalized navigation to people wherever they go and whenever they need it," added Dhanani. About the Scout for Apps Open Developer Program Telenav's standard open developer program is free for developers and is supported by mobile ads. If developers would prefer to offer Scout for Apps without ads, Telenav will provide flexible licensing options. Interested developers can find more information on integrating Scout for Apps into their mobile website or app at developer.telenav.com. Telenav has also launched a support community for developers using Scout for Apps and encourages developers to visit this community to ask questions, share ideas or give feedback. About Telenav, Inc. Telenav's mission is to help make people's lives easier, less stressful, more fun, and more productive while they are on the go. Our personalized navigation services help people make faster and smarter daily decisions about where to go, when to leave, how to get there, and what to do when they arrive. Each day, more than 30 million people have access to personalized navigation that we deliver to their mobile phones, tablets, computers and cars. To date, we have scouted more than 1.3 billion personal journeys. We aim to be everywhere people need us. Our partners are wireless carriers, automobile manufacturers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), app developers, advertisers and agencies, as well as enterprises large and small. Our partners include AT&T, Bell Mobility, Boost Mobile, China Mobile, Ford, NII Holdings, QNX Software Systems, Rogers, Sony, Sprint Nextel, Telcel, T-Mobile UK, T-Mobile US, U.S. Cellular, Verizon Wireless and Vivo Brazil. You can also find us in mobile app stores and on the web at www.telenav.com and www.scout.me. Follow Telenav on Twitter at www.twitter.com/telenav or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/telenav Copyright 2012 Telenav, Inc. All Rights Reserved. "Telenav," "Scout for Apps," the Telenav and Scout logos, "telenav.com" and "scout.me" are registered and unregistered trademarks and/or service marks of Telenav, Inc. Unless otherwise noted, all other trademarks, service marks, and logos used in this press release are the trademarks, service marks or logos of their respective owners.
TeleNav launches free Scout "daily personal navigator" for iPhone
Last month, TUAW reported on GPS navigation vendor TeleNav's plans to launch an HTML5-based free navigation system that would work on any browser. Yesterday, TeleNav introduced Scout, which is another free personal navigation product. The new service comes with a Scout by TeleNav iPhone app (free) and a companion website (scout.me), and will soon integrate with Ford Sync-equipped vehicles. The idea is that you can use the app across platforms for discovery of new locations and to get directions, and share the same information wherever you may be. If you use your personal computer to look up restaurants and add one to a favorites list, that list is then available on your iPhone and soon in your Ford vehicle. %Gallery-143895% It's a noble idea, and I have to admit that the app looks nice. One sweet feature of Scout is that it takes into account current traffic conditions when determining the time to your destination. The cleanly-designed Dashboard screen shows the current temperature at your location, that location is pinpointed on a strip map displaying traffic, and there's a continuous display of how long it's going to take to get from home to work or vice-versa. The scout.me website shows a handy "beta" tag, and that's well-deserved. I ran into some problems during my initial tryout. When trying to set a default work location, the app kept defaulting to an incorrect place that is miles away from the actual spot. The app would not let me change the address, insisting that the other spot was correct. Likewise, I had issues figuring out how to actually sync the scout.me site and my iPhone, finally resorting to asking the TeleNav PR team -- it's actually simple, and done through the Scout.me button at the bottom of the dashboard page. Tip to TeleNav -- perhaps you should have the app walk users through the sync process during the first launch. The variety of different offerings from TeleNav is somewhat perplexing. As I mentioned, they have an HTML5 web app that's supposed to be coming soon, there's Scout and Scout.me, and then there are the Navigation By TeleNav / GPS by TeleNav apps. The AT&T Navigator app is also a TeleNav product. This kind of scattershot approach will serve to do nothing but confuse the public about what the company is trying to do in the GPS navigation app market. A short video from TeleNav touting the service is embedded below.
Telenav's Scout: personalized GPS for you and your car, too
Telenav's Scout launched today at CES in Las Vegas with dreams of becoming your go-to personalized nav tool. What's personalized nav you ask? Scout opens to a customized collection of your favorite routes displayed in real-time, with traffic, local search, contacts, music and the like at your fingertips on the My Dashboard screen. Coupled with the initial free iPhone offering is Scout.me, a web site that allows users to make plans with friends via social sites such as Facebook and Twitter as well as being able to organize and save their favorite spots. The next time the app is started all that content will automagically appear on your phone. Telenav's end goal here is a consistent user experience across multiple platforms: no more endless typing and re-adding your details to all of your disparate navigation devices. With today's announcements of Telenav's partnership with Ford for its SYNC system, properly equipped handsets will connect to any compatible car where the center console will display your Scout environment as well as maps with voice guidance or text prompts. The app should be in Apple's app store today, but unfortunately there's no word on when we'll start seeing this in cars.
The Engadget Giveaway: win a BlackBerry Bold 9900 and a one-year TeleNav subscription!
The fount of free stuff to give away overfloweth -- and we want to keep the holiday spirit alive -- so we've taken the opportunity to offer up two more huge contests before CES approaches this coming weekend. Through tomorrow you'll have the chance to win a BlackBerry Bold 9900 and a full year's worth of top-notch voice turn-by-turn navigation, all courtesy of TeleNav! The Bold will be locked to T-Mobile's network, so you'll need to have a T-Mo SIM card to be right as rain. The normal rules apply, so make sure you read through them thoroughly and leave a comment below. Good luck!
Nominate your favorite iPhone navigation app for TUAW's Best of 2011
During December and January, The Unofficial Apple Weblog is soliciting your nominations and votes for the best products for Mac, iPhone/iPod touch, and iPad. We'll start with nominations in a category, and then tally your votes for the top-nominated products a few days later. The winner in each category receives the highly-coveted title of TUAW Best of 2011. Today's category for nominations in the TUAW Best of 2011 awards is iPhone navigation apps. These are the apps that give you turn-by-turn directions as you make your way around town, and they've been getting better as time goes by. Perhaps you are a fan of the free crowdsourced nab app Waze, which has a 4 out of 5 star rating on the App Store with over 29,000 user reviews. Or maybe you love the TomTom U.S.A. app ($39.99) with its ability to guide you with celebrity voices (Homer Simpson, anyone?). GPS by TeleNav is another popular and free navigation app, and there's always the MotionX GPS Drive app ($0.99, with one year of Voice Guidance for $9.99). Maybe you're a geocacher who doesn't care about getting from point A to point B, but you do want to find all of the caches in your area with the official Geocaching app ($9.99). And then there's always Navigon, with a host of features like in-app purchases of Zagat information. TUAW wants to hear from you -- what's your favorite iPhone navigation app? Leave your nomination in the comments below. Voting will start soon! Nominations close at 11:59 PM ET on December 22, 2011.
