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Google Maps Navigation for Android hits nine MENA nations, adds Arabic voice search
If there is one thing you can't say about Google's mapping team, it's that they are a lazy bunch. Update after update puts paid to any of that kinda talk, and again, here's another example -- navigation for Android is now available in nine more countries. It's the Middle East and North Africa that get the attention this time, with Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Qatar, Algeria, Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE and Saudia Arabia all getting the update. The service comes complete with Arabic voice search as well as "search along route" for routes to near-by POIs that won't take you the long way round. You'll need Android 4.0 or above if you want in on the action, but it's available now for those that do.
ComScore: European cellphone navigation on the rise
In Europe, it was a good year for cellphone GPS -- ComScore, an organization that tracks painful sounding concepts like penetration and market share, just reported that an estimated 21 million Europeans stopped to ask their phone for directions last year. That's up 68 percent from the 12.5 million who did so in 2008. With two-thirds of mobile map users saying they accessed their phone GPS in a moving vehicle, ComScore thinks the stats suggest phones might replace standard PNDs as well. Too soon to tell, perhaps, but judging by recent events, we expect 2010's numbers will be stellar nonetheless. Haven't tried smartphone GPS yourself? Direct yourself to our comparison guides and see what you've been missing.
Smartphone GPS shootout: Google, Ovi, and Verizon go head-to-head
It wasn't long ago that getting somewhere required a map on paper. You know, something you bought or that came groaning out of your tired old printer. GPS navigation units made those maps obsolete, but now they too are under threat. With smartphones invading pockets everywhere it's no surprise that their next assault would be on the dashboard, early volleys shaking up financial markets worldwide. That was just the beginning of a shock and awe campaign that will leave no automotive interior untouched -- and hopefully no driver unsure how many miles until the next Dunkin' Donuts. Google Navigation was the first to really shake things up, while Nokia's Ovi Maps is a more recent addition to the battlefield and the latest VZ Navigator, 5.0, lets Windows Mobile and BlackBerry users join the fray. We've taken this sampling of the best built-in smartphone navigation options (the set of paid add-on options for iPhone is a beast we'll be taming later), learning which you should trust to get you to where you're going and to dodge construction and traffic on the way there. Read on for a turn-by-turn exploration of each option's highs and lows. %Gallery-86386%
