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Navigon sneaks text-to-speech, iPod controls and location sharing into MobileNavigator app
TomTom's much-ballyhooed iPhone GPS app best step its game up, else it'll get left in the dust by none other than Navigon. The lesser-known nav company today introduced the second major update for its MobileNavigator iPhone app (our impressions are here), and the feature additions aren't anything to scoff at. For starters, the program has become the first on-board navigation app for the iPhone to gain text-to-speech functionality, and just in case hearing street names belted out through a robotic voice ain't good enough for your high standards, the inclusion of iPod control should win you over. At long last, drivers can access the full range of iPod functionalities with a single click from map access, and it even recognizes the shuffle feature to keep you guessing. Finally, a location sharing function has been added to make stalking your pals that much easier; to close, Navigon has knocked $10 off the purchase price, bringing it down to a nearly-palatable $89.99 -- and yes, those who already own it can download the update gratis.[Via HotHardware]
NAVIGON dizzies with navigation options, then gets us pointed in the right direction again
Do you like having a plethora of navigation choices, Jefe? You'll love NAVIGON's offerings unveiled at last week's IFA, then, a suite of devices that spans from the low end to the high, all featuring pedestrian navigation -- in case you don't already look enough like a tourist. The most affluently wealthy sightseers will be nervously clutching the 8410 or 8450 Live models, both of which offer 5-inch capacitive displays made of honest to gosh glass, Real City3D offering "photo-realistic" navigation, and optional DVB-T reception to catch some Simpsons re-runs when you get lost. On the next step down are the 4.3-inch 6310 and 6350 Live, which lose the glass screen, fancy rendering (though certain landscapes and buildings are still 3D), and digital tuner. Next are the 3.5-inch 2400 and 2410, which sport up to four hours of battery life when wandering untethered around the city, while the 1400 and 1410 models round out the lineup on the low-end. The two Live models, the 8450 and the 6350, offer wireless traffic, weather, and even speed camera updates across 32 nations in Europe; a tidy bundle for those exploring the continent, but at €79.95 ($115) per year you're certainly paying for it. On the hardware side prices start at €129 ($185) for the 1400, then run all the way up to €499 ($715) for the 8450 Live.
Navigon updates iPhone app, adds some desired features
Navigon, as promised, has updated MobileNavigator [iTunes link] for the iPhone. According to the developer: "The free update adds a couple of new features and enhancements to the MobileNavigator. NAVIGON's route planning function known from the companies PND line enables users to plan a route with different destinations ahead of time. Taking advantage of the iPhone's own functionalities, a call POI (point of Interest) function allows to directly call the number of a POI such as a restaurant or hotel by simply clicking on the number. It is also possible to save it to the user's contacts. Furthermore, the update provides an optimized volume control when navigating and using the integrated iPod function of the iPhone at the same time. It also allows to decide which POIs should be displayed in the map view." I have tested the new functions and can verify that they work as advertised, except for the ability to save a POI in my contacts list. I've asked Navigon for the secret. Update: You hold the phone number in the POI list down for a moment, and a menu appears allowing you to save the contact, add to an existing contact, or send a text message to that number. Navigon has also updated the GUI, and while en-route you can get time of arrival and distance to destination without having to click on the screen. The map also displays your current speed, the posted speed limit (if available in the database) and the distance to your next turn. While the points of interest database is not as large as the AT&T Navigator app, which is web connected, it is reasonably up-to-date and complete. A shopping center near me which opened last November was there, along with the new roads that were built around it. The database won't be perfectly up-to-date, but frankly, even Google is behind on POI locations near me. Coming in future updates to MobileNavigator is real-time traffic, and text-to-speech, so street names get announced when approaching a turn. I know those are biggies for many buyers. The Navigon MobileNavigator is $69.99 until the end of this month, when it goes up to $99.99. There is also an update coming soon for the excellent iGO Navigator, so it is interesting to see the competition forcing new features and innovations. I just received a press release from ALK Technologies announcing their CoPilot Live [iTunes link] nav solution for the iPhone. It looks feature complete, and sells for US$34.99. We'll be reviewing it ASAP. If you are looking for nav for your iPhone, it's a good time to start comparing, and there are more apps and the TomTom solution on the way. Here are some screen grabs from the latest version: %Gallery-70067%
Navigon scores with MobileNavigator
While many have been waiting for the TomTom hardware/software combo for the iPhone, Navigon has delivered a very appealing app for the iPhone running version 3.0 of the OS.MobileNavigator [App Store] has a striking on-screen display, with many features lacking in some of the other products that are out there. Unlike the AT&T Navigator and the G-Map apps, MobileNavigator allows you to access your address book for destinations. It works in landscape or portrait mode, and can warn you if you are speeding. It does not have any traffic info, and you can't call any phone numbers that are in the POI (points of interest) data base. A take me home function is done with a single click.All the maps are loaded on your device (1.29 GB) so going out of range of an AT&T cell site is not a worry. If you get a call, the guidance stops, but resumes automatically when you conclude the call. Maps can be 3D or 2D, and the 3D maps look great and closely mimic what is on the road in front of you. The voice directions are quite clear, in contrast with the AT&T app, which is garbled and pretty much a waste.So how is it on the road? Pretty nice. I got a quick GPS lock. If for any reason you lose GPS, in a tunnel for example, you get a red bar across the top of the screen. You can display POIs along your route, and many of the icons have company logos like Best Buy, most of the gas station logos, even Quiznos.If you are navigating the next street to turn on is at the bottom of the screen. If you are not navigating, you see the street you are on. At the top of the screen you get the arrival time if you are navigating. Touching that part of the display will give you your speed, and another touch gives you the distance. Many streets alert you to the speed limit, and if you go go over, you can set a warning.Intersections on highways are handled very well, with nice big road signs and clear directions of where to go. The voice directions come at the opportune times, and do not nag, the way the AT&T app does.At my location, southern Arizona, the maps were complete and there were far more POIs than provided on the G-Map application.
Navigon brings MobileNavigator to iPhone's App Store, we go hands-on
While the world waits with bated breath for TomTom to make good on its promise of providing a bona fide GPS application for iPhone OS 3.0, Navigon is stepping in with every intention of stealing the aforementioned firm's thunder. Sure, AT&T has issued its own subscription app that dings you $9.95 per month, and we've also seen a few dedicated GPS apps surface from both Sygic and XRoad, but this is definitely the first on-board iPhone nav solution from what we'd call a "major" GPS company. Available starting today in the App Store, the 1.29GB MobileNavigator program contains comprehensive NAVTEQ maps of North America, and if you're interested in Europe, Navigon's app for that side of the pond was released around a month ago. Click on for a few of our thoughts.
Navigon 8410 GPS debuts, packed full of features for the trendy Euro jet-set
It's been a few months since Navigon ceased doing business Stateside, and already the company's back on our radar with a device that made us wish they'd stuck around these parts a while longer. The Navigon 8410 features a 5-inch touchscreen, a polished steel frame, and a righteous assortment of features, including: DVB-T digital television tuner, City3D's photo-realistic 3D mapping software (only for select cities on the continent), and a media player for all your fave tunes, flicks, and pics. Available only in Europe, we don't have a ship date for you yet, but we do know it'll cost €449 ($630). Now, if you excuse us, we were due in Bonn hours ago.[Via Engadget Spanish]
Cruising with the AT&T Navigator
I love GPS. in the mid 1990s I had a Garmin unit that had no maps, just a bread crumb trail of where you were and where you'd been. I lived in England at the time, and thought I had a highly original idea to take it to the Royal Observatory at Greenwich and walk across the Meridian line and watch the screen as the numbers dropped to zero longitude. When I got there, I was hardly alone. I was surrounded by other geeks doing exactly the same thing. Oh well.GPS has come a long way, and AT&T has released their subscription based Navigator [App Store] for the iPhone. It requires OS version 3.0. It is fee based, and will set you back US$9.95 a month on your AT&T bill. It is loaded with features, and has voice guided turn by turn directions. It also offers: Automatic rerouting Updated maps with no additional charge Real time traffic updates Fuel Price searches and navigation to those locations Point of interest searches in all the usual categories like ATM machines, hospitals, restaurants, airports The map gives you a 3D view from a position just above and behind your vehicle. On the setup page you can chose flat maps if your prefer. I found the maps easy to read but would have preferred a landscape view instead of portrait (there is no option to change the orientation). I saw a little lag when driving, but generally the response was fast. The app really needs a 3G connection. It works on the EDGE network, but was slow to load graphics. If you are somewhere where you have neither you are out of luck. No maps are contained on the app and nothing is cached. In essence, the app is only as good as the AT&T network, and if you do a lot of driving where the network is weak or absent, you'll be navigating on your own.I found the voice very hard to hear. This is a limitation of the iPhone speaker. It just wasn't designed to be played at a loud volume. On the highway, with road noise, good luck hearing that warning to turn. Of course, the directions are on the map, but the whole purpose of voice instructions is to keep you from looking at the map.Other features are a high altitude view of your entire trip from beginning to end, a list of your turns on a scrollable page, directions to the nearest AT&T WiFi hotspots (nice), and the ability to set your default navigation method like shortest, fastest, traffic optimized, prefer highways or streets, or pedestrian routing if you're not driving.I found the voice alerts were too frequent. Frankly, the app is a blabbermouth, and it kept reminding me of a faraway turn too often for my taste. It would be nice to be able to set just how aggressive the voice warnings are.The big question for most iPhone users will be whether to wait for other nav apps to appear. TomTom is imminent, as is an app from Navigon. They both download the maps to your phone, so you are not dependent on the AT&T network. You only need GPS, and that signal is everywhere. You could also buy an inexpensive dedicated unit; on the low end that will cost about the same as a year of the AT&T subscription, and will certainly have a better speaker. Of course, there will be fees to update the maps, but in my experience you can use a GPS for years without doing that. Points of interest change, but the iPhone provides other sources like Google for up to date info.I also think it is a bloody shame that the AT&T app has no access to your address book. Apple has walled that data off from 3rd party apps, (Update: Apple provides the ability, the Navigator app hasn't implemented it) and it is just senseless to have you type everything in again. You can copy and paste the data, but it is a needless pain. The AT&T app has this access when it runs on other phones like the Blackberry.In summary, the app works, and is feature laden. I'm not sure it is the best option for in-car navigation, and you might want to wait for other solutions to appear. Of course, you can always get the AT&T app and cancel. It's a month-by-month charge.So how is it like to drive with this app? My colleague Steven Sande did just that, and his report will follow soon.Before you go, here are some screen shots to give you a look at some of the features on AT&T Navigator:%Gallery-67289%
European nav app first out of the gate for iPhone
It looks like our European friends will get first crack at an advanced turn-by-turn navigation app for the iPhone/iPod touch. MobileNavigator Europe [App Store] requires the 3.0 software, and looks to be fully featured: 2D and 3D map displays Can be used in portrait and landscape format Branded UI features such as Reality View Pro, Lane Assistant Pro & "real signpost display" Speed Assistant with adjustable audio-visual warning Direct access and navigation to contacts saved in the iPhone's address book The latest NAVTEQ maps, 2M+ European POIs (points of interest) Navigation is automatically resumed after an incoming phone call Quick access to user-defined POIs in the area and along the route Take Me Home function with a single click This software is the first of several apps coming for the iPhone. The TomTom app that will work in the U.S. has been demoed and coming soon. Garmin, one of the premier GPS manufacturers is going the other way, and will release their own phone with navigation built in, but the project has been troubled and much delayed. Telenav has pre-announced its iPhone offering and suggested that customers keep an eye on the company's Twitter feed.The Navigon app is US $94.99 (!) this month only, then the price goes up (!!!). The Navigon website doesn't yet show a list of the supported countries, but it's displayed in iTunes and is quite extensive (Albania to Vatican City with Estonia, Macedonia, San Marino & Slovenia + more in between). The app supports ten different languages and will automatically switch based on the selected language for the iPhone itself. The download weighs in at 1.65 GB.This quick release of high quality navigation software should set mouths watering for a release over here, but I'm a bit troubled by the pricing, as you can buy a pretty fully featured low-end navigator for only a few more dollars.Update: Our readers have also mentioned Gokivo, with a continuing US$9.95 a month subscription, and Sygic, which provides turn by turn navigation in Austrailia and New Zealand.Thanks to Gaspare for the original tip and our alert readers for more suggestions!
Navigon withdraws from GPS business in North America
Man, talk about coming straight out of left field. After blowing it out at CeBIT just two months ago, Navigon has just announced its intentions to pull out of the navigation business here in North America. According to CEO Egon Minar: "Due to the difficult economic environment and the aggressive pricing we have decided to withdraw from the PND business in North America for the time being. We are however not closing down our Chicago office which will continue to serve our automotive and mobile phone businesses in North America." He did assert that the company would "continue to fulfill all obligations to its existing PND customers in terms of map updates, etc.," but nothing else on the subject was said. So long, Navigon -- we'll miss your "uber-premium" wares.[Via SlashGear]
Hands-on with Navigon's newest GPS units
Navigon had a shockingly large presence at CeBIT this year, and considering just how many issues these Europeans seem to have with following directions, we weren't at all surprised to find it among the most crowded booth at the entire show. Needless (and harmless, might we add) jabs aside, the firm had a number of its latest GPS units up on display, and while the model numbers (and software, obviously) were a touch different than the US models announced yesterday, the hardware was definitely the same. We really dug what we saw, too, as the curvaceous, thin designs really caught the eye and the LCD displays were all bright and easy to read. If you're hungry for more pics, you know where to look.%Gallery-46459%
Navigon announces Rand McNally-powered 4300T max and 7300T nav units, less awesome 3300 max
Looks like Navigon's new relationship with Rand McNally is starting to bear fruit -- the company just announced two new GPS units preloaded with McNally Scenic Routes. Both the 4300T max and the 7300T have over 250 pre-programmed routes from Rand McNally's Best of the Road series, sorted into categories like "weekend getaways" and "regional trips." The $279 4300 max (pictured) is the more basic of the two, featuring a 4.3-inch 16:9 touchscreen display, 2GB of storage with microSD expansion, Bluetooth, free traffic updates, and the new MyRoutes personalized routing system, while the $399 7300T repackages all that into a slicker "frameless" case and adds in voice-enabled address entry and control. Navigon will only say Q2 for the 7300T, but the 4300T max is due to arrive on March 9 along with the identical but stripped-down 3300, which drops Bluetooth, traffic, and Rand McNally content to get the price down to $199. Check a pic of the 7300T after the break.
Navigon keeps PNDs fresh with downloadable data packs
As if a partnership with Rand McNally wasn't enough, Navigon's giving prospective buyers even more reason to hand over a pinch of their savings. Starting this Spring, Navigon GPS owners will be able to download several new content decks for their devices, including Red Light Camera data, a North American expansion pack, a European map, 3D landmarks and extended POIs. All of the new material will be hosted on the company's Fresh platform, and pricing ranges from $19.99 for each Rand McNally guide to $129.99 for European maps on North American PNDs. Hit up the read link for specifics on each.
Navigon teams with Rand McNally to put a little travel in your PND
Not that we haven't seen navigator manufacturers partner up with travel companies before, but it's still pretty rare to hear of a PND maker looking out for the travelers and not just the completely lost crowd. Here at CES, Navigon has just announced a partnership with Rand McNally (the first of its kind, we hear), which will result in Scenic Routers and City Guides from the aforesaid firm being available on Navigon devices. The guides will provide over 250 scenic routers and pre-planned trips across all 50 states (we're guessing the Road To Hana made the cut?) and Canada, and there's also information on the best attractions and landmarks in more than 1,400 US / Canadian cities. The new data packs will be available on select Navigon units as well as in retail outlets and Navigon.com this Spring for $19.99 each.
Navigon launches "uber-premium" 4.8-inch 8100T navigator
In an effort to make sure you're well aware that the 8100T is the most premium possible, even better than ultra- or mega-premium, Navigon has definitively described the aforesaid navigator as "uber-premium." So, now that the bar is set at an unbelievably high level, how's about an outlay of the sure-to-be-phenomenal specs? We're talking a 4.8-inch display, brushed-metal housing, a 3D view using NASA terrain height data, free real-time traffic updates for life, voice destination entry, Bluetooth handsfree support, text-to-speech and an inbuilt lane assistant. The only question left is simply this: is all of that uber enough to warrant the $599 price tag?
Navigon launches 5100 max / 2090S GPS units at RadioShack
We had a respectable hunch that Navigon's 5100 max would be hitting US shelves in short order, but we weren't aware that it'd be launching alongside a friend. As for the 5100 max, you'll find a 4.3-inch touchscreen, Reality View Pro / Lane Assistant Pro technology, handsfree Bluetooth support, text-to-speech, an Exit Guide and free real-time traffic updates for life. The little sibling (dubbed 2090S) checks in with a 3.5-inch touch panel and most of the same internal niceties already mentioned save for Bluetooth. Look for the cute couple right now exclusively at RadioShack (or RadioShack.com) for $299.99 / $199.99, respectively. Full release after the break.
Navigon's 5100 max slips into FCC database
Details are understandably scarce at the moment, but Navigon is apparently taking its 1+ year old 5100 navigation unit to the max. The predictably titled 5100 max has reportedly just seen its way into the FCC's lair, and we're told that it'll feature a 4.3-inch display, Bluetooth, text-to-speech and lifetime traffic / Zagat ratings. As for price and availability? We'll have to wait for the official word from Navigon on those bits. In the meanwhile... Rockford or Chicago?
Navigon's 2000S satnav: helps get you home, doesn't break the bank
Navigon is continuing its full-steam-ahead approach with another addition to its satnav lineup, namely, the 2000S. The 3.5-inch touchscreen device comes loaded with an ATLAS III 375MHz CPU, a SiRF GRF3i+ GPS chip, 64MB of SDRAM, 2GB of flash memory, and microSD support. The 2000S sports a similar feature set the company has rolled out on previous devices, including Reality View Pro (which provides 3D signage to help with interchanges and exits), Lane Assistant Pro, and Directhelp, a push-button service that grabs directions and emergency numbers on the double. According to the kind folks at Navigon, the device will sell for a very affordable $199, and is slated to be available in October.
Navigon's 2200T does free traffic for life, retails for a mere $229
While many GPS manufacturers seem to be still seeing how much they can milk out of minor feature updates and monthly subscription fees, Navigon is going for the jugular with the new 2200T. The 3.5-inch-screened nav device offers up free real-time traffic updates for life -- a service that usually will run you $10 a month -- in addition to fun stuff like Reality View Pro (3D images and actual road sign text), Lane Assist Pro and text-to-speech, all for a mere $229. Three years of map updates will cost you $80, but the built-in maps for US and Canada should get you pretty far. We saw the 2200T at IFA, and while it's nothing so special to look at, that price is going bruise up some of the competition. No word on when this will hit stores, but our guess is soon.
Navigon's 7200, 2200 and 2150 Max in the flesh
We just went on a whirlwind tour of Navigon's booth here at IFA 2008, and while a sea of barely distinguishable GPS devices has a tendency to send us into sudden and violent fits of napping, we thought we'd give you a look-see just in case you feel otherwise. The only real standout was the new 7200 (pictured), which has a flat, glossy front, and is a joy to touch -- we're not positive it's capacitive, but it feels a ton better than the regular dull resistive touch of most GPS units out on the market. We also took a look at the 2200 and 2150 Max, as you can see in the gallery below. Knock yourself out.%Gallery-30817%
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?
