PocketGPSWorld.com CamerAlert

The CamerAlert 1.1 release has been tested with the latest iOS4 iPhone software, but does not implement multitasking yet. There are some major features added including camera management, HUD display, and numerous bugfixes.

From the Apple AppStore description:

This release introduces new functionality for management of camera reports. It is no longer required to have an active data connection to report cameras, the reports are collected and will be sent next time you have an internet connection. This means that CamerAlert will now work 100% without wireless data. Of course if you do not have a data connection you will not be able to display maps.

There is now a new HUD style display where all the data is mirrored allowing you to lay the iPhone flat on the dash and see a projection on the windscreen. Depending on your windscreen this my introduce ghosting.

There is a slightly more prominent reminder that a new database is available. This is displayed in the list mode.

Numerous bug fixes to improve the stability and performance of the application have been included.

This means that you will be able to run your Turn by Turn navigation app alongside your favorite Speed Camera Warning app (assuming that supports multitasking too).

Press release from TomTom follows:

TomTom for iPhone app to support Apple iOS 4 multitasking functionality

~ Seamless navigation features will leverage iOS 4 multitasking demonstrated yesterday at Apple WWDC ~

London – June 4, 2010 – TomTom will introduce multitasking to the TomTom app for iPhone. Its next version, which will be compatible with iOS 4, will be submitted to Apple for review after the June 21 release of iOS 4. Among the new features available in TomTom app for iPhone, will be support formultitasking functionality*, allowing users to get turn-by-turn guidance at the same time as operating other applications.

The current version of the TomTom app for iPhone (version 1.3) is available for purchase via the App Store, and both current and new owners of the app will be able to update to the new version immediately upon its availability for no additional charge. As an additional incentive for new users to start using the application, TomTom is currently offering the UK& Ireland and Western Europe versions of the app at a discounted price of £54.99 and £42.99 respectively.

Following the success of the recent promotion, TomTom is also making its award-winning HD Traffic service available to users at a new price that will make avoiding the jams that much easier. Beginning today, a 12-month subscription for TomTom HD Traffic is now offered on the TomTom app at £22.99. With TomTom HD Traffic, TomTom app users receive real-time traffic speed updates and incident reports continuously. As soon as any delay is found on the route, users are notified and can be automatically re-routed to an alternate, faster route. TomTom HD Traffic is an optional service available via in-app purchase.

“As TomTom continues to innovate and to take advantage of new capabilities of the iOS 4, users of the TomTom app will benefit from the combination of TomTom’s most advanced and acclaimed features and the iPhone’s unique functionality,” said Tom Murray, senior vice president of market development for TomTom Inc. “We are pleased to integrate multitasking capabilities to the newest version of our TomTom app, and to be able to ensure that users can now enjoy other iPhone features while they continue to receive the best routing directions from their TomTom application.”

*Available on iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch 3^rd Generation devices, running iOS 4.

Destinator 9 for iPhone

Back in January we saw a demonstration of Destinator 9 on the iPhone at CES. It has taken a few months but now it is available in the Apple AppStore for Western Europe. With a price tag of £30 ($50) it represents great value compared to Navigon at £70 and TomTom at £53, but is more comparable with ALK’s CoPilot at £36.

Destinator 9 is a fully featured Turn by Turn navigation system with voice guidance and featuring Navteq mapping. It also has iPod controls, easy to use POIs including creation of your own ‘StickyPOIs’ but seems to lack importing of custom POIs, and does not have support for Speed Cameras.

The full Destinator Press Release follows:

Destinator 9 for iPhone – Experience the Difference

At its core, Destinator 9 is a solid and reliable turn-by-turn navigation application featuring on-board NAVTEQ digital map data for Western Europe and a routing engine that exceeds performance benchmarks. In addition to a host of new features designed to get people to their destinations easily, quickly and safely, Destinator 9 takes the navigation experience to a new level by integrating additional valuable features in the GPS application. Integrated iPod controls, advanced voice guidance, GoogleTM Local Search, NavStrip™, and extensive POI listings are a few examples. Destinator makes it easier to find what you need and get there with less effort and stress. Also, Destinator taps into the new wave of social mapping with a feature that enables the user to send their location or favorite POI to a friend.

The Destinator application is designed specifically with the iPhone user in mind to make the user experience seamless and intuitive with the overall phone experience. Destinator seamlessly blends with the iPhone functions allowing the user to simply route from existing contacts or messages. The integrated iPod™ controls allow for access and control of music while in navigation mode. And, the intuitive NavStrip feature enables the user to navigate to their destination more easily with less “clicks”.

Destinator 9 is now available for Western Europe with superior map coverage for the following countries: Austria, Benelux, Denmark, Eire (Republic of Ireland), Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, United Kingdom and more.

Destinator 9 is available at an introductory price of €39.99 for comprehensive coverage of Western Europe including the United Kingdom.

For more information, images and interactive demonstrations please visit www.destinator.com or visit our product page on YouTube at www.YouTube.com/DestinatorGPS.

Feature Highlights for the Destinator 9 iPhone Application:

-On Board NAVTEQ Maps:Providing Western Europe map access and directions regardless of your connection.

-Extensive POI Listings:Coverage of Western Europe includes over millions of on board points-of-interest that are always accessible without a data connection.

-NavStrip™:Convenient access to all of your navigation commands from one intuitive, touch-and-go strip.

-Voice-Guided Directions:Keep focused on the road ahead with easy to understand turn-by-turn voice guidance.

-Lane Assistance: Clear visual guidance to direct you to the right lane for your route.

-In-App iPod Controls: Select songs and control music while in navigation mode. -StickyPOI: Intuitive one-touch placement of points-of-interest that interest you.

-TapNGo: Simply press any point on the map and navigate to the location.

-Trip Planning: Able to plan multi-destination routes with a convenient trip planning function.

-2D or 3D Mode:Map is offered at your preferred perspective – 2D or 3D.

-Brilliant Map Displays:Crisply rendered maps provide clear guidance. -Contact Routing: Navigate to an address stored in your Contact list.

-Send-to-Friend: Send your current location or favorite POI to your friend.

-Speed Limits Warnings:Limits are conveniently posted on screen for your current location.

-Google Local Search:Nearby POIs are a click away and a cinch to navigate to.

This special offer pricing applies to both the iPhone app in the Apple AppStore and the Android app from Android Market. Happy Holidays!!!

The CoPilot Promotion PR:

Thanksgiving is always one of the busiest times on the roads and 2009 will be no exception. In fact AAA are forecasting an increase on 2009, with almost 40 million Americans travelling more than 50 miles over the weekend.

Travel easier this Thanksgiving – and beyond with CoPilot Live.

Magellan Raodmate for the iPhone

A second item on the same Press Release mentions a Premium Car Kit. This is an Active cradle for the iPhone with its own GPS receiver, internal amplifier and bluetooth hands-free. This is an adjustable design to allow the iPhone to be used with skins and cases in place. It is also compatible with the iPhone classic and iPod Touch enabling these devices to be used for navigation. At $129.99 it is slightly more expensive than the TomTom cradle ($119) and is expected to be shipping in December.

The initial mapping offered through the Apple AppStore includes USA, Canada and Puerto rico. In the future Western US, Eastern US and Europe will also be available.

Click here for the Magellan iPhone information page.

Magellan Roadmate for iPhone Screen

The Magellan Press Release follows:

MAGELLAN® COMPLETE TURN-BY-TURN NAVIGATION APP NOW AVAILABLE ON THE APP STORE

The Magellan RoadMate App (U.S. & Canada maps) is available for an introductory price of $79.99 from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch devices or at http://www.itunes.com/appstore/. The MSRP for the car kit will be $129.99.

Navigon MobileNavigator

This release adds Text-To-Speech and iPod controls as well as some other minor changes. The Text To Speech allows the road names to be included in the navigation instructions giving the driver more confidence in the manoeuvre they are making. The iPod controls are also a very welcome feature as previously although you could set the iPod playing in the background if the playlist or album ended then you had to exit the Navigation application to change the music.

Also included in this release are: Location sharing, and automatic day/night mode switching.

The full Navigon Press Release follows:

NAVIGON Further Extends the Feature Set of its iPhone Navigation App
Second free update includes major additions such as spoken street names (text-to-speech), seamless integration of iPod functions, a location sharing feature and more

Hamburg/Germany, September 10, 2009 — NAVIGON AG, leading innovator in the navigation market, today announced availability of a second free update for the North American version of MobileNavigator for the iPhone. The update equips the NAVIGON app with a comprehensive set of innovative and sought after features.

The highly anticipated text-to-speech function lets the NAVIGON MobileNaviagtor announce street names in addition to turn-by-turn directions. It is the first on-board navigation app for the iPhone with this functionality. Instead of only stating “turn right”, the app informs the user to “turn right on to ‘Main Street’, enabling the driver to further concentrate on the road ahead and not become distracted looking for street signs. “With the addition of text-to-speech technology from SVOX, NAVIGON remains on the forefront of iPhone navigation options with the most solid feature set on the market,” said Gerhard Mayr, Vice-President Worldwide Mobile Phones & New Markets at NAVIGON. “SVOX offers high quality text-to-speech technology, characterized by a natural and clear sound as well as a unique polyglot capability – the same voice can speak multiple languages like a native speaker,“ said Eric Lehmann, Chief Sales Officer of SVOX.

NAVIGON, from the outset is committed to not only setting the industry standard for navigation capabilities on the iPhone, but also integrates iPhone-specific functionalities. The new update is the next step in this direction with seamless integration of iPod controls. Drivers can now enjoy the full range of iPod functionalities with a simple one-click from map access to artists, titles, albums, audio books, podcasts and playlist selections. The feature also takes advantage of the shuffle, and automatic playlist generating technology within iPod. The driver can listen to songs again or leave it to the device to generate a random selection.

A new location sharing function makes it convenient to meet-up with friends and acquaintances, on the go. Users can share their own location, an address or a point of interest (POI) such as a restaurant or museum via email. If the recipients are MobileNavigator users, a simple link-tap provides the exact address. The navigation software starts automatically when the link is activated and guides the user directly to the destination, without having to input locations, and waiting for the search results. In addition, the app routinely changes the maps colors switching it between Day and Night Mode determined by time and location. This guarantees optimal display visibility at all times and allows drivers to recognize the route as quickly as possible to improve orientation.

The MobileNavigator transforms any iPhone 3G, equipped with the new Apple OS 3.0 operating system, and any iPhone 3G S into a complete navigation device. It is the only iPhone navigation app on the market featuring Reality View™ Pro which displays 3D views of complex highway interchanges and exits helping drivers to orientate. Also unique are the branded POI’s along the route which make it easier to spot any points of interest that are on the way.

The NAVIGON solution sells for $89.99 in the Apple App Store and is equipped with maps of North America from NAVTEQ®. There are no subscription fees attached and no map downloads during navigation. The update is also already available for regional country versions of the MobileNavigator across Europe as well as for the Australian app.

For more information and FAQs, please visit: www.navigon.com/iphone.

Navigon MobileNavigator

Based on their popular navigation solution for Personal Navigation Devices, MobileNavigator offers features such as 2D/3D maps, landscape and portrait support and reality view.

Navigon also mention the auto-resume navigation after call feature which will be essential for anyone who uses their iPhone hands-free in their car.

We hope to be reviewing this solution very soon but for now, full details are available in the AppStore.

Gokivo subscription navigation for the iPhone

Yesterday hot on the heels of the iPhone OS 3.0 roll out was the introduction to the AppStore of a number of OS 3.0 specific applications. One of the first of these is Gokivo from Networks In Motion in the US AppStore.

The main points of interest in this app are: Turn by Turn Navigation, and a subscription pricing model.

Turn by Turn voice navigation has been banned by Apple up until the release of OS 3.0 when we heard from a number of the mainstream navigation brands saying they would have an app for the iPhone.  Well Networks in Motion seem to have the first one.

With the subscription pricing it costs $0.99 to buy which is quite reasonable, but then to actually use it you need to pay $9.99 a month. Not good if you want to use it every day, but not too bad if you are going on vacation and want it for a couple of weeks.

Networks In Motion is a well respected provider of Navigation solutions, particularly on mobile phones in the USA where they power the Verizon VZNavigator and a number of other white label navigation applications.

With integrated contact navigation and live traffic services this looks like an excellent start to navigation on the iPhone.  There are a few things that need to be found out about how the app works, are the maps downloaded or delivered over the air…   More details will follow.

The Networks in Motion press release follows:

Networks In Motion Launches Gokivo Navigation Application On Apple App Store

Turn-by-Turn Navigation and Hyper-local Information for iPhone

Aliso Viejo, CA., June 17, 2009

Networks In Motion (NIM), the award-winning global wireless navigation, hyper-local search and location-based services (LBS) company, today announced its Gokivo application is available on the App Store. Gokivo is powered by Yahoo! Local and will pair NIM’s carrier class turn-by-turn navigation platform with the robust Yahoo! Local search and content capabilities.

Gokivo for iPhone allows people to easily find their location, take advantage of one-touch access to Yahoo! Local searches, ratings and reviews, and get to where they want to go with turn-by-turn, voice-prompted navigation. The application is seamlessly integrated with the iPhone’s innovative Multi-Touch user interface, allowing users to easily map and navigate to addresses in their contacts, and even save and share searches and favorites with friends.

“Gokivo gives iPhone users an application that truly takes advantage of the device’s GPS and data capabilities to let them get where they want to go and find what they’re looking for,” said Doug Antone, President and CEO of Networks In Motion. “With Networks In Motion’s navigation and LBS expertise and the power of Yahoo! Local search results, we’ve developed a groundbreaking iPhone app that delivers a powerful and rich navigation experience on one of the world’s most popular mobile devices.”

Gokivo features include:

• Robust hyper-local search and discovery powered by Yahoo! Local. One-click searches for bars, restaurants, gas stations, ATMs and many more local points of interest
• Access to the most robust real-time traffic notification on mobile devices, giving users plenty of advance notice to avoid traffic snarls and road work slow downs
• Syncing with Bluetooth in the car or via headset, providing output for music and turn-by-turn navigation audio prompts
• An embedded iPod control, which allows you to listen to music while you are navigating with Gokivo – the music automatically fades (or pauses, if changed in settings) for voice prompts
• The ability to simply “shake” the iPhone to immediately receive alternate route suggestions when encountering things such as traffic congestion
• Find address information directly from any contact in the iPhone and get immediate one-click navigation to the specific address

Gokivo is available for just.$0.99 from Apple’s App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at itunes.apple.com/…

Full navigation functionality can be purchased for $9.99 per month via subscription.

With Garmin concentrating on their nuvifone product the kudos was all TomTom’s as they got to reveal their new solution to the WWDC attendees.

TomTom CTO Peter-Frans Pauwels demonstrated the new car cradle that will be an option with TomTom’s SatNav app. Interestingly this cradle contains its own GPS receiver which is an admittance at least in part that the receiver in the iPhone 3G is poor.

The cradle also contains a loudspeaker and so as well as providing charge to the iPhone offers a hands-free speakerphone feature.

The app will have TomTom’s IQ Routes functionality but more detailed information has yet to be revealed. Availability expected to coincide with the release of OS 3.0 with the cradle following some time later.

iphone.tomtom.com