Archive for the ‘gps navigation’ tag

Navman Wireless Upgrades M-Nav Fleet Tracking Unit for Drivers

Navman Wireless has released the M-Nav 760, the newest edition of its all-in-one in-vehicle dispatch, messaging and GPS navigation unit designed for use with its OnlineAVL2 fleet tracking system. The device increases fleet productivity and reduces operating costs by automating communications and job routing with drivers on the road, enables compliance with hands-free phone regulations via new built-in Bluetooth technology, and has a ruggedized housing and touchscreen to withstand heavy commercial use, the company said.

TeleNav Updates GPS Nav Software for AT&T BlackBerrys, Releases Free “OnMyWay” App

GPS-navigation provider TeleNav has updated its nav-software for BlackBerry users and released a brand new app that helps travelers alert parties at their destinations when they can be expected to arrive. Unfortunately, both apps are initially available only to AT&T customers.

Garmin Nuvi 285WT – $119 at Amazon

The Garmin Nuvi 285WT is a full featured widescreen GPS that offers text-to-speech, bluetooth hands free, and for a while, access to MSN Direct’s load of features including traffic, weather, movie times, local gas prices and more. The downside here is that MSN Direct is stopping in January 2012, making the MSN direct features short-lived.

The upside is that the unit itself is a solid unit, offering a lot of capability at this price – widescreen GPS navigation with Bluetooth. The discount is pretty significant, driving the populatrity of this GPS at Amazon to the top of their best seller list.

At Amazon – Garmin Nuvi 285WT – for $119

TeleNav – Insight into GPS Use

Telenav has researched what people are using their service for – where people are going, what they are looking for and how they are battling traffic. The data was collected anonymously from their applications and on-phone navigation system. What’s the most searched for Point of Interest? Which city needs to re-route around traffic? What’s the most searched for food?

The data is fun to look through and it’s not a surprise to see the results – like Pizza being the most popular search for food, WalMart being the most popular Point of Interest searched for, and maybe not a big surprise that Los Angeles is figuring out how to get around traffic most frequently. The data is a fun read.

More on TeleNav and their navigation solutions at Telenav

Full press release after the jump…

TeleNav, one of the largest navigation services providers with more than 13 million subscribers, today released usage data* that suggests users depend on GPS navigation for much more than getting from point A to point B. The data indicates that while customers in various cities depend on some GPS features more than others, when it comes to searching out nearby businesses on the road, drivers across the country seem to be in agreement on their favorites.

An analysis of searches conducted by TeleNav users in December 2009 indicated that Wal-Mart topped the list as the number one U.S. business TeleNav customers sought out while using their GPS service. Starbucks took a close second, proving Americans’ obsession with morning lattes and mochaccinos is still quite strong. Two more large retailers, Target and Best Buy, took the third and fourth spots respectively, while Bank of America rounded out the top five most searched destinations in the country.

TeleNav data from all GPS point of interest (POI) searches for the entire 2009 year indicates that drivers living in or visiting some U.S. cities need more assistance locating local hotspots than in others. Los Angeles took the number one position as the city where most GPS searches occurred in 2009. The Dallas/Ft. Worth area followed in a close second, indicating that while things may be bigger in Texas, it doesn’t always mean they’re easier to find. Chicago, Houston and Atlanta, respectively, rounded out the top five U.S. cities where most GPS searches took place.

TeleNav’s GPS search data also sheds some light on the cuisine preferences of American drivers. Search data from December 2009 showed that pizza is the top food item searched for by customers using TeleNav’s GPS applications. Residents of Chicago led the way in GPS searches for pizza while residents of New York City were most likely to search for the nation’s second preferred cuisine type, Chinese food. Rounding out the top five of America’s most searched food types are burgers, American food and Mexican food, respectively.

“Every month our users are conducting millions of searches while using GPS navigation applications. This data provides a very interesting look into the locations people across the country are searching for while on the road,” said Sal Dhanani, co-founder and vice president, products and marketing for TeleNav. “In addition to searches, our customers are relying on our products to complete millions of trips each month. The data we’ve collected from these trips has helped us identify the features that are most relied on by our users and provides an intriguing look into how GPS usage differs across the country.”

While users in every state depended on GPS guidance to travel, TeleNav’s usage data for the entire 2009 year indicates that residents of Maryland were the most frequent users of GPS guidance, using the technology for twice as many trips per month than the national average. Completing the top five areas with residents relying heavily on GPS navigation to guide them are the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, North Carolina and California.

Traffic remains an issue that many American drivers deal with on a daily basis. To help ease the stress of traffic, TeleNav provides users with real-time traffic information and the option to route around traffic incidents. As one of the nation’s most traffic-plagued cities, it may not be surprising that TeleNav users in Los Angeles chose to use GPS navigation to re-route around traffic more than any other city in the nation. Other top five cities where drivers preferred to use GPS to get around traffic instead of sitting in gridlock included Washington D.C., New York City, Chicago and Atlanta, respectively.

Because TeleNav products are connected, users receive real-time information such as searching for gas stations based on current prices. Data from December 2009 indicates that residents of Phoenix may be the most cost conscious drivers in America, as residents of that city averaged more Gas by Price searches than any other city. In a close second, residents of San Antonio were also looking to save a buck at the pump through Gas by Price searches. Cleveland, Detroit and Jacksonville, respectively, rounded out the top five cities with such economical drivers.

For more information, additional GPS usage rankings and downloadable graphics, visit www.telenav.com/about/pr-national-gps-usage

* National GPS usage data was collected anonymously from users of TeleNav GPS navigation products.

Garmin Nuvi 285WT – $99 Deal of the Day

The Garmin Nuvi 285WT is a full featured widescreen GPS that offers text-to-speech, bluetooth hands free, and for a while, access to MSN Direct’s load of features including traffic, weather, movie times, local gas prices and more. The downside here is that MSN Direct is stopping in January 2012, making the MSN direct features short-lived. The upside is that the unit itself is a solid unit, offering a lot of capability at this price – widescreen GPS navigation with Bluetooth.

At Amazon – Garmin Nuvi 285WT – for $99