Archive for the ‘navigation services’ tag

Location Changes Everything Mobile

As today’s handsets and consumer devices become more sophisticated, manufacturers continue to incorporate more and more functionality into a small and sleek form factor. Today’s range of smartphones incorporate voice and data transceivers, GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cameras, music, touchscreen interfaces, compasses, motion sensors, cameras, storage cards, and many other technologies. Free turn-by-turn navigation services, such as offered on Google Android phones and iPhones, have created a compelling reason for many of us to own a GPS-equipped smartphone.

ABI Research: Global Number of Traffic Information Users to Exceed 370 Million by 2015

Traffic Information maintains its position as the most important feature of navigation services with the global number of traffic information users expected to grow from 57 million in 2010 to more than 370 million in 2015, according to the latest market data from ABI Research.

GNSS Vulnerability and Alternative PNT

A group working under the auspices of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Navigation Services Directorate recently prepared a study assessing non-GNSS navigation system architectures to provide alternate positioning, navigation, and timing (APNT) services for aviation users, to mitigate GNSS vulnerability to radio frequency interference (RFI). The APNT architecture would be based on selected elements of today’s terrestrial navigation network, possibly upgraded, plus new elements anticipated for the 2025 timeframe.

Is Garmin's Move to Europe a Shot across TomTom's Bow?

The PND and other location-based services battlefield lines were drawn recently as Garmin said it would be moving its place of incorporation to Switzerland. Garmin PND rival TomTom, and its subsidiary Tele Atlas, have enjoyed strong sales in Europe, so the move will be followed closely by the industry. In addition, Garmin’s rollout of the Andriod-based Garminfone and recent financial success by TomTom has made some analysts say “I told you so” in terms of the decline in portable navigation device sales. However, it remains to be seen how well these companies will do in this age of free navigation services.

TeleNav On My Way Updates ETA via SMS

TeleNav announced a pretty innovative application that allows you to notify your friends of your expected arrival time, updating them if you run into trouble. OnMyWay is a simple notification program that automatically alerts a friend or group of friends your trip status and estimated time of arrival. By setting up those friends and configuring the notifications ahead of time, you can control who gets updates and when they might get additional updates; time away from destination, distance from destination, etc. Friends can get notifications via email or text alerts. The system never sends your exact GPS location, but instead let’s them know the key info – when you’ll really be there.

I like the innovation. Kindof like Glympse without the GPS mapping or the privacy concerns.

Full Press Release after the jump…….

TeleNav, one of the largest global wireless navigation services providers with more than 14 million subscribers, today announced a new location-based mobile application called OnMyWay. OnMyWay is a simple-to-use notification application that automatically alerts a pre-determined person or group of people of the sender’s trip status and estimated time of arrival (ETA). Drivers can quickly set an OnMyWay notification prior to getting on the road and the application will automatically send travel time updates based on location to designated contacts via text and/or e-mail.

A recent Ford Motor Co. study concluded that manually dialing a mobile device while driving was almost 2.8 times riskier than normal driving1. More so, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) found that those who text while driving are 23 times more likely to get into an accident than that of a driver paying full attention to the road2.

“With increasingly busy lives and growing traffic problems, many Americans struggle to be anywhere on time. Whether you’re going to an important meeting across town or having dinner with friends, things happen that cause people to run late,” said HP Jin, president, CEO and co-founder of TeleNav. “We want to make ETA updates safe and easy.”

To create an OnMyWay notification, a user inputs a destination, enters a scheduled appointment time, selects or enters one or more phone numbers or e-mail addresses to send alerts to, and then hits start. The user’s address book is automatically integrated into the application to simplify information input. In addition, the sender has the option to attach a personal message to each notification.

The application automatically notifies recipients of the sender’s ETA by text or e-mail so the user can focus on driving. OnMyWay delivers an initial notification alerting the receiver when the driver has started his/her trip and includes an anticipated ETA based on GPS location. Following the initial alert, up to three additional status messages might be automatically sent based on the sender’s preferences. Additional alerts sent to the recipient include notification if the sender will be late for the appointment (with a new ETA), when the person is a pre-determined time (in minutes) away from the destination, and one minute from arriving. OnMyWay does not share the user’s specific location in any of the notifications.

“OnMyWay allows me to keep my wife automatically updated when I’m on the road. It’s especially helpful if I’m running late for dinner,” continued Jin. “This is a service that has daily relevance for most Americans.”

OnMyWay is a free application and is available immediately on BlackBerry App World™ on the BlackBerry® Curve™ 8310, BlackBerry® 8800, BlackBerry® Curve™ 8900, BlackBerry® Bold™ 9000 and BlackBerry® Bold™ 9700 smartphones on the AT&T network. TeleNav plans on launching OnMyWay on additional devices soon including the BlackBerry® Curve™ 8530 and BlackBerry® Tour™ 9630 smartphones on the Sprint and Verizon networks, as well as the BlackBerry® 8820 and BlackBerry® Bold™ 9700 smartphones on the T-Mobile network. Standard text messaging and data usage fees apply. To download OnMyWay or other TeleNav products to your BlackBerry® smartphone, please visit BlackBerry App World (www.blackberry.com/appworld).

1 http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=29812
2 http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2009&itemno=571

TeleNav Announces GPS Navigator 6.0 – Upgraded Features

Telenav announced the new TeleNav GPS Navigator 6.0 which will upgrade features, and do away with one downside of over the air maps – the ability to cache maps on the device while traveling. This is a pretty big development, allowing users to travel from here to there through dead zones without the risk of losing their way due to the gap in cellular coverage. The new version also updates the features with:

• Spoken Commands – “Search Starbucks” or “Search WalMart”

• Lane Assist for major roads
• Alerts for congested intersections that have reported red light traffic issues
• Local Information capabilities for quick access to movies, weather and more.

TeleNav announces its new version after recently being recognized as the Top Handset Navigation Supplier by ABI Research1. For the second year in a row, the firm has ranked TeleNav as world leader based on overall innovation and implementation.

“The most important thing we can do is listen to feedback from customers. This new version incorporates many features that they’ve asked for,” said Sal Dhanani, co-founder and vice president, products and marketing for TeleNav. “Our team is committed to providing the absolute best in mobile phone navigation.”

The new version of TeleNav’s service will be available this Wednesday, March 24 on select devices.

Full press release including more information on navigating through cellular dead zones follows after the jump……

TeleNav Unveils New Version of TeleNav GPS Navigator™
New features include one-touch speech recognition, lane assist, red light traffic camera alerts and speed limit alerts

Sunnyvale, Calif. – March 22, 2010 – TeleNav, one of the largest global wireless navigation services providers with more than 14 million subscribers, today announced the upcoming launch of TeleNav GPS Navigator 6.0. With this new version, customers will receive several new features including one-touch speech recognition, lane assist, red light traffic camera alerts and speed limit alerts. In addition, customers can receive turn-by-turn directions to their destination even if they drive out of wireless coverage.
Increasing Safety and Improving the Navigation Experience

With this launch, TeleNav introduces single-click speech input which allows the user to press one button and use common phrases such as “Drive to 1130 Kifer Road, Sunnyvale, California,” “Search for Starbucks,” or “Show me a map of Sunnyvale, California.” Customers can also say “Drive home” to launch directions to their home or use a new shortcut option, “Home” in the “Drive To” menu of the application.
Other new features include:

* Lane assist for major roads and intersections to help drivers perform upcoming maneuvers
* Audio alerts for upcoming intersections reportedly equipped with red light traffic cameras
* On-screen freeway speed limit information with visual warnings when drivers exceed the posted speed limit
* “Local Apps” option in the application’s main menu, giving customers quick access to local movie information, weather and commute alerts

Navigation Out of Wireless Coverage

Using unique, patent-pending technology, the new release of TeleNav GPS Navigator now downloads the entire route and surrounding map data onto the driver’s phone. This ensures users will continue to receive turn-by-turn directions to their selected destination if they drive out of wireless coverage – even if they miss multiple turns along the way. In addition, the service will allow customers the ability to start a route back to their original location while out of wireless coverage. Once they drive back into wireless coverage, they will again have full service access in order to get directions to a new destination as well as receive real-time information such as traffic alerts.
Focusing on Customer Feedback and Innovation

TeleNav announces its new version after recently being recognized as the Top Handset Navigation Supplier by ABI Research1. For the second year in a row, the firm has ranked TeleNav as world leader based on overall innovation and implementation.

“The most important thing we can do is listen to feedback from customers. This new version incorporates many features that they’ve asked for,” said Sal Dhanani, co-founder and vice president, products and marketing for TeleNav. “Our team is committed to providing the absolute best in mobile phone navigation.”

The new version of TeleNav’s service will be available this Wednesday, March 24 on select devices.

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.