satnav
You are browsing the satnav tag archive.
Vodafone’s Wayfinder is first victim of free smartphone navigation services
Back in January 2009, as Vodafone was preparing to close a £20 million ($30 million) deal to buy Swedish mapmaker Wayfinder, it was seen as a bold move from a carrier intent on entering the apparently lucrative market for location based services. Fast forward to the present day — past the bit where free Google Maps Navigation destroyed TomTom and Garmin share prices, and past the introduction of free turn-by-turn navigation to Nokia’s Ovi Maps — and you’ll find Wayfinder gently sobbing into a handkerchief as it permanently closes up its doors. Vodafone’s Anna Cloke gives us the reason for it with devastating concision:
“We could not charge for something that others gave away for free.”
So there we have it, the paid navigation services deathwatch has its first fatality, and it’s the unfortunate nature of the beast that plenty of others will be following suit, unable to resist the destructive effects of the free and ubiquitous services now on offer.
[Thanks, Chris]
Vodafone’s Wayfinder is first victim of free smartphone navigation services originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Nokia and Alpine integrating handsets into cars, bringing Ovi Maps to your dashboard
What’s the one biggest hurdle to throwing out your dedicated GPS nav unit and going ahead with the free turn-by-turn navigation offered by your smartphone? If your answer was that most phones don’t have the great big screens or easy installation systems of some satnav devices, look out, because Nokia’s about to shake up your world all over again. Alpine has just announced its partnership with the Finnish giant aimed at integrating Nokia handsets — complete with free Ovi Maps navigation — into car dashboard systems. Yes, that means you can use your superb six-amp speaker system to boom out music or voice nav instructions from the phone, as well as your in-dash 7-inch LCD for showing you the right way home. There’s further interaction with widgets keeping an eye on your fuel levels and engine condition, leading to location-based services such as the phone notifying you of the nearest and cheapest petrol station. Connectivity is done over either USB or Bluetooth, and Nokia promises that this Terminal Mode will be showing up in its phones in the very near future. The sooner the better, we say.
Nokia and Alpine integrating handsets into cars, bringing Ovi Maps to your dashboard originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 06:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | 
Alpine | Email this | Comments
Solar flares set to wreak havoc on GPS signals
The sun’s activity isn’t usually a hot topic around these parts, but when it threatens to derail satellite navigation services around the world, it must surely take center stage. UK researchers have corroborated Cornell’s 2006 warning that our solar system’s main life-giver is about to wake up and head toward a new solar maximum — a period of elevated surface activity and radiation. It is precisely that radiation, which can be perceived in the form of solar flares, that worries people with respect to GPS signaling, as its effects on the Earth’s ionosphere are likely to cause delays in data transmission from satellites to receivers and thereby result in triangulation errors. Still, it’s more likely to be “troublesome than dangerous,” but inaccuracies of around 10 meters and signal blackouts that could last for hours are being forecast in the absence of any intervening steps being taken. So yes, you now have another reason not to trust your GPS too much.
[Thanks, Mike]
Solar flares set to wreak havoc on GPS signals originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Feb 2010 06:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | BBC News | Email this | Comments
Nokia updates N97 with free Ovi Maps, just as promised
It was only a week ago when Nokia shook us with its free turn-by-turn navigation update, but the poor old N97 got left out in the cold. Not any more though, folks! In fact, the new Ovi Maps for N97 was delivered one day earlier than promised, and can be found “through the software update client in the device.” Thanks, Nokia, but don’t forget your N900 fans, too.
[Thanks, @old_no_7uk]
Nokia updates N97 with free Ovi Maps, just as promised originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Nokia Ovi Maps with free turn-by-turn navigation hands-on
Now that we’ve heard the big news from Nokia’s London press event, it’s only natural to get our hands dirty with the upgraded Ovi Maps. The preloaded map does indeed load much quicker than its old network counterpart, and hey, did we mention it’s free too? Enjoy the photos and video after the break with your breakfast.
Continue reading Nokia Ovi Maps with free turn-by-turn navigation hands-on
Nokia Ovi Maps with free turn-by-turn navigation hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
MyFord Touch coming to 2011 Ford Focus
The 2010 Detroit Auto Show has just kicked off and Ford’s plans for the 2011 Focus have been made official. While others might care more about the 155bhp or new six-speed dual-clutch transmission, we’re best pleased by the inclusion of the MyFord touch control system. This setup was designed to drag the car dash into the modern touchscreen era, and our comprehensive hands-on revealed it to be a most impressive bit of tech. Two displays flank the analog speed gauge, but the pièce de résistance is an 8-inch, 800 x 480 optional screen landing in the center of the dash. Endued with a web browser, it’ll connect via 3G or 4G modems and concurrently act as a WiFi hotspot. Add in a bunch of forthcoming apps and compatibility with any Bluetooth device, and you’ve got a tech lover’s dream system. The next generation Focus should enter production near the end of 2010, giving us a full year to write a “vroom, vroom” app for our smartphones.
MyFord Touch coming to 2011 Ford Focus originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jan 2010 04:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Autoblog | Email this | Comments
Galileo sat-nav system back on the map, said to be ‘up and running’ by 2014
Remember Galileo, Europe’s proposed GPS-like satellite navigation system? It’s back in the headlines, and according to the Telegraph, UK-based Surrey Satellite Technology and Germany’s OHB System have jointly secured €566 million (that’s $815 million in US currency) to build 14 more satellites. The funding continues until 2013, whereby 22 satellites will be order. Full satellite navigation requires 27, and ultimately the European Union wants 32 technological waypointers. Launch date? Apparently 2014 — we’re hopeful, but this road has been wrought with delays before.
Galileo sat-nav system back on the map, said to be ‘up and running’ by 2014 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 11:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Pioneer AVIC-X920BT brings Pandora streaming music to your satnav via the iPhone
Your car’s dash just got a tad bit more interesting with the introduction of Pandora music streaming in Pioneer’s latest navigation unit. The double-DIN in-dash device exploits your iPhone’s cellular connection to glean tunes from the ether and comes with a 6.1-inch display, Bluetooth, 3D video accelerator, and 4GB of built-in memory expandable by MicroSD. Coming out in March for $1,200, this is slated to be a direct challenge to satellite and old school radio services, and for more on the greater market impact of its introduction, you can see the WSJ coverage below. For the full specs of this new flagship device, as well as a new AVIC-U220 add-on nav unit, hit the source link below.
Pioneer AVIC-X920BT brings Pandora streaming music to your satnav via the iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Pioneer | Email this | Comments
Recent Comments