gps navigation

NaviComputer on the way to Windows Phone, developer loves his new HTC Titan

February 15, 2012 | By Surur

At the end of last year we asked our readers to demonstrate their interest in Navicomputer, an off-line GPS navigation app for hiking and so forth, coming from Windows Mobile to Windows Phone 7.

At the time the developer was uncertain whether to go android or WP7, but the 800 votes WP7 got, vs the 200 for Android must have helped him make the decision.

He has started developing the app, and posted this preview above.

In the end he found Windows Phone 7 and his HTC Titan much more welcoming than he expected, writing:

Don’t be blinded by the success of Android and the bad market share of Windows Phone 7 and don’t be blinded by hardware specification numbers. Go try and compare it yourself to see which device and operating system fits your needs best. Personally I really like my HTC Titan with WP7.5 and would change neither any Android nor an iPhone against it.

He did however complain that the registration process was unnecessarily expensive and tortuous.

Read more about the app at Navicomputer here. The developer is also accepting donations, with his link on his website.

Thanks Dan for the tip.

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GPS Tuner Turn by Turn Navigation USA and Canada now only $16.99 for a very limited time

December 26, 2011 | By Surur

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GPS Tuner USA and Canada is now selling for a limited period for only $16.99, nearly half of the $28.99 price earlier.

The deal is said to be only available on Christmas day, but if one hurries one can still find the software in marketplace for the lower price.

Turn by Turn navigation provides full off-line GPS navigation with on-board maps which can be downloaded state by state.

The app features:

Voice-Guided Turn by Turn Navigation with premium audio quality
Full detailed Navteq maps
More than 2 million Places (POIs)
Automatic Map rotation according to your heading
POI and address search
Add POI-s or locations to Favorites
Route calculation based on Time or Distance
Supporting Portrait and Landscape mode
Automatic re-routing if you miss a turn
Speed dependent Volume control
Driving and Walking directions
US and Metric units are supported
Itinerary (turn list for planned routes)
Avoid Highway/Toll roads option
Improved route calculation for long trips
Smart routing (tries to avoid unpaved roads)

Read more about the app and find it in Marketplace here.

Thanks Eddie for the tip.

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Nokia Drive gets a minor update

December 23, 2011 | By Surur

nokia navi

Nokia has just pushed out a new update to their Nokia Drive app which brings it up to version 1.1.0.1501.

As usual no change log is provided, so it is not clear what the update brings. What is clear however is that it is not the promised update which brings on-device routing, as the app still refuses to function while in flight mode.

That update was promised for before the end of the year, which does not leave Nokia much time.

Thanks JonB for the tip.

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Navigon for Windows Phone 7 updated, gets 40% discount

December 17, 2011 | By Surur

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Navigon has just given prospective buyers a pretty nice Christmas present. Their GPS Navigation app has just been updated, bringing useful new features, including downloading maps state by state, meaning less space on your device is wasted.

The new features in Navigon 4.1 include:

NAVIGON MyMaps – separates the app from the maps so you can only download maps you’ll need, saving some space on your device in the process.
Active Lane Assistant – reflects the current lane configuration and enables drivers to see ahead with orange line indicating the way the driver should follow.
Live Weather – current weather conditions along the route and at the destination in real-time.
Optimized positioning

navigonusaqr The company is also running a holiday sale, cutting the price of the expensive software by 40% until January 5.

NAVIGON for Windows Phone 7 USA is now $29.99 instead of $49.99 and can be found in Marketplace here.

Via IntoMobile.com

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Qualcomm enables GLONASS support for all Snapdragon S2 processors

December 15, 2011 | By Surur

We have seen Samsung add GLONASS GPS Satellite support to their Windows Phone smartphones recently. Now Qualcomm has announced that all S2 Snapdragon processors, which include all current Windows Phones, will have access to this feature, improving GPS navigation reliability and accuracy, especially in dense urban canyons.

OEMs will still have to enable it, but hopefully they will follow Samsung’s lead and continue to make their current devices even better.

Garmin StreetPilot USA for Windows Phone on sale

December 3, 2011 | By Surur

2 of 7 For a limited period Garmin SteetPilot USA version is on sale for only $29.99, $10 off the usual $39.99.

The software allows maps to be downloaded ahead of the journey and can therefore be used in even poor coverage areas.

Features include:

Always up-to-date maps for the U.S. and Canada, downloaded to your device on demand
Voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions including street names
Real-time traffic updates included at no additional cost
Automatic map storage so you can browse maps you’ve recently viewed outside of data coverage areas
Works great at both 3G and Edge connection speeds
Integration with Bing search on your Windows Phone
Navigation to contacts in your address book
Speed limits for most major roads
Integrated Local Search
Ability to pin Home location to Start Menu for quick routes home
Millions of points of interest
Lane assist with junction view for complicated interchanges
Option to run behind a locked screen
Current weather conditions and forecast
Place calls directly from search listing
Navigate in both portrait and landscape mode
Easy to install with quick load times

Take advantage of the deal by finding it in Marketplace here.

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WP7 Nokia Drive compared to Android Google Navigation

November 21, 2011 | By Surur

Mobiletechworld have posted this video comparing the GPS Navigation app Nokia Drive, found on the Nokia Lumia devices, with the free Google Navigation app which comes with most Android handsets.

Unfortunately the Nokia Drive app does not come of very well from the comparison, with MTW noting it is missing:

No remaining time until arrival displayed during navigation (it’s only noted during 5 secs on summery screen before the navigation starts)
No Directions breakdown list: Even Bing Maps and Nokia Maps have it.
POIs are useless: You can’t tap on them
No way to save or favorite a location: only recent destinations/searches are automatically saved in a history list that can be manually cleared
No traffic data, No Public Transit Data
No way to have more than one itinerary unless you stop/cancel the current one and manually re-calculate another one
Requires an active Data connection to do the routing calculation even-though it has offline maps loaded on the device

Of course we know Nokia was in a major rush in getting their apps and phone ready for a fall release, and have already promised one update. I am sure more are to come, but Nokia Drive is already good enough to stop Lumia owners from having to shell out for Navigon, which is really what matters in the end.

Nokia confirms full off-line GPS Navigation coming to Nokia Drive

November 21, 2011 | By Surur

We have had reports from Italy that Nokia Drive will get full off-line GPS navigation, like its Symbian version, soon. At present the app requires an internet for routing, despite being able to download the maps for on-board off-line use.

Now Jurgen Thys Mans, Communications Manager at Nokia Netherlands has confirmed to AllaboutPhones.nl that the update is indeed in the works and will reach devices before the end of the year.

The service already covers 100 countries, and the update will allow hassle and cost-free usage anywhere where maps are available.

See a hands-on with the software here.

Nokia Drive to get update for full off-line routing

November 18, 2011 | By Surur

Nokia Drive is Nokia’s flag-ship GPS navigation app on Windows Phone 7, but while the app allows whole regions to be downloaded to local storage, it still needs an internet connection to do the actual routing, which is of course less than ideal.

This is however set to change soon, with Plaffo reporting that a Nokia representative said:

Nokia Drive will receive an update in the near future that will allow navigation even offline

Nokia has been rapidly updating their applications to add new features in their race to make their Windows Phone 7 handset extremely competitive with phones on other platforms. At this rate they will be getting there very soon.

Navigon iPhone vs Windows Phone 7 (video)

November 1, 2011 | By Surur

Pocketnow have posted this video comparing the features of the Navigon GPS Navigation app on the iPhone and also Windows Phone 7.

The biggest differentiator Pocketnow notes is that navigation continues when the screen is off, which tends to be a simple “Run under lock screen” option on many apps on Windows Phone 7, and that directions continues during phone calls on the iPhone. They also note that due to in-app purchasing the iPhone app includes a store of maps, voices and other enhancements, which is missing on Windows Phone 7.

Of course a major differentiator is that on Windows Phone 7 there is the option to have a much larger screen, with the 3.5 inch screen on the iPhone looking pretty pokey in that video.

GPS Tuner’s Turn by Turn navigation with onboard maps now available in Europe

October 31, 2011 | By Surur

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GPS Tuner’s Turn by Turn Navigation app with full onboard maps became available in USA since about 2 weeks ago, and the European version has now also popped up in Marketplace.

The app requires no internet connection for routing or directions, which sets it apparent from most navigation solutions in Marketplace.

Its main competitor is Navigon, which is selling for about double the price, for a limited period, but does of course include full European maps.

The app features:

Voice-Guided Turn by Turn Navigation with premium audio quality
Full detailed Navteq maps
More than 4 million Places (POIs) in Europe
Automatic Map rotation according to your heading
POI and address search
Add POI-s or locations to Favorites
Route calculation based on Time or Distance
Supporting Portrait and Landscape mode
Automatic re-routing if you miss a turn
Speed dependent Volume control
Driving and Walking directions
US and Metric units are supported
Itinerary (turn list for planned routes)
Avoid Highway/Toll roads option

Unlike Navigon the app does feature a trial period which allows 24 hours of GPS navigation and the downloading of only one region.

See the app in Marketplace here.

Thanks Eddie for the tip.

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Nokia Drive GPS navigation app in action on the Nokia Lumia 800

October 26, 2011 | By Surur

Nokia has both Nokia Maps and Nokia Drive. Nokia Maps is equivalent to Google Maps and will be available for all Windows Phone 7 handsets soon, and while it offers routing and can be used for navigation, it does not offer voice turn by turn directions.

For that there is Nokia Drive, in action in the video above. The app offers full turn by turn GPS navigation, with voices in many languages available. It offers turn both 2D and 3D views and also renders points of interest in 3D on maps.

The voices are loud and clear, always useful for a device used for GPS navigation. Routing is accurate, but I think makes odd routine decisions, for example routing me via the ferry (and an unwelcome 30 min wait) instead of the tunnel across the Thames, which tends to be quicker.

Maps can be downloaded to the device, but the app does not work in flight mode, demanding to be online before launching.

Nokia Drive will be exclusive to the Nokia Lumia 800 and 710, and will be 100% free to those users.

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GPS Tuner delivers Turn by Turn Navigation with on-board maps

October 14, 2011 | By Surur

As predicted yesterday, GPS Tuner has delivered a version of their Turn by Turn GPS Navigation app which competes heads-on with Navigon’s own navigation software.

The app features Navteq maps which can be downloaded region by region, and does not require any internet connection at all for mapping and routing.

The full list of features include:

Voice-Guided Turn by Turn Navigation with premium audio quality
Full detailed Navteq maps
More than 4 million Places (POIs) in Europe
Automatic Map rotation according to your heading
POI and address search
Add POI-s or locations to Favorites
Route calculation based on Time or Distance
Supporting Portrait and Landscape mode
Automatic re-routing if you miss a turn
Speed dependent Volume control
Driving and Walking directions
US and Metric units are supported
Itinerary (turn list for planned routes)
Avoid Highway/Toll roads option

The app is a much more reasonable $28.99 for US and Canada Maps, and a version for Europe is coming soon also.

Unlike Navigon you can actually try before you buy. In Trial mode you can download only one country/region. The Trial Period will start after the first successful route plan and will continue for 24 hours.

Turn by Turn Navigation US and Can can be found in Marketplace here.

Via WPCentral.com

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