Smartphones & Tablets

July 20 update - There are many bugs in this new version. I would strongly advise against purchasing this version of CoPilot. It has been 3 weeks since the app was released and ALK has not issued any official announcements about updates, even though there are tons of complaints on their message boards.

As a long time PND user, I confess, on my last business trip I left it behind and just used my smartphone. Knowing that I would be in a city with good cellphone coverage helped me make that decision, but I still felt incomplete without one of my PNDs.

So how many of y'all long time PND users have bit the bullet and gone on a trip without your trusty PND?

Lustancia's TapNav app takes your iPhone for an AR-assisted spin

http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/24/lustancias-tapnav-app-tak...

A whole new spin on lane assist? Interesting concept none the less.

$0.99 for one month, then $9.99 for a year if you want to... or it reverts to the free version of Telenav.

Not bad if you want to give it a go.

http://www.macrumors.com/2011/06/23/evidence-in-ios-5-that-a...

A 'look under the hood' at copyright disclaimers seems to indicate... will be interesting to see this when iOS comes out in the fall.

If you're going on a trip and would like to keep track of where you've been then you might want to check out this new free app.

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https://market.android.com/details?id=com.solidfx.nevis

Want to use POI file on my smartphone.
I saw a post awhile back on how to load but lost it.
Anybody have that info? Thks

http://www.bgr.com/2011/06/14/garmin-to-acquire-navigon/

Done deal - Garmin gets a kick-butt iOS app that puts Garmin's own to shame....

Where's the "like" button?

Originally posted in the Garmin forum... moved it as Navigon is mostly known in North America as an app provider for smartphones...

Apple (in the US) now offers unlocked iPhone 4 for $649 (16GB) and $749 (32GB). A little too late, I'd say. I don't see the appeal of an overpriced year old technology. I'd probably get one if it's under $500. In the meantime I'll just wait for the next gen iPhone. Hopefully they have an unlocked (unsubsidized) version.

Apple blocks new DUI checkpoint apps

Responding to pressure from four U.S. senators, Apple Inc. has banned any new mobile device applications that provide locations of police drunk-driving checkpoints when that information has not been published by the police themselves.

http://tinyurl.com/3jm77me

Bad news for Garmin, TomTom and other navigation software companies out there. I certainly welcome this offline mode.

According to Dutch blog All About Phones, that very feature (offline navigation mode) is on the way. Citing a “Dutch telecom industry source”, they say that the Navigation system should be able to direct you around sans connectivity as soon as this summer.

A friend of mine is using something called Co-Pilot on his iPhone. I was wondering what others have experienced.

I had a friend email me that the latest update of both the FREE and paid versions of Locus allow you to cache as many Google Maps as you have storage space for! If true, this would be fantastic---has anyone else here tried to do this?

NP

By buying Navigon?

http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/03/garmin-in-talks-to-buy-na...

Navigon's iPhone/iPad app kicks Garmin's butt. This would be awesome!

Finally got the new Gingerbread 2.3.3 Android update today on my Verizon Droid X. I think that other than a couple of Nexus Google phones the Droid X is the first or near the first Android phone to get the newest system software.

A lot of new features and new user interface. Installed easily and other than having to reinstall the clock widget everything else was still there and operating.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Google-Removes-26-Apps-Wit...

Right now, I'm seeing three points of confusion on GPS-enabled smartphones (versus "real" GPSr devices like Garmins and TomToms):

a) Whether phones can store maps "off the cloud" for areas of poor cell coverage (most commercial packages can, including CoPilot Live and Navigon)

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.mictale.gpsessenti...

The swiss army knife of GPS navigation! This is really a VERY handly tool for smartphone navigators--I took it for a test drive on a hike today and it did a great job. Lot's of helpful tools......all for FREE!

"You don’t have to do anything to be routed around traffic; just start Navigation like you normally would, either from the Navigation app or from within Google Maps. ... Starting today, our routing algorithms will also apply our knowledge of current and historical traffic to select the fastest route from those alternates.

This page http://www.google.com/mobile/navigation/ has several video tutorials that show you how to take full advantage of Google Nav to suit your needs.

NP