gps posts

It's been couple of rocky years for Garmin. They offered a GPS phone to compete with the iPhone, but it didn't sell well. It was a good navigator, but not a very compelling phone. Then Garmin tied up with ASUS to bring an Android and Windows Mobile version of the phone to market. That pretty much cratered too, and now it looks like the Garmin and ASUS partnership will dissolve in January.

Now there are reports that Garmin will pursue the app business, and that may include an iPhone version. It's probably what Garmin should have aimed for at the start. With Garmin out of the cellphone business the way is clear to develop apps for the new Windows Phone 7, iOS devices, and the Android phones.

The company won't disclose sales figures for the phones sold under the ASUS partnership, but it's a likely bet Garmin will be joining Navigon, TomTom, Magellan and others in the app store.

In the past Garmin has developed and sold products for Mac desktops and laptops, but support has been very spotty.

[via the Kansas City Star]

This is a feature in that "gee, I wish I'd of thought of that" category. The latest update to the TomTom app (version 1.5) lets you select any photo that has been geo-tagged and navigate to that location. It's great for finding that favorite picnic spot, or that great photo location.

I tried the feature out today, navigating to 2 locations I had in my iPhone photo roll. In each case, the app showed a map of the location, and with a couple of clicks I was on my way.

The app also now supports the iPhone 4 Retina display and the speed of the app is supposed to be faster but I didn't see anything dramatic. TomTom U.S.A and U.S. & Canada apps are currently available for $49.99 and $59.99, respectively. It's a really full featured way to navigate. Navigating to a photo is a really great idea, and I'd like to see some of the other nav apps add this feature as well.

Gallery: TomTom photo navigation

There's no shortage of location-based search apps. One of my favorites is Around Me, but there are plenty of others. Smith Micro has come up with its own search app that has some nice additions, and misses a few things too.

The free app, called Locality, uses Google searching to find the nearest restaurants, pharmacies, hospitals, etc. It does that well, generating a list of places, or it can show them on a map. One nice feature is an 'Events' function, so you can see things that might be of special interest around you. Some things it found were local concerts, antique shows, and some commercial events like sales at local stores.

The app also features a selection of geo-tagged photos. They are provided by Panoramio, and it's a nice addition to this compact little app. Sadly, the photos are only one way affairs. You can see submitted photos, but you can't submit them from the Locality app. (Panoramio has a free app that lets you do this from your iPhone.) You can email the photos, or the app can give you directions to where the photo was taken. which is a useful feature. I'd like to see it do the same with pictures from your own camera roll.

Gallery: Locality app screen shots

Attention, folks who purchased the TomTom car kit for their iPhone 3G or 3GS, only to upgrade to a won't-fit-quite-right iPhone 4: you're in luck. TomTom is now providing a free adapter for the aforementioned car kit that allows an iPhone 4 to fit properly.

Apparently the adapter is simply a piece of plastic that one sticks into place over a spot at the bottom of the dock. It's included in the kit packaging from September 1, though if you bought a car kit before then, you can claim your adapter from TomTom for free.

The TomTom car kit retails for about $120. Obviously, to make full use of the TomTom car kit at all, you'll want to have the $40 iPhone app to go along with it.

[via Electronista]

Has it really been a year since we started reviewing true turn by turn GPS solutions? It's a one year anniversary for Navigon in the App Store, and the company is celebrating the event with a half off sale on almost every nav app and upgrade offered.

Here's a breakdown:

MobileNavigator North America (includes maps for Canada & US): US $39.99 instead of $79.99
MobileNavigator USA: $24.99 instead of $49.99
MobileNavigator Canada: $29.99 instead of $59.99
MobileNavigator US MyRegion East, Central or West: $14.99 instead of $29.99, additional regions $11.99 instead of $14.99.

In-App Purchases
Traffic Live lifetime subscription: $12.99 instead of $19.99
Panorama View 3D: $4.99 instead of $9.99