Items tagged with navigation
Taking my dog out for a whiz can be an experience—without fail, if I'm in a hurry, she is not, and must wander and circle several different areas in search of that precise spot sufficient enough to relieve herself on. And sometimes she'll be in mid-squat and decide, 'Nah, this ain't the place'. I never considered she might actually be tapping into the Earth's magnetic field, whether it's to find a spot to pee, or wander from one place to the next. But maybe she is, according to some interesting new research. As outlined in a new report from the eLife Sciences initiative this is a real possibility. Maybe not the peeing part, but there is evidence to suggest canines have a sort of built-in...
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Google Maps is getting a few changes that will bring new features to the popular navigation service. The new features include tweaks to the user interface and navigation to public transit options, among others. The first-mile transit options show people how to connect to public transit by walking, biking, motorcycle, ride sharing, and rickshaw. Those first-mile options are intended to show people multiple ways where they can get from their starting location to public transit to start their commute. This new feature sounds very much like last-mile service that shows users how they can get from places like the train station to their final destination. Google Maps is also gearing up to give users...
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Google acquired Waze, a GPS navigation software app, way back in 2013. Google and Waze work mostly independently from one another, but Google has recently incorporated a few features that were inspired by Waze. Google Map users will now be able to report speed traps and crashes on iOS devices. According to Google, these new tools, “...reflect real-time contributions from the community so you can stay even more informed when you’re behind the wheel.” iOS users can now report report crashes, speed traps and other traffic slowdowns directly from their iPhone. This feature has been available on Android for over a year, but is a welcome addition for iOS users. Android and iOS Google...
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Something interesting is going on with Google Maps regarding a “new” feature. Some people are claiming they have had this feature for a long time, others are seeing it for the first time. The feature in question is incident reporting, something that has made navigation app Waze popular with users. Google has long had traffic information integrated, but data on road work and closures hasn't been part of the app for most users. While some users are claiming, according to reports, to have had incident reporting for a year or more, others haven’t had it at all. I personally use Google Maps in the Colorado Springs/Denver areas all the time and haven’t had incident reporting...
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One of the great things about navigation apps on our smartphones is that they help us to easily get from Point A to Point B without having to really think much about it. They can automatically reroute you to save time, and take you through some off-the-beaten-path routes to avoid more congested roadways. The non-discriminatory nature of navigation apps like Google Maps and Waze means that some relatively low-traffic locales have now become bumper-to-bumper nightmares. Such is the case with the small New Jersey town of Leonia. The quiet community is a suburb of New York City and has a population of fewer than 9,000 people. However, modern navigation apps have turned what were previously lightly...
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Motorists should take caution when driving in the direction of California's wildfires, even when using a navigation app that is continually updated. Case in point, users of Waze and other similar navigation apps report that driving directions have pointed them squarely to where the wildfires are raging, including roads that have been closed down or otherwise blocked off because of the fires. The aftermath of a wildfire in 2015 (Image Source: Flickr via Bob Dass) Apps like Waze use a combination of artificial intelligence and driver input to stay up to date with current conditions. In theory, these apps should warn drivers of dangerous areas and offer a different route to their destination. And...
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Do you get nervous and start sweating bullets when you have to make a left-hand turn at a busy intersection with no stop light? The scenario is a little more common in big and busy cities like Los Angeles, and to make commutes a little less stressful for drivers, Waze created a new routing feature that bypasses intersections altogether when possible. The feature is rolling out first to to L.A., one of the busier and more crowded places in the U.S. to drive, particularly during rush hour. To identify the intersections that are most troublesome to drivers, Waze said it worked closely with the local map editor and employee community. "They shared lists of what they perceived to be the most difficult...
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There are very few voices as recognizable as Morgan Freeman’s. In addition to playing God in the “Almighty” movies alongside Jim Carey and Steve Carrel, and the unforgettable “Red” in the Shawshank Redemption (which is still the top rated movie of all-time on IMDB), among countless other unforgettable parts, Morgan Freeman has narrated everything from “A Raisin in the Sun” to “War of the Worlds”.Credit: flickr.com/photos/kimstovring/His latest gig will likely win over some die-hard road warriors though, because Morgan Freeman’s voice is now an option in the popular community-based traffic and navigation app, Waze.The Waze Facebook page announces the availability of Freeman’s voice with,...
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Knowing how to get from point A to point B is important, that's why GPS devices and mapping programs exists. But if you want to get to your destination in a timely manner, directions alone aren't enough. Knowing the traffic conditions can be instrumental in selecting the most appropriate route, and to help you do that, Bing Maps now lets your view over 35,000 traffic cameras spread across 11 countries. To view them, you have to turn on the traffic layer in Bing Maps, which you can do by clicking on Traffic (it sits in between Directions and My Places). Turning it on will place a traffic information overlay on the roads. When you zoom in to an area with traffic cameras, you can view how clear...
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If you use Google Maps on your iPhone device, head to the App Store and download the latest update, version 4.12.0 (if you don't have it already). The latest release brings parity with the Android version by introducing spoken traffic alerts, a small but sometimes extremely helpful feature for motorists.When you're in navigation mode, the spoken traffic alerts feature will give you a heads up to things like traffic congestion, incidents on your route that might prompt you to find a different path towards your destination, and various traffic descriptions. It will do all this before you start driving so you don't get stuck in gridlock.This subtle yet highly useful feature has been available to...
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A little-known company called CycleLabs has dreamed up a new navigation device for your bicycle, and it’s already blown well past the initial pledge goal of $50,000 with 28 days to go. The SmartHalo sits on your handlebars and gives you turn-by-turn directions to your destination by display simple signals on a circular display. After seeing the device guide bicyclists down city streets in the KickStarter video, it’s hard to imagine jumping onto a bike without one. The SmartHalo attaches permanently to your handlebars and connects to your phone, which is what you’ll use to choose a destination. Once that’s done, you can put your phone in your pocket and let SmartHalo handle the rest. Rather than...
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On Android, given that it's built by Google, consumers already have access to what is arguably the best routing/navigational app in the known universe: Google Maps. But if for some reason that doesn't appeal to you, there's another major player coming to Android at long last. The HERE team is announcing this week that a beta of its mapping app is now ready for Android users, so long as you're using a Samsung device. Thanks to a licensing agreement with Samsung, it'll be available for free, exclusively for Samsung Galaxy smartphones like the Galaxy S5. What makes HERE special is that it'll work without an Internet connection. If you have a solid GPS signal, you're in business, even when it comes...
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Google's Maps platform has rocketed into perhaps one of the most vital in the company's portfolio, both in terms of usefulness and in terms of user loyalty. This week, Google Maps is seeing a major update across both iOS and Android, adding a slew of new features and refining others. Now, for motorists in the United States as well as select other countries, you'll hear which lane to stay in (or move to) when approaching an exit. Plus, you'll have one-touch access to alternate routes as you're navigating. Better still, those headed into disconnected locales will appreciate the easier-to-use offline mode. Just find an area prior to leaving, zoom into, and select "Save map to use offline." Finding...
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We're still at least a few years away from flying cars and teleportation devices becoming commonplace, but in the meantime, Garmin's ensuring the future is always within arm's reach by announcing HUD, the company's first portable head-up display for smartphone navigation apps. With HUD, a device about the size of a typical GPS unit sits on your dashboard and projects navigation information onto a transparent film that you apply to your windshield. HUD is able to provide comprehensive road guidance at a glance and right within the driver's line of sight, which in theory should make for safer drivers compared to looking over to the side at a traditional GPS or down at a smartphone. Speaking of...
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GPS is a powerful navigational tool that’s changed the way we travel, but it’s not without its shortcomings. The simple chip-to-satellite communication can be disrupted far too easily, for example, such as when a user goes through a tunnel or if there’s simple interference nearby. Being that GPS was originally developed for the military, those limitations are not just inconvenient, but life- or mission-threatening. DARPA researchers at the University of Michigan have been developing a “timing & inertial measurement unit” (TIMU) that will augment GPS when needed to help a user navigate. “Three pieces of information are needed to navigate between known points...
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Going skiing this winter? If so, be sure to bring Google up in the ski lift. The company has already accomplished some amazing things with Street View, but its latest achievement reaches beyond amazing and goes straight to useful. With timing that couldn't be more perfect, Google has added 38 run and lift maps for some of the most popular mountains across the US and Canada. Power up Google Maps on your Android device or iPhone, and the mountain information you need is right there. Blue, green and black runs are shown as solid colored lines and ski lifts are red dotted lines. Ski resorts in Google Maps can also be helpful when you’re gearing up for a trip. You can check out the maps on your...
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For most smartphone owners, GPS has become an outright necessity. From navigation to deals apps that look at your present location to present offerings to you, there's a lot to be said about global positioning. But over the years, we've seen a few variations. There's GLONASS, for instance, and now China is predictably rolling out a variation of its own. China has long since made proprietary variations of wireless technologies. Some of its cellular waves are incompatible with radios elsewhere in the world, for example. This week, the nation launched commercial and public services of its Beidou satellite navigation system, which covers the entire Asia-Pacific rim. Trials on the technology started...
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Navigating from Point A to Point B can be tricky, especially these days when you never know if you're going to run into an Apple user wandering aimlessly using the broken Maps program in iOS 6. Fortunately for them, they have options, including the TomTom Navigation app. As luck would have it, the same app is now available to Android users for the first time via Google Play. That's right, TomTom learned to do the robot (see video below for proof). "TomTom has a history of making great navigation applications. Our existing iPhone app gets fantastic customer feedback and regularly wins awards," said Corinne Vigreux, Managing Director TomTom Consumer. "Today, we are bringing this world-class navigation...
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TomTom introduced a new version (v1.11) of its Navigation app for iPhone and iPad. The latest version features the ability to navigate to addresses found on the Internet, search using foursquare, and the latest TomTom maps. The previous version (v1.10) of TomTom's iOS navigation app added Facebook Places, and this latest version now features foursquare, enabling users to search and navigate to foursquare places and check in upon arrival. Version 1.11 also brings a new certified Danger Zones service that stays within the new laws regarding camera alerts in France. In addition to the release of v1.11, TomTom recently launched a new Hands-Free Car Kit for iPhone. This kit features a built-in 2 watt...
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Google updated Google Maps for Android to version 6.5. With this update, you'll see a redesigned Navigation home screen on Android 4.0+ devices. For devices that have a high pixel density screen such as the Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy S II, Droid Razr and others, Google is now offering higher resolution map tiles which means you'll enjoy a crisper, less cluttered map while navigating. The new style is also said to help maps react more quickly to panning, zooming, and twisting. Google also added the ability to prioritize a transit mode and route option in Google Maps 6.5 for Android. Crossing the 50 billion km mark and giving Google Maps for Android a fresh look March 28, 2012 at 1:01 PM - Every day,...
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The world's first HTML5, browser-based, voice-guided, turn-by-turn GPS nav service has just been released. Got all that? TeleNav is upping their game by adding "one line of code." That line gives evelopers of mobile websites or of apps with local content will have a free and easy way to integrate full GPS turn-by-turn directions into their services, creating a more seamless user experience and increasing user engagement and time spent within their applications. Similar to TeleNav's GPS navigation application, the HTML5 navigation service will include full-color moving maps, audio directions, and automatic rerouting if the driver misses a turn. TeleNav's HTML5 navigation service will be free for...
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Sometimes, getting from point A to point B really is the all that matters. Usually that involves a long haul, where all you want to do is sleep. But what if there was more to navigation beyond that? What if the journey was more exciting? That's what Wikitude promises to provide. The world's first AR (augmented reality) navigation app has just launched in America, just in time for that summer vacation you've been planning. The app has already taken Europe by storm, and now it's time for America's roadways to see the same pizazz. Wikitude Drive overlays the desired navigation route onto the camera view of the mobile device. Instead of using a digital map, the driver simply needs to follow a line...
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