Navigation Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Magellan linking GPS hardware to smartphones with SmartGPS

by Mel Martin (May 2nd, 2013)

Magellan has announced the nationwide availability of its new SmartGPS device. The hardware GPS for cars mates with an iPhone or Android app to provide the in-car solution with several advantages, including content from Yelp and Foursquare that's based on the user location and planned route. Live ...

Telenav is offering car companies an embedded navigation system that links to smartphones

by Mel Martin (Apr 16th, 2013)

One of the problems with using an iPhone or other smartphone for navigation is the screen size. Manipulating the phone while driving can be a serious distraction. To address this shortcoming -- and leverage the large-screen displays that are present in some modern vehicles -- Telenav has ...

Scout for iPhone adding 3d building and crowd-sourced traffic info later this year

by Mel Martin (Apr 15th, 2013)

Telenav today announced some major enhancements to its free Scout navigation app. Of note, 3D buildings and landmarks are included in the upcoming update, along with significant improvements to the Scout traffic content and user interface. Using some graphics techniques from the game ...

Daily iPhone App: Cling is a platformer that will grab you

by Mike Schramm (Mar 25th, 2013)

Platformers are a tough genre to pull off on a touchscreen. There are a few solid core platformers out there for iOS (Mikey Shorts is probably my favorite), but in general, the lack of tactile buttons and relative shortage of screen space make really precise, strong 2D platforming games hard to ...

Navigon and Garmin GPS navigation apps get updates and new features

by Mel Martin (Mar 22nd, 2013)

Garmin and Navigon have a barrel full of free updates today, bringing the two GPS navigation solutions into closer parity. This seemed inevitable, since Garmin acquired Navigon in 2011. Both iOS apps now support voice directions through your car speakers if your iPhone has a Bluetooth ...

Get Street Views in Apple Maps with a 99 cent app

by Mel Martin (Feb 22nd, 2013)

If you haven't migrated to Google Maps on iOS because you're OK with Apple Maps but you miss Google Street View, here's a pretty easy solution. The US$0.99 app Street View can give you those street views for your destination. Apple allows the launch of third-party apps from the Maps app for ...

DIY Map GPS is a nav app that lets you create your map experience

by Mel Martin (Feb 20th, 2013)

DIY Map GPS (US$4.99, universal) is a GPS navigation solution for those who like to create or annotate their own maps. While it can use the open source Open Street Maps to download mapping data with an Internet connection, it also lets you create your own maps from JPEG or PNG files. DIY Map also ...

Apple looking to hire slew of Maps developers

by Kelly Hodgkins (Feb 6th, 2013)

The public furor about Apple Maps may have died down, but Apple hasn't forgotten about the much-maligned product. According to a report in AppleBitch, the Cupertino company is looking to fill several Software Engineer positions on its Maps development team. The open positions includes spots ...

CoPilot and Bad Elf offer GPS to Wi-Fi iOS devices

by Mel Martin (Jan 24th, 2013)

Here's a nice idea. If you have a WiFi iPad but would like to use that big screen for navigation, now you have a solution. With a small hardware plug in, and the CoPilot Live software, you can navigate without needing a data plan. "People have always been so disappointed when we've told them ...

Review: CoPilot Live Premium edition

by Mel Martin (Jan 7th, 2013)

If Apple Maps or Google Maps for iOS are not your cup of tea, fear not. There are other, low-cost options out there to choose from. The folks who make CoPilot Live Premium for iOS asked me to take their app for a spin, and was glad to take a look. The basic app is now on sale for US$9.99, which ...

Real-time arrivals for some NYC subway lines now accessible on iPhone (Updated)

by Michael Rose (Dec 28th, 2012)

Update: The capable (not to mention iPhone 5- and Retina-aware) subway scheduler app NextStop has been updated to include the realtime info for the relevant lines. It's a much prettier and effective way to get at this info than the MTA's app, which should be considered a beta at best and a ...

Around Me offers holiday update with many new features for travelers

by Mel Martin (Dec 15th, 2012)

One of my favorite local points of interest apps, Around Me (free), received a rather substantial update that will bring a smile to holiday travelers and anyone looking for close-by gas stations, eateries, shopping venues and much more. The ad-supported universal app has added hotel booking in ...

Review: Google Maps for iOS

by Mel Martin (Dec 13th, 2012)

Google is back with a vengeance after Apple unceremoniously dumped them on iOS with a free Google Maps app. People rightly howled about it, especially since the Apple Maps app was slick but undernourished in the data and accuracy departments. Apple's Tim Cook has apologized, and there have ...

Google Maps now available on App Store

by Megan Lavey-Heaton (Dec 12th, 2012)

As reported earlier tonight, Google has released its native Maps app to the App Store to the joy and relief of map-users everywhere. Some users, however, are saying that the app is not available to them, but I was able to load it just fine. This might be another case of Google releasing the ...

Navigation apps from Garmin, CoPilot, TomTom and more on sale this Black Friday

by Kelly Hodgkins (Nov 23rd, 2012)

Today is the day to pick up some navigation apps to supplement Apple's Map application. Major players in the navigation business like Navigon, TomTom and ALK Technologies (CoPilot Live) are discounting most of their apps for the Black Friday shopping bonanza. We've compiled a full list of ...