Free update for Navigon iPhone app: MobileNavigator

MikeB

Navigon have updated their navigation application for the second time and once again the update is free to existing users.

This release adds Text-To-Speech and iPod controls as well as some other minor changes. The Text To Speech allows the road names to be included in the navigation instructions giving the driver more confidence in the manoeuvre they are making. The iPod controls are also a very welcome feature as previously although you could set the iPod playing in the background if the playlist or album ended then you had to exit the Navigation application to change the music.

Also included in this release are: Location sharing, and automatic day/night mode switching.

The full Navigon Press Release follows:

NAVIGON Further Extends the Feature Set of its iPhone Navigation App
Second free update includes major additions such as spoken street names (text-to-speech), seamless integration of iPod functions, a location sharing feature and more

Hamburg/Germany, September 10, 2009 — NAVIGON AG, leading innovator in the navigation market, today announced availability of a second free update for the North American version of MobileNavigator for the iPhone. The update equips the NAVIGON app with a comprehensive set of innovative and sought after features.

The highly anticipated text-to-speech function lets the NAVIGON MobileNaviagtor announce street names in addition to turn-by-turn directions. It is the first on-board navigation app for the iPhone with this functionality. Instead of only stating “turn right”, the app informs the user to “turn right on to ‘Main Street’, enabling the driver to further concentrate on the road ahead and not become distracted looking for street signs. “With the addition of text-to-speech technology from SVOX, NAVIGON remains on the forefront of iPhone navigation options with the most solid feature set on the market,” said Gerhard Mayr, Vice-President Worldwide Mobile Phones & New Markets at NAVIGON. “SVOX offers high quality text-to-speech technology, characterized by a natural and clear sound as well as a unique polyglot capability – the same voice can speak multiple languages like a native speaker,“ said Eric Lehmann, Chief Sales Officer of SVOX.

NAVIGON, from the outset is committed to not only setting the industry standard for navigation capabilities on the iPhone, but also integrates iPhone-specific functionalities. The new update is the next step in this direction with seamless integration of iPod controls. Drivers can now enjoy the full range of iPod functionalities with a simple one-click from map access to artists, titles, albums, audio books, podcasts and playlist selections. The feature also takes advantage of the shuffle, and automatic playlist generating technology within iPod. The driver can listen to songs again or leave it to the device to generate a random selection.

A new location sharing function makes it convenient to meet-up with friends and acquaintances, on the go. Users can share their own location, an address or a point of interest (POI) such as a restaurant or museum via email. If the recipients are MobileNavigator users, a simple link-tap provides the exact address. The navigation software starts automatically when the link is activated and guides the user directly to the destination, without having to input locations, and waiting for the search results. In addition, the app routinely changes the maps colors switching it between Day and Night Mode determined by time and location. This guarantees optimal display visibility at all times and allows drivers to recognize the route as quickly as possible to improve orientation.

The MobileNavigator transforms any iPhone 3G, equipped with the new Apple OS 3.0 operating system, and any iPhone 3G S into a complete navigation device. It is the only iPhone navigation app on the market featuring Reality View™ Pro which displays 3D views of complex highway interchanges and exits helping drivers to orientate. Also unique are the branded POI’s along the route which make it easier to spot any points of interest that are on the way.

The NAVIGON solution sells for $89.99 in the Apple App Store and is equipped with maps of North America from NAVTEQ®. There are no subscription fees attached and no map downloads during navigation. The update is also already available for regional country versions of the MobileNavigator across Europe as well as for the Australian app.

For more information and FAQs, please visit: www.navigon.com/iphone.
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Mike Barrett

MaFt · Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 10:23 pm Post subject:

...and the GB version is currently on sale at £37.99 until 30th September

MaFt

WelshTom · Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 10:59 am Post subject:

Have Navigon confirmed at any point that full 7 digit postcode support will be part of a future update? This is the only thing preventing me making a purchase now but if I can be assured it will arrive in due course then I may well take the plunge while the price is reduced Smile

mikealder · Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 11:46 pm Post subject:

Having been out in the car with the new Navigon app running its well worth the update, ok so there is a slight hit in that it takes the application longer to load up but its still faster than some of the others.

The TTS is great and works very well, the iPOD control from the nav screen is very well thought out. This application is starting to take a considerable lead when comapared to the competion, in fact with this update its quite a step change in the right direction when compared to any of the others.

I now have a GPS navigation application on my iPhone that can rival a dedicated PND and it has most of the same features and capability of a +£350 stand alone navigation device, TTS, Lane Assist, good integration with the iPOD for music.

The only missing link that prevents this getting a 10/10 score for UK use is the lack of full postcode support, come on Navigon please wake up to the fact that postcode support in the UK is something everyone using a sat nav based product expects and takes for granted. Add the postcode support and this application will be miles ahead of the competition, this is the only area letting it down - Mike

gyre · Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 2:31 pm Post subject:

Just purchased and took the 1.2 navigon for a spin. (I've also got sygic, copilot and did at one time own Igo.)

I just love the TTS. Very clear, especially through my griffin roadtrip. Couple that with momentarily lowering the ipod volume and it works 100%.

Perhaps because navigon can now access the ipod, I've not suffered from the screen dimming I've been moaning about on the other products for the last month or two. Which is great Smile

Routes calculated seemed fine, and the recalculation was fast too.

I wasn't quite sure what to do when navigon was still trying to get a fix at the the start of a journey. I hit the option that gave a fake demo, expecting that it would flip back to the real route when a fix became available, but that didn't seem to happen.

I'm not a fan of the way navigon displays road names. I think other offerings such as igo do it far better with labels and lines rather than trying to draw diagonally along roads.

I'm impressed so far. Will take for a longer spin tonight. And yes, of course, would be far better with 7-digit UK postcodes.

-- gyre --

iBOT · Occasional Visitor Joined: Aug 26, 2009 Posts: 2

Yeh such a shame about the lack of postcode support, my work involves going to various addresses (companies and schools) which don't have road numbers, only postcodes, probably 9 out of 10 are postcodes only, which unfortunately makes Navigon useless to me. I so hope they add them, am shocked it wasn't in latest update and amazed that they seem to think this is not important, it should be top priority.

sooteee · Lifetime Member Joined: Nov 29, 2006 Posts: 83

I'm currently using CoPilot on my iPhone but the speed cameras aren't directional so I get a lot of false alerts, are the cameras on Navigon's offering directional?

This might swing my decision to buy it whilst it's on offer!

Anyone tried both and got any wise words to offer for and against both systems?

Ta

S

MaFt · Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 8:45 pm Post subject:

i may be thick and not seeing the obvious, but how do you zoom in/out on the map?!

MaFt

gyre · Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 9:17 pm Post subject:

normal iphone gestures might work. pinch with 2 fingers etc.

-- gyre --

mikealder · Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 10:15 pm Post subject:

Normal iPhone zoom works fine, you will see the app switch to 2D map mode then you can zoom in/ out and pan around, pressing "Done" returns the 3D view, in use this works very well - Mike

MaFt · Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 11:41 pm Post subject:

gyre · Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 11:58 pm Post subject:

I'm a bit confused by the built-in ipod. I've not had time to check it out fully, only while driving, but it appears to be adding tracks to some playlist, rather than having the same semantics as the normal ipod app.

I swear it started playing a cliff richard song randomly in the middle of my muse tracks earlier. Scared the life out of me Smile

-- gyre --

gajet · Occasional Visitor Joined: Apr 01, 2006 Posts: 29

MaFt · Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 12:32 am Post subject:

i turned 'shake to shuffle' off owing to our 'great' british roads! but why are you admitting to owning cliff richard?! there are over 300,000 members here let alone all the visiting guests!!!

re ipod/navigon - it seems if you already have a playlist set up / playing (or last to play) it will use that. BUT if you don;t, or you are using a genius mix/playlist then it creates an 'on the go' playlist from what i can gather.

MaFt

darthpaul · Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 4:23 am Post subject:

Regards the 5 digit postcodes.. Didn't someone somewhere on some forum mention that this was a licensing issue, and that Navigon were looking into it?

Personally, I'd rather have more up-to-date maps than 7 digit post codes. There's lots of roads round my way that have changed recently..

As for everything else, it works briliantly. TTS is good, although the actual samples of "the woman" reading road numbers are clearer than the synthsised woman's versions. Which is a shame.

And in the future they are committed to bringing traffic to the device. Probably over the web. So i'll be looking into that for sure.

The only minor gripe is with the "reality view", the iphone's screen is a bit tiny for all that info. Bigger fonts required!

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