GPS

Nokia, Navteq show us how a map is made

If you've ever wondered where the map data that powers your smartphone or portable navigation device comes from, then you're in luck. Nokia stopped by recently with the new Lumia 822 Windows Phone 8 handset, its new Nokia Maps 3.0 app, and the awesome, street-scanning Navteq True car.

Sitting atop the True car is a pretty impressive bit of data acquisition equipment.

At the top of the tower is an array of cameras that capture a 360-degree street view as the True car rolls down the road. This scanned data is used in the street view that … Read more

GPS buying guide

I get it. Portable navigation devices (PNDs) are a bit archaic at this point. In a world where every smartphone and tablet has some sort of GPS receiver built into it and most cars offer some sort of navigation option, buying a standalone GPS navigator seems both superfluous and archaic.

Yet, the PND market is far from dead. There are still a number of good reasons to choose a standalone GPS device. So if you're interested, here are our top picks.

Garmin Nuvi 3490 LMT

The Garmin Nuvi 3490 is the flagship of Garmin's line of GPS navigators, … Read more

GPS apps that let you know where you've been

When most of us think about GPS apps for smartphones, we're thinking about navigation apps that help you to get wherever you happen to be going. However, there's a whole range of GPS logger apps that are designed to keep track of where you've been.

Tracking your historic position, movement, speed, and elevation is very useful for fitness, as evidenced by the selection of fitness apps below, but it can also be fun. For example, after exporting the .GPX data from a GPS logger app, it can be imported into Google Earth or similar software to create a 3D flyby or, as is the case in the image above, 2D virtual artwork on a massive scale.

Crowdsourced navigation app Waze gets more social

Popular navigation app Waze rolled out an update with new social capabilities that makes it easer for users to find out where their friends are.

Version 3.5 of the app boasts a new design throughout, and it adds capabilities such as being able to see friends driving in a user's direction. It also makes it easy to share updates about ETA, as well as pick up friends and set spots to meet.

In addition, the app -- updated for Android and iOS -- now allows users to sign in via Facebook, send private messages, and look up useful … Read more

Get a Magellan GPS with lifetime maps and traffic for $84.99

When it comes to behind-the-wheel navigation, I still prefer a dedicated GPS to a smartphone app (especially "smart" ones like the new Apple Maps -- just saying).

Of course, I'm a little spoiled now: I want a big screen, real-time traffic data, and all the map updates I can eat.

Ta-daaa: Today only, and while supplies last, Tech Woot has the Magellan 3065T-LM 4.7-inch GPS with lifetime maps and traffic for $84.99, plus $5 for shipping. Elsewhere it sells for $30 to $40 more.

Unlike a lot of the discount navigators I see these days, … Read more

Five free and mostly free iPhone navigation apps

Although there was much anticipation of Apple's native navigation app for iOS 6, reports of its performance revealed many flaws. If Apple Maps is not everything you had hoped, fear not, there are alternatives. Other companies have been doing navigation a lot longer than Apple, and their apps show much more refinement. Most are basically free, but you will need to pay a little for features such as voice prompts, traffic data, and downloadable maps.

Here are five free, or mostly free, iPhone navigation apps. … Read more

Telenav Scout now compatible with Android, Ford Sync AppLink

Part of the buzz surrounding Telenav's Scout -- the rebranding and reimagining of its Navigator app -- at CES 2012 centered on the announcement that the app would boast compatibility with Ford's Sync AppLink sometime "later this year." The GPS software developer also hinted that an Android version of the app was in the works. "Later this year" arrives today, as Telenav has announced and launched Scout for Android 1.2 with its new Car Connect premium functionality.

Scout for Android is similar in scope to the iPhone version of the app. Upon launch, … Read more

TomTom navigation app for Android coming October 2012

No longer will Android users have to watch longingly from the sidelines while iOS users get all of the navigation app love from GPS app and hardware provider TomTom. TomTom has announced that it is putting the finishing touches on an Android version of its turn-by-turn navigation app at IFA 2012 in Berlin with a projected launch window of October 2012. (That's just over a month from today, so technically those users will have to watch just a bit longer.)

Not that Android users have been left without turn-by-turn options while TomTom has been hard at work on its … Read more

Google Maps for Android adds turn-by-turn navigation for bicyclists

Google Maps for Android has offered turn-by-turn directions for automotive use since 2009. It wasn't long until walking navigation was added in 2010. Finally, transit direction made the jump to turn-by-turn navigation back in June of this year. Today, with the version 6.11.1 update to the Google Maps app, cyclists can get in on the turn-by-turn fun with the addition of bicycle route navigation.

Cyclists will be able to view turn-by-turn directions on a live updating map after selecting a destination and affixing their phone onto the handle bars, or they can simply listen to the spoken … Read more

TomTom's iOS app updates with Foursquare search, check-ins

TomTom's navigation app for iPhone and iPad receives a small refresh with today's version 1.11 bump. The new update brings with it the most recent TomTom map data, new methods for choosing destinations and modifying routes, and Foursquare integration that further fleshes out the apps social networking feature set.

The Foursquare integration is probably the biggest bit of news here. If you're not familiar, Foursquare is a location-based social network game that gives users points for "checking in" to locations and awarding "mayorship" and perks to each location's most frequent visitors. … Read more