navigation

Navigation company Garmin is continuing to capitalize on users who are in search of an alternative to Apple's new maps platform.

As part of an update to four of its iPhone apps today, the company added support for the iPhone 5 and iOS 6, as well as public transit features and Google's Street View -- two things that were removed in the big overhaul of Apple's own maps application.

Users can also add on a 3D panorama view that adds three-dimensional elevation views that Garmin says are sourced from data from NASA.

Not all of the features … Read more

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

Released just yesterday as part of iOS 6, Apple's new Maps app is already facing criticism around the world over a slew of geographic errors.

The app has been faulted for misidentifying cities, using incorrect icons, and even failing to display certain locations. Many of the complaints so far seem to be coming from Europe.

For instance, Irish Minister for Justice Alan Shatter has asked Apple to remove the airline icon for Airfield House. The problem? Airfield House is not an airport but a farm, according to Ireland's Breaking News. Shatter may be worried that pilots relying on … Read more

One of the biggest changes users will notice in iOS 6 is the Maps app. As you may be aware, Apple has stopped using Google Maps to power it, opting to go with its own solution.

You're still able to search for venues or points of interest, find phone numbers, and get directions and drive times. In addition, you'll now also have access to Yelp reviews and voice-guided turn-by-turn directions and a new 3D map view.

Editor's note: Not long after the iOS 6 download became available, many people began noticing significant problems with the new mapping app, … Read more

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

American Airlines will be the first commercial carrier to have all of its pilots replace their paper-based reference flying manuals with Apple's iPad.

The airline announced today that it received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to "to use the Apple iPad in the cockpit during all phases of flight."

All pilots fly with a kitbag that contains necessary flight information, navigation charts, and reference materials for when they're in the air. American is dubbing its new kitbag with the iPad an "Electronic Flight Bag." Switching from paper manuals to the iPad will save … Read more

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 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

With the likely release of Apple Maps as part of iOS 6 next month, independent navigation app makers will have a tough time competing against this free, preinstalled software. But Telenav seems poised for the fight, as it made an update to its Scout navigation app for iPhone today that includes the option to download maps, making the app useful even where there is no cell phone connection.

This new version of Scout also brings in voice commands, which will mean drivers can tell it to find destinations by business name, as one example.

When we reviewed the previous version of Scout, it stood out for its excellent route guidance, as long as the free app was upgraded with the $10-per-year voice prompts. Although we have not yet seen Apple Maps' route guidance capabilities, it would do well to emulate Scout. … Read more