Look in the comments below any portable GPS navigation device review or news story on CNET and chances are that you'll find a large number of readers saying something akin to, "Why would I buy this when I've got an app that's better?" You people can't seem to get enough of your smartphones and your apps!

But while a suction cup mount and an aux-audio cable may be enough for some people, many could benefit from a phone-app integration system that makes accessing a smartphone's navigation and audio-streaming apps a bit more solid and a lot less distracting. With that in mind, I've rounded up some of my favorite car stereos that help you to (safely) get your app fix on the go.… Read more

The Magellan SmartGPS is a portable navigation device, but it's also part of a larger system that, at the time of publication, has parts that give users multiple ways to navigate, search for destination, and manage their favorite places. At the core of this system is the SmartGPS hardware, which can be used as a standalone navigation device. However, the hardware works best when used in tandem with Magellan's smartphone apps for iPhone and Android devices and a cloud syncing service called MiCloud that is accessible via any Web browser.

Design The SmartGPS hardware looks about like you'… Read more

This may not be TomTom's first foray into the GPS sport watch business (that distinction came with the Nike+ SportWatch), but the announcement of the TomTom Runner and Multi-Sport are proof that the GPS hardware provider is getting serious about the fitness tech segment.

The Runner and Multi-Sport are based on identical core hardware but feature different software, wristbands, and accessories. The core unit uses a large, high-contrast, monochrome LCD display covered with Gorilla glass, so it should be up to being knocked around a bit. TomTom tells us that the display is not e-ink, but has been … Read more

TomTom breathes new life into its line of portable navigation devices with this week's announcement of the totally redesigned GO series.

Now, when I say completely redesigned, I don't mean that TomTom has reinvented the wheel. The new GO series still uses the same touchscreen on a suction cup form factor that all dashboard navigators have used for a decade. However, the new models have a more rounded design than before and now use a glass touchscreen that is available in just three sizes -- 4.3-inches, 5-inches, and 6-inches -- all of which are pretty big. … Read more

Telenav's Scout navigation app is making the jump from living on your dashboard (or windshield) to living in your dashboard with today's announcement of Scout for Cars, an embedded in-dash navigation product that is being offered to automotive OEMs.

However, Scout for Cars is actually two products under one name -- Scout for Cars: Brought In and Scout for Cars: Built In.

We got a look at the product now known as Scout for Cars: Brought In as far back as CES 2012 (video). This low or no-price option for OEMs uses the driver's smartphone running the … Read more

Navigation software provider Telenav announced a few future updates for its Scout navigation app for Android and iPhone today that should make the app run more smoothly and help you to get where you're going faster.

Scout will be updated to take advantage of vector-based graphics, which should bring along faster performance, a sharper appearance, and smoother interactions with the app. The improved map screen also gains 3D buildings and landmarks in major U.S. cities; the map zooms in as you approach an upcoming turn and adjusts the virtual camera angle to give visual landmarks to look for.… Read more

Your next Mercedes-Benz could be powered by Garmin -- at least, the navigation system will be. The GPS navigation provider announced today that it has been selected by Daimler AG to provide navigation for future a Mercedes-Benz infotainment system.

Garmin's announcement states that its navigation system will be "seamlessly integrated" into Mercedes-Benz' infotainment system, so there is the possibility that Garmin's work will blend and disappear into the Benz COMAND interface rather than appearing as a separate Garmin software as in Chrysler's UConnect system.

We've criticized the Chrysler Group's Garmin integration in the … Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif.--Over the past decade, new in-car electronics have helped us navigate and made more music easily available while driving. But if the work shown at Nvidia's GPU Technology Conference (GTC) is any indication, bigger and better changes are in store.

Among the many automotive seminars at this year's GTC, Honda showed off its development of a head-up display, while Audi discussed its initiatives to make urban driving safer.

In Honda's seminar, Victor Ng-Thow-Hing, principal scientist at the Honda Research Institute in Mountain View, Calif., showed head-up display technology that makes current production examples look … Read more

Abalta's just-released WebLink system makes use of smartphones to power popular apps on a car's dashboard. Although no automotive partners have been announced, the technology could let drivers see and control apps for navigation, music, news, and social media through their cars' touch screens.

For the WebLink launch, Abalta Technologies included integration with Slacker Internet radio, WebNav navigation, Parkopedia parking information, and WCities event information apps.

Abalta says WebLink will work with any major smartphone operating system. The technology makes use of the HTML 5-compatible browsers of smartphone operating systems, showing the content and accepting touch-screen control input … Read more