Telenav Scout app getting 3D landmarks, traffic improvements
Telenav gives us an early peek at future updates to its mobile navigation app for Android and iPhone.
- North American Car, Truck and SUV of the Year (NACTOY) Awards Juror
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.
Building data and route maps will be cached on the phone to prevent the app from abusing limited data plans.
The updated Scout app will also make it possible to report accidents, incident, hazards, police presence, and traffic jams with a few taps -- a functionality that users of Waze and Trapster have enjoyed for some time. The Scout back end then takes that crowdsourced data to improve its traffic reporting for other users and, hopefully, the entire system then benefits from a more accurate view of the roads.
In addition to this new user-generated data, the Scout app will update traffic flow data midroute and can notify the driver of upcoming traffic jams or congestion and provide alternate route information automatically at the bottom of the navigation screen, without you having to switch screens to search for alternate routes or needing to interact with the phone.
Free and premium versions of the Scout app for Android and iPhone are available from Google Play and the iTunes App Store, but the 3D building and improved traffic updates are still baking and are expected to be pushed live by the end of the year.
Check out a video demo of Scout's 3D building data in action below.