GPS

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

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

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

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

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

After getting a cease-and-desist order, private livery service Uber has gotten the green light to resume operations in Boston.

The Division of Standards of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts earlier this month ordered the service, which allows people to request private car service via their smartphones, to cease operations because the National Institute of Standards and Technology had not issued guidelines for use of GPS location technology in commercial transportation.

Uber uses GPS technology rather than traditional odometers to measure distance traveled, which then determines the passenger's fare. That, apparently, is what the state Standards Division objected to.

"The … Read more

Tracking your car's trip data can be fun and interesting, but not all cars come with an advanced trip computer. Using your Android phone's GPS sensor, SpeedView can act as a speedometer with some additional data functions.

The main screen of SpeedView displays a linear compass at the top, an analog speedometer, trip information and a speed graph. You can tap on the analog speedometer to switch to the numeric speedometer, while tapping on the trip data allows you to choose which information you want to display. You can choose between time, average speed, maximum speed, elevation, and … Read more

It looks like Uber is being driven out of another city.

Uber, the quickly growing startup that lets people request private car service via their smartphones, has received a cease-and-desist letter from the Division of Standards of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, ordering it to stop operating in Boston.

The letter (see below) states that until the National Institute of Standards and Technology issues guidelines for use of GPS location technology in commercial transportation, Uber can't allow the public to use its app.

"GPS has not been used in commercial applications for assessing transportation charges until Uber Technologies, Inc. … Read more