GPS

Pandora has become the app most widely integrated with cars, but while customized streaming-music channels are nice, navigation is much more useful. Chevy obliges by adding the GogoLink navigation app to its MyLink connectivity system.

GogoLink will be available late this year in Chevy Sonic and Spark models equipped with the MyLink option. Including it in these cars lets Chevy offer navigation at the bottom of its model lineup.… Read more

If you're nervous about giving your teen driver the keys to the family car, you may be able to buy peace of mind from OnStar. The telematics company now offers the ability to tell you where your vehicles, and possibly the drivers, are at any time.

Family Link is an optional add-on service to the operator-assisted emergency response and navigation services offered by OnStar. Subscribers can log on to OnStar's Family Link Web site to view a map with the vehicle's location at any time. They can also schedule e-mail or text alerts to update them periodically … Read more

OnStar took a look at its call logs to find out which cities had the highest number of Good Samaritans. It turns out the cities with the worst traffic also had the most helpful drivers.

Los Angeles, Chicago, and the New York metro area had the highest number of Good Samaritan calls to the emergency response service in the U.S. last year. OnStar counts a Good Samaritan call when a subscriber contacts the telematics operator to report another motorist's situation requiring emergency assistance, including collisions, flat tires, or responds to an Amber Alert. Drivers in these areas may … Read more

You'd be in good company if you read that headline and immediately thought that using a big ol' tablet like the new Apple iPad for in-car navigation is a bit silly--I think it's a bit silly, too. However, in a world where new cars are rolling out with dashboard touch screens measuring 8 inches and larger and portable navigation devices are touching the 7-inch mark, perhaps the iPad isn't as out of place on the road as you may think.

There are all sorts of advantages to using a large-screened device in the car. The big display is easier to view with your peripheral vision and the larger interface elements can be more quickly recognized and processed at a glance, both of which translate into more time spent staring at the road ahead and less time scrutinizing a tiny screen for the next turn. Additionally, the larger screen is easier to accurately touch from an arm's length, so you may find that you make fewer mistakes when inputting destinations.

Of course, only the new iPad 4G and the 3G-connected variant of the previous-generation iPad 2 are equipped with an Assisted GPS receiver, so you'll want to make sure you have the correct model before investing in a navigation application. Also, because the iPad is significantly larger than the iPhone 4S, you won't want to obstruct half of your windshield with its 10-inch display. Get your hands on a dashboard mount--or get creative and fabricate your own!

Once your iPad is set up for safe use behind the wheel, check out one of the apps listed below to add turn-by-turn directions and other navigation-centric services, such as traffic data and speed trap info, to your motoring mix. Just be sure to resist the urge to fire up the YouTube app on your commute home! … Read more

Very few people change the performance software on sport cars, but today Ford showed people that upgrading a car's software can be as routine as installing computer updates. The company is shipping owners of its cars with the MyFord Touch infotainment system a USB drive that changes the look and performance of the screens that access navigation, entertainment, climate control, and communications.

CNET got an exclusive look at this update when Ford's Director of Electronic Systems Engineering Jim Buczkowski stopped by to show us how it is done. After plugging in the USB drive, the car's infotainment … Read more

Navigation apps for iPhone and Android are becoming a dime a dozen, and most people find Android's own Google Maps navigation more than adequate. But these apps rely on a data connection, downloading map data as you go. ALK Technologies will be offering a new, free edition of its CoPilot Live navigation app with maps downloaded to the phone.

Although most people use navigation in urban areas where there is a data connection, the advantage of maps stored on the phone is less wait time for your current location to show up on the screen. And if you do … Read more

Let's get one thing straight: this is not a dictatorship. You may have noticed that just below every bright red CNET editors' rating is a cool blue user rating. And just below every review is a place where you, dear user, can make yourself heard by writing a short, sweet user review! Sometimes the editors and the users agree, sometimes we butt heads, but both views are important to the big picture.

Nowhere are user reviews more important than in the GPS category. The core function of the device and the accuracy of its map data relies heavily on the geography and topography of the area where it's operated. A GPS navigator that performs perfectly near the CNET offices in San Francisco may not be as accurate in another city with more tall buildings blocking the sky. On the other hand, maps that aren't 100 percent accurate for our testing area may be perfect near you. That's why it's so important that we hear from our readers.

With that in mind, I've rounded up a selection of the portable navigation devices with the highest average user ratings. If you've got a favorite GPS navigator, pop over to our GPS reviews list and leave a rating! … Read more

Getting from points alpha to bravo is cool. Getting there without going through a mind-numbing traffic jam is just the cat's pajamas!

These days, any old portable navigation device can accomplish the former, but the best differentiate themselves with their almost omniscient awareness of the roads between where you are and where you're going. A good traffic monitoring system can not only save you time, but can also help save you money at the pump and reduce your environmental impact by reducing the amount of fuel wasted idling.

With that in mind, I've rounded up a selection of the portable navigation devices with the best implementation of traffic data and avoidance technology, and even a few quirkier implementations of the tech below for your perusal. … Read more

Remember MapQuest? You know, it was everyone's Google Maps before Google had ever invented Google Maps?

Well, now's your chance to get reacquainted, as MapQuest has recently launched a brand-new HTML5 mobile browser experience for iPhones and Android devices. With its more intuitive navigation and new features, the updated mobile site might just push MapQuest back into the realm of relevance.

So why would you want to use this revamped MapQuest rather than Google Maps? For one, when you get directions using MapQuest, the site gives you landmarks in addition to street names and numbers. For instance, it'… Read more