I’ve been wondering what would happen with in-car navigation as a result of the new turn-by-turn navigation now available in smartphones. In-car navigation is much more expensive than the $50 app that allows you to use turn-by-turn navigation on your cell phone. The big plus of in-car navigation is the fact that you don’t have to hold your device while trying to navigate busy streets. But the higher price tag of in-car navigation has car manufacturers thinking up ways to utilize the smartphone navigation system.
Solutions are in the works, according to an article in today’s New York Times: Ford has teamed up with the navigation company Telenav to enable Telenav’s Scout software to run on compatible vehicles outfitted with Ford’s Sync system and software called Applink. A $25-a-year app, Car Connect, lets drivers connect Android phones to the dash. (An iPhone version is in the works.)
They can have maps displayed on the car’s screen, use hands-free voice commands and hear directions through the car’s sound system. Also included are traffic information, red-light camera warnings and speed trap alerts, features rarely found on in-dash systems.
Chevrolet’s new compact, the 2013 Spark, is the company’s first vehicle to offer a similar feature. Rather than storing expensive, obsolete maps and navigation in the dash, Spark’s MyLink program relies on a $50 app that owners download to an iPhone or Android handset. Called BringGo, the app worked well in a test drive through New York City traffic, ably providing directions through various boroughs and rerouting automatically when the driver insisted on making a wrong turn. -
GPS Apps that Fight ObsolescenceThe New York Times
