The Navigon navigation applications (Now a Garmin Company) for Windows Mobile, iPhone and Android phones have been always top of the line. Now they have done it again for Windows Phone. After the latest Mango update for Windows Phone (7.5) Navigon released two applications Navigon Europe and Navigon USA.

We have reviewed other Navigon applications in the past and I couldn’t let this one pass by. The Navigon USA version is only $29.99 till November 15, 2011 compared to the European version of $69.99. The price difference has to do with higher licencing fees in Europe.

The download of the application was only 5 MB, but at the first launch of the application you need to download an extra 1.6GB of data to complete this installation. You can only do this over Wifi or if you are connected to your desktop Zune client.

There are some great features which I will summarize below but will show most of them in the Video as well.

Features

• Text to Speech directions
• Will continue to work without a cellphone reception
• Pin favorites or an address to your start screen
• Free Traffic app, Traffic4-all ($1.49 will turn off adds)
• Turn by Turn directions
• Visual Lane Guidance with RealityView Pro
• Live Traffic info with rerouting
• Augmented Reality Scanner
• Select address from Contact list (little slow in pulling that info)
• MyRoutes – Navigon’s most reliable routes
• NAVTEQ Data
• Speed assistant

Video

Availability

Screen Shots

Full Press Release

NAVIGON Launches First On-Board Navigation App for Windows Phone 7 Smartphones

Premium GPS App for Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) Provides Turn-by-Turn Directions without a Cell Phone Signal, NAVIGON also Releases Free traffic4all App

 

Hamburg, Germany, October 11, 2011—NAVIGON AG, a leading provider of mobile phone on-board navigation, today announced the launch of the first on-board navigation app for Windows Phone 7 smartphones. NAVIGON’s app is available for Windows Phone 7.5 users and takes advantage of new features made available to developers with this new release such as the ability to save an address to the start screen. In addition, NAVIGON also launches a free traffic app for Windows Phone 7, traffic4all.

Similar to a standalone navigation device, NAVIGON for Windows Phone 7 works in areas without a cell phone signal, so users can get directions and information anytime, anywhere. Other navigation apps for Windows Phone 7 are dependent on a cell phone connection to download map and routing data. Therefore, no cell signal can render navigation useless or interrupted until a connection is reestablished.

“We are pleased to bring our award-winning navigation app to Windows Phone 7,” said Gerhard Mayr, NAVIGON vice-president of worldwide mobile phones and new markets. “The app includes many of the same signature features that have made NAVIGON’s apps successful on other platforms, such as Android and iPhone. The user interface is fully customized to the Windows Phone 7 experience, so users of this platform will feel right at home.”

NAVIGON for Windows Phone 7 includes spoken turn-by-turn directions, visual lane guidance, live traffic information and rerouting, among many other features. NAVIGON’s new app runs on Windows Phone 7.5 and also takes advantage of new features made available to developers with this new release. These features include the augmented reality function Reality Scanner, which provides an instant and effortless way of identifying nearby destinations while on foot; an option to select address information directly from the phone’s contact list; and the ability to save a favorite or home address as a shortcut on the start screen.

NAVIGON for Windows Phone 7 features include:

-       NAVIGON MyRoutes: The app includes routing technology built upon NAVIGON’s 20 years of experience in the navigation industry, so users get the most reliable routes available. The MyRoutes feature provides customized route suggestions with up to three different choices based on the user’s driving style.

-       Reality View Pro and Lane Assistant Pro: Reality View Pro feature clearly displays photo-realistic views of actual highway/interstate signs, exits, and lane guide markers so users can see lane changes and exits in advance. Lane Assistant Pro prepares drivers to make an upcoming exit or turn with a lane map complete with arrows and actual road geometry.

 

-       NAVTEQ® maps: NAVIGON for Windows Phone 7 uses one of the most robust and accurate geographic databases in the world, providing the most accurate map data and points-of-interest information. The superiority of NAVTEQ® maps is defined by its verified accuracy, content richness, and its breadth of coverage data.

-       Traffic Live: NAVIGON for Windows Phone 7—using real-time traffic information available from industry leader INRIX—alerts drivers to traffic problems and automatically calculates alternative routes so they can avoid congestion and save time.

 

-       Reality Scanner: Reality Scanner is an augmented reality feature, providing an instant and effortless way of identifying nearby destinations. Users simply point their smartphone in any direction to see points-of-interest icons appear directly onto a live camera view, making it easy to find destinations on foot.

 

-       NAVIGON Shortcut: Save any address as a shortcut to the Windows Phone 7 start screen. This allows users to start navigating, for example to their home address, with only one click.

-       Speed Assistant: Drivers can potentially avoid costly tickets by receiving alerts when they’re speeding and getting notified of speed and red light cameras before they pass them.

Additional features include Google Local Search, which allows users to find local points-of-interest instantly; one-tap access to help users find critical services such as hospitals and police stations in case of an emergency; and the ability to select address information directly from the phone’s contact list.

NAVIGON traffic4all Windows 7 App

In addition to its turn-by-turn navigation app for Windows Phone 7, NAVIGON also announced a free traffic app: traffic4all helps drivers to avoid gridlock and save time by providing a clear overview of traffic conditions. NAVIGON developed an intuitive user interface that displays traffic incidents on a map with a single hit of a button. Colored road overlays indicate traffic flow, ranging from green for normal to red for traffic congestion or black/white for blocked roads. The app also allows users to plan ahead and look up traffic forecasts by entering a specific time and location.

traffic4all uses traffic information from NAVIGON’s partner INRIX. The leading traffic expert covers more roads than any other provider, delivering real-time traffic information that extends beyond major highways and interstates covering more than two million miles in North America and Europe.

Pricing and Availability

NAVIGON for Windows Phone 7 includes on-board NAVTEQ maps for the USA and is available for $49.99 in the Windows Marketplace. NAVIGON offers a special introductory price of $29.99 until November 15, 2011.

NAVIGON traffic4all is available at no cost in the Windows Phone Marketplace. An upgrade option for $1.49 turns off the integrated ads.

For more information, please visit: www.navigon.com.

Find NAVIGON on:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/NAVIGON_US

Facebook: www.navigon.com/facebook

Flickr: www.navigon.com/flickr

YouTube: www.navigon.com/youtube

About NAVIGON AG – a GARMIN company:

Germany-based NAVIGON AG was founded in 1991 and is a leading supplier of satellite navigation products. In July 2011, the company was acquired by Garmin Ltd. and operates as a fully-owned subsidiary. The NAVIGON brand offers mobile navigation devices (PNDs), smartphone navigation applications, and solutions for the automotive OEM industry.

The previous campaign from Route 66 which provided users of a Samsung Wave (GT-S8500) with lifetime use of Route 66 navigation software has now been extended ! All owners of a new Samsung Wave II in The Netherlands can upgrade their smartphone for free with lifetime navigation for Western Europe.

All Samsung Wave II smartphones are shipped worldwide with a 30-day test license of the Samsung LBS mapping and navigation software. After the 30-day test period, the navigation feature is automatically disabled and users continue to have access only to the worldwide map viewer. To overcome this restriction, Samsung, NAVTEQ and ROUTE 66 have joined and invite all owners of a Samsung Wave II to upgrade their smartphone entirely for free with lifetime on-board navigation for Western Europe. This upgrade normally costs 39,99 euro, but is now free until the end of the year 2011.

If you own a Wave II smartphone and want free navigation software, just register yourself before 31 December 2011 at Route 66′s  website: https://secure.66.com/freenavigation/?cid=NL. After registration, you will receive a 4GB memory card with the map of Western Europe in the mail.

The main advantage of this offer is that you are now saving on costs, because maps do not need to be downloaded anymore and are running from your storage card. Also saves on roaming costs ! All other content like Speed cams and weather can be downloaded from the Route 66 Store.

Navigon is one of the best navigation software on the market today for the mobile market. In Europe they still sell their Personal Navigation Devices, but worldwide they sell their navigation software on the Microsoft Windows Phone 6.x  and Apple iOS platforms. However today the announced launch of their Navigation software for the Android Smartphones.

We have covered the Navigon Software on other platforms earlier. But besides the Apple iOS and Windows Mobile platform , they have added now their Navigation Software to the Android (Google).

The special price for the MobileNavigator for the first two week is $39.99  in the Android Market and Google Checkout. After that the price will be a one time fee of  $59.99 which will include the Traffic Live Services. Now we have to wait when they will bring out the Navigon MobileNavigator for Windows Phone 7.

The great features of the Navigon Mobile Navigator are:

• Reality View Pro
• Traffic Live
• Reality Scanner
• Lane Assistant Pro
• Speed Assistant
• Text-To-Speech
• NAVIGON MyRoutes
• Day & Night Mode
• Direct Access to Contacts
• Route Planning (of course)
• Branded POI’s on map and in reality scanner
• Automatic Portrait or Landscape orientation
• Intelligent address entry
• Real street and highway sign display
• Direct calls to POI’s
• Pedestrian Navigation
• Red Light Camera’s

Screenshots

The image below is from their reality scanner. Which helps you find points of interest by showing them in a live camera view.

Full Press Release

NAVIGON Launches On-Board Navigation App for Android Smartphones
Provides Premium, All Inclusive Experience with On-Board Map Material, Industry First Reality Scanner and Traffic Live
Hamburg, Germany October 27, 2010—NAVIGON AG, a leading provider of mobile on-board navigation, today announced the release of the US version of its award winning MobileNavigator for the Android platform. The first on-board navigation app of a major navigation company to launch on the Android platform, MobileNavigator brings premium navigation to the growing Android user base. Among many signature functions, the app includes the industry-first feature Reality Scanner that identifies points of interest by showing them in a live camera view. MobileNavigator is available now from the Android Market and includes Traffic Live and without an additional cost.

MobileNavigator brings first-class developments in GPS navigation technology and real-time travel information to the Android platform. “For almost two decades NAVIGON brings preeminent navigation technology; this long standing experience enables us to deliver sophisticated navigation solutions that transform smartphones into navigation solutions comparable to standalone devices,” said Gerhard Mayr, NAVIGON vice-president worldwide mobile phones and new markets. “Other than free navigation apps for the Android platform, NAVIGON’s app provides on-board premium maps and driving related features that go beyond providing simple directions, helping to make driving a more relaxed experience.”

Reality Scanner is an industry first feature for the Android platform. Utilizing the phone’s build-in camera, positioning, and compass components together with NAVIGON’S extensive POI database to project POI (points of interest) icons directly on the camera’s image. Users can point the device and instantly identify POIs in or around the location. Other premium features include, Reality View Pro, displaying photo-realistic 3D views of actual road, highway/interstate, signs and exits, and lane guide markers for easy driving decisions. Traffic Live uses real-time data from over a million drivers to route around traffic. NAVIGON MyRoutes analyzes driving habits, patterns, location, time/day and provides up to three routes clearly displayed in-map with ETA, distance and driving times for each (a comprehensive list of features is below). The NAVIGON Red Light Cameras feature provides drivers an advanced visual warning for most red light and speed cameras.

MobileNavigator relies on the devices’ GPS receiver as well as the pre-loaded NAVTEQ® maps, providing full function navigation capabilities when a cell signal is not available. Off-board navigation, in comparison, is dependent on a cell phone connection to download map and routing data. Therefore, no cell signal renders navigation useless or interrupted until a connection is re-established. “MobileNavigator addresses the concerns of savvy consumers who are dissatisfied with the inconsistent performance of off-board turn-by-turn navigation solutions using lower quality data that has recently entered the market. NAVTEQ maps are a key differentiator and part of NAVIGON’S overall strategic vision for enabling a more sophisticated navigation experience for consumers,” said Jeff Mize, executive vice president, Global Sales, NAVTEQ. “The superiority of NAVTEQ® maps is defined by its verified accuracy, richness of content and its breadth of coverage data. Equipped with proprietary data collection tools and state-of-the-art technologies, NAVTEQ’S Geographic Analysts continually drive the roads to collect, verify and update over 260 attributes, many of which can only be captured through direct field collection. This in-depth “human factor” delivers data consistent with real world conditions and is one of the most robust and accurate geographic databases in the world.”

In addition to the benefits of an on-board solution, NAVIGON’S hallmark navigation capabilities and third party partnerships come together in MobileNavigator customized and developed for the Android platform.

The extensive set of features and capabilities include:
·      Reality View™ Pro clearly displays photo-realistic 3D views of actual road, highway/interstate, signs and exits, and lane guide markers for easy driving decisions.

·      Traffic Live The most precise traffic information available today, using real-time speed data from over a million drivers including commercial fleets such as trucks and taxis and non-commercial drivers with GPS capabilities.

·      Reality Scanner helps finding points of interest by showing them in a live camera view.

·      Lane Assistant Pro prepares drivers to make an upcoming exit or turn with a lane map complete with arrows and actual road geometry.

·      Speed Assistant Adjustable audio-visual warning alerts drivers of speed and can be turned on or off.

·      Text-to-Speech Complementing turn-by-turn directions; informs the driver of both the street name and the direction to turn.

·      NAVIGON MyRoutes analyzes driving habits, patterns, location, time/day and provides up to three routes clearly displayed in-map with ETA, distance and driving times for each.

·      Day & Night Mode for map display.

·      Direct Access to Contacts Allows navigation to contacts saved in the phone’s address book.

·      Route Planning

·      Branded POIs and POIs along the route and in Reality Scanner.

·      2D and 3D map view

·      Coordinate Input Employ longitude and latitude coordinates as a destination as an alternative to traditional input like an address or POI by name. Email geographical coordinates for precise location identification.

·      Automatic Portrait or Landscape

·      Intelligent address entry for quick text entry and lookup results.

·      Real Street and Hwy sign display

·      Directly call POIs

·      Pedestrian Navigation

·      Google Local Search Connected instant search of local points of interest.

·      Red Light Cameras provides drivers an advanced visual warning for most red light and speed cameras.

Pricing and Availability
MobileNavigator is available now in the Android Market and Google Checkout for *$39.99 for two-weeks. Post promotion the app retails for a one-time fee of *$59.99. The price includes the Traffic Live services. MobileNavigator is equipped with maps of the U.S.A. from NAVTEQ®.

*NOTE: Price subject to slight variations based on exchange rates between Euros and US Dollars.

Compatibility
NAVIGON MobileNavigator is compatible with most Android phones and runs with Android 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2. The application requires a minimum of 30 MB of free RAM and about 1.5 GB storage space for maps, voices etc. Supported screen resolutions are 320×240, 480×320, 800×480, 850×480 and vice versa.

Today in Amsterdam, TomTom have announced their new flagship called TomTom Go 1000 Live.  It features a brand new design and will be equipped with state of the art components like a capacitive touchscreen, a 500 MHZ ARM 11 processor, 128 MB RAM memory, 4 GB of Internal storage for maps, a custom-built Broadcom GPS chip, a Webkit based browser and if you buy this PND, you will have Live Services free for ONE YEAR. After that it will cost less than 50 Euros for one year.

Beginning in June, you can use the Live Services in 33 countries across Europe, featuring local information about petrol prices, services and weather. The  HD Traffic Service, which tracks congestion on secondary roads as well as motorways and safety camera alert features will come to only 16 nations at this moment.

Another novelty is the magnetic windscreen holder. You can attach and detach your GO 1000 now with one hand on the windscreen dock.

Together with all the new features, it will also have the latest NavCore onboard which is currently NavCore10. One of the new features of NavCore10 is “Park Assist” which guides you to available parking space(s) near your destination.

Expect all this to be available in the summer of 2010. We will post more details when available.

Until now, the largest micro SDHC Memory card for your Mobile Device was 16 Gigabytes. Enough to store your maps, pictures, videos and music. The demand for more memory keeps on growing everyday and now SanDisk is the world’s first to ship their new 32 Gigabyte micro SDHC Memory Card.

“With the large volume of photos, videos and music that consumers create and carry around, a high-capacity memory card is a must-have component of today’s smartphone.
Smartphones have evolved far beyond the simple phone call. They serve as mobile offices, music players, movie theaters, cameras, video recorders, GPS devices and gateways to the mobile Internet. The highly-versatile 32GB SanDisk microSDHC card delivers immediate memory expansion that lets consumers enjoy the storage-intensive features of their advanced handsets. For example, the 32GB SanDisk microSDHC card can store enough music to outlast 35 round-trip flights between San Francisco and New York before repeating a single song.”

The 32GB SanDisk microSDHC card is available starting Tuesday, 3/23/10 on SanDisk.com U.S. and European e-commerce sites, with worldwide retail availability to follow next month. The new card comes with a 5 year limited warranty and carries a suggested retail price of $199.99.

Click here for the full press release.

Navigon announced today an update for their iPhone MobileNavigator application.  We reviewed both the iPhone and Windows Phone version of the Navigon MobileNavigator earlier. The iPhone version has been around a little longer and had some minor updates.

The latest update adds Social Media connectivity. A simple tap on a icon will post your current location and your ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) without leaving your navigation screen. The social media account that work with the application are Twitter and Facebook.

Another update which is part of the free upgrade are the Navigon MyRoutes. This feature will analyze driving habits, patterns, location, time/day and provides up to three routes clearly displayed in-map with ETA, distance and driving times for each.

The Panorama View 3D will give you an orientation of your surroundings. The information comes from NASA’s height and terrain data. This added feature will be available for $9.99 in the app store.

Below is the full press release

NAVIGON Announces iPhone App Update with 3D Terrain Views, Social Media Integration and Intelligent Routing

First Navigation App to Integrate Twitter and Facebook Functionalities

Macworld Expo and Conference, Moscone Center, San Francisco, CA (February 9, 2010)—NAVIGON AG, the leading provider of mobile phone on-board navigation, today announced a significant update for MobileNavigator, the most feature-rich navigation app available on the iPhone platform. Extending comprehensive functionality, the update adds three innovative features: in-app Connection to Facebook and Twitter, Panorama View 3D with 3D terrain views powered by NASA data, and personalized route delivery via NAVIGON MyRoutes, an intelligent direction provider. NAVIGON is showcasing the update prior to its launch in spring at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco, February 11-13, booth #575.

“NAVIGON, an industry first to launch an on-board navigation app on the iPhone platform, remains ahead of the competition by consistently delivering first to market, full-feature updates. Apple’s App Store is ideal for delivering our latest innovations to our users,” said Gerhard Mayr, vice-president worldwide mobile phones & new markets, NAVIGON. “The upcoming fifth version not only redefines routing capabilities on the iPhone platform but also integrates social media connectivity, and outstanding, reliable 3D environment views.”

Further enhancing the proficient iPhone connectivity capabilities, MobileNavigator allows users to broadcast current position, destination and ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) to favorite social media outlets, Twitter and Facebook, without navigation interruption. The easy access in-app icons seamlessly launch and the Twitter feature automatically limits input to the maximum 140, and provides a character countdown.

Complementing the elegant iPhone UI, Panorama View 3D delivers 3D map views through digitized cartography rendered from NASA’s height and terrain data. The full 3D view delivers an accurate depiction of surrounding environment, and what lies ahead with digital landscapes that include elevations, shadows, and geographic images. Panorama View 3D is integrated in-map, independent from the phone’s data connection.

NAVIGON MyRoutes takes personalized route recommendations to a new level with intelligent, customized direction planning. The feature analyzes individual driving data and designs customized routes. Up to three choices with distance and ETA are clearly displayed in-map for each. One primary recommendation based on the user’s driving habits, the day of week and time of travel is provided and the additional two alternatives provide options to choose a preferred route.

MobileNavigator transforms the iPhone into an inclusive navigation device that relies on the GPS receiver, independent from a cell or wireless signal, to provide the most feature rich on-board navigation application. MobileNavigator offers a familiar, yet streamlined user interface that offers intuitive visual feedback and readily accessible connected features, which takes the efficiency of mobile navigation to new heights. It is the only on-board iPhone navigation app available that includes Google Local Search, Reality View™ Pro, branded in-route POI’s, seamless in-app iPod controls, enhanced pedestrian mode, Traffic Live, and soon in-map social media connectivity in one application.

NAVIGON is dedicated to delivering premium navigation software for multiple mobile phone platforms. The company recently launched MobileNavigator for Windows Phone and announced an application for Android phones. According to the latest market data from Canalys, NAVIGON is the industry leader of on-board/perpetual navigation solutions for mobile phones in the U.S. with a market share of 23 percent.

Version 1.5.0 Feature Highlights:

Connection to Facebook and Twitter: A simple icon tap posts users current position, destination, and ETA without navigation interruption.

Panorama View 3D: True 3D in-map views obtained from NASA’s height and terrain data enable intuitive orientation of surrounding environment, and what lies ahead with digital landscape elevations, shadows, and geographic images. Panorama View 3D is integrated in-map, independent from the phone’s data connection. The Panorama View 3D feature will be available via an In App Purchase.

NAVIGON MyRoutes: Analyzes driving habits, patterns, location, time/day and provides up to three routes clearly displayed in-map with ETA, distance and driving times for each.

Pricing and Availability

MobileNavigator is available for $89.99 in the Apple App Store and is equipped with maps of North America from NAVTEQ®. Special Macworld promotion: MobileNavigator for $69.99 and one time in-app purchase Traffic Live for $19.99 (regularly $24.99) from February 5-15. Panorama View 3D will be available via an In App Purchase for $9.99.

Besides being available for the iPhone 3G and 3GS, the NAVIGON app also runs on first-generation iPhone or an iPod Touch. Additional accessories are required for GPS navigation on these devices.

For more information, please visit: www.navigon.com/iphone.

A couple of months ago we took a look at the Navigon Mobile Navigator for the iPhone .  After a couple years in absence, due to the focus on the Personal Navigation Systems, Navigon has come back to the Windows Phone Market. Navigon also released a version for the Android platform.

Some key feature of the Navigon Mobile Navigator for Windows Phone are:

• Reality View Pro (on devices with landscape format support) displays photo realistic 3D views with actual road signs and lane guidance for virtually every highway interchange and exit drivers will encounter.
• Lane Assistant Pro Helps drivers prepare to make an upcoming exit or turn by providing a lane map complete with arrows and actual road geometry.
• Text-To-Speech announces street names in addition to turn-by-turn directions.
• Speed Assistant with adjustable audio-visual warning.
• Day & Night Mode for map display.
• Direct Access allows navigation to contacts saved in the phone’s address book.
• Route Planning.
• Branded Points of interest.
• 2D and 3D map view.
• Automatic switch between Landscape and portrait mode.
• Intelligent address entry.
• Real signpost display
• GPS simulation in tunnels.

In the first video I will give you an impression how the Navigon Mobile Navigator 7 runs on the LG eXpo Windows Phone.

 The video below (no sound) will show you the start up time and all the possible screenshots you want to see.  In these screenshots you can see the many possible settings and functions the Navigon Mobile Navigator has for the Windows Phones platform.

The demo was done on the HP iPAQ Glisten with a smaller resistive AMOLED touchscreen is 2.5″ with QVGA 320×240 resolution. I hopefully will get a demo set-up soon using the LG eXpo we earlier reviewed.

When installing the application through your desktop you have the option to install different language voices, including the Text  To Speech voices (TTS) and different maps.

The Screenshots below are from the Navigon Mobile Navigator 7 on a Android Phone.

Conclusion

As with any other Nnavigon product, the software is designed with a professional looking, easy to use User Interface. The platform is now available on Personal Navigation Devices, iPhone’s, Windows Phones and Android Phones. My experiences on all these platforms are similar. Navigon is one of the top navigation software’s on the market.

The Navigon Mobile Navigator 7 is now available and on sale at PocketGearfor $68.36 from $89.00 until February 14th  and is equipped with maps of North America (US, Canada, Hawaii and Puerto Rico)

A few weeks ago, ProClip USA / Brodit introduced their latest product for the new HTC HD2: A Charging and Non-Charging holder for your HTC HD2, so you can use your new device safely in your car. Like many other accessories, I think this is a must-have for every HTC HD2 owner. I have been using the Proclip USA / Brodit products for many years now and if you don’t know the company here is some background on the company:

Brodit develops and manufactures products for installation of communication devices in vehicles. Brodit was founded in 1983 and is located in Karlsborg, Sweden.
The company has 80 employees, is market leader in Scandinavia and exports to 30 countries. Brodit was conceived back in June 1983 as its founder Ebbe Johansson was sitting in his taxi and had the vision of talking on the phone while driving without having to pull over. Some of you still remember the mobile phones from back then. They were not as neat and handy as they are today. They were more like suitcases weighing about 40 pounds with receivers as big as a brick! Ebbe saw the need for an easy way to have the receiver installed close to the driver’s seat in order to use it comfortably. As a result, the ProClip was born, which is still the market leader for mounting platforms for communication equipment in vehicles today.

Since then, many thousand different models and solutions have been developed for just about every vehicle in the world. Easy installation is one of the objectives, and another is not having to drill holes or in any other way damage the interior of the car! Brodit also produces holders for PDAs, mobile phones, GPS devices and multimedia monitors, but the ProClip is still Brodit´s main product.

What is in the package ?

When you order your ProClip USA / Brodit holder, you will receive the holder (Charging or non-Charging version), mounting screws and mounting instructions.

The mounting instructions are pretty straight forward:

• Loosen the screw in the center of the holder so you can remove the tilt swivel attaching plate on the back.
• Place the attaching plate on the desired position (Proclip solution preferred).
• Screw the attaching plate into place with the enclosed screws.
• Place the holder over the attaching plate so the tilt swivel fits. Screw the holder onto the attaching plate.
• The holder is in place. (It can also be used with HTC original portable Handsfree.)

When you have mounted the holder on the Proclip Mounting Platform, it looks like this:

Does it fit ?

There is a quick answer to this: YES, it fits very well. I have been using ProClip USA / Brodit products for more than 8 years now and up until this latest version of the HTC HD2 holder, I never experienced bad fitting or the need to apply excessive force to place the device in the holder. Also with this holder, I can mount the device with very little force and it slided perfectly in place. It is very important that the device fits exactly in the holder, otherwise the connector in the holder will damage the USB sync connector of your HTC HD2.

As you can see in the above picture, there is no space between the device and holder. This holder also gives you the possibility to use the original HTC headset that was delivered with your phone. This way you can enjoy your phone and drive safely at the same time. There is also enough room to connect an audiocable to connect your phone to your car stereo.

The HTC HD2 features also a new Micro-USB connector instead of the more common Mini-USB connector. This holder is one of the first that also features this new Micro-USB connector for HTC products.

The picture below shows the holder from the side. It clearly shows that there is enough room for the device and even when they develop an extended battery that would be more bulky than the original battery, even then should there be enough room for this.

Overall conclusion

This will be a short overall conclusion because there are (again) no negative comments for this holder. Build quality is still at the same high level as it has been for many years and it is a perfect fit for your device.

We want to thank ProClip USA for providing us with this test sample. Enjoy a 10% discount when shopping at ProClip USA this holiday season. Enter the following AC Number 1204122409 into the AC Number field when checking out and receive 10% off your entire product purchase. Offer is valid December 4, 2009 through December 24, 2009.

Powermat send us some samples of their wireless charging solutions to us to give you all a feel for their products. With many cables out there, we all want to reduce these huge amounts of cables and get rid of our clutter. The Powermat is a step in the right direction in reducing some of the extra cables you might use when creating your own charging stations or with all your individual chargers.

The Powermat will allow you to charge 3 different devices  wireless and one extra device by using the integrated USB port. The Powercube comes with 8 possible connector tips which will allow you to charge nearly all mobile devices on the market.  Some specific products from Powermat will allow you to charge specific devices with ease. These specific products are: BlackBerry Battery Doors, Apple Cases and Docks, Nintendo DS Back Panels and of course the Universal Powercube receiver.

In the video below I will show you the following products:

1. Powermat Home & Office Mat ( $99.99)
2. Powermat Portable Mat ($99.99)
3. Receiver-Dock for iPod and iPhone ($39.99)
4. Receiver-Case for iPhone ($39.99)
5. Powercube Universal Receiver ($29.99)

Items also available but are not shown in the video are:

1. BlackBerry Battery Door ($29.99) BlackBerry Tour, Bold, Curve 8300, Curve 8900 and Pearl
2. Receiver-Back for Nintendo DS  ($29.99) Nintendo DS Lite and Nintendo DSi

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leqX1FjsMtE

Conclusion

Using the Powermat system is a good step into the future. At my home desk the Powermat is a great solution to charge three devices with ease. I highly recommend it.

It would be great if the Portable Powermat would be smaller and thinner. The Travel Case with everything into it is still more volume in my very limited cargo travel space. A simple small USB hub build into the plugs and 2-3 individual USB charging cables will save much more space in my luggage.

I think this technology will grow and will become a standard into devices into the future. I am glad the European Community is having results with creating at least a standard in Mini and Micro USB Charging for mobile devices. Let’s see if  integrated wireless charging could be the next step!!

At the IFA 2009 in Berlin Navigon released their new navigation systems: The Navigon 8410 and the Navigon 8450 Live are Navigon’s top products at the moment. MobilityMinded had the chance to review the 8410 and take a good look at the new possibilities of this Navigation device.

What’s in the box

First of we’ll take a look of what’s in the box. The version I got to review luckily was no pre-production model so what I found in the reviewed version should be in the retail version too.

Here is what’s in the box:

• Navigon 8410 navigation device
• screen protector
• pouch
• windscreen mount
• USB-cable and a wall-connector
• 12V charging cable (with a built-in TMC antenna)
• 2 GB Micro-SD card (The SD-card has around 490 MB of free space)

The windscreen mount is of a very good quality. The device can be connected secure and safely in the windscreen mount. And the suction cup sticks very well to the windscreen. Besides that the windscreen mount also has a mini USB connector. It is possible to connect the 12V charging cable to the windscreen mount.

The 12V charging cable has an built-in TMC antenna and when the charging cable is connected to the windscreen mount you’ll receive current traffic information. The TMC-antenna isn’t really perfect. The TMC reception sadly wasn’t stable all the time and I got the feeling that the fact that there isn’t a separate antenna is the cause of the lack of the quality of the TMC reception.

Specifications

Design

Top

The top of the device has a longer than normal power button. This button does not stick out of the device and therefore is a little bit hard to push.

Bottom

The bottom of the device has a micro-SD-card slot. The micro SD card that was shipped in the 8140 was 2GB and had a little bit over 490MB of free space. Right next to the Micro-SD-Card slot there is a reset button. The bottom also has a 3.5mm headphone jack and a mini-USB connector.

Left

The left side of the 8410 has a connector for a DVB-T antenna. The DVB-T antenna is not included and needs to be purchased separately.

Right

The right side of the device is left completely without any buttons or connectors.

Back

The back of the device has a connector for the windscreen mount.

Front

The front of the device has a 5″ touchscreen display. This screen is really large and crystal clear. The front has a nice, brushed steel border.

Putting the Navigon 8410 to the test

I’ve used the Navigon 8410 a little under 2 weeks. In these two weeks I drove quite some kilometers to get a good impression of the device. When the device is booted there are 4 options in the main menu: Navigation,TV, Media Player and Phone. Sadly, because the DVB-T antenna isn’t included I could not test the TV functionality of the Navigon 8410. The other functionalities will be reviewed in this chapter.

Navigation

Navigating with the Navigon 8410 is really great especially because of the 5″ touchscreen display. I own a Navigon 5110 myself and there is just a big difference on screen size between the 5110 and the 8410. The screen is not only very large but also crystal clear.

Entering a destination is very easy with the smart recognition keyboard. When entering a destination the complete keyboard is displayed. If you’d like to navigate to “Breda” for example and enter the “Br” – Irrelevant combinations are grayed-out.

When the destination is entered Navigon calculates different routes and let you choose which route you would like to drive. The difference in these routes is normally the length of the route in kilometers compared to the length of the route in Minutes (of Hours). When you select a route the Navigon 8410 gives you directions of the selected route.

While driving towards your destination you have some options. The Destination tab gives the possibility to add an interim destination or add a POI on your Route.

The Route tab lets you change the route profile, block a closed road, change to a different route or give a turn-by-turn list of your route.

The Services tab also gives you information about your route. For example the traffic information (which is retrieved via TMC) or a parking near your destination.

The General tab shows options to change the view from 2D to 3D, change the day and night view and go to the general device settings.

Navigon has some nice features build-in while navigating. Some of these features can be found in any navigation device like speeding camera’s, speed assistance (gives you information when you’re speeding) and Reality View. But there are also some features included in this device that I haven’t seen in any other device yet.

Clever Parking: One of these features is Clever Parking. Clever parking  gives you parking possibilities near your destination. Pushing the “Parking” button gives you a list of parkings near you and let you navigate towards this parking.

Real City 3D: The maps on the Navigon 8410 have Real City 3D. This means that mainly buildings are 3D rendered while navigation trough a city. Unfortunately I didn’t have the opportunity to make some decent screenshots of the Real City 3D, but I can tell that this functionality is really impressive.

Voice Recognition: Navigon likes to call this feature “Voice Interaction Pro”. Sadly in my opinion it doesn’t work the way it should work.
With the Voice Interaction Pro it is possible to enter a destination by speaking to the device. This might sound good, but I think Navigon should leave it out. The Voice recognition just isn’t stable enough and doesn’t find the destination I say. Is that any problem ? No absolutely not.

In my opinion voice recognition should either work well, or should not be implemented. There is a very good way to enter a destination with the smart recognition keyboard and that is more than enough. Anything else should not be implemented in a device unless it works extremely well.

Overall navigation:

Overall, navigating with the Navigon 8410 is a real pleasure. The large, clear screen gives enough information and displays the information very well. The calculated routes are accurate and the estimated time of arrival is also calculated well.

There’s one downside of the screen while navigating and that when you’re driving around 100 KM/h or more the screen refresh isn’t as frequent as I had hoped for. When you’re driving slower, the map zooms in and the screen refresh is normal again.

Media Player

From the media player it sadly wasn’t possible to take any screenshots. I’ve been testing the Media player with both pictures (JPG) and sound files (MP3) and I must say I am a little bit disappointed about the overall possibilities of the Media Player. It seems that the development of the media player is in an very early stage and doesn’t work yet the way it should work.

Displaying pictures in a slideshow luckily was no problem, but playing an MP3-file simply wasn’t possible. I’ve tried several MP3 songs which I copied over to the SD-card and sadly none of them played on the Navigon. Playing them on my computer wasn’t a problem at all.

Phone

The Navigon 8410 can  also be used as a Bluetooth Handsfree Carkit. In these days where driving and calling just really don’t go together, a built-in Bluetooth Handsfree kit in a Satellite Navigation System is a really good option. In the screenshots below I’ll describe  the functionality of the Bluetooth Hands-free kit in the Navigon 8410 in detail.
First it is important to know that the device I connected to the Navigon 8410 is an iPhone 3GS.

First you have to do is turn Bluetooth on your device to “on” and set up a connection between your phone and the Navigon. When the connection is established, the Navigon copies all the phonebook contacts to the Navigon’s internal memory. The fist time this took me around 12-15 minutes (I’ve got around 300 contacts in my phonebook). That sounds a lot, but I didn’t have any problems with that, because all my contacts were transferred perfectly.

If your phonebook is loaded into the Navigon you have multiple options to make calls.

You can choose to dial a number with the on-screen keyboard, via the phonebook, via recent calls or via Voice command. In my opinion the Phone Book option or the Recent Calls option are the best and fastest ways to dial a contact.

The Phone Book has the same intelligent keyboard where irrelevant options are grayed out and that works really well.

When a contact is selected it is not only possible to call that contact, but also navigate to their home or work address.

When you’re on the road an you’ve got an incoming phone call the Navigon asks if you would like to accept or reject the phone call. When you’re  in a phone call you see the contacts name with telephone number and a few options. I had to set the volume to 100% when in a call and driving on the highway. The sound from the Navigon could be a little bit louder.
It is also possible to mute the phone call so that the person on the other side of the line doesn’t hear what you’re saying. When the conversation is a little bit longer you can also go back to the navigation screen during your phone call, but you don’t receive any vocal driving instructions while you’re on the phone.

Overall I liked the Phone capabilities of the Navigon 8410 very much. Everything works really well. The Navigon 8410 is a really good alternative especially if you don’t have a Bluetooth carkit in your car already.

Overall thoughts and wrap-up

Overall I think the Navigon 8410 is a really good device. The large, crystal clear screen is one of the best features of the device.

Navigation

The Navigon 8410 does what it needs to do. Navigating around with the Navigon 8410 is a real pleasure. The Navigon 8410 calculates the routes correctly and gives very good and detailed instructions. The 3D reality view is very good

Media Player

You shouldn’t buy the Navigon 8410 for it’s Media Player functionality since this doesn’t work the way it should work, but in my opinion that is just an “extra” – feature which this device doesn’t need to have included. The picture-display options work ok, but playing an MP3 file is almost impossible.

Phone

The other extra feature – using the device as a Bluetooth carkit luckily does work very well and can be used for anyone who doesn’t have a Bluetooth carkit built in his car.

Garmin just released the Garmin Nuvifone G60 with AT&T.  This device was designed to be a navigation system in the first place, but with added features like most phones have as well.

The User Interface is very simple and very easy to use. The three large on screen buttons are for the main functions like : Call, Search and Show maps.

Click For Larger Image

The build in GPS and the 3G connectivity will give this device the live capabilities to find addresses and Point of Interests online and instantly use this information to navigate to this address.

Go to the Garmin website to see the full feature list .

The cradle is really designed to use the device in a horizontal/landscape position. It comes with a suction cup and

cradle that allows you to place this onto your windshield or onto a round disk that you can adhere anywhere on your dashboard.

Below is a 7 minute video with my impressions.

The full user guide is available here .

The Garmin Nuvifone can connect to the computer using the USB sync cable. Windows will recognize this as a Mass storage device. After the USB driver is installed you will be able to see the device in “My Computer”.  By selecting the device it redirects you to install a dashboard application from Garmin which allows you to manage your device on your computer.

Click for Larger Image

Since our review of the Navigon navigation for the iPhone back in July, Navigon has come out with already two major updates.

This 2nd free upgrade includes now the extra following function within the navigation app;

• Text-to-Speech (spoken street names)
• seamless integration of iPod functions. (You can now switch between library iPod and Navigation)
• Location sharing (share your location with other users by e-mail. This link in the e-mail will start the application)
• The day and night mode(different screen colors and brightness) of the screen are now automatically based on location and time.

These are great new added updates. Especially the Text to speech with the street names in conjunction with the turn by turn. The Navigon MobileNavigator is looking more and more as a full blood navigation system.

Take a look at the following screenshots where you can see how integrated iPod  function looks like on your screen.

The following screen shots shows you the location sharing functionality.

The Navigon solution sells for $89.99 in the Apple App Store and is equipped with maps of North America from NAVTEQ

Today TomTom announced its new flagship personal navigation devices in the TomTom GO series:  TomTom GO 950 Live, TomTom GO 750 Live and the TomTom GO 550 Live.

The main new unique features for these devices consist of a redesigned and optimized user interface combined with TomTom’s advanced routing technologies. This article will have a detailed look at the user interface as well as the other new features in the new flagship devices. Together with Remo, I’ve tried to point out the new features and screens for the upcomming x50 series.

Redesigned and optimized userinterface screenshots

Main Screen

Main Screen

“The integration of TomTom’s advanced routing technologies into the user interface of the device, makes it more intuitive and easier to operate; giving drivers all the information they need about their journey before they set off.”

After a route is set and calculated there are 2 tabs which display the route-data. In the previous versions only the “Journey” tab was visible, but now TomTom added a “Live” tab.
The tab “journey” tab, which displays the destination, the traveltime, and the distance. And the “Live” tab, which displays Traffic on the route, cheapest fuel prices on the route and fixed & mobile saftey camera’s.

The Pre-setoff “Journey” Tab

The Pre-setoff “Live” Tab

“Once on the road, drivers automatically receive real-time updates on what’s ahead, so they remain informed throughout their journey.”

Harold Godijn explained once that this real time HD Traffic information is pushed onto the device -at least for the GO 940 Live- every 2 minutes.

The screen is updating the real-time traffic information (on the right-side of the screen)

“On top of this, new menus including a frequent destinations menu have been added to calculate a route to a frequently visited destination easier and faster.”

This screen makes it a lot easier to navigate to your most used destinations like home, work, but also a specific contact (like your parents). The major difference from the “favorites” is that these destinations visible within 2 clicks.

Quick destinations

Configure Quick destinations

Quick Quick destinations – select destinations

This is an excellent improvement. Despite that all your last destinations were stored on the TomTom personal navigation device, you could only access them using the “navigate to” menu, with the result that you were 4 or 5 clicks away to re-select one of your last destinations. With the addition of the frequent destionations menu, this becomes much easier and it saves a few clicks.

“Finally, an Eco Routes option has been added to the route options menu, so drivers can select the most fuel-efficient route to help reduce their impact on the environment.”

Good to see some corporate social- and environmental responsibility, but I’m really curious how this fuel-efficient route is calculated, since it could vary on different parameters like engine type, time of the day, route, etc. In practice this would require some kind of extremely clever algorithm, but certainly good to see the trend setting in !!

Technology improvements in the new GO X50 Live series

TomTom claims that the route calculation is more accurate and faster than ever before, mainly because:

“It uses the world`s largest collection of historical speed profiles. This ever-growing database now includes over 800 billion historic speed measurements of 15 million road kilometres in 24 European countries.”

This large database with historical information gives TomTom the ability to develop new technologies and services like HD Traffic. But its not only the large database, TomTom also does some clever combination of services resulting in an optimized route.

“On the road, the device is constantly checking if there is faster route, taking changing road conditions into account by using a combination of IQ Routes technology and real-time HD Traffic information. This continuous optimisation of the route provides shortest and most realistic travel times.”

In the USA and Canada the HD Traffic services isn’t avaiable (yet), but since the TomTom GO X50 Live series come with an Active Dock with integrated RDS-TMC Traffic information, these technologies are combined for optimized routing as well. I’m very curious when TomTom will take the huge step to roll out HD Traffic in the USA as well.

“The TomTom GO x50 LIVE series features more maps than ever before, including Malta, Greece and Turkey for the first time.”

Finally excellent point that TomTom and Teleatlas are continuously expanding the map-material and improving the quality as well, also with the use of the MapShare technology and the TomTom drivers-community. Furthermore TomTom has announced today that the HD Traffic services will be expanded to Belgium and Portugal, while TomTom will bring real time HD Traffic services to Italy as well, with Vodafone as their partner.

Replanning a Route

Pricing and availabilty

“The TomTom GO x50 series will become available this autumn. Pricing will be revealed upon product availability. Availability varies per country.”

For example the  TomTom GO 550 Live won’t be available in the Netherlands, so you need to have a close look at the local TomTom PR and sales channels.

Screenshotgallery of the new TomTom Go x50 Geries

This morning I received the news that TomTom Navigator for iPhone is available in Apple’s App Store for direct download. Close friend Gonny van der Zwaag from iPhoneclub.nl, the leading iPhone website in Dutch, already wrote a short hands-on with first impressions and screenshots.

Earlier this year I wrote an article that TomTom Navigator 7 for Windows Phones would be sold online by TomTom, and it would be a matter of time when the great TomTom Navigator software -which gave the Pocket PC market a huge boost in the early days- would be ported to the Apple iPhone.

“With TomTom for iPhone, millions of iPhone users can now benefit from the same easy-to-use and intuitive interface, turn-by-turn spoken navigation and unique routing technology that our 30 million portable navigation device users rely on every day,” said Corinne Vigreux, Managing Director of TomTom.

Key features

“Instead of using travel time assumptions, IQ Routes bases its routes on the actual experience of millions of TomTom drivers to calculate the fastest route and generate the most accurate arrival times in the industry. TomTom IQ Routes empowers drivers to reach their destination faster up to 35% of the time.”

It is great to see that these more advanced technologies, which are used in TomTom’s PND devices will also become available for the smartphone market as well (hopefully also in TomTom Navigator 7). I hope that for future versions also the HD Traffic technology with real-time traffic information will hit the smartphone products as well !

“Furthermore, the TomTom app for iPhone comes with an extensive safety camera database including verified safety camera information in 11 European countries.”

Another great TomTom for iPhone product feature is:   ”Complete phone and map integration” which means:

• Multi-touch gestures such as tap, swipe, pinch and zoom to operate the application and zoom in and out of the map;
• Navigation to contacts in address book;
• Points-of-interest search and call capabilities from iPhone;

Personally I think these features are very useful and make daily life easier. My compliments for TomTom to really have a well thought-out plan of integrating phone capabilities and products features in a userfriendly way !!

Pricing and availability

“Apple will make continental and regional versions of the TomTom for iPhone application for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS users, available today on http://www.tomtom.com/tomtom-app.”

For our European followers:

• The TomTom app for iPhone including map of Western Europe is available for 99.99 euro
• The TomTom app for iPhone with map of a specific country or region in Europe is available for 69.99 euro

Hot from the presses for our US followers:

“The TomTom app for iPhone 3G and 3GS users includes a map of the US and Canada from Tele Atlas, and is available to download through http://www.tomtom.com/tomtom-app for $99.99 USD”

Compatibility with iPod touch and other iPhone models coming soon.

Wrap-up

From a TomTom perspective it makes sense to tap into the smartphone market again, since it gave a great boost to the early Pocket PC market some years ago. The experience TomTom has gained over the latetst years with the development in PND-devices seem ready to be ported to TomTom Navigator for iPhone and Windows Phones. Great to see as well that more advanced technologies for routing are implemented as well.

While the screenshot above shows some on device impressions of TomTom Navigator for iPhone the article of Gonny van der Zwaag is highly recommended: “TomTom for iPhone App Store now available in Dutch” (Google Translation in English). After New Zealand, Netherlands and Western Europe, I just received the good news that  TomTom Navigator for iPhone is also avaiable for the US and Canada !!

A couple days ago we announced the availability of the Navigon North America Navigation software for the iPhone.

We have gotten a review copy for evaluation and below is my review of this easy to use Navigon North America Navigation for the iPhone.

Download and Installation

Be prepared for big download. When purchasing I suggest doing this in the iTunes store on your desktop or laptop with high speed internet connection. The app is going to to be 1.3 GB. The download itself will take some time as well. If you are like me and want to try new things right away this is a disappointment. However the file has this size because it has all the map data for North America, which includes the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

For a succesfull installation I have to give a couple small tips.

Due to the large file to install on your iPhone it would be best to check first if you have the 1.3 GB space left over on your device. You can do this easily by connecting you iPhone to the iTunes on your computer. Once connected, click on the name of your device on the left hand side of the iTunes window. Now on the bottom of the screen you can see how much storage memory you have left over on your device.

The second thing you want to do first before going ahead and un-check the synchronization of Navigon and make sure that all your new podcast are downloaded to your computer and then are synchronized with your iPhone.  After you have done these 2 things your iPhone is just connected to your iTunes on your desktop and at the next synchronization it only needs to install the Navigon Software. So go ahead and check the box next to the Navigon application in the application tab under your phone name while your iPhone is connected to iTunes. Now click on “Sync” on the right bottom of the iTunes screen. Again due to the large file this will take some time before it is finished installing.

User interface and options

When starting the application it takes a couple of seconds to start up.

The first screen that shows up on your iPhone is a standard warning about using the navigation software.

After the above screen the Main Menu shows up. The Main Menu has 4 tabs.

From the Main Menu you can enter an address directly. Through this process it will let  you select the State first which is indicated with a country flagg right next to it. This is a great added feature so you don’t have to scroll through many same named cities or towns with different state codes behind them.

From the Main Menu you can also navigate to a POI (Point of Interest). This means if you need to find a bank, school, restaurant or anything else, you can use this function to find these POI in a city or nearby you current position

Another quick “Main Menu” item is to” Take me Home”. The first time you select this you are able to enter in your own home address and from that point on the “Take me Home” button will automatically calculate the route back to your home.

The last button in the “Main Menu” will show you the map. You can use your fingers to scroll through the map and to point a location you would like to navigate to.

The” Favorites” tab lets you quicky select your destinations you have marked as favorites.

Your “Recents” tab lets you select quickly the destinations you have entered last.

And your “Contacts” tab will look at your iPhone contacts and use the addresses enterered already within your Cotact fields.

Now that we are on our way you can use your Navigon navigation software in portrait mode or landscape.

If you have a red bar on the top of the screen it means that your internal GPS has no fix with the satellites. However with your iPhone in to a car mount in the windshield of your car you get a great fix and the time response in movement is as with any of the current stand alone Personal Navigation Devices. (PND). I prefer to use the ProClip USA mounting system for my on the dash mountings of my devices.

Within this current screen you can tap on the top bar of your screen and the info listed will rotate from:

1. Destination Time
2. Destination Milage /KM
3. Speedometer

Tapping on the bottom bar will rotate the info between:

1. Street name next turn
2. Street name current position

Tapping on the left box with the next turn notification will repeat the voice instructions for this information.

The “Options button”  on the right top will give the following options:

By tapping the middle of the screen while driving will give you a quick 2d view of your current location. However going back to to navigation screen with view into your driving direction (3D or 2D) you have to tap the “Done” button instead of tapping the screen again.

When you take a wrong turn the Navigon software will quickly recalculate a new route for you.

You can also adjust your settings to give you “Caution” warning when you are driving a certain speed over the speed limit. Could be handy for those unaware heavy foot people.

Experiences

Take a quick look at my live experiences with software below

This weekend I drove for about 8 hours in total using this Navigon navigation software for the iPhone and I have to say that this version can easily replace my Personal Navigation Device. However a limitation to the iPhone is multitasking. Once you leave the navigation software for some music or quick weather information. You have to restart the navigation system. It won’t keep running in the background.

Hopefully the future will allow you to pick up traffic information,weather information and search for new live POI’s within the software. Who ever has the iPhone has the data connection. Why not use the data connection to enrich the use of the Navigation Software?

Conclusion

The Navigon Navigation Software is the first proffesional navigation software for the iPhone comparable to the stand alone devices. The functions are slightly different from the stand alone devices, but this is the bestversion now available to have on your iPhone.

The Navigon MobileNavigator North America is on sale now for $69.99 in the App store until August 15. After that the price will go up to $99.99.

Navigon just announced yesterday that their iPhone GPS Navigation for North America is available in the app store. If you are not familiar with Navigon. I suggest you will.

The Navigon user interface was always attractive and very good on the Windows Mobile Phones and on their own Personal Navigation Devices. Now they have made the step to get this successful Navigation software on the iPhone as well. And they are in the app store before their biggest competition does.

The Navigon MobileNavigator North America is on sale now for $69.99 in the App store until August 15. After that the price will go up to $99.99.

The Navigon MobileNavigator Europe and Benelux LITE are already available in the App store. Check out the pictures and videos on the iPhoneclub.nl

We are lucky enough to receive a review copy. Stay tuned for our own review of the North American version of the Navigon MobileNavigator.

In the mean time read the press release and watch their promotional video.

NAVIGON Launches iPhone GPS Navigation for North America

First on-board iPhone solution from a major navigation company now available in the App Store

Hamburg/Germany, JULY 22, 2009 — NAVIGON AG, the leading innovator in the navigation market, today announced the availability of a North American version of its on-board navigation software in the iPhone App Store. The MobileNavigator transforms any iPhone 3G, equipped with the new Apple OS 3.0 operating system, and any iPhone 3G S into a complete navigation device.

Following its successful launch in Europe last month, NAVIGON is the first major navigation company to launch an on-board navigation solution for the iPhone in North America.  In more than ten European countries*, the app was ranked within the top three of all paid applications in the Apple Store in the first week.

Compared to off-board navigation, NAVIGON’s on-board approach has a clear advantage: After downloading the GPS application, the software and map data is saved directly on the device. This means that users don’t have to pay subscription fees or wait for map downloads during the navigation. The software includes many of NAVIGON’s hallmark navigation functions such as Reality View™ Pro, Lane Assistant Pro, Speed Assistant and Day & Night Mode. It also features NAVIGON’s sophisticated and elegant map views including branded POIs along the route. NAVIGON will even add more features with software updates later this year. The only requirement for using the MobileNavigator on the iPhone is the new Apple OS 3.0 operating system.

“By making the MobileNavigator for the iPhone available for users in North America, we are taking another major step towards the future market of GPS navigation on mobile phones,” said Egon Minar, CEO of NAVIGON AG. “The combination of NAVIGON’s signature navigation features with typical functions from the iPhone creates an integrated and unique experience.” The map display, for example, switches automatically from­ portrait to landscape view as soon as the iPhone is turned 90 degrees. There is also the option of navigating directly to an address from saved contacts. If the iPhone is used for talking on the phone during navigation, the software resumes automatically after the call has ended. Furthermore, the multi touch function of the iPhone is integrated into the app and allows users to easily zoom in and out the map view with two fingers.

The NAVIGON solution sells for $99.99 and is equipped with maps of North America from NAVTEQ®. It will be available for a promotional price of $69.99 until August 15.

For more information and FAQs, please visit: www.navigon.com/iphone. A video of the MobileNavigator for the iPhone can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/kq2a5q. You can also follow us on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/NAVIGON_.

Key features of the NAVIGON MobileNavigator for the iPhone:

• Reality View™ Pro displays photo-realistic 3D views with actual road signs and lane guidance for virtually every highway interchange and exit drivers will encounter.
• Lane Assistant Pro helps drivers prepare to make an upcoming exit or turn by providing a lane map complete with arrows and actual road geometry.
• Speed Assistant with adjustable audio-visual warning.
• Day & Night Mode for map display.
• Direct Accessallows navigation to contacts saved in the iPhone’s address book.
• Branded POIs and POIs along the route
• 2D and 3D map view.
• Automatic switch between portrait and landscape format.
• Intelligent address entry.
• Real signpost display.

*Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland

About NAVIGON:

NAVIGON AG is a world-leading manufacturer of navigation systems. With its own portable navigation systems, and thanks to its partnership with reputable consumer electronics manufacturers, NAVIGON stands for high-quality GPS navigation on pocket PCs, PNDs and mobile phones. NAVIGON also provides professional navigation solutions such as driver-assistance features for the automotive OEM market. NAVIGON was founded in 1991, and employs over 400 workers in locations in Asia, Europe and North America. – NAVIGON. And the world is yours.

Every mobile enthusiast who has bought a “new” car probably is familiar with the process of adapting the “new” car to the mobile devices and gadgets you own (and not vica versa). Personally I was searching for an easy to install custom-fit solution to dock and charge a smartphone, without having to put screws into the dashboard. My search ended with the ProClip 2 part solution, and the article below will describe the different pieces of the 2 part solution as well as the install process in the car.

On the screenshot above you can see that ProClip USA offers a mounting solution for a wide variety of mobile devices (from MP3 player, to navigation devices, to smartphones). On the right side there is also a “check out our blog” button, where you will be redirected to the recently launched ProClip USA blog. On this blog the latest news, for example new device holders will be announced as well as regular ProClip USA news.

The ProClip 2 part solution, or is it a more part solution??

When you first visit the ProClip USA website and you hit the “click here to configure your mounting solution”, you will be asked to select your county. With this step the correct shipping details will be calcultated as well as filtering the mounting solutions on localized devices. 

A very simple 3-step process will help you to get the right parts of the ProClip 2 part solution. The description of of each step is in multiple languages, providing global support and which deserves a great compliment for the designers of the website !

Step 1 - Holder with Tilt Swivel and Cigarette Lighter Charger (Item No. 512011)

The first step of the ordering process is getting the right holder for your device. Select the brand or manufacturer and select the right model. For example I select “HTC” and “Touch Diamond 2″ and hit the search-button. The result is an overview of 6 (!!) different device holders for the HTC Touch Diamond 2 from a Standard Holder to a Holder with Tilt Swivel and Straight Cable for Fixed Install.

I choose for the Holder with Tilt Swivel and Cigarette Lighter Charger, simply because you don’t need to attach a third party charging cable and it gives you a nice and complete solution for a good price.

The picture above shows the packagecontent of the ProClip Holder for HTC Touch Diamond 2 with Tilt Swivel and Cigarette Lighter Charger. You can see that ProClip USA provides an installation manual, which in addition can also be found digital on the ProClip USA website, and some srews to attach the device holder to the other part of the ProClip 2-part solution.

I want to emphasize on the great level of- and focus on details in the design and manufacturing process of ProClip USA. The tolerances are very accurate, resulting in a great, just-right fit of your device in the holder. It’s not to tight that you damage your device, or that it’s hard to get the device in the holder, and not to loose that the device slips out or that the device starts to rattle. It’s simply just right !!

Furthermore the ProClip USA engineers have thought well about the functional design. The tilt swivel let’s you adjust the viewing angle onto the device, despite there is already a great deal of related-work embedded into the design of the carholder.

The HTC Touch Diamond 2 holder also contains a fixed charging-unit (and cable). You simply slide the HTC Touch Diamond 2 into the holder and “dock” the device. Here again the high tolerances and levels of accuracy are shown, since the sliding- and docking-process go in one movement !!

Step 2 - ProClip Angled Mount (Item No. 853029)

The second step in the ordering process is getting the right vehicle mount for your car, in my case a Volkswagen Polo. Again you need to enter the brand, the model, the year of manufacturing and the last part of the filter is choosing between left-hand- or right-hand steering. (ProClip USA also thinks of our British friends !)

The result of the filtering process is 5 (!!) different vehicle mounts. The options vary from a Center Mount on the air intake, a device holder placed more on the center part of the dashboard, and even an Adjustable Console Mount. I chose for the ProClip Angled Mount, simply because I don’t have any cup-holders on that place, it doesn’t block an air intake and the position of the ProClip Angled Mount is on a perfect distance to the cigarette lighter !!

The picture above shows the content of the ProClip Angled Mount package, again with a detailed installation guide on paper. In addition you see two special tools, which help you installing the ProClip Angled Mount onto your car’s dashboard. Remarkable is the fact that you don’t need any installation equipment, like screwdrivers. The functional design is really clever and the holder is simply “snapped” onto the right place of the dashboard.

Before I go to the third step of the ordering process, which is confirming the order, I continue shopping a little bit and read on below why ! 

“Step 3″ -   Move Clip Kit -1 Male and 1 Female- (Item No. 213093)

On the ProClip USA website there are ways to customize your mounting solution even further, and I noticed the sections:

• Move Clip System
• Extension Plates

The extension plates make it possible to change the relative position of the device holder compared to the vehicle mount, or you could even attach two devices holder to one vehicle mount. Again very clever but foremost functional designed ProClip USA !!

If you are in the position that you own more than one device, or you want to switch your deviceholder between different cars, ProClip USA also has thought about these scenario’s. The result is the move clip system, which consist of a male part and a female part, which can easily be connected and disconnected. The accuracy and tolerances of the product design is again of a high quality-level !

The picture above shows the package of the Move Clip Kit. While ProClip USA adds a paper installation guide to all it’s products they furthermore provide a piece of cloth to degrease the surface of the device holder and/or vehicle mount. The move clips are attached to the mount and holder with two-sided tape, and you have the option to put two screws in it (however that isn’t needed from my own experience).

Again this is a very functional and clever solution, to easily switch the device holder without any construction work !  

Build-in process of the ProClip 2 part solution

Normally you think about these build-in processes as rather complex, where you need special technical skills and additional equipment. The build-in process of the ProClip 2 part solution is very simple (you don’t need a technical background at all) and the best part is that it took me less than 15 minutes to complete !!

I started with a little preparation, and read the installation guide for the move clip system. With the piece of cloth I started to degrease the surface of the ProClip Angled mount and the surface of the tilt swivel on the ProClip holder with Tilt Swivel and Cigratte Lighter Charger. On the Angled Mount I sticked the female part of the Move Clip System while on the ProClip device holder I sticked the male part of the move clip system.

I quickly tested the fit by sliding the male-part into the female-part. Conclusion, excellent fit and time to do the in-car installation of the ProClip Angled Mount. 

In the picture- and the section about the ProClip Angled Mount, you can see that a set of special tools which have a wedge. I took one of them, looked into the installation guideliness and put the wedge on the right place between the car-radio and a part of the dashboard. A gap is now created.

The next step is to hook an edge of the Proclip Angled Mount to the dashboard on the side of the dashboard-locker (on the right), and pushing the other edge of the ProClip Angled Mount in the just created gap followed by releasing the special tool from the dashboard. The gap is closed and the ProClip Angled Mount is attached to your dashboard.

The onyl thing that you have to do now, is slide the male-part on the device-holder into the female-part (of the Move Clip System) on the car mount. Put the charger plug into the cigarette lighter charger, dock your device and you are good to go ! And the best of all installation is less than 15 minutes !!

Overall conclusions

At first let me start with the ProClip USA website, which is easy to navigate and helps you in an easy step by step process to order the right parts, dasboard mount as well as device holder. The explanation of each step is in multiple languages, so great compliments about the functional design of the website.

Second the speed of which ProClip USA brings device- and carholders to the market is remarkable. On their blog I noticed an announcement that there are device holders for the HTC Magic and the HTC Snap.

In the HTC Snap review on this website, one of my complaints was the position of the mini-USB-connector of this device, and the resulting problem not be able to “dock” your device as it is the case with the HTC Touch Diamond 2 holder. Again my compliments for the ProClip USA engineers, since they have found a great functional solution with the Charging Holder with Tilt Swivel and Cigarette Lighter Plug.

In addition to the clever, highly accurate and high quality design ProClip USA provides a wide range of device holders, vehicle mounts and other cusomizations, resulting in a unique and flexible system which you can personalize to meet your own needs and demands. In that respect ProClip USA is offering a complete total solution for the end-user.

The completeness of the solution is also reflected in added “special tools” and the lack of needing any additional equipment for installation into your car. For the installation you don’t need any technical background, and it took me less than 15 minutes to install the ProClip solution into my car.

I can be very short about the price-point. For such a clever and well though-out design and the high level of quality the price if worth every dollar / euro, and making it a solid investment.

If you are looking for a great in car solution, of high quality product design and an even better an d highly customizable functional design, don’t wait any longer and start configuring your ProClip USA complete solution over here !! I will certainly get me a HTC Snap device holder !

TomTom users from the first hour might remember that the TomTom car-navigation on the Windows Mobile PocketPC was one of the features that gave the PDA market a great boost in terms of growth (at least in the Netherlands).

During the “Shaping the future of Navigation” event back in 2008, some projection figures shown (1) the largest revenues come from the personal navigation devices (PND), and (2) the smartphone market is an opportunity providing growth in the upcoming years.

Announcement

“TomTom will offer TomTom NAVIGATOR 7, its navigation software solution for selected smartphones, via its web shop – www.tomtom.com/navigator7. The microSD card will be sold and shipped with the map of Western Europe, covering 22 countries* for € 99,95″ [ref01]

The announcement of TomTom today shows that TomTom is ballencing it’s efforts to generate contiuous and autonomous growth from different types of offerings, and more important going back to where it all started:  a TomTom navigation solution on a smartphone !! TomTom will offer TomTom Navigator 7, which was already offered purely bundled with the HTC Touch Pro, via it’s own webshop for a nice pricepoint.

“In addition to offering NAVIGATOR 7 on microSD card, TomTom has made NAVIGATOR 7 available for licensing to business partners. Local operators, system integrators, distributors or local offices of handset manufacturers now have the option to bundle TomTom’s navigation software with their products.” [ref01]

Features

Lets have a look at a list with features that are offered for the pricepoint above:

• TomTom’s unique Map Share™ technology;
• New safety features including ‘Help Me’ menu;
• Improved address input for faster search including country switcher, postcode search and ‘accent spelling aid’;
• A new traffic interface that lets you avoid traffic easily and effectively;
• Share voices, POIs and other content – use TomTom HOME to personalise your device with free content from the TomTom community.

For the TomTom PND users these features sound very familiar, however very cool to see these also in the smartphone offering !

Compatibility

With the offering of TomTom Navigator 7 for mobile devices, compatiblity is a very important focuspoint. You might remeber that a version of TomTom Navigator 7 was offered in a bundle with the HTC Touch Pro in the Netherlands. However TomTom has expanded compatibility.

“TomTom NAVIGATOR 7 is currently compatible with a wide range of HTC devices and operator variants that run the Windows Mobile OS. To check if a phone is compatible or keep track of new developments for a specific model, and even a dedicated microsite has been launched including a compatibility wizard to check the current and future options for users’ phones.” [ref01]

With the fast clock-speed in the smartphone market I truly hope that TomTom can keep up with adapting the Navigator 7 software to be compatible with a wide range of Windows Mobile devices.

Wrap up

I’m very excited with todays announcement of TomTom today, which reminds me of the good old times riding around with TomTom Navigator 2.  A huge advantage of this business decission of TomTom is that end-users don’t have to take an extra device with them, when they leave their car.

On the other hand it’s a logical step for growth, since embedded GPS in a Windows Mobile smartphone is becoming the standard, and the market for smartphones is large and probably still expanding. I can’t wait to see TomTom Navigator 7 to hit the “webshop-shelves”, and probably am equally excited as Corinne Vigreux (TomTom Managing Director) summarizes:

“Complementing our partnerships with handset manufacturers we have decided to make NAVIGATOR 7 available to fans of TomTom who want the latest navigation software on their phone.” [ref01]

Have a look at the TomTom Navigator 7 website over here !

Reference list

1. PRESS RELEASE:  TomTom starts selling NAVIGATOR 7 online
2. WEBSITE: TomTom Navigator 7 Product Page

TomTom online Route Planner now available in all major countries in Europe*.

The web-based Route Planner gives free access to Europe’s most accurate and detailed traffic information**. The Route Planner also incorporates TomTom’s IQ routes which calculates the fastest route to a destination and provides accurate travel times, depending on the time of the day and day of the week. IQ Routes is based on collective travel time experience of 30 million TomTom users.

“The Route Planner is growing much faster than expected. We are pleased that users visiting the TomTom Route Planner have given it a high rating and that we have been rated ‘Best web-based Route Planner’***”, says Corinne Vigreux, Managing Director of TomTom. “The Route Planner demonstrates to current and potential users of our navigation products that they can rely on TomTom when it comes to fast and accurate routing”.

In the next few months the Route Planner will become available in even more countries around the globe and more local languages will be added to the current six available. In addition, TomTom is incorporating users’ suggestions and will continue doing so going forward. For more information and to plan a route on the TomTom online Route Planner, go to http://routes.tomtom.com.
<!–[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]–>
<!–[endif]–>

 * The Route Planner is available in: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

** HD Traffic information is incorporated in France, Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands and United Kingdom. In other European countries (Austria, Belgium, Italy, Spain and Sweden) RDS-TMC traffic information is included in the map.

*** The TomTom online Route Planner has recently won a test for the best route planner in Germany. Check out the test results on: http://routenplanerblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/der-grote-routenplanertest-das-fazit-es.html.