All Things GPS | TeleNav® Blog - Navigating Life

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Tags: AT&T, AT&T Navigator, blackberry bold, bold, election day, my telenav, november 4th, telenav, telenav browser
Posted in "TeleNaut" Tales, All Things GPS, Business-to-business, In the News, News from TeleNav, Tips for Fun | No Comments »

IBD: “Stand-Alone GPS Market Losing Its Way?”

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008

Author - Mary Beth Lowell - Communications Manager

Telenav_gps_navigator_bb_8310_3d_na Investor’s Business Daily writes today that the market for stand-alone GPS navigation devices is slowing down dramatically due to competition from cell phones with built-in GPS navigation … perhaps even going the "way of the personal digital assistant."

The reporter cites several third parties who support this argument, including an analyst from Dougherty & Co. who said that "the [personal navigation device] space is absolutely going in the crapper."

Other analysts might disagree. For example, we recently wrote on a report from Berg Insight which asserts that multiple types of navigation solutions and devices are likely to "co-exist" in the future - meaning there will be sufficient demand for both stand-alone GPS devices and cell phone-based GPS navigation.

What do you think? Now that you have TeleNav GPS Navigator, would you ever consider using a stand-alone GPS device again?

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Tags: berg insight, dougherty and company, GPS, investor's business daily, navigation, pnd, stand-alone gps, telenav gps navigator
Posted in All Things GPS, In the News | No Comments »

Can You Save Money on Taxes by Allowing GPS Tracking of Your Car?

Monday, October 20th, 2008

Author - Mary Beth Lowell - Communications Manager

With Election Day around the corner, taxes are a hot topic among politicians and voters alike.

Would you be willing to be tracked with GPS in order to better allocate, perhaps even reduce, your taxes?

The city of Baltimore is currently looking for 450 local volunteers who are willing to allow their vehicles to be tracked over a span of 8 months. The study, funded by the federal government, will use GPS to track each volunteer’s mileage as well as where he/she drove during that time span.

This information will give researchers an idea of which roads - federal, state or local - are actually being used. The volunteers will then receive a fake bill with the amount of money ("road fees") they owe each month based on which roads they traveled and how much they traveled.

The theory behind the study is that the current gas tax, which funds transportation initiatives, is not properly allocating the money. It also means that drivers would only be paying for the amount of miles they actually drive. Similar systems are already in existence in Europe.

GPS tracking, however, is a sensitive topic and some U.S. citizens have raised privacy concerns over this type of monitoring. The project manager of this Baltimore test insists that, were this to become an adopted system, there will be safeguards in place to ensure "no precise locational information would be reported to authorities." He compared it to technologies like EZ-Pass.

What do you think? Would you be willing to let your vehicle be tracked in order to potentially save money on taxes?

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Tags: baltimore, gas tax, GPS, tax, tracking
Posted in All Things GPS, In the News | No Comments »

Berg Insight: Mobile Phone GPS Navigation to Reach 30 Million in N. America by 2014

Tuesday, October 14th, 2008

Author - Mary Beth Lowell - Communications Manager

Sprint_navigation_on_the_samsung_in In a report published last week, market research firm Berg Insight stated that it predicts the number of active GPS navigation subscribers on cell phones to reach 30 million in North America by 2014.

Additionally, the firm forecasts subscribers in Europe to reach 40 million, actually overtaking usage in North America.

The latter is quite interesting considering Europe has been much slower than North America in offering GPS-enabled cell phones.

In the report, Berg analysts state that while personal navigation devices (PNDs) still dominate the industry, more and more cell phone owners are discovering mapping and navigation solutions on their phones.

The report also cites the availability (through the wireless connection) of real-time data like traffic, gas prices and weather as one of the reasons for increased adoption of navigation on cell phones.

That said, Berg contends that multiple types of navigation solutions and devices are likely to "co-exist" in the future - meaning there will be sufficient demand for both PNDs and cell phone-based solutions. In fact, the authors of the report say they may be complimentary - each having their own purpose depending on the consumer.

What do you think? Do you think PNDs or in-car navigation systems will continue to thrive? Do you think you might use both at some point?

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Tags: berg insight, GPS, in-car navigation system, personal navigation devices, pnd
Posted in All Things GPS, In the News, Wireless Wonders | 1 Comment »

GPS Banned in Egypt

Monday, October 13th, 2008

Author - Mary Beth Lowell - Communications Manager

Egypt_mapjpg If you were planning to use a GPS device (including GPS navigation on your cell phone) in Egypt anytime soon, you may have to go to plan B.

Egypt restricts the use of GPS to those who have a license from security authorities. Apparently the government is still negotiating with Egypt’s National Telecommunication Regulator Agency (NTRA) to allow commercial use of GPS.

Despite the restrictions, people are still smuggling in phones like the Nokia N95 which includes built-in GPS and navigation capabilities. If found, however, they will be confiscated.

Many Egyptians resort to using traditional paper maps or online services like Google maps to get around the country. But because of the ban, developing accurate mapping databases for Egypt has also become a problem. Mapping organizations in Egypt, like Dotmap, have to resort to less advanced methods such as using surveyors.

Egypt has banned other technology in the past. Satellite dishes weren’t allowed in the 1980’s for example.

Only three countries in the world ban GPS today: Egypt, Syria and North Korea.

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Tags: banned, dotmap, egypt, google maps, GPS, nokia n95
Posted in All Things GPS, In the News | No Comments »

GPS could save the airlines $10 billion per year

Friday, October 10th, 2008

Author - Mary Beth Lowell - Communications Manager

Faa_gps_2
Flight progress strips at the control tower at Reagan National Airport (source: AP)

We posted a piece last month on the FAA’s recent efforts to determine if GPS on airplanes would help create more efficient plane routing than the current radar system.

Yesterday, the Associated Press ran a follow-up piece which stated that this project, named NextGen, could potentially save airlines at least 3.3 billion gallons of fuel per year - which equates to more than $10 billion annually by 2025 based on today’s fuel prices.

With ten airlines having shut down and many others facing bankruptcy, this GPS system may be a saving grace for the airline industry. Perhaps it could even translate to some relief for passengers in the form of cheaper tickets (maybe we could even get our peanuts and pretzels back?).

To the layperson, it also seems that the new technology may be a bit safer. One spokesman for the Air Transportation Association said that the current radar system is "the equivalent of using an electric typewriter when others are using computers."

In order to move forward with the project, airlines would have to contribute $15 billion toward the overall $35 billion price tag. They must also equip their planes with GPS at a cost of more than $200,000 per plane.

According to the AP, many airlines are waiting to do this until they determine that the project is moving forward. Southwest Airlines is one of the few that says it is investing millions to equip its 500 planes with GPS within the next few years.

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Author - Sal Dhanani - Co-Founder and Sr. Director of Marketing

Tags: air transportation association, airlines, associated press, faa, GPS, NextGen, southwest
Posted in All Things GPS, In the News | No Comments »

Businesses Using GPS to Decrease Operational Budgets Despite Rising Fuel and Shipping Costs

Thursday, October 9th, 2008

Tnt_v41_cn3_nav

Aberdeen released an interesting study yesterday on fleet operations and the rising costs of fuel and shipping charges.

According to their report (sponsored by TeleNav) 50% of the logistics professionals surveyed are focused - right now - on improving routing and scheduling of their fleets in order to offset rising operational costs.

Almost 100% of them said they will be reviewing and improving fleet operations in the next 12-24 months.

Those companies which Aberdeen entitles "Best-in-Class" (have implemented technology to improve their operations) have been able to reduce safety incidents by 5% and decrease overall freight spend by 1%, despite overall rising costs in the industry.

Route optimization, dispatching, scheduling and fleet tracking are all available through TeleNav Track on GPS-enabled cell phones. TeleNav is working with Aberdeen to help educate companies on how to implement this technology and save on costs. We’re hosting a Webinar with Aberdeen on this topic on Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 10am PT. You can find more information and register here.

As a side note, we also announced yesterday another new device that supports TeleNav Track. It is the Intermec CN3 (pictured here). Click here to get more information on this announcement.

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Tags: aberdeen group, best in class, fleet tracking, fuel costs, GPS, intermec, intermec cn3, rising costs, shipping costs, telenav track
Posted in All Things GPS, Business-to-business, In the News, News from TeleNav, Press Releases, Tips for Work | No Comments »

Use GPS to Track Your Lunch

Monday, October 6th, 2008

Author - Mary Beth Lowell - Communications Manager

If you’re anything like me, getting away from your desk to take a lunch break can be a challenge. Although I know those pesky health experts recommend against it, I often find myself eating at my desk or taking only a 5-10 minute break to go grab something.

That’s why I love the idea that the "Only Burger" in Durham, NC has in mind for it’s Mobile Meals van - use GPS to let customers know when you’re on your way. It’s great for those office buildings that don’t have cafeterias or restaurants nearby (and people like me who are too lazy to make their own lunch).

Actually, I should say that I love half of the idea because, frankly, I’m not sure I could eat something - especially a burger - that was prepared in an Airstream RV - eww.

However, the idea of pairing GPS with front door food service is pretty cool. Can you imagine the mobile latte stand? Place your order online when they are near your building and then meet them at your front door when they arrive with your piping hot grande pumpkin spice latte.

If something like that were available near my office, I’m sure I’d spend much more money than I already do on coffee. Why isn’t this happening already?! I need my latte!

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Tags: GPS, mobile meals, only burger
Posted in All Things GPS, In the News, Tips for Work | 1 Comment »

TeleNav Customers Seeking Cheap Gas - Usage of Price Lookup Tool Increases by 64%

Thursday, October 2nd, 2008

Telenav_gps_navigator_fuel_finder_2 It’s not news that the current state of the economy is impacting everyone. But with Wall Street in crisis mode, the “pain at the pump” has fallen from headline news in the past few days. Despite that, it still remains a major daily expense for both consumers and businesses.

We have seen a growing trend among our customers in 2008 when it comes to gas prices. Use of the TeleNav GPS Navigator “Fuel Finder” feature continues to increase as customers keep on the lookout for the lowest priced gas stations in their area.

In fact, since the beginning of the year, we have seen a 64% increase in Fuel Finder use.

This tool is especially important in some of the hurricane and flood-ravaged areas of the Southeast which are currently experiencing major gas shortages. In this case, it may do more than just help them find the cheapest gas, it may help them find stations that have gas at all!

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Tags: Fuel Finder, gas prices, gas shortage, pain at the pump, telenav, telenav gps navigator
Posted in All Things GPS, Featured Tips, Tips for Fun, Tips for Work, Wireless Wonders | No Comments »

Can GPS Help You Find Your Ancestors’ Grave Sites?

Wednesday, October 1st, 2008

Author - Mary Beth Lowell - Communications Manager

New_zealand_gps_gravesites We’re constantly fascinated by different ways that people are using GPS technology these days. It seems to be a new tool that is helping to solve a lot of old problems.

Here is something I bet you haven’t heard of yet - using GPS to keep track of grave sites.

In New Zealand, the Upper Hutt City Council is using GPS to record the exact locations of nearly 5000 headstones in a local cemetery.

At first this may sound strange but it actually makes excellent sense (in my humble opinion). The main purpose is not for immediate use. It’s for historical readings - to provide an easy way for families to track down plot information of their ancestors in the future. It will be as easy as printing out a map to determine where you need to look.

I’m sure there are other ways of doing this but why not leverage GPS technology? If you’ve ever researched your family tree and spent some time looking up grave sites of your ancestors, I’m sure you see the value.

So, you’re in luck if your ancestors are from New Zealand. Hopefully this will be adopted in the U.S. at some point as well.

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