QuestionsAuthor – Mary Beth Lowell – Communications Manager

Last Friday, we introduced our new "Ask HP Anything" column which gives our readers a chance to ask our CEO any question they might have.

Apparently, we are communicating things so well that only a few of you have questions…but if I’m wrong (what?!) and you are still interested in asking, just post a comment or question here or send me an email at marybethl (at) telenav.com. We’ll run this post each Friday with HP’s answers.

Thanks!

Here are HP’s answers to last week’s questions:

Q: (from Offbeatmammal) as far as I can work out the TeleNav service relies on downloading maps over the air, so can be pretty slow to update/refresh …. are there any plans to off-load any of the functionality to the device (for instance cache maps relevant to the planned route / current location etc) to cater for slow connection speeds or areas with no coverage?

HP: Offbeatmammal – thanks for the feedback. We are always looking at ways to improve the overall experience. This may include caching to the device as you suggested. We’ll keep you posted via this blog as we enhance the technology. At the same time, many new mobile phones are running on higher speed networks so this should help increase download speeds (e.g. 3G) if you are using one of these phones.

Q: (also from Offbeatmammal) just wondering if you have any plans for an in-dash unit with a bigger screen? Say based on Windows Embedded and including In Car Entertainment as well as the navigation capabilities?

HP: I wish I could provide specifics on some of the exciting things we’re working on right now but, unfortunately, I have to wait until they’re officially announced. In can tell you, though, that we are always exploring different opportunities for how to improve and expand our service so that we provide the best experience for our customers. To that point, we love to get feedback from our customers on what they want to see. Are you interested in an in-dash unit with a bigger screen? What else would you like us to consider for research and development? Your thoughts are always appreciated.

Q: (from George Zhao) HP, currently, how does the china cell phone users use telenav navigation services? If they do not like monthly subscription, can they choose to be charged by usage like the way people uses their phone card in China? Thanks.

HP: Hi George – TeleNav GPS Navigator is available in China through the wireless carrier China Mobile and customers pay through a monthly subscription. For the TeleNav branded product called TianTianXing, you can buy using a prepaid card for a limited period of time. By the way, just as a side note, China Mobile just announced at the end of Sept. that they currently have more than 436 million wireless subscribers! I believe they are the largest wireless carrier in the world.