Candid conversations about using GPS and wireless technology for work and fun.
Posts tagged Labor Day
TeleNav Shuts Down Bay Bridge (Virtually) Again
Oct 28th
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The Bay Bridge
For those of you living in the San Francisco Bay Area, you may have been impacted (like many of us here working at the TeleNav headquarters) by the sudden closing of the Bay Bridge last night due to a cable breaking. Thousands of people depend on the Bay Bridge each day to drive to and from work, so this closing has a heavy impact on drivers all around the area. People who use the bridge on a daily basis now have to depend on using other roadways, which has added more traffic to the already congested freeways the area is so well known for. I myself had the privilege of my commute taking twice as long as normal today due to increased traffic.
In order to assist users of our applications driving in the Bay Area, our engineers acted quickly on the news of the closing and adjusted our routing engine to avoid the Bay Bridge. This not only helps visitors to the area who might not be aware of the closing, but also those people who use the Bay Bridge and may not be sure of the best alternate route to use while it’s closed. Our real-time traffic information is also another nice feature in times like these when roadways for miles in each direction are impacted by the closure.
If you recall, our engineers were able to shut the Bay Bridge down on a previous occasion when it was closed for construction during the Labor Day Weekend. As we mentioned at that time, this is a significant advantage of having a connected navigation experience such as that provided by the applications TeleNav develops. This connectivity enables our team to act quickly in these situations and ultimately help our customers in times when they need it most. The personal navigation device you bought last year can’t do that. So, if you’re traveling in the Bay Area while the Bay Bridge is being repaired, you can feel comfortable knowing you won’t be routed over the bridge.
TeleNav Modifies Routing for Bay Bridge Closure this Weekend
Sep 4th
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If you live anywhere near the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and have not already left town for the long Labor Day weekend, then you are likely going to be one of the thousands of people impacted by the Bay Bridge closure this weekend (follow updates on Twitter).
In what organizers are calling an “unprecedented construction feat,” the bridge is closed from now until 5am on Tuesday in order to bring the entire structure up to current earthquake standards.
While it’s closed, drivers are encouraged to drive alternative routes and/or take public transit. But do you know what the alternative routes are?
In order to help our customers get around this weekend, TeleNav has modified our routing so that you will automatically be directed around the Bay Bridge. Whether you are using TeleNav GPS Navigator, AT&T Navigator, Sprint Navigation, Alltel Navigation or any of our other connected navigation services, we will guide you around the bridge and hopefully help you avoid some of the traffic hassles of the closure.
We love that our connected GPS service allows us to offer these real-time modifications and updates so you don’t have to worry about accidentally turning down the wrong road and getting stuck in traffic. Let’s let the people with the standalone GPS devices or the basic map programs who are stuck relying on static maps sit and wait for the bridge to open.
If you’re in the area and use our service this weekend, please let us know! We love to get the feedback.
Traveling this Labor Day? Use Sprint Navigation to Find Your Way
Sep 1st
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Sprint Navigation (powered by TeleNav) on the Palm Pre
If you’re a customer of our carrier partner Sprint and plan on traveling this Labor Day weekend, you should consider using Sprint Navigation (powered by TeleNav) on your phone to guide you to your destination and also help you find your way around once you arrive. The application transforms your Sprint phone into a lean, mean, navigation machine and brings the features of a personal navigation device right to your phone. Better yet, it’s now available on more phones than ever before. Sprint announced today that Sprint Navigation is available on more than 60 Sprint phones, including the popular Palm Pre, one of my personal favorite devices that launched this summer.
A few of the Sprint Navigation features you’ll be able to use on your trip this weekend include:
- Voice and on-screen turn-by-turn directions complete with 2D and 3D maps to guide you to wherever you may be traveling this weekend
- Traffic alerts with one-click rerouting to help you avoid the congested roadways expected this Labor Day weekend and get you to your destination as quickly and stress-free as possible
- Real-time gas price listings help you find the cheapest gas prices along your route, helping you save a few bucks to buy that “I visited Branson and lived to tell about it” T-shirt you’ve always wanted
- More than 10 million business listings to help you find restaurants, hotels or nightlife spots along the way or when you arrive at your vacation destination
- Pre-plan your trip online to find all of the locations you want to visit during your vacation and instantly send the information to your phone so it’s there and ready to go as soon as you start up the car
You don’t have to rely solely on my word about how much Sprint Navigation can help you this Labor Day weekend and in your daily lives. After all, I might be a little biased. Today’s announcement includes quotes from three Sprint customers who use Sprint Navigation on their phones to help them do everything from streaming turn-by-turn directions through their vehicle while listening to Pandora at the same time to finding a new route around unexpected construction in a familiar area. James Kendrick of the popular tech blog JKOnTheRun also weighed in on his experience with Sprint Navigation on the Palm Pre, saying the app works just as well as a personal navigation device.
So, if you’re a Sprint customer and looking for an app to add a little guidance to your life this Labor Day weekend and beyond, check out Sprint Navigation. We’d love to hear your stories on how you used Sprint Navigation during your trip.
