GPS « CarCheckup

Posts Tagged ‘GPS’

Apple iPhone 4: You’re next Car GPS?

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

Steve Jobs announced the long awaited iPhone 4 Tuesday and it looks like a really great hardware and software update.

Here at CarCheckup we’ve asked ourselves if now is the time for the iPhone to overtake personal GPS devices like TomTom and Garmin as rulers of your dashboard navigation.

Here is our staff breakdown based upon the specs of the yet to be release phone:

The Good!
    No additional device to carry – It’s nearly always with you when you need it.
    Extended battery life over the iPhone 3GS – You’ll still want to plug into a car power adapter.
    Higher Resolution Screen – Sharper screen = less eye strain and sharper graphics
    Multi-tasking – Run your Navigation application and other apps at the same time
    Better Antenna – Case integrated antenna with and glass front & back should help GPS accuracy

The Bad!

    Small-ish 3.5 inch screen - smaller than the typical Personal Navigation Device
    Longer trips will still need a power adapter – .
    Big name GPS apps cost nearly as much as a stand alone GPS
    Less speed/Accuracy than a stand-alone personal GPS – It’s yet to be seen if the iPhone will be able to hold it’s own vs. stand alone GPS in terms of update speed and accuracy.

The real question becomes…What will software developers do to maximize GPS applications abilities on the new iPhone 4 platform? We’re as anxious as you are to find out!

Preorders for the Apple iPhone 4 start on June 15th. iPhone 4 deliveries start on 24th.

Will you be ditching your GPS for an iPhone 4 based solution? Sound off in the comments and let us know what you think!

Don’t forget CarCheckup has your solutions to your automotive information needs!
    Need an Automotive Diagnostic Tool because your Check Engine Light on?
    Need a Vehicle Tracking System to monitor your companies fleet vehicles or fleet drivers?
    Tired of tracking business mileage manually and want and easier way to record mileage
    Looking for peace of mind for your teen aged driver – Check out our solution to monitor teen driving
    Want Fleet Management Software with out costly GPS Vehicle tracking?

3 people like this post.

Unlike

Tags: Auto GPS, GPS, GPS Apps, Iphone 4, Navigation
Posted in Auto News | Comments Off

Google Android Coming Soon to a Car Near You

Friday, March 19th, 2010

Google Android, the open source cell phone operating system from internet behemoth Google, has made the jump from phone to car.

The Rowe 350 has started production on March 18th and will be officially launch at the Beijing Auto Show on April 23rd and will feature Android 2.1 as the operating system for the GPS computer/DVD Player.

Android 2.1 is the same software that powers the Google Nexus One and Motorola Droid. It is being widely pushed by Google as the ultimate operating system for mobile devices…and apparently cars as well.

What makes this interesting is that the Android platform is built specifically to take advantage of wireless technologies like 3G cellular connections and other wireless technologies. The Android platform also has application marketplace similar to the one available from Apple with it’s App Store.

It’s not hard to imagine that the system would be able to install new applications from the app marketplace to make it truly extendable. If this system allows users to install any application from the app store, then the possibilities are almost endless.

For those not familiar with the Android platform, this will give you an idea of what type of applications are available:
Searchify – perform translations, calculations, unit conversions, wikipedia searches, calendar entry
Weatherbug – Allows you to get instant weather updates.
Meebo – Let you send/receive Instant Messages on pretty much any platform
Facebook – Access Facebook from Droid to keep you with your friends
Twidroid – Twitter client for Android
FourSquare – Find your friends and see what they are doing
Yelp – Find food and restaurant reviews.

Nearly anything is possible once you open an auto to a application marketplace like this.

Rowe is a luxury brand of SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation,) and has been partially built utilizing technology licensed from MG Rover. Rowe doesn’t currently sell in the US or UK, but according to multiple press sources the plan for US availability is “in the works”

Would you be anxious to have an Android powered car? Or would you want to wait a few years until the “bugs” are worked out? Let us know what you think in the comments below