By Google Maps – as fine an application as it may be – isn’t the most fleshed out GPS navigation experience a serious traveler could ask for. Let’s move beyond the fact that it once required an internet connection (something eradicated in the latest 5.0 update): options are still quite meager. With solutions like Telenav, you’ll get points of interest, multiple route suggestions, and more.
They’ve added all of that in the latest update. Check out a video of Todd from Telenav giving us the skinny on all of Telenav’s features. Not too bad, from where I’m standing. It’ll be available for AT&T phones starting out, with other carriers getting it soon after. Press details after that obnoxious video box below.
TeleNav Enhances Driving Experience with New Version of TeleNav GPS Navigator™
Expanded Speech Recognition, Quick Search, and Multiple Route Suggestions features make it easier and faster to find and navigate to destinationsSunnyvale, Calif. – Jan. 14, 2011 – TeleNav, Inc. (NASDAQ: TNAV), one of the largest global wireless location-based services providers with more than 18 million paying subscribers, today launchedTeleNav GPS Navigator version 6.2 for select Android devices. The latest version of TeleNav GPS Navigator is designed to deliver a faster and more reliable way to navigate, search, and view maps on a mobile device. TeleNav has added new features such as expanded Speech Recognition, Quick Search, Multiple Route Suggestions, enhanced local search content with more listings, and overall improved application speed.
“With this release, we’ve made Navigator easier and faster to use, and also added new capabilities that allow the user to personalize their navigation experience,” said Sal Dhanani, co-founder and vice president of products for TeleNav. “We’re confident that when our users try this version, they’ll immediately benefit from the enhancements we’ve made and enjoy the faster, simpler, more personalized experience.”
A Personalized Experience: Multiple Route Suggestions and Commute Alerts
TeleNav GPS Navigator 6.2 now offers Multiple Route Suggestions and allows users to choose which route they prefer to take. Once a destination is entered, users are presented with up to three route suggestions overlaid on a map with route distance and estimated drive times. Users can review information for each route and select the option that best fits their personal driving needs.TeleNav GPS Navigator 6.2 also includes a new user interface for the existing Commute Alert feature, making it easier for users to set and receive automatic alerts at a pre-selected time to show current traffic conditions along their daily commute. Users can choose to have these alerts sent via e-mail, SMS, or within the TeleNav GPS Navigator application to receive their personal daily commute information before hitting the road.
Search Made Simple
TeleNav GPS Navigator 6.2 includes Quick Search, a new feature designed to make finding local places quick and easy. Located on the application’s home page, users can simply touch the Quick Search box and type an address, landmark, category (i.e. Italian Food), or a business name. TeleNav GPS Navigator 6.2 uses predictive search technology to suggest results as the user types their desired location. Quick Search eliminates the need to navigate menus in order to find and drive to a location.TeleNav has included an expanded Speech Recognition feature, allowing users to press a single button on the home page and speak a command. In addition to the Speech Recognition commands available in previous versions of TeleNav GPS Navigator used for finding addresses (“1130 Kifer Road”) or businesses (“Find gas stations”), TeleNav GPS Navigator 6.2 provides voice access to more information, for questions such as “How’s the weather” or “How’s traffic.”
TeleNav has also made its local search functionality easier, faster and more comprehensive, adding millions of new Points of Interest (POIs) to its search database, giving TeleNav users access to more than 22 million U.S. business locations, historical landmarks, airports and more.
“There’s nothing more frustrating when using a GPS product than to search for a location and not get a result. If a user can’t find the destination they’re looking for, the quality of the navigation features doesn’t matter,” said Dhanani. “We’ve put a lot of effort into ensuring that our users are able to find the destinations they’re searching for.”
Additional Features and Enhancements
In addition to multiple route options and search enhancements, TeleNav GPS Navigator 6.2 includes enhanced map performance and design, allowing for faster panning and page refreshes when users view the map screen within the application. The map view also includes one-click options to layer information on the map screen, such as traffic flow information and the locations of traffic cameras.TeleNav GPS Navigator 6.2 also features a new POI search screen interface designed to make searching for business categories more simple. When viewing the POI category page, users are presented with an easy to read view of popular business categories and can access those listings with one-click.
Availability
TeleNav GPS Navigator 6.2 is available immediately on the Android Marketplace to AT&T customers (as AT&T Navigator 2.2) using the Samsung Captivate™, HTC Aria, Sony Ericsson Xperia™ X10, or Motorola BACKFLIP™ devices running Android OS version 2.1 or above. The application will be available soon on additional Android devices through other wireless carriers.
Images of TeleNav GPS Navigator 6.2 are available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/23382466@N03/sets/72157625684926753/ and a demonstration video of new features is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NocouhAMzA.
About TeleNav, Inc.
TeleNav, Inc. is a leading provider of consumer location-based services (LBS), enterprise LBS and automotive LBS with more than 18 million paying subscribers as of September 30, 2010. TeleNav’s solutions provide consumers, wireless service providers, enterprises and automakers with location-specific, real-time, personalized services such as GPS navigation, local search, mobile advertising, mobile commerce, location tracking and workflow automation. TeleNav’s technology is available across more than 500 types of mobile phones, all major mobile phone operating systems and a broad range of wireless network protocols. TeleNav’s service providers and partners include AT&T, Bell Mobility, Boost Mobile, China Mobile, Cincinnati Bell, Ford Motor Company, NII Holdings, Rogers, Sprint Nextel, Telcel, T-Mobile UK, T-Mobile USA, U.S. Cellular, Verizon Wireless and Vivo Brazil.
For more information on TeleNav, please visit www.telenav.com. Follow TeleNav on Twitter at www.twitter.com/telenav or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/telenav.
[via Android Central]
I’ll Google Nav (free) for the win!
Google Nav is pretty fully featured, if you ask me. It has multiple route suggestions and a bunch of amazing features that the other navigation units can’t touch. Thanks for playing, telenav. Now just get your garbage off my Evo.
So…..how much of a kickback did Telenav give you to write this and pretend their app doesn’t suck?
I’d use Google Nav, but it’s not yet available in Norway…so I have to go for 3d part then :(
Sorry DingleBerry, but Google Navigation has had points of interest, multiple route suggestions since day one of release. If fact you can search for POI’s along your route while navigating. All without a monthly fee. Try oozing this puss somewhere else!
@Jay if we’d gotten a kickback from this article, you’d know. I just prefer to think outside the Google box, sometimes.
@Warren Google Nav doesn’t have nearly as many POIs as Telenav or standalone GPS units. And last I checked, they have multiple routes but you can’t change them on the fly. Then again, I haven’t checked since before the release of 5.0.
@ Quentyn: You still need a data connection in Google Nav in order to get an initial route. So yeah, it still requires an internet connection, unfortunately.
Park your car… google wat u want… take the address and input into gnav… repeat as necessary.
You can’t seriously expect anyone to believe the worlds ‘largest’ search provider, the same company that for the last near decade has brought us Google Earth and the best web mapping api tools on the planet does not have the best POI database in the United States you’re sorely mistaken.
It’s only a matter of time before Telenav goes out of business or is bought out by Microsoft to help compete against Android w/Bing Maps for Windows Phone. Even Telenav investors know if not for these carrier contracts to bring branded GPS Navigation applications to their devices Telenav would have folded back in 2009. That’s a fact!
@ Quentyn: How is it possible that any other Nav software has more POI’s than GMN (Google Maps Nav)? GMN has all of the Google search engine at it’s disposal. Therefore, it has essentially limitless (ever-expanding, daily) POI’s, does it not? You can literally search for anything in GMN’s POI’s. Telenav would likely have an internet search engine behind their POI’s as well (probably Google).
GMN does have multiple route suggestions available, which you can switch to on the fly.
Um yeah, GNav/Maps still requires a data connection. Now if they would let us download the basic map/route info to the device to access any time without a data connection, I would be able to throw my Garmin away.
TeleNav? No thanks.
haha, funny. to be honest, one of the best GPS i ever had as far as inovative features was an insignia,which is the “best buy” generic store brand. it had google search(came with a SIM card installed), multiple routes, traffic, gas prices, all sorts of stuff was quicker to route and reroute than any other system i’ve used. granted that was a few years ago and the other guys have played catch-up a bit, but i still really dig what they had going.
one thing i WOULD like to see is an option to change the voice for turn by turn directions.
@ John the Lesser
Actually dude you can change the voice used by Google Nav on Android devices, just install a new Text to Speech engine (TTS). There’s quite a few in the market place. I use the engine created by SVox. Once you have the new TTS engine installed you can purchase voices on the market place. As of right now they have about 10 english speaking voices to choose from.
The only reason someone might use Telenav is because they plaster it on your homescreen and people who dont know better think it is the native navigation.
Definitely not worth the money compared the smoothly working google nav included for free! Even if Telenav were free; I prefer the native Google Nav.
Nice! Telenav is my favorite gps navagation!
Sure, Google navigation is free, but u get what u pay for! On Google navigation, when on freeway, it will say “exit 58” or “exit 121”. just tell me “exit wall street” or “exit Bear Blvd” instead of this garbage “exit 752” !
give telenav a try before saying Google GPS is better! telenav has 30 days free trial!
Can’t wait until Telenav is available on Verizon. Google Nav is crap. I have had two very bad experiences with it in the past two weeks. The guys that love it will hate it once it screws you. The last flaw cost me 45 mintues and late to a very important meeting. I’m back to VZ Nav until Telenax is available.