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navteq posts

Telmap taps NAVTEQ for iPhone GPS solution, understands the inevitable

by Darren Murph posted Oct 30th 2009 @ 9:47AM

Man, talk about awful timing. At least TomTom and Navigon were able to sell a few rounds of their pricey iPhone GPS application before Google went and ruined everyone's day (at least in the GPS biz), and now that Google Maps Navigation is but an approval away from hitting iPhone users for free, we've got serious doubts about Telmap's ability to market its newest product. Utilizing NAVTEQ maps and familiar shells like MapQuest Navigation (in the US) and Orange Maps (in France), the company seems quite proud of its newest routing solutions. Oh sure -- there's live traffic, turn-by-turn guidance, in-car and pedestrian modes, etc., but is anyone really doling out cash for a phone-based routing system right now with Google at the wheel? Exactly.

Navigon adding live traffic to iPhone navigation app, asks 'TomTom who?'

by Darren Murph posted Sep 17th 2009 @ 9:12AM

Practically all summer, the buzz surrounding TomTom's forthcoming iPhone GPS app was near deafening. But said noise apparently didn't penetrate the labs at Navigon, as that very outfit has produced what's easily the most full-featured option on the market today. Just a week after updating the already-great app with text-to-speech, iPod controls and location sharing, the company is now proclaiming that live traffic will splash down in October (at least in North America). The update will enable the software to utilize real-time speed data from drivers currently en route as well as historical information in order to alert you of slow-downs and re-route you when necessary. We've personally seen live traffic functions fail more often than not, but we're giving Navigon the benefit of the doubt here until we can test it ourselves. Best of all, it'll only cost MobileNavigator users (priced at $89.99) a one-time fee of $24.99 for lifetime traffic, and if you snag it within the first four weeks after it goes on sale, that rate drops to $19.99. So, TomTom -- what now?

Navigon sneaks text-to-speech, iPod controls and location sharing into MobileNavigator app

by Darren Murph posted Sep 10th 2009 @ 10:29AM

TomTom's much-ballyhooed iPhone GPS app best step its game up, else it'll get left in the dust by none other than Navigon. The lesser-known nav company today introduced the second major update for its MobileNavigator iPhone app (our impressions are here), and the feature additions aren't anything to scoff at. For starters, the program has become the first on-board navigation app for the iPhone to gain text-to-speech functionality, and just in case hearing street names belted out through a robotic voice ain't good enough for your high standards, the inclusion of iPod control should win you over. At long last, drivers can access the full range of iPod functionalities with a single click from map access, and it even recognizes the shuffle feature to keep you guessing. Finally, a location sharing function has been added to make stalking your pals that much easier; to close, Navigon has knocked $10 off the purchase price, bringing it down to a nearly-palatable $89.99 -- and yes, those who already own it can download the update gratis.

[Via HotHardware]

Navigon brings MobileNavigator to iPhone's App Store, we go hands-on

by Darren Murph posted Jul 22nd 2009 @ 2:06PM

While the world waits with bated breath for TomTom to make good on its promise of providing a bona fide GPS application for iPhone OS 3.0, Navigon is stepping in with every intention of stealing the aforementioned firm's thunder. Sure, AT&T has issued its own subscription app that dings you $9.95 per month, and we've also seen a few dedicated GPS apps surface from both Sygic and XRoad, but this is definitely the first on-board iPhone nav solution from what we'd call a "major" GPS company. Available starting today in the App Store, the 1.29GB MobileNavigator program contains comprehensive NAVTEQ maps of North America, and if you're interested in Europe, Navigon's app for that side of the pond was released around a month ago. Click on for a few of our thoughts.

Gallery: Navigon brings MobileNavigator to iPhone's App Store, we go hands-on

Continue reading Navigon brings MobileNavigator to iPhone's App Store, we go hands-on

Nokia wraps up acquisition of NAVTEQ

by Donald Melanson posted Jul 10th 2008 @ 11:26AM

It was already all but a done deal once the shareholders gave the thumbs-up and EU regulators gave the go-ahead, but Nokia has now announced that it has officially wrapped up its acquisition of NAVTEQ -- a move that, coincidentally, comes just a few days after TomTom and Tele Atlas finalized their own deal. As you might expect, both Nokia and NAVTEQ have nothing but praise for the $8.1 billion deal, with Nokia President and CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo saying that, "Nokia and NAVTEQ together make a powerful combination, and customers will benefit as the transaction enables NAVTEQ to accelerate its expansion into new regions and introduce innovative new content." NAVTEQ President and CEO Judson Green further added that, "Nokia has a deep understanding of the requirements for the industry," before dishing out the usual line about how the deal will benefit the customers most of all.

Nokia's NAVTEQ acquisition draws probe from the EU

by Donald Melanson posted Mar 28th 2008 @ 4:23PM

It may have won approval from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and NAVTEQ shareholders alike, but it looks like the EU's European Commission needs a bit more time to think over Nokia's acquisition of the company, and it's now launched an "in-depth" probe into the matter. According to Reuters, the Commission said that the "proposed merger raises serious doubts with regards to ... competition concerns," although it was quick to add that the decision to open the inquiry does not prejudge the result of the probe. Among other things, the probe will apparently attempt to asses whether the purchase would affect the cost of maps for other companies providing navigation services on cellphones. If all of this has a familiar ring, it should, because it wasn't all that long ago that the EU launched a similar probe into TomTom's similar acquisition of map-maker Tele Atlas.

NAVTEQ shareholders give thumbs-up to Nokia acquisition

by Darren Murph posted Dec 12th 2007 @ 6:38PM

Maybe they were just full of holiday cheer, or maybe they just felt like the match really was made in heaven, but whatever the case, NAVTEQ shareholders "overwhelmingly" voted to approve the Nokia acquisition announced in October. The affirmation will reportedly pave the way for the $8.1 million deal to go final shortly, as antitrust regulators already signed off on it last week. Yep, looks like NokTEQ will be coming your way soon.

Zander: Motorola passed on NAVTEQ buy

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 11th 2007 @ 1:29AM

Say you're the CEO of Motorola -- a company that's fallen on hard times as of late, aiming for a rebound -- and you're looking to take a little dig at the world's largest cellphone manufacturer. Where do you begin? In this case, Nokia's purchase of NAVTEQ has fallen into your lap like a gift from the gods, giving you a chance to pan the "stunning" $8.1 billion sale price and casually drop the knowledge that Motorola had previously considered and passed on a bid. There's no telling where the fact ends and the fiction begins here, but at a recent talk to students of the University of Chicago's business school, Zander said that Motorola looked at scooping up NAVTEQ and concluded that it really didn't want to get into the applications biz for fear that it'd upset carriers -- a fear Nokia is challenging head on with both the acquisition and its Ovi initiative. Oh no you didn't, Ed! That's like Nokia dissing the iPhone's lack of 3G... oh, wait.

Nokia buying NAVTEQ

by Evan Blass posted Oct 1st 2007 @ 8:20AM

The headline really does tell the whole story in this case: Finnish telecom giant Nokia has announced its intention to purchase one of the world's two digital mapping powerhouses (the other being TeleNav) in an $8 billion deal that should result in some pretty sick location-based services on your next N-series phone. Nokia expects to have pulled NAVTEQ into the fold by the end of Q1 2008; all hail NokTEQ.

[Thanks, Pdexter]