Discovery and fun – the social media capabilities of the Garmin® mobile navigation apps
25 February 2013
Barcelona, Mobile World Congress, February 25th, 2013 – Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ:
GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, reveals the latest updates
to its mobile navigation apps Garmin StreetPilot and NAVIGON at Mobile World
Congress. The update includes improved social media capabilities like
Foursquare and Glympse and adds integration of Wikipedia point of interests.
With the integrated social media capabilities the Garmin StreetPilot and
NAVIGON apps now offer loads of possibilities to discover surroundings, stay
connected with friends and family, and have fun wherever you are – all
while navigating. Get information about landmarks you are passing with the
new integrated Wikipedia spots; check in at your destination or find
interesting offers with Foursquare integration; share your location and let
others follow your route with Glympse. The features are fully integrated and
appear along your route with a visible icon. Alongside these features,
Garmin’s trusted mobile navigation apps continue navigating users quickly
and safely from start to destination. The apps include improved
functionalities such as the updated Urban Guidance feature, which enables
integration with public transport on route. Another helpful improvement
comes with the update to Bluetooth Audio Handling for the iOS related apps.
This makes it even easier to hear voice guidance while listening to music
via the car radio.
Joern Watzke, Vice President of worldwide mobile phone business at Garmin
says: “Social media integration of services such as Wikipedia, Foursquare
and Glympse are a great addition to our navigation apps. The fully
integrated features allow our users to stay connected with friends and
family and offers real-time access to points of interest and special deals.”
Wikipedia: Everyone knows Wikipedia and most of us have used the online
encyclopaedia at least once to get easy and valid information. The
integrated Wikipedia feature of the Garmin StreetPilot and NAVIGON app
includes a map with Wikipedia POI’s. Touch the “W” symbol in your map or
search for wiki spots in the POI menu to get the most up to date information
about interesting landmarks, buildings or sightseeing spots.
Foursquare: The integrated Foursquare capability will allow users to display
locations from the social network on the map and check in on arrival at
their destination. Furthermore users will benefit from a massive up-to-date
POI database. Information about trendy venues nearby or special discounts
around your location are displayed. When associating the app to the personal
Foursquare account, personalised POI suggestions will be provided based on
the individual check-in behaviour.
Glympse: This functionality allows users to share their position and
destination with friends, family or business partners across all smartphone
platforms or via web browser. The recipients can be informed via SMS or
e-mail and can then easily track the route for a dedicated time period.
Invited persons do not need a special application to view a Glympse. All
they need to have is a web browser. After starting the navigation Garmin
StreetPilot and NAVIGON app users receive easy access to the feature through
the Glympse icon and can share their position with durations between one
minute and four hours.
Turn your Smartphone into a navigation system: Thanks to a variety of useful
functions, Garmin’s trusted mobile navigation apps are great companions –
not only in the car – and a perfect tool for optimum route planning and
navigation for cyclists and pedestrians. The updated Urban Guidance content
enables users to integrate public transport into their route, complete with
detailed itineraries of transit stops. The last mile feature saves the
parking location of your destination when entered and before your arrive.
Both the Garmin StreetPilot and the NAVIGON mobile apps provide extended
turn-by-turn navigation services like reality view pro, active lane
assistance or Google street view, which are not available on free navigation
apps.
The Garmin mobile navigation apps are available at the App Store and Google
Play. The introduced update will be available by end of March 2013. The
Garmin StreetPilot is available for iOS at £59.99 for Western Europe and
£44.99 for UK & IRE. The Navigon Europe app is available at £69.99 for iOS
and at £49.95 for Android. The Navigon British Isles app is available at
£24.99 for iOS and at £29.95 for Android.