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Navman Mobile Travel Assist for S60 phones.

Navmanmobiletravelassist

The Navman Mobile Travel Assist GPS for Smartphones. I’ve recently been testing out a Navman GPS satellite navigation product – the iCN720 – and quite honestly have been blown away by how good it is. It’s a great system, and it’s taught me one thing, that not all GPS systems are equal. The Navman has hands-down beaten out the Tom-Tom, Route 66 and other GPS systems I’ve used in the past, and that’s without including the NavPix feature which is so cool. The maps are superb, the interface excellent, and the audio delivery just about perfect. Today the clever company is launching a version of this NavPix GPS navigation software for Symbian Series 60 camera phones, and it’s a fabulous idea. [Update: pricing now included after the jump.]

The brilliant thing about NavPix, which I discovered while exploring the wilds of Sweden over the summer, is that you can take a photo of a place that has no real address, like a forest glade or lake, and navigate back there instantly by just selecting the stored GPS-tagged image on the screen. You ever tried putting in the postcode for a lake? Yeah well. Not only that, you can also share the photos with other users online. Of course the NavPix Library site is chock-full of images of restaurants and nightclubs around the world rather than Mother Nature, but with the launch of the camera phone version I reckon this whole GPS-tagged image thing will take off like a rocket. “Where are you then?”. *Snap*.  “Here”.

Am I waxing lyrical yet? Well just think about the potential for tourism? Smartphone tours? Download a bunch of photos (maybe of statues or rose gardens, or whatever takes your fancy) from the Library before you hit the place you’re visiting and just follow the photos for a tour. In fact Lonely Planet has already done a deal with Navman to offer tour type NavPix for 19 cities around the world. Some enterprising fellow might even add in translated audio to be beamed down over 3G at the same time. I tell you, it’s got legs this one. And did I mention that you can also convert your existing photos into NavPix versions on the website? So this is my tip for a successful tech, and I’ll be watching it closely over the coming months.

The Specs:

  • Pack comes with Smart Assist S60 software program on a 512 MB or 1GB memory card plus a pocket sized SiRF Star III Bluetooth GPS satellite receiver.
  • GPS tagged navigation photos can be sent or received via MMS.
  • Content services include traffic and OAG flight information and data on over 1.25 million points of interest including restaurants, clubs, banks, ATMs etc. 
  • Detailed data such as venue reviews, hotels and menus complete with NavPix images for navigation.
  • Real time traffic reports across Europe via Transistance updated every 10 minutes.
  • Flight schedules and alternatives at nearby airports if needed.
  • Price: UK maps – £169.00. European maps – £199.00.

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