Corporate Blog

As many of you probably know, we have been working with Verizon and powering their VZ Navigator app since it launched in January 2006. We have always been very proud of VZ Navigator’s position as one of the top navigation apps in the world, and over the last year, we have been hard at work looking for ways to improve it. Starting today, we are excited to unveil the fruits of our labor…VZ Navigator 5.0.

The new version of VZ Navigator is a major upgrade, and we truly believe that it will deliver an improved navigation experience for all Verizon customers who use the app. Since we last updated VZ Navigator, GPS technology has drastically improved, and we have been itching to implement some of these new technological advances into the app. We have also learned some new things about navigation ourselves through our work on other apps like Gokivo, and VZ Navigator 5.0 was an opportunity to bring some of these advances onto the Verizon platform.

There are truthfully too many new features to list them all out here, but we want to call out a couple of our personal favorites, just to make sure you can try them out yourself when you see the new app.

• Facebook Integration – VZ Navigator users can now connect with social networks and share their location at any time. If you are out having a good time and want some more friends to join you, simply update your Facebook status through VZ Nav, and it will also post your location.
• Roadside Service – If you happen to encounter some problems on the road (it happens to the best of us), the new VZ Navigator will give you the option to speed dial roadside assistance. The phone will automatically send your vehicle’s GPS location to the dispatch center.
• Speech Recognition – With the new VZ Navigator, you can simply speak the name of a place, address, or business, and you will have the option to navigate there, or bring up the local search features.
• Improved UI – VZ Navigator 5.0 will be far and away the easiest version of VZ Navigator to use. When you open the app, you will immediately see where you are, and will not have to do a search to see what is around you. We also have included the option to customize your map, so any particular POI categories you are interested in will be displayed on the side of your screen

Verizon is rolling out the new version of VZ Navigator to some select phones today, and over the next few weeks, it will become available to everyone. If you want to read more about the upgrade you can check out the official release at http://news.vzw.com/news/2010/02/pr2010-02-01.html and if you have any feedback about VZ Navigator, just shoot us an email at info@networksinmotion.com.

It has gotten to be that time of year where the weather can play a huge role in our travels. Storms have been hitting people all over the country, and even here in Southern California, we have been dealing with heavy rain (may not sound like much, but morning showers are practically a reason to close schools down here). Obviously, when the weather is bad, we have to be careful when driving. Visibility can often be horrible, and if we don’t know where we are going, getting behind the wheel can be dangerous.

Like many things in life though, the problem of traveling in bad weather is something that navigation can help with. With that said, for all the travelers out there that are trying to brave though the weather this time of year, we want to present our 5 tips for using navigation in bad weather.

1. Know when your turn is coming up. This is a fairly basic tip, but one that cannot really be overstated. A lot of the accidents that occur in bad weather come from when people can’t see where they are going and have to make quick turns to overcompensate. When using navigation, keep an eye out for when your turn is coming up and make sure nothing catches you off guard.

2. Detour around particularly bad areas. Have you ever been in horrible weather, only to drive across town and see nothing but blue skies? We can’t really explain why this happens (and why we always seem to be in the bad weather areas when it does), but we do know that sometimes a detour can get you out of the bad weather. If you find yourself approaching what looks to be a bad storm, try using your detour feature, and see if you can avoid it.

3. Check the traffic—anticipate the bad weather. There are times when we may see the weather outside is not great, but we can never be totally sure how it is behind the wheel. When this happens, try checking the traffic on your navigation device. If you see congestion on the roads, chances are driving conditions are difficult, and if at all possible, you should try and avoid going out.

4. Locate your closest chain/windshield wiper store. When you find yourself stuck driving in bad weather, the search functionality on your navigation device can get you out of trouble. If you don’t have chains for your car, or if you have an old ineffective pair of windshield wipers, search for the nearest auto shop and you can be out of trouble in no time.

5. Know when to call it a day and find someplace warm. Sometimes, the weather is so bad that there really is nothing we can do. Luckily, there is now practically a Starbucks on every block, and travelers can use their navigation devices to find the closest one to them. It may not be perfect, but a warm cup of coffee can often be just the thing to help us get through bad weather.

When you download Gokivo for your cell phone, you are essentially giving yourself access to navigation capabilities at all times. We like to think that in a way, no matter where you are, Gokivo is always with you (in a non creepy way). Recently, we have taken this one step further and have given you a new portal to interact with Gokivo…you can now watch an official Gokivo video when you are surfing YouTube!

We put together a fun video that shows off Gokivo, and some of the ways it can help out when you are in navigation trouble. We’re not sure when our Academy Award is coming in the mail, but we’ll just say that we think our video may be the first on YouTube to prominently feature both a coconut and a turn-by-turn navigation app in the same story. 

If you are a Gokivo user, we think you will get a kick out of it, and for people who are looking for a navigation app to try, this should hopefully give you a little bit of information on what Gokivo is all about.

We are really pleased with the video, and we would love to know what you think. You can check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8irLKkZ0Nm0, and feel free to leave some comments with your thoughts or feedback.

As the holiday season approaches, we’ve made it a goal of ours to try and give something back to all the navigation users that have made the last year such a success for us. We have been throwing around some ideas for a while, but most of the good ones (“trade in your old paper maps for a cell phone!”) simply aren’t feasible. What we ended up deciding on, was the simple gift of advice, and there is nothing we are more qualified to give advice about than how to get the most out of turn-by-turn navigation.

For the millions who decide to brave the madness that is the after-Christmas sales on the 26th, we decided to look at where the crowds will be the worst, so you can try and avoid the mayhem. On December 26, the top five most searched destinations include Walmart, Best Buy, and Target (we like to think this is more about cashing in on those new gift cards, as opposed to returning bad gifts), Starbucks (to re-energize), and Bank of America (because even the best sales won’t make products free). Well, it may not be possible to avoid all these places, our advice is to go to the smaller stores on your list first, and save the Walmart’s of the world for the next week.

Along with Christmas, we also wanted to give some advice on how to best use navigation on New Years. One of the best parts of New Year’s Eve is that we often don’t know exactly how our nights are going to end up, and although this can be exciting, it can also lead to disaster. With navigation, you should never feel lost. Top searches on New Year’s Eve include Bars and Nightclubs, Hotels and Motels, and of course Taxi’s. No matter what your plans are, we recommend using your navigation device to help make sure you end up where you want to.

We hope that this may help a little bit, and we want to wish everyone a wonderful and safe holiday.

As Apple continues to make changes to the App Store’s pricing system, we follow suit in our effort to give you Gokivo at the best price.

Today, we’re offering a new pricing option that allows you to download Gokivo for just $0.99, and then if you like it – and we think you will! – you can continue to use Gokivo without any commitment for $4.99 per month.

For those of us that have become dependent on Gokivo’s ability to effortlessly get us from Point A to Point B and keep us out of traffic jams, the app will still be available with a yearly pricing option of $39.99.

If you still haven’t given Gokivo a try, now’s your chance. With pricing like this, why wouldn’t you? You can find more information about Gokivo at http://www.gokivo.com. We’re also happy to answer any questions you might have. You can find us at info@networksinmotion.com.

Everyone knows somebody that, to put it nicely, is “navigationally challenged.” Some people will admit it and some will not, but if ten minute trips are routinely taking half an hour, it is safe to say that these people can benefit from a navigation device.

Finding the right gift for someone can often be a challenging ordeal, and with this in mind, we wanted to throw out the idea of giving someone turn-by-turn navigation this holiday season. While the new sweaters and random bread makers sit around the house and go largely unused, turn-by-turn navigation will often provide immediate benefits, and can be a gift that makes you stand out from the crowd.

When giving navigation as a gift, there are two important steps to follow. The first is to find the people who need navigation. Not surprisingly—this is not that difficult. Key signs to look for are people showing up perpetually late, trips routinely taking longer than they should, or a car filled with crumpled up directions printed from the Internet.

Secondly, you need to know how to position your gift. Some people are aware of their direction difficulties, but many people are not. If you have someone who you are worried about offending, we recommend telling them that you know they are “tech savvy” and thought that they would find this interesting. The fact that it will give them directions is besides the point (saying this with a straight face is key).

No matter what gifts you decide on, we wish you a stress-free holiday shopping season, and if you know a certain someone who seems to get lost a little more than they should, think about turn-by-turn nav.

To see a full list of the turn-by-turn nav options offered by NIM, check out: http://www.networksinmotion.com/products/default.php

Thanksgiving is a holiday filled with traditions and familiar routines. Whether it is going to the store to pick up a turkey, learning about the pilgrims in school, or daydreaming about pumpkin pie, there are certain activities that simply go along with the time of year.

In the last few years, however, there has been a new Thanksgiving activity that’s gaining popularity…GPS navigation! We have been checking out the numbers, and it turns out that navigation use on Thanksgiving Day is rising, and it has become one of the busiest GPS holidays of the year.

We can think of numerous reasons why people may need to use their nav system on Thanksgiving, ranging from people searching for where they can find the perfect ingredient, to travelers who need a little assistance getting to their relative’s house.

However you choose to you use your navigation system though, we hope you have smooth travels and a great holiday. As you head out over the river and through the woods…don’t be afraid to pull out your GPS system to get to grandma’s house–it can be tough to find, and we all deserve a relaxing trip.

As more and more people are starting to use GPS appliances, we get asked sometimes about the effect GPS devices have on driving safety. The truth is, there are some things you can do while using GPS which will make your ride safer, and there are some things that may distract you.

On top of that, no matter how fancy your GPS system is, there are just some drivers that we can’t help you avoid (anyone from the Mario Andretti speedster type to the 16 year old across the street who has mastered the one hand text message).What we can do, however, is give you some tips we’ve learned in regard to safety, so without further ado, here are our “5 tips for GPS safety”

1. Keep your eyes on the road. This may sound like basic advice, but dealing with directions can be amazingly distracting, and potentially make you take your eyes off the road. With a voice guided turn-by-turn nav system, this should never be a problem. The days of trying to decipher illegible directions are over, and now you can have your directions spoken to you, while you concentrate on the road.

2. Find a good place to put your phone. While having navigation on your phone is easier to use (and safer) than using large folding maps, it can still be potentially dangerous to be fumbling around with a phone instead of driving. Whether you have a special car dock or simply an easy place to put it, it is always wise to have a designated area where your phone can live, so you won’t have to fiddle around with it while driving.

3. Don’t be afraid to call a cab. No matter how good the directions on your phone may be, if you’ve had a couple drinks, it is probably not a good idea to drive. One of the great things about having mobile GPS, is that you are in fact using a phone, so it is easy to search for a cab company and call it a night. Besides, you can always use your GPS the next morning to navigate back to where you left your car.

4. Know when the traffic is coming. A lot of accidents occur in stop and start traffic. Use the traffic function on your GPS system to anticipate this and prepare yourself. As soon as you hear there is traffic approaching, it’s a good idea to slow down, and keep an eye out for those break lights.

5. Don’t follow GPS blindly.  If you use mobile navigation, you will have constantly updated maps, and this is not an issue, but if you have a standalone PND, you can potentially find out of date directions. We don’t actually think you are going to follow a device that tells you to drive off a cliff, but if you don’t have updated maps, be careful where you are going.

Whether you are a current Gokivo user, or a perspective user who is thinking about giving it a try, we have good news…We’re lowering prices!

Unlike some of the deals you may see in the car lot, where you get a great price but find out the car is missing a back seat, we are lowering prices the old fashioned way—by simply dropping the price without removing any of the features.

For the Gokivo user who may only need navigation sparingly, we still offer a “pay as you go system” where you can sign up for 30 days without any commitment. This was recently lowered to only $4.99/month.

For those of us out there though who know that we need navigation year-round (the first step is admitting you have a problem), we are now offering an annual pricing option. For just $39.99, users can sign up for a whole year of Gokivo and save over 30% on the month to month price.

We’re hoping that the lower prices will encourage some people who may be on the fence to give Gokivo a try. If you decide to try it out for the first time and have some questions about the product, check out http://www.gokivo.com, or shoot us an email at info@networksinmotion.com.

As you may have seen, Google yesterday released a turn-by-turn mobile navigation app, Google Maps Navigator. At this point though, it will only be available on phones that run the Android 2.0 operating system – there’s only one currently on the market – and only as a beta release.

Here at Networks In Motion, we recognize that one of the things that make location-based services so complicated is that they have to work on a number of platforms, devices, and firmware updates. Not only do we recognize this complexity, but to ensure that you will have a great experience, we have invested hundreds of man-years working with handset vendors, data providers, and carrier partners to deliver a consistent service that is bulletproof and tested with the equivalent of decades of refinements. 

We wonder, if this turn-by-turn navigation app is part of the Android 2.0 operating system, then who will do all the porting, testing and integration for each new device, screen, chipset and firmware?  Who will the customer call when the unproven map data is wrong or when the beta service is down or unavailable?

Although Google is fortunate enough to have lots of money to subsidize this free product, bringing one unproven beta release to market does not make up for years of field-testing with millions of users. Your driving experience is important and it’s still unproven if Google’s new map database can work as a mission critical app like real-time car navigation.

One final note that concerns us: Sadly, Google is now attacking the most profitable part of the mobile software developer community. How will the Android operating system attract new developers to the platform when the owner routinely goes after the developers who are pioneers in proven mobile markets like location-based services? Just some food for thought.