Navigon today announced a new live traffic capabilities for its iPhone navigation app. The Traffic Live will be available in October for the North American version of the MobileNavigator for the iPhone. It utilizes real-time traffic information as well as historic data to calculate better routes that avoid congestion and get drivers to their destination faster.
“By including real-time speed data from drivers on the road, we are adding a next generation traffic service to our app that goes beyond traditional traffic functions which work with radio transmitted messages only. This is clearly raising the bar for iPhone GPS applications,” said Gerhard Mayr, Vice-President Worldwide Mobile Phones & New Markets at NAVIGON. “Providing the driver instantaneous traffic conditions, and offering efficient, alternative routes to the congestion, saves time, fuel and money. The ability to know and navigate around gridlock is a crucial function and we are thrilled to be the first major GPS company to announce this critical, and sought after service for an iPhone navigation app at a flat fee.”
The Traffic Live uses real-time speed data from over one million drivers across North America including commercial fleets such as trucks and taxis but also regular drivers with a GPS system. It also uses an intelligent fusion of information from traffic cameras, speed sensors and conventional traffic messages coming through a radio network. In addition, the system includes historic traffic data to assist with the prediction of road conditions when calculating a route. This includes information about traffic conditions on certain holidays or yearly events, allowing the driver to avoid taking routes that traditionally are congested on a regular basis.
NAVIGON Traffic Live will be available as an In App Purchase for $24.99. Users can add the service directly within the MobileNavigator app. For the first four weeks, it will be available for an introductory price of $19.99. The NAVIGON MobileNavigator for the iPhone is available for $89.99 in the Apple App Store and is equipped with maps of North America from NAVTEQ.
[via engadget]
