I just noticed that on September 12th MapQuest launched their GPS based navigation service dubbed MapQuest Navigator. The press release highlights "The new service and down-loadable application features an in-car navigation-like system with an exclusive moving map display and provides a seamless navigational experience while allowing users to receive phone calls."
An interesting feature of the application is that "Sprint customers can use the MapQuest Navigator service even if their journey takes them beyond network coverage, providing a continuous navigation experience." Nice work. I have used a number of navigation apps, and have lost a signal on the phone only to find that when re-connected to the network, the app no longer was in an active session.
The release highlights these features as well:
-- Audible turn-by-turn voice and visual directions, using GPS, straight from the phone handset;
-- Users can enjoy a seamless navigation experience while receiving phone calls;
-- Full pedestrian navigation mode that ignores vehicle turning and one-way driving restrictions;
-- Optimized routing calculation to find the fastest or shortest route, avoiding toll roads, highways or other specific elements;
-- High-quality dynamic color maps with zoom-in/out, pan and point on map functionality;
-- Easy address input for mobile phones;
-- Intuitive location search for address, intersection or zip code, including unique "points of interest" category search capabilities;
-- Automatic re-routing without the need to contact the mapping server; and
-- Front-loaded data retrieval within the cell coverage area allows for a seamless navigation experience within and outside of cell coverage areas
The service is only available to Sprint Nextel subscribers. According to the MapQuest site, the app is available on the following devices:
Sprint CDMA
- Sanyo 9000
- Sanyo 7500
- Sanyo 8300
- Samsung A920 Coming Soon
- LG 550 Coming Soon
Sprint Nextel iDEN
- Motorola i860
- Motorola i870
- Motorola i605 Coming Soon
- Motorola i850 Coming Soon
- BlackBerry 7100i Coming Soon
- BlackBerry 7520 Coming Soon
This adds to the 3 other navigation apps already on the Sprint deck; Telenav, RandMcNally MONA, and Garmin Mobile. MapQuest Navigator is a whitelabled version of Telmaps Mobile Optimized Navigation Data (MOND) technology.
It's nice to see that MapQuest is promoting this on their home page.
