tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81007186453271313632024-03-14T06:06:05.414-05:00For What It's WorthAnything that's on my mind might appear here but I'll be focused on automotive technology, telematics and navigation, including Android and iOS navigation apps.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00350159285508456826noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100718645327131363.post-83759746496806461332017-10-17T17:16:00.000-05:002017-10-17T18:55:46.950-05:00TomTom: Garmin just showed you the way forward for voice control<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "tahoma" , "calibri" , "geneva" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">While the routing algorithm and traffic accuracy are significant reasons to still use TomTom nav products, the lack of a voice interface on mobile apps and an extremely limited voice interface on the dedicated sat-nav products really hinders the overall user experience. While I acknowledge that it is unrealistic to expect a company with limited resources like TomTom to develop a voice technology that is as capable of that from the likes of major players like Google, Apple and Amazon, does the consumer ultimately care? I think not. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "tahoma" , "calibri" , "geneva" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Today, it seems that Garmin has shown TomTom the way forward. Garmin just released the Garmin Speak which uses the Amazon Alexa voice assistant to operate Garmin's new product. Hundreds of products are doing the same thing - integrating into Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Samsung Bixby and using those robust voice assistants to power their products. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "tahoma" , "calibri" , "geneva" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">For example, neither my iRobot Roomba or my ecobee thermostat have you even tried to develop their own voice engines. Yet, I can control both of them and receive data and status from both of them by talking to either Alexa or Google Assistant. Hyundai isn't using their own in-car voice recognition technology outside the car. Instead, they've simply integrated into Google Assistant so that I can say "OK Google, ask BlueLink to start my car" or "OK Google, ask BlueLink if my car is locked." It's done. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "tahoma" , "calibri" , "geneva" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Today's announcement from Garmin allows the driver to simply speak "Alexa, tell Garmin to navigate to the nearest gas station." </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "tahoma" , "calibri" , "geneva" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">TomTom has all the pieces in place to be able to accomplish this. Use the current MyDrive Android app as the bridge between the voice assistant and either the smartphone nav app or the dedicated sat-nav device. MyDrive is already cloud or Bluetooth connected to those products. Use Alexa, Bixby and Google Assistant to send commands through MyDrive to the user's chosen nav solution. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "tahoma" , "calibri" , "geneva" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">TomTom should stop putting resources into a voice recognition technology that can't keep up with the leaders in that industry. Integrate into those company's engines and give us a remarkable navigational experience instead.</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00350159285508456826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100718645327131363.post-82593629777295609722016-11-18T18:04:00.000-06:002016-11-18T18:04:33.745-06:00A Better "I'm Feeling Lucky" for Google Play MusicThere is a lot to like about Google Play Music. However, its multi-genre music discovery capability is not one of those things. Don't get me wrong, Google Play Music's discovery capabilities are quite good. However, those capabilities are rigidly tied to two things: one musical genre / time period (Rock or The 80's) or an activity ("Watching the Sunset").<br />
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I don't know about you, but that's not how I listen to music. My idea of a great playlist is a mix of Zac Brown Band, Prince, Van Halen, Kenny Chesney and a some Rumpshaker. Sure, you can create a playlist that contains that music but with a playlist that I create I'm hearing the same songs over and over again. There's no discovery.<br />
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Sure, Google Play Music has the "Thumbs up" auto-playlist, but again, it's the same songs over and over again (plus any new ones I add). There's no discovery.<br />
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Google's "I'm Feeling Lucky" feature <i>should</i> be the answer to this need. But, for some inexplicable reason, Google Play Music's "I'm Feeling Lucky" feature produces a genre-specific playlist. That playlist will likely be very nicely tailored to your preferences if you use the app a lot. However, you're locked into listening to one genre at a time. Every time you initiate "I'm Feeling Lucky" it changes to another genre. I don't know the rationale for that design decision but it makes no sense to me.<br />
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Luckily, the Google Play Music webpage has a way to overcome this significant limitation in Google Play Music. If you've got a history of "thumbs upping" songs you like within Google Play Music then follow along. You'll like this. Open Google Play Music <u>on the web</u> (not the smartphone app). Click <a href="https://play.google.com/music/listen?authuser&u=0#/home" target="_blank">here</a>. Make sure your current listening queue is completely empty before you continue.<br />
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In the upper left corner, click the three bar menu icon, then select Music Library.<br />
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When the Music Library opens, select Playlists at the top of the screen.<br />
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Scroll down the page and find the section called Auto-Playlists. There, you'll find an Auto-Playlist called "Thumbs up" which represents every song you've ever thumbs upped in Google Play Music.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN34s9d9n5xXyRyEvMIN1_lgUgDTtNnjPdpqgjoWWVhmmWgR5Aq-kwuic_B9R5HCqTSATATl0Ghdd2U2sou7TbzxcwPQi2SvuUpdbdoT-PQv4khupR5Ks7J51s8HWiMB_4-H7CSKmSoiU/s1600/thumbsup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN34s9d9n5xXyRyEvMIN1_lgUgDTtNnjPdpqgjoWWVhmmWgR5Aq-kwuic_B9R5HCqTSATATl0Ghdd2U2sou7TbzxcwPQi2SvuUpdbdoT-PQv4khupR5Ks7J51s8HWiMB_4-H7CSKmSoiU/s320/thumbsup.JPG" width="220" /></a></div>
DO NOT click on this playlist. DO NOT open it. Instead, hover your mouse on the bottom right side of this playlist (below Peter Cetera in the above example). You'll see the familiar "3 dots" menu. Click the 3 dots menu and select the oddly named "Add Playlist to Playlist." When you select that command, you'll see a list of your current playlists and the option to Create New Playlist. Select that option. Name it whatever you'd like. I named mine "Jeff's Mix."<br />
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Now you have a new playlist called "Jeff's Mix" in your Playlists which, at the moment, is identical to your "Thumbs up" Auto-playlist. If you have several hundred songs in your thumbs up playlist wait for a few minutes before you proceed to the next step. If you proceed and get an error, wait a little longer.<br />
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Once again, DO NOT click on this playlist. DO NOT open it. Instead, hover your mouse on the bottom right side of this playlist (below John Cougar in the above example) and click the 3 dots menu. You'll see the golden ticket! Click "Start Radio."<br />
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You've just created a custom radio station, not based on a single genre or a particular activity, but rather based on your unique collection of thumbs upped songs. You'll find it in the radio station section of Google Play Music. Mine is called Jeff's Mix Radio.<br />
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Hover your mouse over the bottom right corner of your new radio station and again, select the three dot menu. Select Add Station To Library to make this station a permanent part of your library. You can also download this radio station offline from your smartphone.<br />
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You've just created your own personal radio station based on the songs you like, with the added benefit of music discovery! It won't take you very long in the listening experience of your new radio station to begin hearing discovered music that wasn't thumbs upped by you before. As you listen, you can thumbs up / down as you like to further tune your custom radio station. If you download offline on your smartphone, each iterative refresh will be tuned more and more to your liking.<br />
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It may seem silly to have both a Jeff's Mix playlist (static) and Jeff's Mix Radio (dynamic with discovery) but I'd recommend not deleting the static playlist. I've noticed that if I delete the static playlist that the radio station ends up disappearing as well.<br />
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It's a shame that Google can't just give us a straight forward way to enjoy multi-genre music discovery but until they do this is next best option. Enjoy!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00350159285508456826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100718645327131363.post-26090087639813865222016-08-18T09:07:00.001-05:002016-08-18T18:02:27.531-05:00TomTom wins big global contract with Volvo<p dir="ltr">Volvo has selected TomTom as their global supplier of maps, navigation and traffic content for their new infotainment system. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Full details <a href="http://corporate.tomtom.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=974683"><u>here</u></a>. </p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00350159285508456826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100718645327131363.post-74030799507186311752016-08-18T09:01:00.001-05:002016-08-18T18:01:20.053-05:00Uber picks their dance partner<p dir="ltr">Uber has picked their partner for their future. Volvo and Uber have announced a partnership to develop self-driving, autonomous cars which will serve as the next generation of Uber's service - one without cranky, demanding drivers.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Read more <a href="https://www.media.volvocars.com/global/en-gb/media/pressreleases/194795/volvo-cars-and-uber-join-forces-to-develop-autonomous-driving-cars"><u>here</u></a>. </p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00350159285508456826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100718645327131363.post-22184242415570753812016-08-17T20:29:00.001-05:002016-08-17T20:29:07.107-05:00Nissan & Infiniti using SiriusXM subsidies as a differentiator <p dir="ltr">Interesting news from Nissan & Infiniti. They appear to be using SiriusXM radio and data services as a differentiator by subsidizing the cost of the services for years.</p>
<p dir="ltr">More <a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nissan-and-infiniti-customers-to-receive-multi-year-subscription-to-siriusxm-traffic-and-siriusxm-travel-link-on-select-vehicles-starting-with-model-year-2017-300314107.html"><u>here</u></a>.</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00350159285508456826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100718645327131363.post-43753513992195034752016-08-17T14:57:00.001-05:002016-08-17T20:05:59.884-05:00Automatic's OBD-II telematics solution moves to the cloud<p dir="ltr">Aftermarket telematics company Automatic has released their latest product, the Automatic Pro. This aftermarket device plugs into your car's standard diagnostics port (OBD-II) to connect your car to the digital integration world. Uses include reading car diagnostic codes, analyzing driving behavior, providing emergency services and opening your car up to select 3rd party capabilities through the use of compatible apps. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The new Automatic Pro has an integral 3G data connection for direct communication to the cloud. The previous generation of the product required a bluetooth connection to a smartphone. Automatic has priced the Automatic Pro in a way that does not require service fees or a separate 3G data plan. </p>
<p dir="ltr">More information available <a href="http://www.automatic.com"><u>here</u></a>. </p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00350159285508456826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100718645327131363.post-28249424008532332692016-08-17T08:32:00.001-05:002016-08-17T20:05:33.025-05:00Ford continues its buying and investing binge<p dir="ltr">The news from the Ford Smart Mobility press event that Ford made a substantial investment in Velodyne was widely reported. It turns out, that was only part of the story. It was also announced that Ford has acquired SAIPS, an Israeli company that specializes in machine learning to beef up Ford's expertise in self-driving machine learning and computer vision technology.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Ford has also has a new exclusive licensing agreement with Nirenberg Neuroscience, a machine vision company that has developed a machine vision platform for performing navigation, object recognition, facial recognition and other functions. Ford can use this technology to bring humanlike intelligence to their autonomous cars. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Finally, an investment in Civil Maps will benefit Ford in the area of 3D high resolution mapping. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Read Ford's press release <a href="https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2016/08/16/ford-targets-fully-autonomous-vehicle-for-ride-sharing-in-2021.html">here</a>. </p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00350159285508456826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100718645327131363.post-8359556360287914252016-08-16T20:35:00.002-05:002016-08-16T20:35:35.269-05:00Ford Sync 3 and drones could save your life somedayMost think of Ford Sync 3 as a way to control your tunes or call the office using voice recognition. Who could imagine that Ford Sync 3 might actually save your life someday? That's the goal behind the <a href="https://developer.dji.com/challenge2016/" target="_blank">DJI Developer Challenge</a> in partnership with Ford.<br />
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Drone company DJI has partnered with Ford and others, for the DJI Developer Challenge. With Ford's involvement, the goal will be for 3rd party developers to create a method of controlling drones through Ford Sync 3 for unmanned search and rescue missions. This is all part of Ford's <a href="https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2016/02/19/ford-smart-mobility.html" target="_blank">Smart Mobility initiative</a>.<br />
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Great stuff right there.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00350159285508456826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100718645327131363.post-74885708565653216522016-08-16T20:21:00.001-05:002016-08-16T20:21:30.421-05:00ABI Research needs to do better researchABI Research has a <a href="https://www.abiresearch.com/press/automotive-software-defined-cockpits-see-proprieta/" target="_blank">posted a report summary</a> today discussing the battle between proprietary and open-sourced "software defined cockpits." In the summary they make this curious statement: "Yet, though car OEMs like Audi, BMW, Kia, and <span style="background-color: yellow;">Toyota Motor</span>, currently use Google’s Android Auto technology for search, map, and other functions, ABI Research predicts Android N will likely not appear in cars before 2020."<br />
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Toyota? Not a chance. It is widely (and accurately) reported that Toyota is not implementing Android Auto or Apple CarPlay in any vehicle, stubbornly staying with their own (in my opinion, horrible) infotainment solution.<br />
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ABI Research needs to firm up its research a bit.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00350159285508456826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100718645327131363.post-25517601357450606722016-08-16T19:55:00.000-05:002016-08-16T19:55:21.017-05:00Ford goes big on autonomous cars w/ Smart Mobility presentation Ford is going all-in on self-driving, autonomous car technology. Ford feels that within the decade autonomous cars will have as big of an impact on society as their assembly line did years before. Ford conducted a very detailed press event providing details of their Ford Smart Mobility initiative. Ford announced their intent to have a high-volume, fully autonomous SAE Level 4-capable vehicle in commercial operation in 2021 in a ride-hailing or ride-sharing service.<br /><br />You can watch the entire 27 minute video from Ford's presentation. <a href="https://cartechforums.discussion.community/post/blog-post-ford-goes-big-on-autonomous-cars-w-big-smart-mobility-presentation-8212834?pid=1293136943#post1293136943" target="_blank">Click here</a> for source and discussion.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00350159285508456826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100718645327131363.post-5561968069881282972016-08-16T19:41:00.000-05:002016-08-16T19:41:21.348-05:00Strategy Analystics Report: Consumers’ Satisfaction with In-Car Speech and Touchscreens Takes a Step Back<div dir="ltr">
Research and analytics firm Strategy Analytics has a new report out on the state of consumer satisfaction with in-car speech recognition systems and touchscreen user interfaces. The actual report is available for download behind a registration portal. However, they've disclosed enough information in their report title to tell us that consumer satisfaction is not on the rise! Perhaps that reality explains some of the acquisition activity in the automotive industry of late. Automakers needs to start thinking like software technology companies. If their existing culture prevents that from happening organically, it's probably time to buy someone that can bring that mindset to the company.</div>
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Source: <a href="https://www.strategyanalytics.com/access-services/automotive/in-vehicle-ux/reports/report-detail/consumers-satisfaction-with-in-car-speech-and-touchscreens-takes-a-step-back#.V7OxG8LrvD5" target="_blank">Strategy Analytics</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00350159285508456826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100718645327131363.post-49433687962734276382016-08-16T19:33:00.001-05:002016-08-16T19:41:43.580-05:00Sygic's take on what's next in in-car connectivity and infotainment<div dir="ltr">
<span id="post_message_1293136820">Sygic has a decent "2 minute read" expressing their view of what's next in the world of in-car connectivity, infotainment and navigation. While it has a bit of a sales pitch at the end, it does provide a good, quick review of the near-term in this industry.</span></div>
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Source and discussion <a href="https://cartechforums.discussion.community/post/sygics-take-on-whats-next-with-incar-connectivity-and-infotainment-8212824?pid=1293136820#post1293136820" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00350159285508456826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100718645327131363.post-28685133468857362732016-08-16T19:26:00.001-05:002016-08-16T19:43:19.063-05:00Ford makes a big LiDAR investment<div dir="ltr">
<span id="post_message_1293136770">Ford is going all-in on autonomous technology with a reported $75M investment in LiDAR technology company Velodyne. This investment is in partnership with Chinese company Baidu. LiDAR is laser radar and is used in self-driving car technology to "see" the physical environment around the car and relay the data to onboard computers for analysis and reaction.<br /><br />The investments from Ford and Baidu will help Velodyne bring the price of the LiDAR technology down closer to mass production levels. It is reported that Ford will use the LiDAR technology on a self-driving fleet of Uber-like on-demand self-driving vehicles within five years.</span></div>
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Source and discussion <a href="https://cartechforums.discussion.community/post/blog-post-ford-makes-a-big-lidar-investment-8212813?pid=1293136770#post1293136770" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00350159285508456826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100718645327131363.post-85319356603525459262016-08-16T19:15:00.000-05:002016-08-16T19:15:36.556-05:00Audi leads the way in vehicle-to-infrastructure communication<div dir="ltr">
Audi has announced a new service within their advanced technology feature set that they are branding Audi connect Prime. This advanced feature set belongs to a technology referred to as vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) service in which the automobile talks to physical devices that are part of our infrastructure and shares information that is usable by either the vehicle or the infrastructure.</div>
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This is pretty cool technology, though because of the vast amount of infrastructure that needs to be upgraded to support this kind of communication, it probably is not going to have widespread adoption in the near future.</div>
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Audi's initial implementation will involve the vehicle communicating to stop lights. The stop lights will communicate there status of either red or green as well as communicate when they will be changing.</div>
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On the surface, this may seem somewhat limited in usefulness but think about the implications of a vehicle approaching a stop light and the stop light informing the vehicle that the vehicle will not make it to the stop light in a green condition. Upon gaining that knowledge, a semi-autonomous vehicle could begin to slow down to avoid abrupt deceleration and rather than maintaining the speed limit could begin to coast to a stop which has gas mileage benefits.</div>
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Source and discussion <a href="https://cartechforums.discussion.community/post/blog-post-audi-leads-the-way-in-vehicletoinfrastructure-communication-8212807?pid=1293136696#post1293136696" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00350159285508456826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100718645327131363.post-6427134634978844162016-08-15T22:18:00.000-05:002016-08-15T22:18:24.307-05:00The Sorry State of Automaker's Smartphone AppsModern day automobiles are massively complex, highly technical machines. By comparison, a smartphone app seems like child's play. Unfortunately, if there is one thing that automakers can't seem to get right it is the user experience associated with the increasingly important in-car infotainment systems. Automaker's mobile apps play a large role in this dissatisfaction.<br />
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Consumer Reports <a href="http://www.consumerreports.org/cars/infotainment-system-brand-by-brand-guide/" target="_blank">Brand-by-Brand Guide to Car Infotainment Systems</a> illustrates the problem. Only a single solution, the FIAT implementation of the Chrysler UConnect system, receives above a 63% user satisfaction rating.<br />
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This pervasive dissatisfaction has given Google and Apple an opening into the car's dashboard. Both companies are masters at creating a great user experience. Most automakers, except Toyota, have reluctantly given Google and Apple a place in the car dashboard. Toyota is one of the few automakers going it alone and having nothing to do with Google's Android Auto or Apple's CarPlay. Toyota instead, will place it's bets behind an implementation of Ford's AppLink technology. Interestingly, Ford itself has decided to augment their AppLink offering in their own cars with both CarPlay and Android Auto in their Sync 3 system.<br />
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Just how bad is the current situation? Car Tech Blog has created this round-up of the current state of automaker's Android apps. This roundup represents the current average consumer rating of each app as of August 15, 2016, as reported by Google in the Play Store.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0K3QQehZ0py1yIia9zpcqp-E512tGieSZ2zzfj5dmi1Xs9xOi77NR4zYvnP-NU7EiKy-7FwFJWBTu0NIIDmBHZd3AifeY3-3xOVjPh5Gbm_DH_QZcyBUTTtgSibgZq3E_-p8Nq_re14/s1600/Infotainment+Scores.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0K3QQehZ0py1yIia9zpcqp-E512tGieSZ2zzfj5dmi1Xs9xOi77NR4zYvnP-NU7EiKy-7FwFJWBTu0NIIDmBHZd3AifeY3-3xOVjPh5Gbm_DH_QZcyBUTTtgSibgZq3E_-p8Nq_re14/s640/Infotainment+Scores.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Think about the scores you expect from most apps that you download and use on a regular basis. What do you look for? Perhaps a 4.0 score or above? There are only <strong><u>two</u></strong> apps out of 49 apps scoring better than 4.0. Half of the apps score below a 3.0, usually a score bad enough to earn an uninstall by most users.<br />
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This data illustrates why Google and Apple are pushing hard for a place in-dash. With so much dissatisfaction, how can Google and Apple go wrong?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00350159285508456826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100718645327131363.post-11206630788548273882016-08-15T21:18:00.002-05:002016-08-15T21:18:37.317-05:00Hyundai rebrands Android smartphone apps<span id="post_message_1293127871">Hyundai has rebranded their Android smartphone apps by combining two apps into one. Previously Hyundai had the BlueLink app and a separate Car Care app. The newly rebranded app is called "myHyundai with BlueLink" and combines the features of the previously separate BlueLink and Car Care apps. There is no evidence of a similar change for iOS at this time.</span><br />
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Discussion and app link <a href="https://cartechforums.discussion.community/post/blog-post-hyundai-rebrands-bluelink-app-8211754?pid=1293127871#post1293127871" target="_blank">here</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00350159285508456826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100718645327131363.post-39874314009961130462016-08-15T20:52:00.002-05:002016-08-15T20:58:31.975-05:00Apple Maps beefs up transit coverage in TexasApple has reportedly built out additional public transit coverage in Texas after adding new coverage in Dallas-Ft Worth and San Antonio. <br />
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Source <a href="http://www.macrumors.com/2016/08/15/apple-maps-transit-data-san-antonio-dallas/" target="_blank">MacRumors</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00350159285508456826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100718645327131363.post-1809668692176106532016-08-15T20:45:00.001-05:002016-08-15T20:45:29.976-05:00Honda brings CarPlay and Android Auto to more vehiclesHonda has announced that CarPlay and Android Auto is pushing deeper into their vehicle line-up. Both CarPlay and Android Auto will be available as a standard option on the new 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback, but only on the EX trim level and above.<br />
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Source and discussion <a href="https://cartechforums.discussion.community/post/blog-post-8211714?pid=1293127628#post1293127628" target="_blank">here</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00350159285508456826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100718645327131363.post-20761610102669538302016-08-15T20:37:00.002-05:002016-08-15T20:37:56.904-05:00Zubie launches WIFI telematics solution for businessesThe leading connected-car platform and telematics provider Zubie, has launched a new solution for tracking business fleets and providing analytics solutions. The new solution is WIFI based in-vehicle and is powered by Verizon's 4G LTE network.<br />
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<a href="https://cartechforums.discussion.community/post/blog-post-zubie-launches-wifi-telematics-solution-for-businesses-8211709?pid=1293127569#post1293127569" target="_blank">Click here</a> for source and discussion.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00350159285508456826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100718645327131363.post-58427715437711516992016-08-15T20:21:00.000-05:002016-08-15T20:21:15.352-05:00Cadillac concept car teases curved OLED displaysCadillac posted a teaser video on YouTube (watch it <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJQ_0kDB62g" target="_blank">here</a>) ahead of their August 18th concept car launch event. The teaser video shows their approach to the in-car display technology for the telematics and infotainment system. Cadillac appears to be going with an array of multiple curved OLED displays. We'll see if updates to Cadillac's CUE infotainment system come to the concept car as well.<br />
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Discuss this news <a href="https://cartechforums.discussion.community/post/blog-post-cadillac-concept-car-teases-curved-oled-displays-8211685?pid=1293127405" target="_blank">here</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00350159285508456826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100718645327131363.post-6102405947650323752016-07-12T22:55:00.005-05:002016-07-14T17:09:32.112-05:003200 Miles with CoPilot RV: It's the Best of Bad Choices for RV NavigationWe just returned from a 3200 mile, 12-day RV vacation starting in and returning to Iowa and hitting the states of Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Kansas. Here's our route:<br />
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Six years ago this week, we were on a nearly 4100 mile trip to the east and southeast US. On that trip, in 2010, I road tested ALK's CoPilot app for the first time. A thorough look at my experience with that app became one of my <a href="http://jkcarp.blogspot.com/2010/07/4071-miles-with-alks-copilot-live-one.html" target="_blank">first substantial blog posts</a>. As my now 6 year old blog post outlined, there was good, bad and ugly in my experience with CoPilot. For me, the bad and the ugly outweighed the good and I stopped using the app for many years.<br />
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Completely dissatisfied with the current choices available for RV navigation, I immediately spent $50 to purchase CoPilot RV the first day it was released this spring. I was willing to give the app another chance 6 years after my last CoPilot experience. On this trip, for all 3200 miles, I ran CoPilot RV on a Samsung Tab S2 8.0 tablet as well as Google Maps on a Samsung Galaxy Note 5 smartphone. CoPilot was rock solid from a performance and stability perspective. In 3200 miles (48 hours of driving), the app never locked up, froze or crashed once.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em><u>Disclosure and About Me</u>: I'm a bit of technology evangelist, both personally and professionally. I have a strong interest in navigation but have not worked professionally in the field. I am a volunteer beta tester for 3 navigation companies and am also a volunteer Google MapMaker Regional Lead. Over the last decade I have owned and used the following solutions: Garmin SP III, Garmin SP 2710, Garmin SP 2730, Garmin i5, Garmin c330, Garmin 760, Garmin 885T, Dash Navigation, TeleNav for Sprint, TomTom 740 Live, CoPilot Live v8, Navigon for Android, Navigon for iPad, Google Navigation, Waze, Garmin Nuvi 3490LMT, Garmin 3590LMT, TomTom for Android, Rand McNally 7725, Rand McNally 7735, Garmin viago, Rand McNally RVND, CoPilot RV for Android.</em></span><br />
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CoPilot navigation apps have a long history across many different mobile platforms. ALK should be commended for believing in the smartphone navigation space and sticking with it through many years. In general, CoPilot apps are extremely feature-rich, accomplishing nearly every feature you'd find on a traditional dedicated navigation unit. The abundant features make CoPilot RV an attractive alternative for RV navigation. Notable features include:<br />
<ul>
<li>Ability to pre-plan, save and recall routes. Multiple routes can be saved.</li>
<li>Routes can contain many stops and stops can be manually managed or automatically optimized.</li>
<li>User-installed points-of-interest (POI) databases are supported so content from sites like POI Factory can be installed.</li>
<li>User-entered RV dimensions and weight are used in route calculations.</li>
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<u><strong>Summary</strong></u><br />
I'll cut to the chase first and then provide more detail for those interested. The title of this blog post is "It's the best of bad choices for RV navigation." That summarizes my feelings about CoPilot RV. CoPilot has drastically improved in the key feature of route/ETA calculation since my experience in 2010. However, like was the case in 2010, CoPilot RV's map quality remains a significant downfall. Unlike after my 2010 trip with CoPilot, I will continue to use CoPilot RV but will be watching and hoping for other solutions due to the map quality issue. A RV navigation app carries an additional burden of having RV-specific attributes such as weight, height, size and propane restrictions. I'm unclear how ALK suggests customers should have confidence in the accuracy of these very important RV-specific attributes given the persistence map quality issues over the years.<br />
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<u><strong>The Details</strong></u><br />
This blog will not be an exhaustive look at CoPilot's features. My <a href="http://jkcarp.blogspot.com/2010/07/4071-miles-with-alks-copilot-live-one.html" target="_blank">2010 blog post</a> provides this and actually, the look and feel of the app has remained similar to the 2010 app. Normally that would be a red flag but, despite CoPilot not abiding by any Google material design guidelines in any way, I find it visually pleasing and relatively easy to use. CoPilot <em>does</em> register as an intent handler within Android so clicking addresses within Contacts, Calendar, etc., can be handled by CoPilot automatically.<br />
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CoPilot's route/ETA calculation has been fixed from my 2010 experience and is now very good. However, users MUST buy the optional $9.95 annual traffic package in order to experience the improvement. On this trip we traveled 6 - 11 hours per day on our drive days. I found the ETA that CoPilot calculated to be realistic for the total trip time (i.e., inclusive of gas stops). Comparatively, Google Maps' ETA calculation seemed to be more accurate for actual drive time, but would then add time for each gas stop. <br />
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My recommendation is simple, <em><u>do not</u></em> use CoPilot RV without buying the optional traffic subscription. I'll explain.<br />
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Without the optional traffic package, CoPilot has poor "knowledge" of road speeds. CoPilot appears to classify roads in groups of similar road types and then assigns a generic speed to each road type. The user, in a setting that has not changed since 2010, can input custom road speeds for each of the generic road categories, and also select the user's preference for driving on each road type. As you can <a href="http://jkcarp.blogspot.com/2010/07/4071-miles-with-alks-copilot-live-one.html" target="_blank">read in my 2010 blog post</a>, the result, even when using default settings, is disastrous route calculations and ETA times. <br />
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Here is an example of a route/ETA calculation in the current CoPilot RV app using the default app settings and not using the optional traffic package. From personal experience, a time of 8:43 is absurd for this route, as CoPilot itself will confirm once you actually activate the traffic package. <br />
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CoPilot Support will say "well, just change the default speed to something more realistic." Nope. The problem with that is CoPilot road categories don't distinguish between rural and urban roads when setting custom user speeds. So, if the user sets a divided highway custom speed to 50 mph for example, CoPilot applies that speed to a divided highway whether it runs through rural farm land or is an urban divided highway in the middle of a dense urban area. If the user corrects the ETA in this rural route example by raising the custom speed, it may bring down the 8:43 ETA to something more realistic but the result will also drastically underestimate the ETA in an urban environment where the custom speed cannot be maintained on urban streets badged as a highway. Luckily, CoPilot has "fixed" this problem if you purchase the optional traffic package.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fg0pbbd7xyDV4Hw-IIKdBl3oiYt8zJW_w1UMrXtW-ZvbPPakhuM2bcsNqOWu6CoKbGKc4KH8GROw72TspG-nWrvIdifnx1BaR27BLEjrK-uNIpXI00rzNEbzum2d2q80eBvpQfdPtP0/s1600/ActiveRoutes+Off.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fg0pbbd7xyDV4Hw-IIKdBl3oiYt8zJW_w1UMrXtW-ZvbPPakhuM2bcsNqOWu6CoKbGKc4KH8GROw72TspG-nWrvIdifnx1BaR27BLEjrK-uNIpXI00rzNEbzum2d2q80eBvpQfdPtP0/s400/ActiveRoutes+Off.png" width="300" /></a></div>
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Here is the exact same route with the optional traffic package activated. An ETA of 6:42 is a very realistic calculation for this route. This optional feature saves CoPilot RV from being removed from my Android tablet, never to be used again, like occurred in 2010.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxEEQCQV5Ic3JvD3-QM09bMwfNka9TYALQ_KImEbSxviDlqmAp-Irx2XyB5BdP2wXzK1hqPPguTg7xorbn16SkDWsl4z4_qfBtjTmPqKAhElsCveilYQ_PvnA0D7hrP947FtXn378fV-4/s1600/ActiveRoutes+On.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxEEQCQV5Ic3JvD3-QM09bMwfNka9TYALQ_KImEbSxviDlqmAp-Irx2XyB5BdP2wXzK1hqPPguTg7xorbn16SkDWsl4z4_qfBtjTmPqKAhElsCveilYQ_PvnA0D7hrP947FtXn378fV-4/s400/ActiveRoutes+On.png" width="300" /></a></div>
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So what is going on here? The optional CoPilot traffic package actually includes two features. The first feature is branded ActiveTraffic, which is real-time traffic content. The second feature is ActiveRoutes, which is essentially historical traffic content. ALK describes it as follows: "ActiveRoutes calculates your route using actual road speeds at the specific time of day and day of week you're traveling."<br />
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This means that the generic road category and road category speeds are not used when ActiveRoutes is active. Instead, the route and route ETA is calculated using a massive (3rd party) database of knowledge about actual road speeds and how those speeds vary by time of day. This is how other modern smartphone navigation apps like Google Maps calculate routes and the ETA. This feature is vital to making CoPilot RV usable.<br />
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<u>2D View</u><br />
I believe that most people prefer to use navigation apps in 3D mode (the default view in Google Maps). However, I really enjoy CoPilot RV's 2D view using the "zoom to next turn" feature. Theoretically, this feature allows for a nice overview of long stretches of your trip while zooming into the details as you approach a turn. While the next turn remains far away, the 2D view is north up but switches to "direction up" as you get within a dozen or so miles of a turn. I find that the 2D view provides a great overview of your overall route and gives you an at-a-glance sense of your trip's progress. Here is an example of the 2D view with a next turn far in the distance.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagrAyqZoEI64rvc3ChSLTgz_oPHM_y-XMKzBpiE8xos6iXxGtGij3OUmsSRGak3AzFRU6dWjdIzIPjbJAU0xsRSbJesI9GIZumzWBbpmtY8EDa2_KGIMVO6ssvCm8RHT6GJOhizmfZHw/s1600/2D+View.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagrAyqZoEI64rvc3ChSLTgz_oPHM_y-XMKzBpiE8xos6iXxGtGij3OUmsSRGak3AzFRU6dWjdIzIPjbJAU0xsRSbJesI9GIZumzWBbpmtY8EDa2_KGIMVO6ssvCm8RHT6GJOhizmfZHw/s400/2D+View.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<u>"Splits Off" Annoyance</u><br />
I used the word "theoretically" in the paragraph above because in practice, this 2D view is interrupted by a flaw in CoPilot RV. I refer to the problem as the "splits off fixation." CoPilot constantly provides a meaningless instruction to "Stay on <em>Road1</em> while <em>Road2</em> splits off." And every time it provides this meaningless instruction, it defines a point on the map that CoPilot considers a "next turn." As a result, CoPilot RV's 2D display is always zooming closer and closer to these meaningless "splits off" points. I'd estimate that over the course of this 3200 mile trip that CoPilot provided a "splits off" instruction at least 100 times that I'd categorize as completely unnecessary.<br />
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Even worse, I have CoPilot set to provide three audible upcoming turn prompts as the next turn is approached. CoPilot uses these three prompt distances to announce these "splits off" warnings too. So 100 unnecessary uses of the "splits off" alert turns into 300 audible prompts.<br />
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The "splits off" alert has good intentions. It is a nice feature in the specific circumstance where a road legitimately "forks" and the driver could go multiple ways. However, CoPilot RV provides this "splits off" instruction on things like standard freeway exit ramps even when the ramp isn't one of the freeway drive lanes. It also repeatedly does it when two highways intersect, even when that intersection would require a right or left turn using a dedicated lane. Here is an example. Notice the intersecting Highway 1695. It has absolutely nothing to do with my route. At Highway 1695, I-70 is elevated and Highway 1695 passes below. Highway 1695 is accessible via standard freeway entrance and exit ramps. Despite this, CoPilot RV insists on warning me "Stay on Interstate 70 as Highway 1695 splits off." It's a ridiculous instruction and it occurs over and over again in the app.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJ96WpyaDoppKIf5LhXBi8YEi9jGLuqXIAOC4A2HocsOPkfsHAcEmEOauLbre9TBl6YweE3i3M-Nb_28GJBDpaymlFZuHGXyBR_z89fxod8bMgkRSB-r0CUhJ1-eoqpZBD7S6zVtADl4/s1600/Splits+Off+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJ96WpyaDoppKIf5LhXBi8YEi9jGLuqXIAOC4A2HocsOPkfsHAcEmEOauLbre9TBl6YweE3i3M-Nb_28GJBDpaymlFZuHGXyBR_z89fxod8bMgkRSB-r0CUhJ1-eoqpZBD7S6zVtADl4/s400/Splits+Off+1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's another example. It's the same scenario, this time with Highway 40. I could have screen captured dozens and dozens of these situations. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiec1tuKGpbr1fML6XGApUMTpWk-5xEu2fPE1g2UnN5pRixTti-yNcvnO08ZsqMoI9ZysOtBfOhQIJ1B87l9n9JMzcOW8GxkPgdvfZUpKFnRNCTow-xenwlMVQQhpwwWjrxdPqcMmsb-Nk/s1600/Splits+Off+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiec1tuKGpbr1fML6XGApUMTpWk-5xEu2fPE1g2UnN5pRixTti-yNcvnO08ZsqMoI9ZysOtBfOhQIJ1B87l9n9JMzcOW8GxkPgdvfZUpKFnRNCTow-xenwlMVQQhpwwWjrxdPqcMmsb-Nk/s400/Splits+Off+2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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So, we have this annoying "splits off" situation but yet there are situations where CoPilot is silent when there <em>should</em> be instructions provided. As I approached this small Kansas town on Highway 56, notice where the yellow arrow is. This arrow represents the "next turn" as far as CoPilot is concerned. It is 1.6 miles away from my current location. The problem here is obvious. There should be a left turn instruction where Highway 56 meets "Old 56" on the map. This is a stop sign, not a curve in the street. CoPilot is silent in this important scenario yet chirps unnecessary "splits off" warnings where it isn't needed.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn2HAnSXg-DwM-zst9qGYVPlmYpTrp628AvIWXh3_Rr-K0w0dODPRcemmUKGHQdm24yYyUzX6EQM0Whkol3CjvWSb5T20rOJZT2erITQzCnNeRSfei-m_gGCvMDQMCyEVRZhPNvXXRHuE/s1600/No+Turn+Prompting.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn2HAnSXg-DwM-zst9qGYVPlmYpTrp628AvIWXh3_Rr-K0w0dODPRcemmUKGHQdm24yYyUzX6EQM0Whkol3CjvWSb5T20rOJZT2erITQzCnNeRSfei-m_gGCvMDQMCyEVRZhPNvXXRHuE/s400/No+Turn+Prompting.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here is another example of CoPilot not providing instructions when instructions are warrantied. This is another example where the trip required a stop and a right turn in order to stay on the highway but CoPilot provided no instructions at all.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcNTRDUd2JtWS3eoFPSscS7Sy_geG0tzpWTp1RdVq1O-41uWg2UdskgR3Mp4R4voLAWkd2Hy0Ggk0S3_IOlGrpPhyphenhyphenwyQrTafaipEykDf3k4pGGaXNYPrF-TWZpxSUUAWTOSi_LlEgMY8/s1600/No+Turn+Prompting+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcNTRDUd2JtWS3eoFPSscS7Sy_geG0tzpWTp1RdVq1O-41uWg2UdskgR3Mp4R4voLAWkd2Hy0Ggk0S3_IOlGrpPhyphenhyphenwyQrTafaipEykDf3k4pGGaXNYPrF-TWZpxSUUAWTOSi_LlEgMY8/s400/No+Turn+Prompting+2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<u>Search Along Route is Broken</u><br />
A key feature in any RV navigation app is a "search along route function" for finding the next truck stop, dump station or campground. CoPilot RV has a "search along route" feature but, at least in my usage, it's completely broken. It simple does not return any content, despite there unquestionably being content that should be returned. Here is the result of "search along route" for gas stations. The search was started on I-70 east of Topeka headed towards Kansas City (not yet to Lawrence). Gas stations are plentiful along this route. The round icon to the left of the "Map" button spins continuously. This screenshot was taken after letting the screen sit for at least a mile.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBgIrxRXB9ebXneKi0AmmLCAm1yNRtPIvs2y3fxN3m0tgPTFkWODyDKa0iApM5MdKSP9dB5kHq16Fubf_KxxqFPxDYykO13rQ549yhETpZVnozcSvTSCBlcEkc6R0C8drs1bxqLEEans/s1600/Search+Along+Route.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBgIrxRXB9ebXneKi0AmmLCAm1yNRtPIvs2y3fxN3m0tgPTFkWODyDKa0iApM5MdKSP9dB5kHq16Fubf_KxxqFPxDYykO13rQ549yhETpZVnozcSvTSCBlcEkc6R0C8drs1bxqLEEans/s400/Search+Along+Route.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<u>POI Inadequacy</u><br />
CoPilot RV allows you to input your own custom points-of-interest databases from sites like POI Factory. It's a good thing this feature exists because I found the built in POI database to be outdated and paltry. We overnighted in the small town of Dodge City, KS. It also served as a RV gas stop. CoPilot RV says there are three gas stations in Dodge City. Nope.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-qiw1IUwRINH8NfwmXacXhq_KPBl3sKzbkgyXGclu3j2bvPUCTsbP3qVT6zp40alxzjGj1fMSlMZoekMXl0DmYj63pgULr5yoN-ttwJzhujx-QOKuIN3fpX-6GqPHD3Wi7mPqK5fsLo/s1600/Screenshot_20160712-203712.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-qiw1IUwRINH8NfwmXacXhq_KPBl3sKzbkgyXGclu3j2bvPUCTsbP3qVT6zp40alxzjGj1fMSlMZoekMXl0DmYj63pgULr5yoN-ttwJzhujx-QOKuIN3fpX-6GqPHD3Wi7mPqK5fsLo/s320/Screenshot_20160712-203712.png" width="240" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_bIjezlY2r63Bj3RvmJrZSdcOTZOaQ7ij04wuTHO19N_dab248ZtxN8HysalnmHZVY8Go5BJHSRmj3LrhWH7PWkRGV-XLgyaA_zzPtVcLt-OT1hIulbgbgPokR1ivMSRoRdRCM2G-1M/s1600/Screenshot_20160712-203737.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_bIjezlY2r63Bj3RvmJrZSdcOTZOaQ7ij04wuTHO19N_dab248ZtxN8HysalnmHZVY8Go5BJHSRmj3LrhWH7PWkRGV-XLgyaA_zzPtVcLt-OT1hIulbgbgPokR1ivMSRoRdRCM2G-1M/s320/Screenshot_20160712-203737.png" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
In reality, there are over three times that many including a Love's and a Flying J truck stop. Google Maps (correctly in my opinion) includes truck stops when searching for gas stations (but not vice versa obviously). CoPilot however, does not. The Love's and Flying J are not found in the gas station POI search in CoPilot <em>but are</em> found when searching the truck stop category. In my opinion, the truck stop category should be a subset of the gas station category. They should not be mutually exclusive.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3OgchCMlkHdlNILxKxGq0OvptGkgqVXogSZUVtb9GFaQ3LpklLtXuU7ZY3K6aKXL_crrmW3M_XN7friKuifDPkBYI8eKByB2F_A5SEIZDDUJy36nGhlhx1Xjb73kVuFPYSw_pKxL5gjM/s1600/Screenshot_20160712-203937.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3OgchCMlkHdlNILxKxGq0OvptGkgqVXogSZUVtb9GFaQ3LpklLtXuU7ZY3K6aKXL_crrmW3M_XN7friKuifDPkBYI8eKByB2F_A5SEIZDDUJy36nGhlhx1Xjb73kVuFPYSw_pKxL5gjM/s400/Screenshot_20160712-203937.png" width="300" /></a></div>
<u>Signpost Imagery - CoPilot Creative Marketing</u><br />
ALK advertises signpost imagery as a feature of CoPilot RV. Signpost imagery is a great feature because it helps drivers associate the maneuvers shown on the screen with what they are seeing in real life. Combined with lane guidance, these are meaningful features for RV drivers since quick, last minute lane changes are hard to make in a RV. These features make big city driving easier.<br />
<br />
So as not to be accused of making an incorrect interpretation of ALK's marketing, I will post exactly what their website says about this feature. Notice the phrase "Real Signposts." When I read that advertisement I have an expectation, like in Google Maps and solutions built from HERE maps, that I will be shown <em>real </em>signpost content. In over 7200 miles of driving with CoPilot (2010 trip and this trip), CoPilot seldom showed <em>real</em> signpost content.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00Ep0mMqUp_V5g97o9Qtri4VIHkc0Q2AScx-ZHQDicbDyI66yvFxkeC1gYZSjnovBTEqVRGh8hVrDOVR2c-SoRFJiUtijaCzX0XEsj0s5WkH5oUAI4f0tXqadBLPX7DUjxGz4W0UkunA/s1600/ALK+Signpost+Ad.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00Ep0mMqUp_V5g97o9Qtri4VIHkc0Q2AScx-ZHQDicbDyI66yvFxkeC1gYZSjnovBTEqVRGh8hVrDOVR2c-SoRFJiUtijaCzX0XEsj0s5WkH5oUAI4f0tXqadBLPX7DUjxGz4W0UkunA/s400/ALK+Signpost+Ad.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
In my experience, CoPilot's database does <em>not</em> have knowledge of what the <em>real</em> signpost physically has written on it. Instead, I believe that ALK is simply using knowledge of the crossing or connecting street to generate what it thinks the signpost might say. In some cases that really is what the signpost says on it. In those cases, CoPilot happens to get it right, by chance. In many other cases, the signpost does not contain the crossing or connecting street. Instead, it contains city names, attractions, local road names (instead of highway numbers) and other subtleties. In 7200 miles, I've observed <em>no</em> case where CoPilot accurately shows the <em>real</em> signpost content when the real signpost contains something other than the crossing or connecting street.<br />
<br />
Here is just one example of a real signpost image from CoPilot in Kansas City. This sign in real life says "Des Moines." On a long trip like this, literally dozens of examples could be provided like this.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjJrSQzsQP8tLRi08obXaGn3dB4E4kfsdrnBpZ_dvOVJkSorTsh2bDBI3JG78Cg575QggHVXGRxnvN5T5DVilfuiIeiStn7j5F766VqLHqTPe3PvtKYkYNGLHu2qYjwxblpUYOMOuoF20/s1600/Road+Signage.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjJrSQzsQP8tLRi08obXaGn3dB4E4kfsdrnBpZ_dvOVJkSorTsh2bDBI3JG78Cg575QggHVXGRxnvN5T5DVilfuiIeiStn7j5F766VqLHqTPe3PvtKYkYNGLHu2qYjwxblpUYOMOuoF20/s400/Road+Signage.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I'll end this particular issue by simply calling it creative marketing though my personal feelings about ALK's advertising of this particular feature are stronger than that.<br />
<br />
<u>Speed Limits - Why Bother?</u><br />
CoPilot RV displays speed limits and also has a nice feature that provides speeding warnings at a user-defined threshold above the speed limit. Great feature. However, that assumes that the speed limits are actually accurate. In my experience, that isn't the case.<br />
<br />
The speed limits errors are symptomatic of a larger problem which plagued my experience with CoPilot in 2010 and remains an issue on this trip - map quality.<br />
<br />
I found speed limit mistakes on large sections of <em>freeways</em> in almost every state that we traveled on this trip. I'm not talking about missing the change in a speed limit by a mile or so. I'm talking about entire freeways having the wrong speed limit when that speed limit has been set for <em>years. </em> I'm not talking about wrong speed limits in towns on highways (this could be hard to track because individual towns change them) because I've not found CoPilot to even include speed limits on anything other than freeways.<br />
<br />
Illinois: I-74 has the wrong speed limit. It changed in January 2014.<br />
Kansas: I-70 has the wrong speed limit. It changed in the summer of <em><strong>2011</strong></em>.<br />
<br />
In addition, I found incorrect <em>freeway</em> speed limits in Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.<br />
<br />
<u>Maps</u><br />
In my <a href="http://jkcarp.blogspot.com/2010/07/4071-miles-with-alks-copilot-live-one.html" target="_blank">2010 blog post</a>, map quality was my biggest disappointment and complaint with CoPilot. Sadly, while the route/ETA calculation has been fixed with the ActiveRoutes functionality, I find no material change that improves the map situation in CoPilot.<br />
<br />
CoPilot <em>does</em> update their maps. A completely new freeway interchange was recently added in my home town. I submitted it through CoPilot's MapSure program and it was added in the next quarterly map update. That being said, the problem appears to be what is <em>not</em> reported through MapSure. So, while CoPilot's maps contain this new interchange that I reported, they still have an old freeway configuration in another location in my town (I did not report it) that has been complete for 2.5 years. This is a major US freeway. If major US freeways are outdated by 2 or 3 years, what is the condition of CoPilot's map data on city streets and residential subdivisions?<br />
<br />
I have no idea what ALK's internal map update process is. What I do know from experience with the app, is that it isn't good enough. I have raised the map quality issue with ALK in a few ways including their support forum and social media. In all cases, their only response has been to point me to the instructions for submitting map updates to them. On their support forum, they pointed out the link to MapSure then took the unusual step of locking the forum from further comment.<br />
<br />
There is much enthusiasm in the GIS industry about user-contributions to maps and crowdsourcing. However, two important distinctions must be made here. First, when it comes to Google MapMaker, Waze and OpenStreetMap, user contributions are used to make really good maps even better. In the case of ALK's maps it is my opinion that they are not starting with "really good maps." Second, customers are paying for this product. Sure, other paid map providers have similar programs. HERE has Map Creator and TomTom has Map Share. However, it is my experience with HERE and TomTom that even without user submission, within a few quarterly updates the internal processes at HERE and TomTom discover and implement many map changes. I readily admit that even with 7200 miles of travel with CoPilot, I have personally experienced a small amount of the ALK map database. However, even with that limited experience, there are enough map errors involving roads that have not changed or have been complete for 2, 3 or more years to question ALK's map update process, especially when directly compared to competitor's maps.<br />
<br />
Some examples....On this trip I experienced incorrect freeway exit numbers on I-44 in the middle of St Louis. These were changed in the spring of 2014 and have yet to be updated by ALK. You'll notice in my 2010 blog post that I experienced incorrect freeway exit numbers on that trip as well, on the Florida turnpike.<br />
<br />
I encountered problems with the app suggesting maneuvers that are impossible to make in a RV and should not be suggested by any RV navigation app.<br />
<br />
Here is an example of CoPilot routing me to a gas station that is located on a major divided highway by routing me instead, in a RV, while using the app's RV mode, onto small residential streets and suggesting that I access the gas station by using a dirt cow path.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXX2tgW5DeHpM7q3alPfJsu5RsI9Zl8YfyWKOABegGlBcOoonSj8pfSm_Nu6tt7C12qe3IFkfglWgiqLPDH4zaE0Q9qi14uXDrN5AB-Dk-nh14GkLzfPyR6jOCfoYGoCqOkcsZX4kPTq0/s1600/Cow+Path+Routing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXX2tgW5DeHpM7q3alPfJsu5RsI9Zl8YfyWKOABegGlBcOoonSj8pfSm_Nu6tt7C12qe3IFkfglWgiqLPDH4zaE0Q9qi14uXDrN5AB-Dk-nh14GkLzfPyR6jOCfoYGoCqOkcsZX4kPTq0/s400/Cow+Path+Routing.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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I'm not sure if a U-turn was legal at this major intersection in Albuquerque, NM but a RV navigation app, set in RV mode, should never, in any circumstance, suggest this maneuver. Ever.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju83fWQ6y-DHmQ5CHnje7S8S53Y7D452jzayjvzuhpKc8BMpcyuI3woxyMOjbpDt3at4ljMgGwAaB_-0ZyWwRmTv1_OMYVmofa2CwV7-4DHudSBNEIgDxT59XaA1AuSa5f6DOavxt2EXM/s1600/RV+U-Turn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju83fWQ6y-DHmQ5CHnje7S8S53Y7D452jzayjvzuhpKc8BMpcyuI3woxyMOjbpDt3at4ljMgGwAaB_-0ZyWwRmTv1_OMYVmofa2CwV7-4DHudSBNEIgDxT59XaA1AuSa5f6DOavxt2EXM/s400/RV+U-Turn.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />
I also encountered several instances of routing busts. This included:<br />
<ul>
<li>Two instances of the routing not using the separate right hand turn lanes (they were correctly shown in the app) and instead showing a 90-degree right hand turn from the go-forward lanes of the + intersection.</li>
<li>One instance of the app suggesting that I travel the wrong way into oncoming traffic of a divided highway, then turn right across my current lane in order to make a right turn.</li>
</ul>
All three of these errors were located on rural state highways in Oklahoma and Texas. Evidence by the condition of those particular roads, they haven't been changed in many, many years.<br />
<br />
There were two instances of this inexplicable maneuver that should be a simple right turn:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1kyXgDHWG1xQVF0vlBfEa6Qb9OLGoQ03swjq4HPxmArkXDGEMf16VnkOVTRNyUnSxe_c-CioMd5DiGgQS_oX_d9YRJJpUixc3YqGPgr-cALnfu9qlGUKjPWUU7LbkoNU7CLl2kATqHbA/s1600/270degreeTurn1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1kyXgDHWG1xQVF0vlBfEa6Qb9OLGoQ03swjq4HPxmArkXDGEMf16VnkOVTRNyUnSxe_c-CioMd5DiGgQS_oX_d9YRJJpUixc3YqGPgr-cALnfu9qlGUKjPWUU7LbkoNU7CLl2kATqHbA/s400/270degreeTurn1.jpg" width="225" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFU50pay6HFJ3AeeAcFCfX7mZV99YysaoIey-KrJKgzAm2kgpAkH6t2FqeB55mRRbqPHG88PYMyxse0tAo3vTC5jI5OBnARy_OXb8U8pn2SIv69lD67yEjjhGxyVhEElGuEJRLsHSoMU8/s1600/270degreeTurn2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFU50pay6HFJ3AeeAcFCfX7mZV99YysaoIey-KrJKgzAm2kgpAkH6t2FqeB55mRRbqPHG88PYMyxse0tAo3vTC5jI5OBnARy_OXb8U8pn2SIv69lD67yEjjhGxyVhEElGuEJRLsHSoMU8/s400/270degreeTurn2.jpg" width="225" /></a><br />
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<u><strong>Conclusion</strong></u><br />
CoPilot RV is a feature-rich app that easily replaces a dedicated navigation device and matches it feature-for-feature. It's advanced route planning features and ability to build, save and recall multiple routes, each containing multiple stops, is unequaled in the smartphone navigation space and extremely attractive to RV drivers.<br />
<br />
The app's route selection is very good, picking routes that I subjectively, would pick myself. The resulting ETA is very good assuming ActiveRoutes is purchased and activated.<br />
<br />
The knowledge (and visual confirmation within the app) of RV road restrictions, low clearances and other RV-specific attributes provides peace of mind to the RV driver.<br />
<br />
All of those positive qualities are undermined by the user experiencing outdated maps, incorrect speed limits and inexplicable routing anomalies presumably caused by old map data. I remain wholly unconvinced that map updates via CoPilot user submissions is a viable model for maintaining a quality product going forward. As more and more users see the experience of having Google Map Maker edits pushed to Maps within hours, it is my opinion that users will not tolerate road changes not being dealt with by ALK for <em>years. </em>It remains unclear if ALK will get the message and change. A quick read of CoPilot reviews in the iOS and Google app stores will show that map quality is a common CoPilot complaint and has been for a long time. There is no outward evidence based on this user's experience, that ALK has acted on that customer criticism.<br />
<br />
An app with CoPilot's feature set, CoPilot's reliability, OpenStreetMaps' timeliness, ActiveTraffic's coverage and ActiveRoutes ETA impact is a winner. Fix your maps ALK. Stop undermining an otherwise great app.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00350159285508456826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100718645327131363.post-31806812891332056582015-08-28T18:34:00.001-05:002015-08-28T18:34:10.082-05:00Connecting Android Auto in a 2015 Hyundai SonataOne thing is for certain. Android Auto should work reliably by plugging in your phone to your car's USB port. It doesn't and that is a problem for mainstream adoption. However, there are some things you can do as a consumer rather than simply waiting for Google to fix the problem.<br />
<br />
I'll say one thing right off the bat. Don't get mad at Hyundai for this. Hyundai stepped up and was the first US car company to provide Android Auto to us. The problems with Android Auto are certainly not Hyundai's fault and we shouldn't discourage them from being progressive in the future by blaming them for Google's issues.<br />
<br />
Here is how I've been able to get a fairly reliable connection of Android Auto in my 2015 Hyundai Sonata. These steps assume that you've already made the initial Android Auto connection to your car and your car and phone have Bluetooth setup as well.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Android Auto / 2015 Hyundai Sonata Connection Steps</u></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Enable Developer Mode on your phone. This is a ridiculous step to have to take, but nonetheless it is where we find ourselves. To do that:</li>
<ul>
<li>Open your phone's settings. You are looking for a piece of information called the Build Number. Depending on the brand of your phone, it could be found in a couple of different places. Try:</li>
<ul>
<li>Settings then About Phone</li>
<li>Settings then About Device</li>
<li>Settings then About Phone then Software Information</li>
<li>Settings then About then Software Information (and then More possibly)</li>
</ul>
<li>Click on the Build Number at least 7 times in rapid succession. You're looking for a message that says "You are now a developer."</li>
<li>Upon completion of this step you will now find a Developer Mode menu in your phone's Settings.</li>
<li>In Developer Mode settings click USB Debugging.</li>
</ul>
<li>DO NOT CONNECT YOUR PHONE TO YOUR CAR.</li>
<li>Start your car.</li>
<li>The Android Auto connection is extremely unreliable if you connect it to your car before the car and your phone have completed their communications over Bluetooth. This includes the initial Bluetooth handshake, the exchange of data between the car and phone and can also include an updated download of the phone's contacts. Unfortunately, this exchange of information occurs every time you start the car and it take a couple of minutes. You can tell when this exchange of information is occurring by watching your car's screen. The phone symbol with the arrow on it shows that your car and phone are actively exchanging information. Don't connect your phone to the USB cable as long as this symbol or similar is on the screen. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NlPZcbMGXpeHiROq8RD7-_sZ9l-7ZQgo5_Bwno-6jW2JwTgVKVILZkiIBHBTRSeembF0g9S-m8XqQOD_bAvQah2du_n-4-sC1ALv_rLOm4zMLLkzptrtBY65arckHnAEZSuhd0pwz6w/s1600/2015-08-28+17.09.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NlPZcbMGXpeHiROq8RD7-_sZ9l-7ZQgo5_Bwno-6jW2JwTgVKVILZkiIBHBTRSeembF0g9S-m8XqQOD_bAvQah2du_n-4-sC1ALv_rLOm4zMLLkzptrtBY65arckHnAEZSuhd0pwz6w/s320/2015-08-28+17.09.45.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>A blue colored Bluetooth symbol wrapped in a headset icon with a musical note icon next to it is the symbol that you want to wait for! Once you see that, only then do you stand a chance of starting a reliable Android Auto connection.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Et1bYa66CvIxCRPoOEFqdDglwAgn7Ip6GzCSDFsIrKJejJ3u_17nm20Fs_zQaPbhGNw0YiTfdya-xuF_MtdTqw6yG6FMF52nE6WjAx6NhmL-JhFFdj20hOV8ci0xPdJUguJTyKmU0xo/s1600/2015-08-28+17.10.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Et1bYa66CvIxCRPoOEFqdDglwAgn7Ip6GzCSDFsIrKJejJ3u_17nm20Fs_zQaPbhGNw0YiTfdya-xuF_MtdTqw6yG6FMF52nE6WjAx6NhmL-JhFFdj20hOV8ci0xPdJUguJTyKmU0xo/s320/2015-08-28+17.10.30.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>At that point, plug your phone in and hope that you have an Android Auto connection. Even after waiting for this symbol there are times where I have to unplug and plug the USB cable back in 3 or 4 times (yes I've tried multiple cables) before I will get an Android Auto connection. However, if I don't wait for this symbol then there has been no instance of getting an Android Auto connection ever. This is your best shot.</li>
</ul>
<div>
The downside of this process is that you have to wait, often for several minutes before you can connect your phone and begin navigation with Google Maps. It doesn't take very many days before waiting 2 or 3 minutes every time you want to drive somewhere get really old. Read on:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><u>How to being Google Maps Navigation before you have an Android Auto connection</u></b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Connect the USB cable to your phone but connect the other end to a USB charger plugged into the DC power port in your dash. Do not plug that end into the car's USB port!</li>
<li>Enable "OK Google" functionality on any screen of your phone.</li>
<ul>
<li>Open the Google app from your app drawer.</li>
<li>Go to Settings, then Voice, then OK Google Detection and turn on the "From any screen" functionality.</li>
</ul>
<li>Start your car and begin your drive at your leisure.</li>
<li>Activate your Google Maps navigation session by saying "OK Google, Navigate to ______."</li>
<ul>
<li>Google Maps will open on your phone and your navigation session will begin.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
</div>
<br />
<div>
<ul>
<li>As driving conditions allow, keep an eye out for the icon discussed above. Upon seeing the icon, unplug the car's end of the USB cable from the DC power adapter and plug it into the USB port in your car.</li>
<li>With some luck you will have a reliable Android Auto connection and can activate Android Auto from your car's touchscreen.</li>
<li>The Google Maps navigation session that you started on your phone will remain active when you switch to Android Auto! Your phone's screen will go blank and your navigation instructions will resume on your car's screen.</li>
</ul>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00350159285508456826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100718645327131363.post-13626243026540159902015-08-28T17:54:00.003-05:002015-08-28T18:34:42.606-05:00Two Weeks With Android Auto - The Good & The UglyI've only been an Android Auto user for a few weeks but in that short time a few things have become clear.<br />
<ul>
<li>Having Google Maps in-dash is fantastic.</li>
<li>Google Maps volume control isn't fantastic.</li>
<li>Google Music through Android Auto is a mess.</li>
<li>Podcast apps are a great example of what's been missing in-dash. </li>
<li>The initial USB connection is finicky.</li>
</ul>
<strong><u>Background</u></strong><br />
My setup is a 2015 Hyundai Sonata with the LG G4 on the Sprint network. It is hard to express how much better the Hyundai infotainment system is (even without the Android Auto functionality) in comparison to my 2012 Toyota with Entune. I couldn't wait to get rid of Entune and I thought that Android Auto was the answer. What I've learned in a short time is that Android Auto is great, but I'm using the very-well-thought-out Hyundai system more than I ever thought I would. The Hyundai navigation system is very feature rich. I love the Bluelink cellular-powered, voice-activated Google Search feature. However, the Hyundai navigation solution uses the yawn-inducing SiriusXM traffic service which leaves a lot to be desired. In hindsight, my urge to switch cars was more rooted in how bad Entune was and not in how good Android Auto is.<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Google Maps</u></strong><br />
Having Google Maps in-dash is fantastic and by itself a reason to get Android Auto. When I expect traffic on my route I turn to Google Maps. I find it to have very accurate ETAs. The micro-rerouting that results from the traffic content is unparalleled and the machine learning predictions related to navigation that appear through Google Now are great. <br />
<br />
The biggest issue with Google Maps through Android Auto is the inability to control the volume of the navigation instructions independently of the media audio. When you have to turn up the volume of a news podcast in BeyondPod, prepare to be blasted deaf by the navigation instruction from Google Maps. That has to change.<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Google Play Music</u></strong><br />
Google Play Music. Wow. What a mess. My Library in Google Play Music (all of which are cached offline) consists of:<br />
<ul>
<li>Personally built playlists</li>
<li>Subscribed playlists created by others</li>
<li>Stations built myself seeded from artists or songs</li>
<li>Stations that originate from the "Play music for..." section (the Songza functionality)</li>
</ul>
The only two things that work reliably through Android Auto are 1) personally built playlists and 2) stations built myself seeded from artists or songs. The other two scenarios are a mess in Android Auto.<br />
<br />
Stations that originate from the Songza functionality portion of Google Play Music are completely non-functional through Android Auto. One of my stations is called Today's Biggest Hits Radio. However, in the Stations section of Android Auto there is nothing called "Today's Biggest Hits Radio." Instead, the station is listed by whatever the first song happens to be in that station. Try distinguishing one station from another when it displays stations like that!<br />
<br />
Clicking on the first song in that station results in a long pause followed by the error message "Google Play Music doesn't appear to be working." There is also a crash of the Google Play Music app on the phone though it is concealed behind the Android Auto screen saver. I've submitted this error report about a half dozen times so far, so lets hope Google gets this mess cleaned up.<br />
<br />
Every station originating from the Songza functionality of Google Play Music has the same problem and that problem persists after uninstalling, reinstalling and clearing the cache of the Google Play Music app. It's a big no-go for that functionality.<br />
<br />
Subscribed playlists built from others also have difficulty through Android Auto. They at least appear correctly in the station list, however starting a song in that playlist causes Google Play Music on the phone to crash and the phone's app to restart.<br />
<br />
Google Play Music is by far the weakest link for Android Auto in my limited experience and needs lots of attention.<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Podcasts</u></strong><br />
There is a very limited selection of Android Auto apps at this point but I am enjoying podcast apps immensely. Trying to use a podcast app over a Bluetooth connection while operating a vehicle was a losing proposition but Android Auto makes listening to Podcasts extremely easy.<br />
<br />
<strong><u>USB Connection</u></strong><br />
This is a big area of concern. It's pretty simple: the reliable use of Android Auto should not require activating developer mode on your phone and turning on USB debugging. No mainstream Joe is going to use Android Auto unless they can plug their phone in and it works. Right now, it doesn't. There is a way to connect the phone in the 2015 Hyundai Sonata so that Android Auto usually connects reliability. Read about it in <a href="http://jkcarp.blogspot.com/2015/08/connecting-android-auto-in-2015-hyundai.html" target="_blank">this blog post</a>.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Conclusion</u></b><br />
Android Auto has tremendous potential. Having voice-activated phone calls and text messaging capability is wonderful. Having Google Maps in-dash is the ultimate for me. However, the USB connection reliability is ridiculous and Google Play Music is a mess. We all know as early adopters that this will evolve over time. However, the <a href="https://support.google.com/androidauto/answer/6200174?hl=en" target="_blank">known issues</a> list on the Android Auto website doesn't give you a lot of comfort that Google is aware of, acknowledging and fixing these issues.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00350159285508456826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100718645327131363.post-39383781051409241592014-10-31T21:23:00.003-05:002014-10-31T21:59:41.656-05:00First look at the HERE beta navigation app for Android<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="http://here.com/" target="_blank">HERE</a> is probably not a name that the average consumer recognizes. However, most consumers are likely familiar with HERE's product. Their mapping products are found in the majority of in-dash navigation systems in the US and customers may have even purchased map updates from them at the <a href="http://allthingsnav.navigation.com/" target="_blank">navigation.com</a> website without recognizing the HERE brand.<br />
<br />
If you've used a Garmin, Navigon or Magellan GPS then you are a HERE customer and likely didn't know it. HERE's maps power devices by those PND brands.<br />
<br />
HERE seems to be making a push to establish themselves as a brand that consumers identify with. Having primarily been a B2B (business-to-business) brand, HERE finds themselves fighting for their survival against the powerful ecosystems that Google and Apple have created.<br />
<br />
They share that fight with their historical business customers. Both in-dash and PND navigation face huge challenges from the smartphone that contains Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze and other free alternatives. But the challenge for HERE is more than just a smartphone vs in-dash fight since soon Google and Apple will be making a play for the in-dash space as well through bluetooth-linked smartphone / in-dash hybrid telematics solutions known as <a href="http://www.android.com/auto/" target="_blank">Android Auto</a> and <a href="https://www.apple.com/ios/carplay/" target="_blank">Apple CarPlay</a>. This is becoming a war of ecosystems and presents a monumental challenge for HERE. Establishing credible consumer brand recognition is a good first step.<br />
<br />
HERE's challenge is enough on it's own but unfortunately for HERE they've also been part of changing corporate bureaucracies which is tough for any company trying to be laser-focused on their goals. Long in the hands of Phillips, HERE was known as Navteq in the hayday of PND's (and as NavTech before that). Around 2007, Navteq was purchased by Nokia and got caught up in Nokia's disintegration which took nearly 5 years to play out. Oh what might have been! In 2012 Navteq became HERE (the only thing left now of what was once Nokia) as the Nokia brand marched towards the storied end in 2014 after Microsoft's purchase of the remaining pieces. Got that?<br />
<br />
The purpose of explaining that history is that in same ways, to the consumer, the emergence of the new HERE consumer brand really does represent something new. Perhaps, give their tumultuous history, that is exactly what HERE needs - a fresh start. <br />
<br />
<b><u>What does their first attempt at this fresh start look like?</u></b><br />
<br />
HERE for Android is a navigation play that competes head-to-head for the same customer as Google Maps and Waze. HERE brings one significant advantage though, offline maps, providing users with the ability to use navigation without a data connection. Whether you are out of mobile phone range or out of mobile data allotment, offline maps can be an important option to have. <br />
<br />
HERE is certainly not the first to offer offline maps for Android. Scout (Telenav) offers offline maps (now using OpenStreetMap) as does ALK Copilot, TomTom and Sygic (using TomTom maps). Interestingly, HERE was beat to Android in recent months by one of their own customers, Garmin with the viago app. It is a crowded market to enter in 2014 but there can be no argument that HERE enters it with one of the most well respected maps datasets available (albeit one that most consumers have never heard of). <a href="http://jkcarp.blogspot.com/2012/01/navigation-test-1-route-8-products.html" target="_blank">Check out my 8-device road test</a> from back in 2012 where Navteq-powered Garmin killed the competition.<br />
<br />
It is important to note that you don't have to download the HERE maps. HERE works just fine as an online solution as well, sending the maps to your smartphone over your data connection.<br />
<br />
HERE does a nice job of allowing flexibility in which maps to download. The storage needed to store maps is tremendous so you are going to need a smartphone with lots of capacity (or an external SD card) to download a lot of maps offline. The entire US for example is nearly 5 GB but luckily HERE allows you to pick individual States for much more modest sized downloads. It is curious how much bigger the HERE maps are compared to the Garmin viago maps. It makes me wonder what else is in the HERE map dataset that we just aren't seeing yet with the immature feature set of the HERE beta app.<br />
<br />
My experience with the HERE beta app so far has been that the app is very fluid, fast and stable. I've had no crashes, lock-ups or stuttering. The map is cleanly presented on the screen in a readable way. It does a nice job of showing road classes using distinct color. You can compare the HERE map with Google Maps:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ACrzIp-_FaM/VFQntAUpXeI/AAAAAAABlQo/cqr6rb-Vp4w/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.17.27.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ACrzIp-_FaM/VFQntAUpXeI/AAAAAAABlQo/cqr6rb-Vp4w/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.17.27.png" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HERE</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HBgw92Z4Uys/VFQntIHl9NI/AAAAAAABlQs/9PpcICqNmx8/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.18.34.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HBgw92Z4Uys/VFQntIHl9NI/AAAAAAABlQs/9PpcICqNmx8/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.18.34.png" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google Maps</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
HERE offers three different map views in addition to the view shown above: Traffic, Transit and Satellite views.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XUvLkStX8Ho/VFQnxfHtL4I/AAAAAAABlQY/SSgauRCEH9M/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.29.11.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XUvLkStX8Ho/VFQnxfHtL4I/AAAAAAABlQY/SSgauRCEH9M/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.29.11.png" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HERE map view options</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Google Maps has made huge strides in presenting traffic directly on the map in recent versions and thankfully HERE has tried to the do the same thing by showing the actual traffic flow on the map. In my opinion, Google does a better job of presenting traffic flow while still preserving the color differentiation between various road classes. When turning traffic view on, HERE's map tends to get too muted for my taste but this is strictly a personal preference.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1GEtVFK4094/VFQntJoTQVI/AAAAAAABlQw/hduK3TZMuz0/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.17.35.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1GEtVFK4094/VFQntJoTQVI/AAAAAAABlQw/hduK3TZMuz0/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.17.35.png" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HERE w/ traffic view on</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hYD2_onjQSs/VFQntx-RGHI/AAAAAAABlQk/wuX-S0zvuLc/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.18.41.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hYD2_onjQSs/VFQntx-RGHI/AAAAAAABlQk/wuX-S0zvuLc/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.18.41.png" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google Maps w/ traffic view on.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Notice the granularity difference in the traffic flow between Google and HERE. It is tough to make an accuracy argument between the two but there is no question that Google Maps is purporting to know more about the current traffic conditions over a wider range of roads than HERE is. Again - accuracy can be debated.<br />
<br />
It the current beta version the HERE maps offers a pretty bare bones navigation experience. Here is a look at HERE's main app menu:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iLmb7ywxao0/VFQnt5Bsi-I/AAAAAAABlO0/xrTYQmyBVKw/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.19.05.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iLmb7ywxao0/VFQnt5Bsi-I/AAAAAAABlO0/xrTYQmyBVKw/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.19.05.png" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HERE menu in MAPS mode</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It is nice to see HERE making some attempts to be consistent with the "Android experience" in terms of app UI. Unfortunately that is only true for the MAPS functionality of the app. Clicking into DRIVE mode on the menu above feels like you are using a completely different app. The "close to Android-standard feel" is abandoned for this:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vu0_Nvd0zP0/VFQnuBf5-fI/AAAAAAABlQg/27u6Lx1DZ-I/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.19.23.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vu0_Nvd0zP0/VFQnuBf5-fI/AAAAAAABlQg/27u6Lx1DZ-I/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.19.23.png" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Setting in DRIVE mode.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And worse yet, the DRIVE mode settings button brings up a different-but-the-same settings menu that duplicates some of the settings in the MAPS mode settings but presents them with a different UI. It is like two different teams developed MAPS and DRIVE and then put the two pieces together in the app.<br />
<br />
Here is what the MAPS mode settings menu looks like:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--TUCP_zmHSs/VFQr16UkerI/AAAAAAABlRA/oDYibk29wUc/s1600/2014-11-01%2B00.38.36.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--TUCP_zmHSs/VFQr16UkerI/AAAAAAABlRA/oDYibk29wUc/s1600/2014-11-01%2B00.38.36.png" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MAPS settings menu</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Here is what the DRIVE mode settings menu looks like:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zW0K9wwJgH0/VFQrpytoFxI/AAAAAAABlQ8/k4z1Bb_pD64/s1600/2014-11-01%2B00.38.50.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zW0K9wwJgH0/VFQrpytoFxI/AAAAAAABlQ8/k4z1Bb_pD64/s1600/2014-11-01%2B00.38.50.png" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DRIVE mode settings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Different fonts. Different text sizes. Different colors. The problems here are numerous and obvious. Note that the MAPS settings menu above actually has a Navigation setting too (why, when you also have DRIVE settings?). Worse, the same items are present in both menus but called different things.<br />
<br />
In the MAPS menu it is called Voice Navigation but in the DRIVE menu it is called Voice Options. They control the same thing. In the MAPS menu Day/night view has it's own option but in the DRIVE menu it is buried within the Map options menu.<br />
<br />
Worse, despite both menus having some of the same functionality the UI for that common setting is different depending upon which menu you started in.<br />
<br />
This setting fiasco distracts from an otherwise pretty decent app and I simply don't understand it. I've used a ton of PND's and navigation apps over the years and I can't think of a single reason why there needs to be two different settings menus within the same app.<br />
<br />
Hang with me because this is by far their worst of the app. It gets better from here (for HERE!).<br />
<br />
There are the usual suspects present in the Route Options setting but strangely missing is commuter lanes. I am not sure why, but I hope that finds itself into the app quickly, as it is an irreplaceable feature found in both TomTom's and Garmin's Android apps.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F-rZip5cC0Q/VFQ5ZRy-4YI/AAAAAAABlRY/XRu0KStBngM/s1600/2014-11-01%2B01.36.15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F-rZip5cC0Q/VFQ5ZRy-4YI/AAAAAAABlRY/XRu0KStBngM/s1600/2014-11-01%2B01.36.15.png" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No commuter lane route options</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b><u>Searching in the app</u></b><br />
The main map screen has a search field. HERE did a great job with the search field, making it a universal search. You can type in an address, a POI name or a category and it will show you the results. This is well done. It is a giant leap forward from Garmin's archaic address entry system in their viago app that requires you to separately enter the house number, street name, city and state like you had to do 10 years ago in a Garmin PND. Bravo HERE, for implementing universal search.<br />
<br />
In this version, universal search does not include your contacts sadly. I hope that we see this feature added in a future version. That does not mean that you can't easily use HERE to navigate to a contact though. Thankfully, even in this early beta, HERE has registered the app as an Android intent handler, which means it is one of the apps available to "handle your intent" when you click on an address in a 3rd party app. In this screen shot, I clicked on an address in my Nexus 5's People app (you could do the same in your calendar or Yelp or TripAdvisor, etc.) and HERE is one of the apps that can fulfill my request when clicking on the address:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_4eZMb3cBcY/VFQvAWE_kOI/AAAAAAABlRI/4OZ4WEggTTY/s1600/2014-11-01%2B00.51.13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_4eZMb3cBcY/VFQvAWE_kOI/AAAAAAABlRI/4OZ4WEggTTY/s1600/2014-11-01%2B00.51.13.png" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HERE as an Android intent handler option</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In all of my attempts, HERE accurately parsed the address that I sent it from 3rd party apps. When you combine this with Android's ability to search apps from the homescreen's search box you can get addresses from 3rd party productivity apps into HERE pretty quickly.<br />
<br />
Whether you have searched from within the HERE app, or passed HERE an address from a 3rd party app, this is screen that you are shown once you have found a single search result:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y7DQ4oTaZlY/VFQnw038hMI/AAAAAAABlQQ/B0Fzf5p1GiM/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.24.10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y7DQ4oTaZlY/VFQnw038hMI/AAAAAAABlQQ/B0Fzf5p1GiM/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.24.10.png" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HERE search results</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One criticism of HERE is that from this screen, it takes way too many clicks to actually start navigating. Your path to begin navigation is to click the "two-headed arrow" near the bottom right. HERE needs to take a play from Google Map's playback: if I long-press on this two-headed arrow (rather than single press it) HERE needs to immediately begin navigation to the best route HERE selects using a default navigation method (auto, transit or walking). At this point in time, it does not provide this feature. Instead, upon clicking the arrow you come to this screen:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N9AVxIRtisY/VFQnvRmYh3I/AAAAAAABlPc/iN-g13j3WoQ/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.22.33.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N9AVxIRtisY/VFQnvRmYh3I/AAAAAAABlPc/iN-g13j3WoQ/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.22.33.png" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Route options screen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On this screen you are presented with multiple route options as well as options to pick your means of travel (auto, mass transit or walking). These are all great options. I am merely making the point that there should be a streamlined way to bypass all of this for routine auto routes using the default settings.<br />
<br />
Also in the screen above you can see that there is an ability to change your "don't include" route restrictions as well as go to settings. (I wonder which settings menu THIS will take me to?)<br />
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Your path to navigation continues by clicking the route you desire from the screen above. Unfortunately, you are still not quite ready to navigate though. For some reason HERE has decided to visually show me the routes that were just shown to me in a list in the prior screen.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZsIE3UMXWs4/VFQnvmpdLXI/AAAAAAABlPs/deV-AqZM_90/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.22.45.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZsIE3UMXWs4/VFQnvmpdLXI/AAAAAAABlPs/deV-AqZM_90/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.22.45.png" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A second route selection screen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Similar to my complaint about duplicate settings menus, now HERE is showing me basically the same information on this screen as the screen before only in a graphical format. By sliding the black section of the screen to the left, the second route option's information is displayed. There is nothing wrong with this screen. It is presented clearly and conveys meaningful information. However, it duplicates information that I was just shown in a previous screen and it further delays the start of my navigation experience.<br />
<br />
Personally, I'd much prefer coming directly to this screen. I like pictures so I like to see the visual representation of the route options. Should I desire to change to transit or walking then I'd gladly hit a button here to take me to that selection, but I'd rather not waste a step being presented with that every single time I calculate a route.<br />
<br />
Google Maps has figured out an elegant way to present the content of both of these redundant HERE screens on a single screen and quickly begin navigation. I hope that HERE spends some time optimizing this in the app.<br />
<br />
I've noticed some very strange results when searching for places rather than addresses. For example, I often receive no results when searching for things that are plentiful in my area.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lakjd3YA7Mo/VFQnu-DXWxI/AAAAAAABlPI/7FSHYj8oRgM/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.21.24.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lakjd3YA7Mo/VFQnu-DXWxI/AAAAAAABlPI/7FSHYj8oRgM/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.21.24.png" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No Eat & Drink near me?<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D8LvpI3mDtA/VFQnvEBAyMI/AAAAAAABlPU/kb6I2QNJb1I/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.21.47.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D8LvpI3mDtA/VFQnvEBAyMI/AAAAAAABlPU/kb6I2QNJb1I/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.21.47.png" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No place to Go Out?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It also only found a single result when I entered the word "mall" in the search field. The one result it did find was a quality search result because the place doesn't actually have the word "mall" in the name but it is the showcase mall in the metro. However, it didn't find other malls in the immediate area that actually contain "mall" in their name.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qt3-q8P8FIU/VFQnwPGyY4I/AAAAAAABlP8/33IbXIKdWqA/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.23.39.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qt3-q8P8FIU/VFQnwPGyY4I/AAAAAAABlP8/33IbXIKdWqA/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.23.39.png" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Only found one place when searching "mall"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
However, when I searched specifically for "Merle Hay Mall" and "Valley West Mall" then they were located when they could not be found when searching only for the word "mall."<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CIbt0XmnzgE/VFQnwVqZklI/AAAAAAABlQE/3SYSwE7e_Kc/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.23.54.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CIbt0XmnzgE/VFQnwVqZklI/AAAAAAABlQE/3SYSwE7e_Kc/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.23.54.png" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not found when searching only for "mall"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y7DQ4oTaZlY/VFQnw038hMI/AAAAAAABlQQ/B0Fzf5p1GiM/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.24.10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y7DQ4oTaZlY/VFQnw038hMI/AAAAAAABlQQ/B0Fzf5p1GiM/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.24.10.png" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also not found when searching only for "mall"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Other searches worked as expected. Here is an example of the results of searching for "subway." It shows the closest one by default and you can swipe the banner at the bottom to the left to cycle through the search results.</div>
<div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hOKRJxEPTkQ/VFQnvdbLDMI/AAAAAAABlQU/XO4NTs0XZAg/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.22.16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hOKRJxEPTkQ/VFQnvdbLDMI/AAAAAAABlQU/XO4NTs0XZAg/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.22.16.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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<br />
The navigation map is well done. It is fluid and presents the information clearly.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ApnE1zVJI5U/VFQnw3pQ5DI/AAAAAAABlQM/qJDdUDovfpc/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.25.59.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ApnE1zVJI5U/VFQnw3pQ5DI/AAAAAAABlQM/qJDdUDovfpc/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.25.59.png" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Navigation screen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There is very limited functionality available during navigation in this current beta iteration. When you click on the information bar at the bottom of the navigation screen these are your options:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YNOaU3thlCo/VFQnxL8T0YI/AAAAAAABlQI/DwmK5IgTqA4/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.26.35.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YNOaU3thlCo/VFQnxL8T0YI/AAAAAAABlQI/DwmK5IgTqA4/s1600/2014-10-31%2B23.26.35.png" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Navigation mode options</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The "show" icon is a toggle for traffic flow lines, "Customize" takes you to a setting menu that allows you to customize the information shown on the screen while navigating (and while "roving" the map without navigating as HERE calls it).<br />
<br />
You can also activate a new "alternate route" calculation manually from this screen which is nice to see. I have not yet faced a routing situation where traffic has created a different, quicker route so I can't comment on how the app handles that situation.<br />
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<b><u>Additional Features (or not)</u></b><br />
The list of features not yet in this beta app is long. You won't find any PND features such as detours, route avoidance or via points. The app doesn't support multi-stop routes. I haven't seen any evidence of signpost imagery or lane guidance.<br />
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I have experienced the 3D buildings and found the app to be extremely quick and fluid in displaying the building models.<br />
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When browsing the map, the map is "live" in terms of being able to long-press anywhere on the map and receive the address of that location (ready to begin navigation) just like you had searched for that location.<br />
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Any location (place, address, etc.) can be saved to a "Collection" or "favorite" as I typically think of it. Collections can be categorized as desired.<br />
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You can also share any location that you have selected within the app. Sharing can be via the standard Android sharing options but the HERE app has a special bonus. You can also share through built-in <a href="https://www.glympse.com/" target="_blank">Glympse</a> functionality. While this is a nice feature, I hope that the integration between HERE and Glympse improves. As it exists today, you must select the amount of time to share through Glympse just like if you were using the standalone app. However, this is a navigation app. The app knows my ETA. The app should be able to share through Glympse until I've arrived at my destination without me having to manually adjust the time.<br />
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Lastly, there is no functionality in the current version of the app to display POI's outside of a search. I like to travel with gas station, food and rest stop POI's visible on the map. That option doesn't exist in the app yet.<br />
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There is no ability to download maps in the background while doing other things in the app. Leave the screen and you cancel your download. On initial map download be prepared to give up use of your device for awhile.<br />
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<b><u>Incremental Map Updates!!!!!</u></b><br />
HERE deserves a massive round of applause for introducing incremental map updates in the app. That means that users can download new map content to the app but only have to download the portion of the map that is new or changed. Say goodbye to the days of downloading massive 5GB map updates every time there is an update. Incremental map updates was <a href="http://jkcarp.blogspot.com/2012/06/case-for-incremental-map-updates-or-why.html" target="_blank">something that I blogged about</a> back in 2012 and it is great to finally see someone implement it. I have not yet read anything that confirms how often incremental map updates will be available or if we'll have to periodically download full map datasets every so often with incremental updates in between (similar to TomTom's MapShare program and ALK's MapSure method). I hope not, but we will see. Having small incremental map updates available every couple weeks goes a long ways towards competing with the near instantaneous nature of Google's MapMaker program.<br />
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<b><u>Final Thoughts</u></b><br />
One item that HERE should clarify is exactly how offline mode works. It appears, though I have no way of knowing, that the app is either 100% online or 100% offline. The confusion stems from the warning received when activating "Use app offline." This warning indicates that the data connection will not be used. Does this mean that when I am online and using the data connection (i.e., for traffic, search, etc.) that I am also being served ONLINE maps rather than the maps that I've already downloaded?<br />
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My preferred mode of use would be to use the downloaded maps where I've downloaded them irrespective of whether I am in online or offline mode. I'd prefer to use offline maps where I have then and still use the data connection for traffic, search, etc. I'd only want to use online maps in areas where I haven't downloaded any maps. This would lighten the data load but still make data available for other uses within the app.<br />
<br />
It is unclear how this works and I hope HERE will clarify.<br />
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<b>Conclusion</b>:<br />
This app has good bones. The app is extremely fluid, fast, clean and stable. The map is very readable. It seems to be a great base to build from. I think HERE needs to clean up the horribly confusing two-settings menus issue. I also hope that they quickly streamline the steps it takes to actually begin navigation. Contact integration is something that I hope is coming soon. And the "must have" feature if you are going to effectively compete with Google Maps is voice recognition. Interestingly Google just announced that Google Now will have ability to be used with 3rd party apps. That might present a great opportunity (combined with HERE's universal search feature) to make the primary interface to HERE your voice. That would be huge.<br />
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The app has a long way to go in terms of features if the goal is a PND-like experience on our smartphone. But lucky for HERE, in my opinion, NO ONE in this space has nailed it yet. Everyone comes close but falls short of "my perfect solution." HERE has a chance.<br />
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Over time, I could see this app earning some dedicated storage on my phone. I hope that this is successful enough to continue to get development resources because competition is good for the consumer.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00350159285508456826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100718645327131363.post-23222609640322166162014-06-17T18:10:00.001-05:002014-06-17T18:49:39.441-05:00Garmin surprises with Android navigation app "viago" - First ImpressionsGarmin, once unquestionably the navigation leader, has an interesting way of trying to keep itself relevant. Of late it seems that Garmin does so right about the time you almost stop thinking about them. This week is no exception. <br />
<br />
Garmin has finally made a real Android play by <a href="http://garmin.blogs.com/my_weblog/2014/06/introducing-garmin-v%C3%ADago-a-feature-packed-navigation-app-starting-at-199.html#.U6B2-40o83E" target="_blank">releasing a standalone Android app called viago</a>. Garmin has dabbled with Android before when it created the defunct nuvifone. At that time Garmin couldn't shake their fixation on producing hardware. Many of us argued that the Garmin name wasn't strong enough to dictate the consumer's smartphone hardware and mobile carrier choice and eventually that reality played out. The nuvifone was discontinued. Many critics said Garmin needed to start thinking like a software developer. After having an iOS app for some time Garmin appears to be moving into the pure software development world head-on with this new Android play.<br />
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I've downloaded and used the viago app for a short time. I've explored the features and settings. I've taken some drives. The viago app is a nice looking, solid v1.0 entry into the market. The problem is that this is a v1.0 entry and it is 2014. This app would be a great play if it were 2012. It isn't. For that reason, it underwhelms given where Garmin's competitors are at with their product plays.<br />
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Competitors Google Maps, TomTom, Waze, Scout (Telenav), MapQuest, CoPilot and Sygic are all multiple generations into their product offerings. I'd expect the supposed industry leader, when it finally makes a market play, to do so with force - to blow away the current offerings with something new, fresh and unique. Instead, what Garmin has given us is a "me too" app that lacks in basic features. At the same time, they include things that attempt to differentiate like Real Directions. What good is that kind of differentiation however, when you haven't nailed the basics yet?<br />
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Lacking in basically features is fully expected with a 1.0 product some will argue. Unfortunately with Garmin being this late to the game, they needed this 2014 release to be their 2.0 attempt. A 1.0 release from Garmin doesn't cut it in 2014.<br />
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I'll hit the deal-breaker (for me) first. Garmin has failed to register the viago app as an Android intent handler for any 3rd party apps. Intent handling (the ability to open one app with specific content obtained from another app) is the beauty of Android smartphones. It is also a fantastic feature in every Android navigation app I've used (and I've used every one of those mentioned above). All of them allow you to click on an address in Contacts, Calendar, Yelp, Tripadvisor, etc., and pick their navigation app as the destination of that address search. You get one-click navigation to that address with the navigation app of your choice. Sadly, Garmin has missed the boat on that important feature. I clicked on an address in my Contact app and the image below is what I received. (I've removed most of the navigation apps noted above from my phone). Garmin viago is not listed as a choice and that is a huge oversight. Who decides to release this without that simple, core Android feature?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E2GiZvBZ7hA/U6B3-2T4DvI/AAAAAAABiPs/ig9uw4yuvbc/s1600/2014-06-17+16.46.27.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E2GiZvBZ7hA/U6B3-2T4DvI/AAAAAAABiPs/ig9uw4yuvbc/s1600/2014-06-17+16.46.27.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garmin's viago not shown as an Android intent handler</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
The next biggest "what are they thinking" issue with viago is that it doesn't have "Search Along Route" functionality. Granted, this is a missing feature in Google Maps too, but Google Maps is free. It doesn't have to be better, it just has to be "good enough" to beat Garmin. The comparison is TomTom, CoPilot, Scout, and the other paid apps. All of them have this important feature and Garmin decided to leave it out for this v1.0 release. I can't attempt to understand the logic of that decision.<br />
<br />
Yet, Garmin did decide to implement a trip planner where you can enter multiple via points along a route to your destination. Now, my typical use of a trip planner may be different than the norm, but I like to calculate a route from my origin to my destination. From there, I like to "search along the route" just calculated to find gas stations, food stops, hotels, or maybe even attractions along the way. Alas, there is no way to do that because Garmin left out search along the route. Perhaps others use the trip planner in another way but I find that it completely misses the mark without this search capability.<br />
<br />
Visually, I like this app. It is clean and the user interface has the potential to be straightforward.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tgztLrz59XM/U6B33wIZ8DI/AAAAAAABiNs/NQz919boT6I/s1600/2014-06-17+16.25.38.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tgztLrz59XM/U6B33wIZ8DI/AAAAAAABiNs/NQz919boT6I/s1600/2014-06-17+16.25.38.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The nicely done UI of Garmin viago</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
I don't like how Garmin has split up various features and settings between two different menus. The traditional Android menu (the three horizontal lines at the top right) doesn't actually contain Settings. Instead, Garmin has placed settings in a second menu that is accessible by clicking on the blue triangle in the upper left. I can see the upper left blue triangle being the place to put navigation specific commands and features but it should not contain Settings (or Shop or Tools), especially when Garmin is also using the standard Android menu symbol. If they are going to use it, then that is where you should put Settings.<br />
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This is all Garmin is using the standard Android menu for:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P6-_RXG4TCQ/U6B34FIBC0I/AAAAAAABiNw/r35D-HJZxSA/s1600/2014-06-17+16.26.05.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P6-_RXG4TCQ/U6B34FIBC0I/AAAAAAABiNw/r35D-HJZxSA/s1600/2014-06-17+16.26.05.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garmin's use of Android's standard menu command</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Clicking on the Traffic option gives you an incident list.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MtFXh3vv3eY/U6B33x81_vI/AAAAAAABiN8/OTq0IUmY0EQ/s1600/2014-06-17+16.26.15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MtFXh3vv3eY/U6B33x81_vI/AAAAAAABiN8/OTq0IUmY0EQ/s1600/2014-06-17+16.26.15.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traffic incident list</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
It is disappointing to find that you can't see traffic incidents when casually browsing an area overview map.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s3NyddY9gLg/U6B35Kxj6cI/AAAAAAABiOg/kJ3mCENX6OU/s1600/2014-06-17+16.27.10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s3NyddY9gLg/U6B35Kxj6cI/AAAAAAABiOg/kJ3mCENX6OU/s1600/2014-06-17+16.27.10.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No traffic shown at the scale of a metro overview map</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Compare this to Google Maps which allows you to see an entire metro area's traffic situation at a glance:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kfgRNHbQu6c/U6B38azeOJI/AAAAAAABiP4/Dkx8mmYm2vM/s1600/2014-06-17+16.31.35.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kfgRNHbQu6c/U6B38azeOJI/AAAAAAABiP4/Dkx8mmYm2vM/s1600/2014-06-17+16.31.35.png" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google Maps, in comparison, nicely shows overall traffic conditions on a metro overview map</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
The traffic information that is displayed during a route was not a great experience. As you can see in the image below, the traffic information area takes up a lot of screen real estate. When you combine that with the inefficient use of space for the next turn text you end up with a very small map area. There is an blue 'x' next to the display of the current street (106th St) but when you click on it instead of closing the current street line it closes the traffic section instead.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FU-gRIfp4dY/U6DGxlyk73I/AAAAAAABiQg/_qEDem30S48/s1600/2014-06-17+22.05.21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FU-gRIfp4dY/U6DGxlyk73I/AAAAAAABiQg/_qEDem30S48/s1600/2014-06-17+22.05.21.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The UI becomes much less functional and the map much smaller, with traffic content displayed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I've tried to understand the traffic bar implementation on this app and I just can't make sense of it. Clearly I understand that there are 2 traffic incidents that are causing a 2 minute delay. However, I don't understand the information being conveyed in the traffic bar that contains the yellow line. If the traffic bar represents my total route and the yellow bar represents the "location" of the traffic slow down along my route then it would be helpful if the bar actually moved while I progressed on the route. It didn't though. It stayed static. So I really have no idea where that yellow section was compared to my actual location in the route. I also am not sure if the yellow bar and the orange symbol represent 2 different incidents or not? Is the yellow bar traffic flow data while the orange banner is a construction incident? I also don't know if the 1 mile represents the distance that the construction is away from me now, the distance the construction is away from the start of my route or the length of the construction "section" in the road itself? It is a very confusing implementation of traffic given that there is no movement of or along the bar while driving.<br />
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Below is a screen shot that is even more confusing. I am 0.2 miles from my destination (literally about 1 minute). There is no construction or traffic involved in the route any longer. Yet, the display still shows 2 traffic issues with a 2 minute delay. It no longer shows the yellow bar but does show the orange construction icon. None of this makes any sense to me. Why is it showing traffic that is in the past? It doesn't mean anything to me any more because I'm already through it. I just am not understanding Garmin's thought process on how they are presenting traffic information at all.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HkDWCGaRFjA/U6DGyhAhvqI/AAAAAAABiRA/uPKHE3PNIGU/s1600/2014-06-17+22.18.53.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HkDWCGaRFjA/U6DGyhAhvqI/AAAAAAABiRA/uPKHE3PNIGU/s1600/2014-06-17+22.18.53.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very confusing traffic implementation showing traffic conditions in the past</td></tr>
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For comparison, here is Google's presentation along the same route. There is quite a difference in the space made available for the map. To each their own on this issue but I don't believe that Garmin has done much to optimize their use of screen real estate, mainly due to the unnecessary amount of space dedicated to the traffic information.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l_GauUG_jQk/U6DGx-MwC-I/AAAAAAABiQ8/-Aq--q07Fj8/s1600/2014-06-17+22.17.03.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l_GauUG_jQk/U6DGx-MwC-I/AAAAAAABiQ8/-Aq--q07Fj8/s1600/2014-06-17+22.17.03.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google Maps' use of screen real estate as a comparison</td></tr>
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This is what is found in Garmin's blue triangle menu. They've got the placement of Tools, Shop and Settings in the wrong menu in my opinion and I hope they change it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K79sE272wMc/U6B36qF9aHI/AAAAAAABiQI/rETFh809nQE/s1600/2014-06-17+16.28.13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K79sE272wMc/U6B36qF9aHI/AAAAAAABiQI/rETFh809nQE/s1600/2014-06-17+16.28.13.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garmin's blue triangle menu options</td></tr>
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My Destinations is the place to find your saved favorites as well as your recently found destinations. Contacts is a nice feature to see however it was implemented without search capability so it is almost useless. The only option within Contacts is to browse a list - useless for someone with hundreds or thousands of contacts.<br />
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I did use the Contacts feature of the app though and browsed to various contacts. It failed 100% of the time to reconcile the address. These addresses are in the Android People app found on the Nexus 5 with Android 4.4.3 and the People app is synchronized to an Exchange server. The screenshot below shows one contact that I tried which, like all my other contacts, reconciles nicely in Google Maps.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GI5PKlLML2M/U6DR1hJBrqI/AAAAAAABiRU/dW1w4BNRKQA/s1600/2014-06-17+23.20.47.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GI5PKlLML2M/U6DR1hJBrqI/AAAAAAABiRU/dW1w4BNRKQA/s1600/2014-06-17+23.20.47.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reconciling a Contact's address in Google Maps</td></tr>
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However, like every other contact I tried, the address did not reconcile in Garmin's viago app. It appears that Garmin is not parsing the address text correctly and is attempting to put the entire address in the street name cell. Of course this wouldn't be an issue at all if Garmin wasn't using such an archaic means of address entry in the first place.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ruSVEKoFQnw/U6DR1tQUuFI/AAAAAAABiRY/CkP90dC2NaY/s1600/2014-06-17+23.21.43.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ruSVEKoFQnw/U6DR1tQUuFI/AAAAAAABiRY/CkP90dC2NaY/s1600/2014-06-17+23.21.43.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garmin's viago can't parse the same Contact</td></tr>
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Settings offers a nice selection of things to avoid on the route. The inclusion of carpool lanes is a big plus and an omission from Google Maps (but not TomTom) that is very convenient in a few major cities. I much prefer the TomTom implementation to avoidances though. TomTom asks you on every route if it detects that item on the route during calculation. This approach matches reality as there are some routes that I know about an unpaved road or a toll and I also know the consequences of avoiding them. I will decide to use those items for that route while wanting to avoid them completely on a different route. TomTom is unique in that regard. All other vendors, including this Garmin viago app require you to change the settings each time in order to have that flexibility.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-12-F9-HN34U/U6B37y8H0fI/AAAAAAABiOw/rj05jBbTjfo/s1600/2014-06-17+16.30.13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-12-F9-HN34U/U6B37y8H0fI/AAAAAAABiOw/rj05jBbTjfo/s1600/2014-06-17+16.30.13.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Navigation avoidance options</td></tr>
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The shortcomings of this app begin to be evident as soon as you start exploring the navigation features within the blue triangle menu. Selecting the "Where To?" option brings up a very nuvi-familiar list of choices:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-shpIj7eV1yY/U6B8kOSszNI/AAAAAAABiQU/YDvlYX61Kj4/s1600/2014-06-17+17.35.22.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-shpIj7eV1yY/U6B8kOSszNI/AAAAAAABiQU/YDvlYX61Kj4/s1600/2014-06-17+17.35.22.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garmin viago's Where To? menu options</td></tr>
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I was disappointed to see that the Address entry process was an old-school process of separate text-entry fields for each portion of the address. Yes, that is correct. Despite knowing the ease of address entry in other products that have been available on Android for a long time, the screenshot below is what you get to "fill out" when using Garmin viago. To make matters worse, there is no text auto-complete so you can't start typing and have the app start to guess the remainder of what you intend to enter. You must type the whole thing. Only then, after filling out this 2010 style form do you get to see if what you entered is in the database when you go to the next screen. Quite frankly I'm stunned that Garmin settled for this archaic method of address entry in this product. Why viago is not a robust voice recognition platform as its main user interface is beyond me.<br />
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It is hard to understand the thought process, when you know that you can literally speak "OK Google, Navigate to 123 Main Street in Anytown, IA" when using Google Maps (and not much more than that with Waze), that someone inside Garmin decided that the method of address entry below was worthy of going live with in 2014. Stunningly misguided.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l8jZPPBber4/U6B37PUrUkI/AAAAAAABiQE/teNGNOm3mkE/s1600/2014-06-17+16.28.30.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l8jZPPBber4/U6B37PUrUkI/AAAAAAABiQE/teNGNOm3mkE/s1600/2014-06-17+16.28.30.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garmin's address entry process</td></tr>
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This screenshot is a nice representation of the screen while navigating during a calculated route. You can see the route statistics at the top (see below for how this can be customized). You can also see that traffic is being reported within the app and shown on the map. I've turned on the display of some POI's on the map (you can see the gas station icon). This does not appear to be working as described by the menus however. More on that below. You can also see the speed limit and my current speed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-utm7iJxzAss/U6B39iCMs9I/AAAAAAABiP0/JPsQmPHLLWQ/s1600/2014-06-17+16.36.06.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-utm7iJxzAss/U6B39iCMs9I/AAAAAAABiP0/JPsQmPHLLWQ/s1600/2014-06-17+16.36.06.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A nice UI displaying many pieces of information</td></tr>
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The three route statistics at the top of the screen are user selectable. The choices include:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CNpUMwsLkK4/U6B38NowE4I/AAAAAAABiO8/2I8Li_CrIJw/s1600/2014-06-17+16.30.46.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CNpUMwsLkK4/U6B38NowE4I/AAAAAAABiO8/2I8Li_CrIJw/s1600/2014-06-17+16.30.46.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Customization of route statistics in the map view</td></tr>
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There are a couple of disappointments to note when looking at the map above. First, the POI's are not selectable from the map. Think about driving down the freeway and wanting some lunch. There is no way to see the Food icon, click it, and see what restaurant it is. The POI's are displayed and are not interactive. And of course with no "search along route" functionality, you can't determine what any of those POI's really are when navigating.<br />
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The menu shows the screen where you can select the POI categories to show on the map. You can see the phrase "Unselect All" which implies more than one could be selected. However, when you select one category from the menu below, it deselects the previously one selected. That makes little sense given the wording of this menu and is likely a bug that needs to be fixed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Si_2ZdLjFkg/U6B35aB1xKI/AAAAAAABiOA/9ddXEbG2neM/s1600/2014-06-17+16.27.27.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Si_2ZdLjFkg/U6B35aB1xKI/AAAAAAABiOA/9ddXEbG2neM/s1600/2014-06-17+16.27.27.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A potential bug prevents multiple POI categories from being selected</td></tr>
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You can also display POI categories on the map while browsing the map without navigating. However, this feels like a feature that isn't finished. First, the categories don't have visually recognizable icons. Instead, they have this meaningless blue icon seen below. Worse, when you click on the blue dot it doesn't tell you what the POI is. It simple shows the latitude and longitude which is completely worthless.<br />
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Like the POI issue show below, you can also long press anywhere on the map to select a location. However, when pressing on a road, Garmin does not reverse geocode that location and display an address. It only shows the latitude / longitude. Reverse geocoding and showing the address would be a much more user friendly feature.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oUioC_l1rWo/U6B35p-GogI/AAAAAAABiOM/TzI2Ie2ESmw/s1600/2014-06-17+16.27.58.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oUioC_l1rWo/U6B35p-GogI/AAAAAAABiOM/TzI2Ie2ESmw/s1600/2014-06-17+16.27.58.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Useless display of POI's in map browsing mode</td></tr>
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Even when clicking on the 'i' icon you still are not given anything useful. Here is the result of that click:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M1yWnHwKhc0/U6B36C2OkcI/AAAAAAABiQM/QkUxAHfhxmQ/s1600/2014-06-17+16.28.04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M1yWnHwKhc0/U6B36C2OkcI/AAAAAAABiQM/QkUxAHfhxmQ/s1600/2014-06-17+16.28.04.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Additional info is not helpful</td></tr>
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You'll notice in the image above that the standard Android menu icon is present in the Destination screen. Here is what you get when you click it in this screen though:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kb1CZtmMhDw/U6B3-ccgYBI/AAAAAAABiPg/YbKAg5sJjqA/s1600/2014-06-17+16.40.52.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kb1CZtmMhDw/U6B3-ccgYBI/AAAAAAABiPg/YbKAg5sJjqA/s1600/2014-06-17+16.40.52.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inconsistent menu content results in nothing displayed</td></tr>
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Clicking on the speed limit graphic on the map, I expected to be given a menu to indicate an incorrect speed limit. Instead, I was given the setting below, which is an odd place to hide a setting. Why not just include it in the main setting menu? I set this to on, then proceeded to speed up to 50 mph and was not given an alert.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VsC8RZqlwy8/U6B3-gCUOSI/AAAAAAABiPk/quVYSQ307Js/s1600/2014-06-17+16.42.56.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VsC8RZqlwy8/U6B3-gCUOSI/AAAAAAABiPk/quVYSQ307Js/s1600/2014-06-17+16.42.56.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A random setting that doesn't appear to work and isn't in the main app Settings</td></tr>
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So, where do I think this Garmin viago v1.0 app positions itself at launch? It will make Garmin enthusiasts who still use their nuvi but wish they didn't have to very happy. Google Maps, Waze, Scout and MapQuest users will be underwhelmed by the archaic text entry interface and lack of any voice recognition features. TomTom users will find the feature set (such as lack of detours, multiple route options, etc.) to be unimpressive. In the end that leaves Garmin joining the Android club without outmaneuvering anyone and not capturing anyone's attention other than customers that need offline navigation or who still navigate to Garmin for the name. That is a small and shrinking audience. The situation will just get worse upon the release of some new competitor's app updates that are currently in beta. If Garmin was swinging for the fences with viago's release - they missed.</div>
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