TomTom International BV

The nominations are in, and the poll is ready to go! The TUAW Best of 2011 awards are all about you -- the readers -- and what you think is the cream of the crop of Apple or third-party products and software. To vote, select one entry from the top nominations made by readers. We'll be announcing the winner in just a few days. Vote early and often! TUAW is asking for your votes for the best iPhone navigation app of 2011. The readers have spoken, and the nominees for best iPhone navigation app are (in no particular order) Motion X GPS Drive (US$0.99), Navigon ($29.99 for Navigon USA), the popular and free crowdsourced nav app Waze, and TomTom ($39.99 for TomTom USA). All of these apps have one thing in common -- they provide point-to-point navigation to points of interest. Another app that uses the iPhone's GPS capabilities but doesn't provide directions to anything except virtual treasure gathered a nomination as well. Traveler's Quest ($0.99) is a virtual treasure hunt that has been around for a few years but is constantly adding in-app purchases for new maps and treasures. And now, let the voting begin! The results will be announced on December 27, 2011. What is the best iPhone navigation app of 2011? Read More

During December and January, The Unofficial Apple Weblog is soliciting your nominations and votes for the best products for Mac, iPhone/iPod touch, and iPad. We'll start with nominations in a category, and then tally your votes for the top-nominated products a few days later. The winner in each category receives the highly-coveted title of TUAW Best of 2011. Today's category for nominations in the TUAW Best of 2011 awards is iPhone navigation apps. These are the apps that give you turn-by-turn directions as you make your way around town, and they've been getting better as time goes by. Perhaps you are a fan of the free crowdsourced nab app Waze, which has a 4 out of 5 star rating on the App Store with over 29,000 user reviews. Or maybe you love the TomTom U.S.A. app ($39.99) with its ability to guide you with celebrity voices (Homer Simpson, anyone?). GPS by TeleNav is another popular and free navigation app, and there's always the MotionX GPS Drive app ($0.99, with one year of Voice Guidance for $9.99). Maybe you're a geocacher who doesn't care about getting from point A to point B, but you do want to find all of the caches in your area with the official Geocaching app ($9.99). And then there's always Navigon, with a host of features like in-app purchases of Zagat information. TUAW wants to hear from you -- what's your favorite iPhone navigation app? Leave your nomination in the comments below. Voting will start soon! Nominations close at 11:59 PM ET on December 22, 2011. Read More

Did you buy anything good this weekend? It's now Cyber Monday, and the App Store sales continue. I have to say, these aren't quite as good as what we saw last week (though some of those are still going on), but there are still a few solid purchases here if you're looking to load up a new iOS device. Slim pickings on new sales today, but some of those older sales are still on. And don't worry -- the biggest sales of the year on the App Store tend to show up around Christmas, which is when all of those new iPhones and iPads purchased this past weekend actually show up in consumers' hands, and start filling up with all of these apps. Stay tuned. Read More

It's much harder to put together a 5 Apps post for the Zombie Apocalypse than you might think. Do we focus on serious topics like first aid, or do we try to inject a little humor like Plants vs. Zombies for "training skills"? In the end, we came to the conclusion that this was simply too complex a topic to limit to just five app titles. We give you five app topics instead -- and we've skipped the entertainment component. In that spirit of deadly serious preparedness training, we give you "5 App Categories for the Zombie Apocalypse." First Aid The app store is brimming with first aid applications. We liked the free Know-it-All First Aid refresher app, which seems to have plenty of good reviews and cover the basics. Other well-reviewed apps included Pocket First Aid and CPR ($3.99), and Emergency First Aid & Treatment Guide ($0.99). Emergency health response is a vital component of survival during the apocalypse. Maps During the Zombie Apocalypse, you'll want access to a navigation application that uses cached maps. These apps tend to be quite large (typically over a gigabyte) but when the zombies are after you and the Internet is dead, cached information may be a lifesaver. We recommend Navigon (various prices based on region) and TomTom (ditto). Survival manuals The App Store is home to any number of survival manuals. You may wish to check out iSurvival ($1.99), iSurvive ($1.99), the Army Ranger handbook ($2.99), Wilderness Survival ($3.99), or Survive It ($1.99). TUAW recommends against Zombie Apocalypse-specific titles (e.g. Zombie Apocalypse Manual, $0.99) as they do not provide as balanced coverage as the general topic apps. Flashlight apps There are a bajillion free flashlight apps on the App Store, many of them that can enable your built-in LED like this one. Flashlights can help you find your way through the moonless night as you run across the gravel pits. Be careful though. They can draw more attention to you by the hordes of the undead, who can see just as well as the living (especially when their glazed, bleeding eyes chance upon warm prey). You can use a free Safety Flasher to signal your compatriots once you know they haven't been infected. TUAW recommends against picking up multitool versions of flashlight apps. You don't want to be measuring shelves or using a level at the same time you're fleeing for your life. Read More

By Jennifer Allen on October 28th, 2011 A new and better interface for all too! The arrival of iOS5 has meant that many app developers have had to update their products to work with the new operating system. Fortunately many, like TomTom, have used that opportunity to improve upon an already successful app. TomTom 1.9 offers numerous changes, most notably optimization for the iPad at last. iPad optimization means that TomTom now offers a full-screen display which promises the ability to see the driving view at the same time as the Advanced Lane Guidance images that we’ve all come to appreciate from the product. Ultimately, it’s all down to space and who can resist the saying ‘bigger is better’ in this case? More room to see what’s going on has to be good for drivers as they keep an eye on the road as well as their TomTom app. The interface for both iPhone and iPad users has been updated and improved upon, ensuring that TomTom is quicker than ever to use. Driving view can be checked with just one touch from anywhere with guidance options similarly easy to check out. Even switching between different route types takes mere moments thanks to the improvements made to the app. As we’ve all come to expect from TomTom, maps have also been updated to take into account any road changes in recent times. TomTom users may have also found that they had trouble with their existing subscription to TomTom HD Traffic before this update. Fortunately for them, to make up for the inconvenience TomTom will be extending their subscription by 30 days as way of compensation. Hurrah! One bad piece of news for anyone still using an iPhone 3G however, this is the last update of TomTom that will fully support the device. Future updates can be downloaded for any iPhone 3G users but the new features won’t be available. Maybe this is the ideal time to upgrade to a shiny new 4S? The latest version of TomTom is available now. $49.99 + Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Released: 2009-12-11 :: Category: Navigation $59.99 Released: 2009-08-17 :: Category: Navigation Read More

...o iOS 3.0, a Apple permite aplicativos que transformam o iPhone em um navegador GPS curva-a-curva (como o TomTom ou o Sygic), o que nos faz economizar na compra de um aparelho GPS separado. Por辿m, foi com o surgimento do iPad que os aplicativos realmente ganharam uma amplitude muito maior, transformando o tablet provavelmente no melhor dispositivo GPS que voc棚 pode ter em uma viagem... Read More

TomTom has started testing its iPad app and is looking forward to launch it at some point in the fall. While we don’t have the exact launch date, we do know it won’t be released as a separate application, but the one that will work both on the iPhone and iPad. Of course, when started on Apple’s tablet, it will show a slightly tweaked interface, taking advantage of a bigger screen — which means sharpened graphics and more intuitive controls specifically developed for the iPad. And that’s about all we have at present. Plus there are words of TomTom’s Managing Director Corinne Vigreux – she said: “We have listened to our customers. In response to strong customer demand, we have optimized our TomTom App for the iPad. Now customers have one app for all iOS devices.” Not sure that many users need an iPad navigation app, but what do I know. I presume TomTom knows what it’s doing. We’ll see… TomTom U.S. & Canada ($59.99) [iTunes link] TomTom Europe ($119.99) [iTunes link] Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The "convergence" is what he's most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do. In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it's an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he's there to try it out. He admits though, he's still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which "sings" perfectly with the mobile PIM application. Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis. Read More

I've looked at Where To? before and found it to be a handy, easy to use local guide when I'm looking for anything from Art Galleries to the Zoo. It has info on nearby food, shopping, health care and attractions. The latest version of this app has added improvements to the animations in augmented reality mode, a new direction indicator, and support for Google Earth. It has connectivity to the Motion X GPS program for directions in addition to the existing TomTom and Navigon apps. Where To? also adds store hours when provided by a business. I found that many entries had that information. There's no shortage of these local info apps, and I've always liked Around Me which has some similar capabilities but without the links to nav apps. I like the improvements in this version of the Where To? app. It is an 11 MB download, works in 10 different languages and requires iOS 3.0 or later. I think it's a worthwhile addition to your basket of travel and information apps. Check the gallery for some screen shots. Where To? is available for US$2.99 from the App Store, but is on sale for $0.99 until Sunday August 21. Read More

Posted 08/11/2011 at 1:21pm | by Nik Rawlinson and Susie Ochs Believe J.J. Cale, because he knows what he’s talking about: traveling light is the only way to fly. The next time you’re tempted to overpack, remember to take half as many clothes, twice as much money, and your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. An iOS device can replace paper maps, books, and travel guides; and the information you’ll find in apps and iBooks is more timely and relevant anyway. Obviously you won’t need CDs or a portable DVD player -- or pricey hotel or in-flight pay-per-view -- to stay entertained. And by posting photos or blog updates about your vacation online, you won’t even have to send postcards. To prepare you and your electronic travel buddy to hit the road, we found the best apps, gear, and know-how to keep you connected. Travel can be tough on your iPad or iPhone, so it’s smart to insure them. Check your existing home, renters’, and travel policies for any exclusions that might leave you out of pocket if you lose your device. Verizon offers insurance for iPhone 4 for $10.99/month, AT&T just started offering a plan for $4.99/month, and if you bought your iPhone at Best Buy, you can add Geek Squad protection within 30 days of purchase. GoCare will insure an iPhone 4 from $69/year, or $97 for two years, but it’s got a 30-day waiting period, so plan ahead. SquareTrade has a free app in the App Store that lets you buy coverage for $99 for two years. But check with your regular insurers first, and always read all the fine print on deductibles, exclusions, and, well…everything. Insurance won’t help you recover your own device if it “wanders off,” so get Apple’s free Find My iPhone app (which also works on the iPad and iPod touch) from the App Store, and follow the directions to register. That’ll let you track your device online, plus remotely lock and wipe it to remove any sensitive data. You should also set the Passcode Lock (Settings > General > Passcode Lock) for the duration of your travels so that nobody can gain access. Stock up on reading material before you leave in case you find yourself without network coverage later. Back up your data by syncing with iTunes before you leave, and consider making an online copy of your essential data. If you have Read More

ALK Technologies today released a completely new iPhone Navigation app called CoPilot Live Premium. It's quite full-featured, yet for this week, the app is offered at the low price of US$9.99. Here's a rundown of features. The maps are self-contained, which I think is required for the most reliable performance. Maps can be displayed in either 2D or 3D. A text-to-speech function includes street names and a choice of voices. You can set speed limits to get warnings when you exceed posted limits, and lane indicators help you navigate complicated intersections. There are nice little touches too, like walking directions, a car finder to show you where you parked, and up to 3 alternate routes to choose from when choosing a destination. The CoPilot app offers add-ons, like Active traffic at $9.99 a year, and fuel price information at $4.99 a year. The traffic service seems a little pricey, since it costs the same as the whole app on sale, but it is in line with some of the competition. Navigon, for example, offers traffic for $19.99, but it is a lifetime subscription and much less costly in the long run. Using this heavily revised CoPilot app was a good experience. I found the GUI to be responsive, and the on screen GUI is much better looking that the old CoPilot app. Maps were detailed, the voices were clear, and there was a choice of voices. I preferred British English, which somehow made me feel a bit classier as I drove around my dusty neighborhoods in Southern Arizona. One thing I didn't like were the constant warnings when I clicked on some feature that was an in-app purchase I hadn't bought. I've written before that I am increasingly unhappy with apps that need a lot of extra purchases to make them fully functional. At the very least, I'd like to see companies offer a low bundle price if you add everything that is available. Comparing this app to my favorite Navigon app here's my verdict: The maps are much improved from the old CoPilot app, and the screen controls are more intuitive. I'd put it on a par with Navigon. Voice quality is about the same on both. Navigon USA offers Google search, while CoPilot offers Bing. Navigon feels a bit more polished, but, at least during the CoPilot sale, Navigon USA is $40.00 more expensive. CoPilot Live Premium will return Read More