Navigon Mobile Navigator, in my eyes the best navigation solution for the iPhone keeps getting better and better. We are at update number 4 if I’m not mistaken and at this point, there is nothing more I could wish for.
Turn by turn navigation, check. Automatic day/night view switch, check. Radar warnings, check. Text to speech, check. iPod commands within the app, check. And so much more, like bluetooth audio streaming to my AD2P enabled car-radio…such a great feature.

Anyway the latest update adds, well guess what? TMC. In other words traffic information. This feature does require a data connection of some kind. At this stage I’m not sure if Luxembourg is represented (it has never been in the past with TOMTOM to name just one).

I love the way Navigon keeps working on their app. Unlike some other companies (you know who I mean)…Their may be one feature missing and that would be realtime weather information. Still, kudos to Navigon.

Yesterday I wished for it, today Navigon did it.

iFun.de, a German iPhone news site, reports that Navigon has officially announced its own car mount for the iPhone. The mount comes with a car charger and will be available in October at a price of “under 40 Euros”. A subsequent model with its own GPS chip may be offered also. Navigon made this announcement at IFA, a consumer electronics convention currently taking place in Berlin.

Yesterday, we reported on information from Navigon indicating that an iPhone car kit to accompany its turn-by-turn navigation software was in the works. This information came to light via a wall post on Navigon’s Facebook page, though no other information had been provided by Navigon through any other medium up until now.

Navigon was one of the first turn-by-turn navigation apps available for the iPhone earlier this summer, beating one of its major competitors, TomTom, to the App Store. Now that the release of TomTom’s car kit for the iPhone has been pushed back to October, Navigon has another opportunity to be first-to-market with a major iPhone accessory.

UPDATE A correction has been made to note that the car kit to be released first will not have its own GPS chip, though subsequent models released may have one.

In the good ol’ Tomtom fashion, they are late, again and again. They really want us to linger. So from the already late september release, it will be an October release (well that’s what they say)…

Are you considering buying this accessory? Is it worth waiting for? why isn’t any other company trying to steal their thunder?

Anyway Tomtom dissapoints and considering that many people could have used their carholder for their summer roadtrip I bet that they lost some customers by now.

I love how impressive augmented reality works and looks, the perfect app-type to show-off what our babies are capable of. This app, called Wikitude Drive, is a turn-by-turn Navigator with AR goodies. In the clip you see it running on a HTC Magic, but it has been submitted to the AppStore. I can’t wait to give it a ride and to tell you all about it…

In the meantime enjoy this clip:

Thanks to our loved blog Engadget we have news that FCC published the details of the famous TomTom car kit everybody is waiting for, or at least all the ones that naively thought that the gps chip in the iPhone could do on its own (people like me).
This pure marvel of “dockology” features bluetooth for handsfree calling and a sirfstar gps chip to boost the navigation experience. Not to forget that this mount also allows to have your phone charging while being used. Personally think this is a must have for anyone that already bought TomTom for its iPhone, or anyone that bought any other navigation software, a this kit is meant to be compatible with other software too. Can’t wait!

TomTom’s iPhone car kit becomes more enticing every time we see it in action. The car kit will offer an enhanced GPS signal, ability to charge your device, hands-free dialing, speaker, audio out, third-party app support, and it may even turn your iPod touch into a GPS device, as long as there is an app that supports it.

But proof of its existence and features gets us nowhere. We need to know how much this much-hyped add-on is going to set us back and when we will be able to get our paws on one. Because after all, features mean nothing if it costs an exorbitant amount of money and comes out a year from now.

If it’s any consolation, Engadget claims that the car kit bundled with software will be priced under $200.

The day TomTom made it to the AppStore I finally said to myself:”This is the day you were waiting since you even thought about getting an iPhone!”.
I’m currently on holiday, in Spain, having a great time. Thought I could enjoy it even more by installing TomTom on my phone. Thanks to my friend Nadie’s wifi access, downloaded the app on my iPhone.
The moment we got in a car, switched on TomTom and patiently waited for the gps to fix. Nothing, big disappointment. Huge one. Waited over 10 minutes with only a “Poor signal” message appearing at the end. Ok, I’m abroad and data roaming is off. So, when back home, leaned out from the window, where my phone was still catching wifi and there… Magically TomTom managed to figure out my position.

My big concern now is… Will this be the case whenever I go on holiday? Slightly troublesome when you plan travelling with data roaming off…
I’ll do some other tests and report here the updates.

The famous and much anticipated car mount from TOMTOM (with integrated charger and additional GPS chip for better reception) is expected to be released in the wild by september. For all the persons that already have bought another 3rd party GPS solution (iGo, Navigon, Sygic) don’t worry, the mount will be compatible with concurrent solutions.

Obviously the excellent Navigon Mobile Navigator has released their 3rd update so far, great job. The update features a text-to-speech and auto-night mode.

Daniweb reports that an online retailer went online with pre-order pricing of TomTom and car mount. Roughly the price of TomTom stand-alone units you could buy now.
But, do you want to compare having to use a separate device with taking out of your pocket your shiny iPhone 3Gs and driving wherever you want?
No comparison.
See a teaser here below