At this week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Garmin has announced that it will be adding Google Street View to all Navigon apps later this Spring. This new addition will allow users to get a close-up view of their destinations before they depart, letting them zoom in on target buildings or cross streets so they can more easily spot a previously unvisited locale.A specific launch date for the update was not given, but it should be arriving soon.

This upgrade is a godsend to people like me who really want a street-level view of unvisited locations. It’s just so much easier, in my opinion, to find the place you’re looking for when you’ve seen the building, know what side of the street it is on and can see what other buildings and landmarks are nearby. This addition makes an already impressive GPS app even better, and it’s getting really hard for just about everyone else out there to compete with Garmin’s Navigon offerings.

$44.99

$59.99

NAVIGON North America

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2009-07-22 :: Category: Navigation

Navigation apps in the app store are a plenty. But one developer that continues to push the bar is NAVIGON, who’s first app was published two years ago and has received almost 10,000 four star reviews. Their newest app, an overhaul of their first app published two years ago that has seen eight major updates packed with new features, is available as of today as a free update to current NAVIGON users. For those new to the service, NAVIGON 2.0 for iPhone North America, USA, Canada, East, Central or West costs between $19.99 and $49.99 depending on the location.

NAVIGON 2.0 received a complete overhaul to its user interface with pull down menus and an easier to use POI menu. It is the first onboard iPhone navigation app that solves the issue of having to save large amounts of map data on the phone to be independent of a data connection because it allows the user to download maps by state, leaving more room for media files and other apps. Also included in NAVIGON 2.0 is an in app purchase option for quarterly map updates, which is key as every road around seems to be under construction.

$44.99

$59.99

NAVIGON North America

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2009-07-22 :: Category: Navigation

Garmin is renowned for their GPS navigation apps such as Garmin StreetPilot onDemand. Away from iOS devices, it’s also renowned for its numerous fitness watches. The two haven’t been combined however, until now that is. Garmin’s first fitness app has just been announced along with the ANT+ adapter for the iPhone that will allow the use of optional accessories.

The fitness app, Garmin Fit, allows users to track numerous exercise related figures such as speed, pace, distance, time and calories. It maps and automatically uploads workouts to Garmin Connect in order to track totals, set goals and even share workouts with friends and family amongst an online community of more than 70 million activities around the world. With a tap of a button, users can check everything as well as control their music from within the app. Even calls and SMS messages can be checked without interrupting the app and the all important workout.

Upon completion, information and notes can be entered and sent to the user’s account within the Garmin Connect community. A series of graphs and charts means that the user can track how they’re progressing with the past 30 days of activities available from within the Garmin Fit app.

Taking a look at the Garmin Fit screenshots, it looks like it’ll be a very easy app to use keeping everything simple yet just what anyone could want from a fitness tracking app. It’ll be interesting to see how it performs against the likes of RunKeeper.

The ANT+ adapter is priced at $49.99 and enables users to track important figures such as heart rate and cadence directly on their iPhone when paired with relevant optional accessories such as the footpod sensor that allows users to train indoors and still monitor their progress. It’s an ideal accessory for gym sessions as well as outdoor running.

Garmin Fit will be a very affordable $0.99 upon release. Check out the screenshots in the meantime.

This week at 148Apps.com, we took a first look at Garmin’s new StreetPilot onDemand app. Rob LeFebvre writes, “The app itself offers 30 days of premium features for that dollar, including multimodal pedestrian routing, bus/train schedules, spoken turn-by-turn guidance with street names, 3D representations of buildings, traffic rerouting, photoReal Junction View and Google Local Search. Once the free month is up, users can pay $2.99 monthly or $29.99 annually, with a special introductory $19.99 annual price for this first year.”

Read more about StreetPilot onDemand on 148Apps.com.

$0.99

Garmin StreetPilot onDemand

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-08-31 :: Category: Navigation

Meanwhile, at GiggleApps, we got the music playing with our review of Sylvester’s Band. Reviewer Amy Solomon states, “The illustrations are simply gorgeous to look at and I really appreciate how each location Henry visits has a unique landscape all its own, while maintaining the style used throughout this book, such as squared-off trees or cloud formations. I enjoy a great deal how the look of this story changes, becoming dark as the gang makes their way high into the clouds looking for William the Wolf. The details about lassoing the moon in order to bring it to the party create wonderful images that stayed with me after reading this book, my favorite moment of this story. It is also great fun the way each time Henry collects another band member they can all be seen, one by one, running to a new location. These creatures look great as well…”

Read the rest of Amy’s review on GiggleApps.com.

$2.99

Sylvester's Band

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-07-27 :: Category: Books

148Apps.biz featured an article about tablet owners and TV viewing habits. Kyle Flanigan writes, “According to the report, some 50% of tablet owners – iPad included – watch films and TV shows on their portable device for leisure. In the words of research director Keith Nissen, “tablets, in particular, have become a primary video device, both inside and outside the home.” There are few adjectives that come to mind to describe such a high percentage: unexpected, unanticipated and unprecedented began to scratch the surface.”

Find out more by reading the full story at 148Apps.biz.

And finally, AndroidRundown writer Carter Dotson announced G5 Entertainment’s first simultaneously-launched iOS and Android app, Stand o’ Food 3. “While G5 Entertainment only recently got on to the Android train, they aren’t wasting their time making sure their library of sim games are well-represented on the platform. In the past few weeks, both Supermarket Mania 2 and Virtual City have been released for Android, after their initial mobile releases on iOS.”

Read all about it on AndroidRundown.

That’s it for this week, but don’t forget to check out our ever-changing lists of apps, and make sure you keep up to date on all the latest news and happenings by following us on Twitter and liking us on Facebook. See you next week, true believer.

NAVIGON AG, one of the big navigation companies out there, announced this past THursday not just an update, but a full re-definition of their smartphone navigation software, available for the iPhone and other smartphone platforms, including Android (now) and Windows Phone 7 (later this year).

“Over the last two years, we’ve continuously added new features to our navigation apps, transforming them into the most feature-rich smartphone GPS apps available,” said Gerhard Mayr, NAVIGON vice-president of worldwide mobile phones and new markets. “For our new generation of apps, we went back to the drawing board to see how we could elevate smartphone navigation to the next level. Feedback from our users suggests that a better way to manage and update maps and a more intuitive user interface are top priorities.”

Sounds good, right? What does it boil down to? Here’s what we’re seeing:

New map management and update abilities are in the update, allowing users to download regional maps on the fly. This could allow users to have, say, only the maps of the states they travel in most, rather than an entire United States or pre-defined region sitting on their iPhone taking up space better spent on new ringtones. The maps themselves will be updated from NAVTEQ on a quarterly basis, ensuring the freshest maps available to users for a one-time fee, good for the lifetime of the software. The user interface has also been updated to more easily match the iOS environment in which it is running (or the platform on which it is running, if not iOS). In addition, NAVIGON includes a speed camera warning feature and a cockpit function that displays real-time driving data, allowing those enthusiasts to monitor their driving behaviors right from the app.

NAVIGON AG was founded in 1991, and operates out of Hamburg, Germany. They were recently acquired by Garmin, and current offer smartphone apps for on-board navigation utility. The new update will be available free to current NAVIGON app users sometime this fall.

$44.99

$59.99

NAVIGON North America

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2009-07-22 :: Category: Navigation

Garmin announced this past week that their new StreetPilot onDemand iPhone app was live in the App Store. Coming in at a very sweet initial price point of $0.99, StreetPilot onDemand may well be the new Freemium of GPS apps.

The app itself offers 30 days of premium features for that dollar, including multimodal pedestrian routing, bus/train schedules, spoken turn-by-turn guidance with street names, 3D representations of buildings, traffic rerouting, photoReal Junction View and Google Local Search. Once the free month is up, users can pay $2.99 monthly or $29.99 annually, with a special introductory $19.99 annual price for this first year.

“Our new StreetPilot onDemand app is the perfect solution for anyone who occasionally needs navigation but still is looking for a premium experience and precise directions. There is nothing comparable in the App Store today,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “By including multimodal pedestrian routing, our new app is especially helpful for users in urban areas. The app seamlessly provides directions in the car and integrates public transportation when getting directions by foot.”

Multimodal pedestrian routing allows users to integrate walking with public transportation options, giving them the option to navigate to destinations from their current, GPS-located position or from a different starting spot. The pedestrian navigation is also turn-by-turn spoken, with instructions for transit in cities that the service is available in. The 3D building and landmark symbols should make it even easier for pedestrians to get to where they need to go. It’s great to see such attention to detail for folks who don’t use a car as the primary mode of transportation.

For those that do, Garmin has them covered as well, including turn-by-turn spoken navigation instructions and a realistic depiction of road junctions (photoReal Junction view) and real time traffic info. Users can also find local business with integrated Google Local Search, or let the app suggest places to them based on previous local search history. The above mentioned subscription is required for turn-by-turn voice guidance with automatic off-route recalculation, real-time traffic information and multimodal pedestrian routing, however.

StreetPilot onDemand is available now in the App Store.

$0.99

Garmin StreetPilot onDemand

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-08-31 :: Category: Navigation