GPS-based telematics firm, GuidePoint Systems, is now offering a new tracking, safety and convenience application for users of Motorola's Droid® and other smartphones that run on the  Android.

The new free Guidepoint app, allows users o to control their vehicle or gain access to a variety of location-based services including stolen vehicle recovery, driving directions, emergency help and other assistance.

The Android app uses a smartphone's built-in GPS technology and its wireless connectivity to deliver the phone's exact location to Guidepoint.  Once the app is activated, users can set up an online account with Guidepoint and access services.

TeleNav, released data that shows all kinds of interesting preferences for TeleNav users. Walmart is the most popular business location.  Los Angelenos use GPS the most for navigation for routing and re-routing around traffic. The favorite food for searching is pizza.  Phoenix is the most cost conscious city.

Walmart topped the list as the number one U.S. business TeleNav customers sought, while using their GPS service. Starbucks took a close second, Target and Best Buy, took the third and fourth spots respectively, while Bank of America rounded out the top five most searched destinations in the country.

Los Angeles took the number one position as the city where most GPS searches occurred in 2009. The Dallas/Ft. Worth area followed in a close second, indicating that while things may be bigger in Texas, it doesn’t always mean they’re easier to find. Chicago, Houston and Atlanta, respectively, rounded out the top five U.S. cities where most GPS searches took place.

There's a new Android phone announcement prior to Mobile World Congress, the Garmin-Asus nüvifone A50,touchscreen that will have multiple location technologies and apps. Super GPS is integrated into the phone along with geotagging photos, related apps and features.

The A50 inncludes Garmin navigation with turn-by-turn, voice prompted directions for use in a car or while walking. Location features are designed into virtually every function including email, text messaging, and photos.

The A50 has a 3.5-inch HVGA capacitive touchscreen display that incorporates a finger-friendly user interface. The QWERTY touchscreen keyboard makes it easy to send and receive messages, and predictive text helps customers type faster. It also comes with hardware features like 4GB internal storage, an expandable microSD card slot, and accelerometer so every screen can be viewed in portrait or landscape mode.

Verizon announced the launch of VZ Navigator 5.0, the newest version of its award-winning map, navigation and local search service

Beginning today on select devices, VZ Navigator 5.0 will  enhancements to the existing service that take advantage of location-based technology, including an updated, easy-to-use interface, improved functionality finding points of interest, and the ability to run multiple VZ Navigator functions simultaneously within a navigation session. 

The service is now integrated with Facebook, allowing users to keep up with their friends, family and social networks by updating their Facebook statuses directly through VZ Navigator, with the option to include and share their locations.  Customers can also use Verizon Wireless' Roadside Assistance service to send their location to a dispatcher so assistance may reach them more quickly. 

GPS directions provider TeleNav is offering a fun gift/experience for the holidays. If you would like to hear more from Santa, you can now have him give you directions on your phone rough the month of December. TeleNav will give you Santa -voiced direcitons  for $0.99 and they will donate ALL proceeds to Toys for Tots.

So now you can get Santa to help guide you around this season and help children in need at the same time. Sants sounds very jolly. Here is a sample of what the TeleNav GPS Navigator Santa voice sounds like. TeleNav GPS works on Windows Mobile, Java feature phones, BlackBerry (Storm Bold  and  Tour). Santa TeleNav also works on the HTC Touch Pro2.  Let us know if Santa gives you good advice.

NAVTEQ, announced a new agreement which will allow NAVTEQ to more rapidly deploy innovative collection capabilities and accelerate the collection, creation and storage of 3D map data and visuals. NAVTEQ and Microsoft have agreed to work together to support technological advancements in this area, through which NAVTEQ will also provide Microsoft Corp. with 3D map data and visuals to power new mapping features.

Google Maps Navigation has just been made available for Android 1.6. It will work on myTouch 3G,  and the T-Mobile G1. Since well-reviewed Droid Eris  and Motorola CLIQ run Android 1.5 Google Maps Navigation will not work on the Droid Eris by HTC.

Google Maps Navigation is an internet-connected GPS system with voice directions and automatic rerouting. The voice sounds female and metallic. It lets you know when to turn and voices when you have arrived at your destination.

This release of Google Maps Navigation also includes the new Layers feature, which lets you overlay geographical information on the map. View My Maps, transit lines, Wikipedia articles about places, and more.

Google Maps for Android 2.0 Beta offers stiff competition to paid GPS navigation services. This free app is loaded with new features and familiar Google Maps features.

The video that follows shows the new Android Map app on a Verizon Moto Droid phone used a on a dash mount in the car. The mount is called a car dock and when the Droid phone is the car dock it automatically goes into car mode. It reminds us of the AT&T's Nuvifone without the added cost of mapping. The Verizon Moto Droid has many high-end features and will be available November 6.

This new Goggle mapping apps comes with everything you'd expect to find in a GPS navigation system, like 3D views, turn-by-turn voice guidance and automatic rerouting. But unlike most navigation systems, Google Maps Navigation was built from the ground up to take advantage of your phone's Internet connection. It includes popular Google Maps features including street and satellite views.

When you use Google Maps Navigation, your phone automatically gets the most up-to-date maps and business listings from Google Maps. If you don't know the address you can put in the business name and still get directions.

With voice search, you can say your destination and hold down the search button to activate voice search, then tell your phone what you want to do (like "Navigate to Pike Place in Seattle"), and navigation will start automatically.

For those times when you're already on the road and need to find a business, Google Maps Navigation searches along your route to give you results that won't take you far from your path. You can search for a specific business by name or by type, or you can turn on popular layers, such as gas stations, restaurants or parking.

AT&T and Garmin announced that the Garmin nüvifone G60 will be available beginning October 4.

The nüvifone G60 integrates features of a GPS with a phone and has some really neat geo-tagging uses such as when you send a photo of the restaurant to a friend with a nüvifone he/she will automatically get directions to the eatery. Other features include live traffic info, turn-by-turn directions, parking space reminder/finder(it remembers where you parked your car when you take the phone with you and remove it from the car mount.)

Verizon  Family Locator now helps families find each other and stay safely connected. Family Locator, replaces Verizon  Wireless’ Chaperone service, can help find a family member’s location for peace of mind, safety, scheduling or other reasons. This service could means some parents wouldn’t have to ask “Where are you?,” instead they can get a map.

Services offered include: receiving arrival & departure updates for each family member, locating family members and creating scheduled location updates for each family member.

Portable Navigation Devices (PND) are losing ground as worldwide usage of GPS-equipped smar phones in the coming years, according to iSuppli Corp.

After several years of strong sales growth, PNDs will continue to lead the navigation market in 2009, with 114 million sets to be in use by the end of the year, compared to 57.8 million smart phones. However, by 2014, usage of navigation-enabled smart-phones will rise to 305 million units, exceeding the 128 million PNDs that will be around by then.

iSuppli Figure: Worldwide Forecast of PNDs and Navigation-Enabled SmartPhones in Use (Millions of Units)
	2006	2008	2009	2011	2014
PND	20.5	86.5	114	130	128
Smart Phone	11.3	39	57.8	117	305
Source: iSuppli Corp. September 2009

NAVTEQ offers Labor Day drivers five ways to avoid traffic for their last minute summer trips. Here are their suggestions:

1. Go against the grain - The worst Labor Day traffic will be to the most popular summer destinations in the area. If the city empties out as people go the lakes and beaches, think about taking advantage of relatively empty restaurants and attractions in town.
2. Shift your weekend - The worst holiday traffic tends to be on the Friday and Monday evenings, as travelers seek to get the most out of their long weekends. If possible, take one of these days off to travel and take advantage of less-congested roadways.
3. Go early or go late - Beat the worst traffic by driving in the early morning or late at night. Either way, make sure you're well-rested before heading out.
4. Drive with current maps - Want to hit the most popular destinations at the most popular times? You will need every tool at your disposal. Make sure your GPS has current maps, so you will be up-to-date on all available alternate routes. Typically GPS system maps need updating about once a year. Visit www.navteq.com/store to find out more.

5. Check traffic before and during your drive - Check NAVTEQ Traffic.com before you leave the house, to see current conditions and learn about obstacles that may cause traffic later. Hit a problem on the road? Here are some tips to help get around the traffic:

NAVTEQ, revealed insights from a esearch study designed to assess the consumer impact of everyday use of navigation devices. They found that real-time traffic information really saves real time.

Google expanded its traffic layer to cover all U.S. highways and arterials when data is available. The maps show how fast traffic is moving.

Is done through “crowdsourcing,” using data from Google Map users and how fast they are traveling on roads.

When you choose to enable Google Maps with My Location, your phone sends anonymous bits of data back to Google describing how fast you’re moving. Google combines your speed with the speed of other phones on the road, across thousands of phones moving around a city at any given time, then they can get a pretty good picture of live traffic conditions.

They continuously combine this data and send it back to you for free in the Google Maps traffic layers.

Worldwide GPS smartphone shipments will grow 34 percent from 57 million units in 2008 to 77 million units in 2009, reports the latest research from Strategy Analytics

GPS adoption in smartphones is being fueled by widespread consumer acceptance of portable navigation devices in Europe and the United States, and the increasing presence of mapping applications among mobile vendors such as Nokia, Apple and Blackberry.

Joanne Blight, Navigation Director at Strategy Analytics, said, "We forecast worldwide GPS smartphone shipments will grow a healthy 34 percent from 57 million units in 2008 to 77 million units in 2009. GPS smartphones, such as the Nokia N97 and Apple iPhone, are a high-growth segment that continues to expand even during the current, tough economic times."

NAVTEQ is now offering a new version of its free NAVTEQ Traffic.com mobile website at http://mobi.traffic.com.  It could be very helpful this holiday weekend. The mobile website will let you know the traffic Jam Factor and real-time traffic information.

The website can be accessed from any cell phone or PDA with a mobile web browser is free and  loaded with new features to help drivers take the latest traffic information with them on the road

The mobile website was enhanced to display traffic content for easy navigation on mobile phones and devices. It features accurate, up-to-the-minute traffic information including travel times, vehicle speeds, delay times, accident reports and NAVTEQ's unique Jam Factor, a numerical traffic measurement scale that offers a look at a route's current traffic conditions with color coded indications of worsening or improving trends. Drivers across the U.S. can access city area traffic information or their own personalized updates about current conditions and congestion trends.

Drivers can access the site by entering http://mobi.traffic.com into their mobile web browser or via their carrier portals, within information categories that help deliver content to customers such as: "Maps/Traffic," and "Travel."

While PNDs and in-dash navigation device sales continue to suffer from the economic recession, handset-based turn-by-turn navigation is boosted by the rapidly growing smartphone segment. ABI Research expects the number of paying handset-based turn-by-turn navigation users to increase to 26 million by the end of 2010 with the Asia-Pacific region experiencing the strongest growth.

In the wake of a continuous stream of eye-catching touchscreen smartphone launches, navigation software developers are rushing to port their solutions to as many new platforms as possible, such as Android (ALK, Telenav) and the new Palm webOS (Telenav). According to practice director Dominique Bonte, however, “The most significant driver for the uptake of handset navigation is expected to come from the iPhone, following Apple’s decision to finally enable turn-by-turn navigation on its latest 3.0 platform version.” Software from TomTom, Sygic, AT&T (Telenav), and Networks In Motion is already available from the iPhone App Store, with Navigon’s solution expected soon.

While application stores are expected to become an important channel for the distribution of navigation software, many carriers and handset manufacturers prefer to pre-install or bundle navigation software with their phones and offer plans based on strategic partnerships with navigation developers. Examples include Verizon/NIM, AT&T/Telenav, Vodafone/Telmap LG/Appello, HTC/ALK Technologies, and Samsung/Route 66. Market leaders Nokia and Vodafone have respectively opted to acquire navigation providers Gate5 and Wayfinder, allowing tighter integration of navigation and LBS services into their portfolios. Both approaches often coexist.

GPSGolfShot is available exclusively to Verizon Wireless customers and shows golfers the distance.  Using GPS technology, GPSGolfShot helps golfers navigate both new and familiar golf courses, giving them information to improve their games, right on their wireless phones.  
 
GPSGolfShot provides real-time yardage readings on nearly 10,000 professionally-mapped golf courses across the United States, making club selection simple and helping to speed up play by eliminating the need to seek out distance markers or to pace off yardage.  Course layouts are updated constantly and new courses are added frequently.  Many golfers have their wireless phones with them when they play, and GPSGolfShot eliminates the need to carry an additional expensive range finder or other gadget. 
 
GPSGolfShot also speaks distances with the touch of a button so it's always possible to get distance information, even in bright sunlight.  The "Measure My Shot" function allows golfers to accurately measure how far drivers or irons travel, providing information on how to play the next shot.
 
As golf season gets into high gear, GPSGolfShot is available now on many Verizon Wireless phones, including the LG enV3 and LG Versa and the Samsung SCH-u410, SCH-a870 and SCH-a930.  Customers can find GPSGolfShot in the Media Center or Get It Now stores under the Download This! and Sports categories. 
 
GPSGolfShot is available for $1.99 per round or $3.99 per month for unlimited use.  For those who love to golf year-round, an annual subscription is available for $34.99.  Airtime, data usage and messaging fees may apply during download and use of the application.

NAVTEQ announced that it has signed an agreement to supply NAVTEQ map data and content to Samsung Electronics.

Samsung Electronics will have access to all 76 countries in the NAVTEQ map database.  The agreement also allows Samsung Electronics the rights to utilize NAVTEQ content including Visual Content, Speed Limits, Extended Lanes and NAVTEQ Discover Cities.   

Samsung Electronics will launch the Samsung I8910 HD (also known as the OMNIA HD) with NAVTEQ Map and content in Europe in May.  The GPS-enabled Samsung I8910 HD will offer drivers an enriched navigation experience through enhanced visual content such as 3D landmarks and 3D city models.  It also offers advanced navigation with speed limits and extended lanes.  More uniquely with NAVTEQ Discover Cities on Samsung I8910 HD, urban travelers will be able to take full advantage of their surroundings and help them get from place to place with a variety of routing options.  F

The Samsung I8910 HD is incorporated with a social networking functionality which uses NAVTEQ map data and content.  It allows users to find their friends online and determine the quickest way to route or walk to them.  Users can also use the local POI search capability and find places recommended by their friends.

Before you have to download, we suggest you download the SitOrSquat app for your iPhone or BlackBerry. We've named it the BlackBerry, BlackBerryStorm and the iPhone Free App of the Day because, we all need to find restrooms on-the-go. SitOrSquat helps users to find bathrooms, changing tables, handicap access and other amenities with their smartphone or SMS.

Charmin announced, today, that is sponsoring the "SitOrSquat" website, iPhone and Blackberry toilet-locator application.

If you can't download the apps,  you can also get restroom info via text. Text message the word "sitorsquat" to DOTCOM (368266) and follow the instructions to find the closest bathroom to you.

For BlackBerry Storm users, the good news is when you are really in a hurry SitOrSquat BlackBerry Storm uses GPS and already knows where you are when you need the potty.

Click Here to Download for BlackBerry STORM
Click Here to Download for any BlackBerry 4.2 and above (Curve, 8800, most Pearls, etc)

At first we were excited by the this app, but when we looked on the map in our area, unfortunately, some of our faves in a hurry were not there. Because it is a wiki project it relies on users for information. It does list all the Starbucks and Barnes & Noble locations.  However, our insider informant knows that the Barnes and Noble in Old Pasadena no longer allows customers to use their restrooms because it was too busy.  Maybe if Charmin offers the restroom providers free T.P. that might sweeten the deal.

MizPee public restroom-locator service, has a mobile link and has been around longer, which may make it easier for find a pit-stop. Miz Pee includes McDonald's and Staples. Since the coverage is totally complete, our editor always recommends asking the nearest person and heading for a supermarket.

The jokes and puns we could have made with this story were "Please don't squeeze the Charmin, squeeze your iPhone, when you need a bathroom."  "More cush for your tush, reviews on your mobile." If you can think of any more, please feel free to comment.  Bathroom humor encouraged...

Ad Age Headline: "Charmin Shows BlackBery, iPhone Users Where to Go When They Gotta Go."

Fierce Mobile Content, started its story with "Talk about your crappy iPhone apps..."

How about this headline for Twitter -- "T.P. SitOrSquat BBF 4 iPhone BB & Txt."