Navevo, the UK’s leading specialist GPS software developer, has today unveiled its new ProNav PNN-200 sat-nav solution for drivers of heavy goods vehicles and vans. Following on from the successful launch of ProNav, the new ProNav PNN-200 delivers new levels of performance and is now even easier to use thanks to a revised user interface, enhanced Routing-Engine together with free map and transport data updates for new and existing users throughout 2009.

The ProNav PNN-200 allows drivers to enter their vehicles’ vital statistics, including weight, height, length, width and the goods they are carrying, to calculate the best route to ensure drivers are not confronted with roads or obstacles not suitable for their vehicle or cargo. During a journey, the ProNav PNN-200 also warns drivers of hazards such as steep hills, high cross winds, and the risk of grounding and can automatically re-route a driver’s journey accordingly if deemed necessary. The ProNav PNN-200 is perfect for drivers of HGVs, light commercial vehicles, horse transporters, caravans and more.

Navevo has worked closely with many independent HGV drivers to further enhance its ProNav software. As a result, the new ProNav PNN-200 now has many new improvements and features making it the ideal navigation tool for the professional driver who needs to navigate safely through areas with road height, weight or width limitations.

A new look improved user interface makes it easier than ever to navigate and larger icons simplify data input. Navevo has also made a number of improvements to ProNav’s core routing engine ensuring users experience enhanced speed, accuracy and ease of use. As a result, the ProNav PNN-200 delivers faster map rendering, improved GPS performance and route calculation to provide complete and seamless continuity.

Using NAVTEQ Transport, the ProNav PNN-200 comes with free quarterly map and transport data updates throughout 2009 giving users the peace of mind of having the latest up to date information. Existing ProNav customers can take advantage of the free quarterly map and transport updates as well as update their ProNav with the latest software enhancements free of charge via www.pronav.co.uk.

The ProNav PNN-200 comes with a 4.3 inch touch screen LCD display, built-in Bluetooth for hands free calling, media player, video player and ebook reader for road side entertainment. For clear voice instructions, the ProNav PNN-200 is equipped with an enhanced speaker system, ensuring navigation instructions are loud and clear at all times.

In addition to specialist features such as; dynamic routing and navigation optimisation based on a vehicle’s dimensions and legal restriction, a London unloading and parking penalties database and POI data for professional drivers, the ProNav PNN-200 comes complete with street level mapping for the UK and Republic of Ireland, seven digit postcode lookup and a six month free trial of safety camera alerts.

“Customer feedback is a key component in our strategy to remain highly competitive and to ensure we satisfy our customer needs,” said David Guiver, Navevo’s Sales and Marketing Director. “By working extremely closely with HGV drivers across the UK, we are able to deliver an even more desirable solution for this market and most importantly, are able to offer the software and map enhancements to both new and existing ProNav customers.”

Sonim Technologies announced today that it will embark on a partnership with Land Rover, which includes the launch of co-branded mobile phone products as well as an eco-friendly packaging. Land Rover, recognising adventurers’ desire for a full roster of mobile and durable products, engaged Sonim to become its licensing partner for a line of rugged cell phones that are designed to compliment the lifestyle of the outdoor adventurer.

Two co-branded phones will enter the market by mid-2009 - the Land Rover S1 by Sonim and Land Rover S2 G4 by Sonim. This will be followed later in the year by the launch of a third Land Rover phone. Sonim and Land Rover will co-market the phones to top operators, mobile retailers and consumers in a staggering 40 countries.

“In less than two years, Sonim has set the bar for engineering best-in-class rugged mobile phones for people who work and play in extreme environments,” said Bob Plaschke, Sonim’s Chief Executive Officer. “We are delighted to be partnering with Land Rover on this range of rugged mobile phones.”

“Land Rover recognises that our customers’ needs extend beyond the driver’s seat,” added Lindsay Weaver, Land Rover Global Licensing Manager. “Sonim and Land Rover are ideal partners in this effort, as both companies thrive on ingenuity, craftsmanship and durability.”

Land Rover and Sonim share a brand spirit: products fit for purpose. The Land Rover phones will be submersible, Bluetooth-compliant and certified to withstand salt, fog, humidity, transport and thermal shock and a 1.6-metre drop to concrete from any angle. To deliver further against Sonim and Land Rover’s distinctive marketplace proposition, the partners engaged iconic designer Scott Wilson, to develop the product lines.

As a natural extension of Sonim and Land Rover’s commitment to sustainability, the phones packaging forms a long-lasting re-useable rugged water resistant protective case. This is made from XENOY, a revolutionary post-consumer plastic derived mostly from used plastic bottles and film.

Bob Plaschke commented: “We are thrilled about the opportunity to further connect with global adventurers through our durable phones and our truly breakthrough form of packaging.”

Since 1948 Land Rover has been manufacturing authentic 4×4s that represent true ‘breadth of capability’ across the model range. Defender, Freelander 2, Discovery 3, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover each define the world’s 4×4 sectors, with 78% of this model range exported to 164 countries. Land Rover employs 8,500 people and supports a further 40,000 jobs in the supply chain.

GPS pioneer Navman continues to redefine portable satellite navigation with the launch of its exciting new S-Series S100 device. At just 13.5mm thin, the S100 features a sleek

4.3” super flat widescreen – no bevels, just stunning, smooth looks. Navman’s revolutionary new ClearView maps and redesigned menu layout make the S100 easy and fun to use, while the addition of Glide Touch makes for simple ‘tap and slide’ functionality. The range goes well beyond simple A to B navigation by including new and improved features such as 3D city landmarks, NavPix geo-tagged photo navigation, Local Search via Infobel and true Pedestrian mode.

With usability key in the design of the S100, ClearView maps strip away clutter to show simplified graphics and colours, enabling ‘at a glance’ map reading. While the new Junction Views feature major motorway junctions in realistic 3D to simplify complicated exits or intersections. Jointly developed by Mio Technology’s R&D team and global innovation and design consultancy IDEO, the S100 incorporates new “Spirit” software, with its unique Glide Touch user-interface. Users simply tap and slide the touchscreen to open, dock, pan and scroll menus, similar to the latest MP3 players and smartphones.

The Navman S100 boasts the first European Local Search service on a GPS device. Delivered in partnership with local directory search partner, Infobel, Local Search gives you details of nearby shops, businesses, hotels, restaurants and more via the NavDeskTM desktop suite of content and services, allowing users to search and download Points of Interest (POIs) before setting off. NavDesk™ also enables users to pre-plan their route before they set off with ‘Route Planning’.

The S100 incorporates a new Capture button enabling users save their own POIs as they discover them; the integral button enables users to instantly store their current location to return to at a later date. While new Smart Economical Routing calculates the most economical route for your journey following postcode or address entry. By assessing the number of turns ahead, Smart Economical Routing uses less fuel without significantly increasing the time to your arrival.

I’ll be featuring the Navman S100 again soon, I’m just waiting to be sent a demonstrator so I can give you a fuller rundown on the features available on this interesting new GPS unit.

Every parent comes to learn that ‘the best laid plans of mice and men go oft ‘astray’!  At no time is this more the case than for long car journeys such as those frequently undertaken at half-term, which is almost upon us. Suddenly, on a trip, it becomes apparent that a break is needed and yet service-stations rarely do the trick.

www.childfriendly.co.uk and RoadTour have now come to the rescue in the form of a new system called Sat-Nanny, developed to work on standard Sat Navs.  Sat Nanny empowers parents with information about the best places to take the family, when on the road, whatever the need.

 “There is a world of difference between what one person means by child-friendly and another.  We have spent 5 years researching all the very best places to take children.  These are places that make parents and their children feel welcome.”  Conrad Doyle, Founding Director of www.childfriendly.co.uk said, “Having made that information easy to access on our website, working with RoadTour has enabled us to bring all this to people on the move where it’s most valuable.”

Options for families too often come down to characterless and expensive motorway service stations.  These are the places referred to by Which as “dingy and unattractive”, even comparing one to “little more than a McDonald’s next to a petrol station”.  The AA found 50% of service stations ‘Very Poor’ and none more than ‘Acceptable’ for Child Friendliness or Price. Food can be particularly expensive and variable according to Which, whose  report referred to ‘chile con cardboard’ and concluded,  “We found a wide variation in the quality of motorway service stations,” according to Lorna Cowan of Holiday Which Magazine. 

At a time when families are looking closely at every pound spent, research carried out recently (Sept ’08) by www.keepmoving.co.uk showed a snack-lunch costing £26.68 for a family of four at Reading Services.  Yet just a few miles off the motorway lies the award-winning Swan Inn near Newbury.  There, a family can enjoy freshly made sandwiches all round for under £20 or something more warming like Steak and Ale Pie, home-made beef-burger or fish and chips for little more.  All this in a pleasant, relaxed (and clean) environment which makes both parents and children feel welcome. 

Daniel Taylor, CEO of RoadTour, believes that by taking a little more time, families can have much more enjoyable journeys rather than rushing to get from A to B as quickly as possible. 
“We want to give families an opportunity to pull off the motorway and confidently choose somewhere with their Sat Nav.  Somewhere the whole family can count on a welcoming atmosphere, whether they want to eat, see something a bit different or just have some fun together.”

Sat-Nanny costs £9.95 and can be downloaded from the Roadtour website.

Navevo, the UK’s leading specialist GPS software developer, has today announced the launch of BBNav, the first dedicated Blue Badge sat-nav solution, specifically designed to support disabled drivers and those caring for the disabled, such as their families or carers.

To assist Blue Badge holders in finding suitable parking locations and points of interest, Navevo has exclusively teamed up with PIE (Public Information Exchange), the UK’s leading publisher of disabled parking guides. Covering 150 major cities and towns across the UK including all the London boroughs, BBNav provides users with greater flexibility and choice when shopping, driving into town or just going out for the day. 

BBNav includes all of the features found on a standard sat-nav but has been enhanced to provide detailed information to support Blue Badge holders including: on-street disabled parking bays; disabled accessible car parks and local council Blue Badge concessions, as well as a wide range of points of interest to support people with disabilities.

Key Features:
*    Blue Badge and Red Route on-street parking bays
*    Disabled-accessible car parks
*    Local council Blue Badge parking concessions
*    Over 60,000 Points of Interest (20,000+ Blue Badge)
*    NAVTEQ street level mapping covering UK and Republic of Ireland
*    7 digit postcode routing
*    Safety Camera Alerts

Blue Badge car park and on-street parking database
BBNav features a database of Blue Badge car parks and on-street parking bays. This unique feature can save not only time but can also take out the uncertainty when driving around and searching for a car parking space. Clear colour-coded and numbered icons are displayed on the mapping while driving and you can easily search for a car park/parking bay of choice and navigate directly to it.

To ensure the right type of car park is found for specific needs, most are graded from 1 to 3: Grade 1 being suitable for wheelchair users travelling independently; Grade 2 for wheelchair users travelling with assistance and Grade 3 for wheelchair users or those with some degree of mobility, able to walk a limited distance. BBNav also provides information about any height restrictions above 2.2 meters, which can be extremely useful if you are driving a converted vehicle for example.

BBNav also allows you to locate and navigate directly to over 10,000 on street parking bays, including Blue Badge and red routes bays. With clear icons on the map it’s easy to identify the bays, as well as understand the waiting times or any restrictions.

In addition, BBNav’s mapping has been uniquely colour - coded to clearly show the rules that the local councils apply for Blue Badge holders, so users can easily identify whether they can park legally on yellow lines, pay & display or in residents’ bays.

BBNav will go on sale in October 2008 priced at £199.99 inc vat from www.bbnav.co.uk and selected retail stores.