TomTom New Speed Camera App (for UK markets)

 
While governments place speed cameras to catch drivers that go over the limit, the private sector has come up with several anti-countermeasures such as radar detectors and jammers, which as most of you probably already know, can be illegal in certain countries. 
 
Adding to the wide selection of solutions for drivers is TomTom's new Speed Camera app for iPhone users in select European markets. 
 
The app, which is powered by the largest European driving community with 1.6 million drivers in 15 countries, gives drivers access to fixed and mobile speed camera alerts by keeping users informed about speed limits during their trip. 
 
"Our Speed Camera service can be of real benefit, helping people to stay focused as they know where the next camera will be," says Gerry Hinds, Vice President Mobile at TomTom. "We all know that confident driving is safer driving. And that’s why we’re so pleased that we can now offer this accessible service to a much larger segment of the driving community."
 
TomTom's app informs drivers of their speed, the speed limit, the type of camera ahead and the remaining distance to reach it, with real-time updates from customer reports in the UK, Ireland, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Poland, Norway, Sweden and Finland.
 
The TomTom Speed Camera app can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store, but users are required to purchase a monthly or annual subscription. 
 
In the UK, TomTom is currently offering an introductory price of £1.49 (US$2.4 or €1.8) for one month or £16.99 (US$27.6 or €20.9) for 12 months, with the regular price being £3.99 for one month and £26.99 for a year. 

Source;
http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/05/new-tomtom-speed-camera-app-for-iphone.html

Honda New Civic Smartphone App Launched

The new Honda Civic is ready to meet the European market and the carmaker has now released a smartphone app to support the launch of the car, with this aiming to connect with customers at an emotional level.The Honda Civic App was developed by Nexus/H and aims to become a part of the buying process, being included in a wider marketing plan that also includes printed catalgoues, as well as other online and offline channels.

Here are the key features of the new app:
An interactive “hot spot” to demonstrate the imaginative Honda “Magic Seats” system with a fun game that shows the variety of items that can be conveniently stored within the flexible interior and luggage area.

A dynamic 360 degree viewing facility that provides a virtual tour of the interior space and equipment that becomes even more involving with the iPhone version which uses an accelerometer.

Users can create their own “wind tunnel” experiment through the smartphone mic and discover some of the key aerodynamic and handling characteristics of the new Civic.

Ability for users to “explore models” and to create their own new Civic, choosing model, engine, grade, colour, etc., with a social media and email facility to post and share their model on Twitter or Facebook.

The Honda Civic mobile app is now offered for download in over 20 European markets, being available at the app Store and Android Market.

Source;

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/honda-new-civic-smartphone-app-launched-42847.html

Rumors DON'T Get Any HOTTER This! Will The iPhone 5 And 4s Obsolete SYNC And ALL Others?

If you take ALL of the Apple rumors over the last 5 years and balled them up, I don't think the totality would equal the hype about what's coming this Tuesday at 10AM PT, at the companies iPhone event.

SO many rumors and girations are flying faster across the intertubes than the Concorde in it's finest moment.

Will the iPhone 5 be introduced along with an iPhone 4s and cheaper pricing/plans?

Will the iPhone 5 have the rumored teardrop shape, larger screen, 4g, 8 megapixel camera, blah, blah, blah?

Will there be NO iPhone 5, only a 4S and cheaper 4's?

But the BIGGEST rumor which has us at AutoSpies.com so jacked up about is the speculation that they will introduce the most amazing voice technology interface in history born out of their acquisition of Siri.

Check out what Forbes had to say about it:

"The Siri voice control system allows users to instruct the iPhone to ‘send a text message to Jason Schwarz asking him meet me for lunch’. Think about this capability in terms of safety. We all know that too many drivers send and receive text messages, now they will be able to safely operate an iPhone in the car. The voice assistant adds a layer of intelligence as well. If I ask my iPhone to ‘call Dad’ it might ask me whether it should dial his home phone or his mobile. It is also able to perform Web based search functions such as ‘book a table for two at 9:00 tonight’ or ‘send a taxi to my house’. Siri worked with Citysearch, Opentable and Taxi Magic before the Apple acquisition"

If this is true then it's GAME OVER for Microsoft SYNC and ALL other in car voice interfaces and the Spies predict they will HAVE to license the Apple technology going forward.

We've always said that interactive voice to text and vice versa in the car is the KILLER app.

You see it all the time, people texting while driving and it's VERY dangerous.

And we're ALL guilty for doing it.

With this new technology, is press a button and say for example, 'TEXT 00R AND 009…then it records the message... 'Agent 00R and 009 are WAY less cool than 001' and the system converts you voice to text and send to the recipient. When a new text comes in, it reads it and then offers options.

But it's not like old one dimensional systems like dragon dictate.

This can do contextual stuff like 'find map to 90068' and 'send directions to 001JR'.

So not only should the auto manufacturers be worried but GOOGLE should be worried.

Because if its as good as we're told, the masses using smartphones will be using APPLE voice search vs. Google or whomever!

Here is a video simulation of how it could work from MacRumors:



Source;
http://www.autospies.com/news/Rumors-DON-T-Get-Any-HOTTER-This-Will-The-iPhone-5-And-4s-Obsolete-SYNC-And-ALL-Others-67047/

Honda launches TV ad to interact with iPhone app

Honda is launching what it claims to be the first campaign that allows viewers to use an app to interact with a TV ad in real time.

The 'This Unpredictable Life' campaign, for its Jazz model, breaks tomorrow (1 February). It gives the app's users the ability to "catch" animated characters with an iPhone as they appear on screen in Honda's new TV ad.

The app, named Honda Jazz – This Unpredictable Life, is free to download.

The Pixar-style clip shows a character floating through life, collecting experiences and possessions.

Using audio-recognition technology, app users can pull up to seven characters, including Space Monkey, Baby Balloon Head and Playful Puppy, to their app.

The campaign showcases the car's ability to "handle all that life has to throw at the modern family".

Martin Moll, head of marketing for Honda, said: "This new ad campaign reflects the experiences of our Jazz customers, showing how its Tardis-like interior has the versatility and space to cope with almost anything."

Source;
http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/news/1052149/Honda-launches-TV-ad-interact-iPhone-app/