Navigon MobileNavigator Promised For iPhone OS 3.0

Apple may have invited TomTom up on stage to demonstrate their iPhone satnav app, but that doesn't mean they'll be the only company keen to tell you where to go come OS 3.0's release on June 17th.  Navigon have announced that they'll be releasing an iPhone PND app of their own, MobileNavigator, with support for Reality View Pro, Real Roadsign Pro and Lane Assistant Pro.

There are also POIs (points of interest) that can optionally be displayed along the route, and both portrait and landscape orientations for making best use of the iPhone 3G and 3G S display whether in the car or on-foot.  MobileNavigator integrates with the iPhone's contacts, offering one-touch directions, and should a call come in during the journey the route will automatically resume once you hang up.

Both a Lite version (with no directions, but browsable maps and POIs) and the full version will go on sale June 17th, through the App Store.  No word on pricing as yet, nor whether there'll be an optional car kit as with the TomTom system, but hopefully a little competition in the market will encourage each company to keep costs down. 

Press Release:

NAVIGON takes off first: MobileNavigator now also leads the way on the iPhone already in June

To turn the iPhone 3G and the forthcoming iPhone 3G S into an innovative navigator, you only need two "ingredients": the new Apple OS 3.0 operating system and the MobileNavigator from NAVIGON. By June iPhone users will be able to turn their phones into a handy, convenient navigation device with the professional software from NAVIGON for the first time.

Hamburg, 9th of June 2009 – Lunch break. Time to eat and a chance to send private emails, make phone calls and to relax listening to songs from your own playlist. Now and again checking the status of online bidding, and taking a funny photo of a colleague. One thing is for sure, there's hardly another smartphone on the market that makes multitasking so much fun as the iPhone. And soon users will be able to have themselves navigated from the office to the new Italian restaurant in town. All that's needed is an iPhone running on the new Apple OS 3.0 operating system – and the MobileNavigator from NAVIGON.

Before the end of this month iPhone users will be able to kit out their smartphones with the professional navigation software from App Stores across the globe. "With the new OS 3.0 operating system, Apple has made the use of navigation software on the iPhone possible, and NAVIGON has quickly managed to adapt the MobileNavigator software to the new firmware. The iPhone can now be transformed into a versatile, fully functional navigator", quotes Egon Minar, CEO of NAVIGON AG.

Alternative in the App Store

When equipped with the MobileNavigator software, the iPhone 3G (with Apple OS 3.0 operating system) and the iPhone 3G S guide their users safely to their destination – with updated map material and intelligent navigation.

The package includes well-known functions such as Reality View Pro, Real Roadsign Pro, Lane Assistant Pro, Speed Assistant, Day & Night Mode, amongst others, as well as the option of displaying POIs along the route. With this range of functions, Mobile Navigator stands out from its competition on the market – also by the fact that the typical user functions of the iPhone have been implemented seamlessly in order to make navigation using the iPhone and NAVIGON software even more enjoyable. If you turn the iPhone 90 degrees, then the display switches automatically from portrait to landscape view. As well as this automatic display adjustment, and the intelligent address entry, there is also the option of navigating directly to an address from saved contacts. If navigation is interrupted by a telephone call then navigation is resumed automatically after the call has ended.

"This allows iPhone users to navigate wherever they are, whenever they want – conveniently and while on the move," states Egon Minar.

Within this month MobileNavigator will be available in the international AppStore where iPhone users can choose between various options. One option is the LITE Version available for free, with no active route guidance, but with map material and the possibility to display POIs (points of interest) in the vicinity. Another option is the full version, which navigates users quickly and reliably to their destination.

The prices for the full version will be released by the AppStore at the launch.

About NAVIGON:

NAVIGON AG is a world-leading manufacturer of navigation systems. With its own portable navigation systems, and thanks to its partnership with reputable consumer electronics manufacturers, NAVIGON stands for high-quality GPS navigation on pocket PCs, PNDs and mobile phones. NAVIGON also provides professional navigation solutions such as driver-assistance features for the automotive OEM market. NAVIGON was founded in 1991, and employs over 400 workers in locations in Asia, Europe and North America. – NAVIGON. And the world is yours.