April 16, 2013 12:00 ET
Telenav Brings Connectivity and Personalization Into Cars With Its New Scout for Cars: Built In Navigation Product
Personalized Navigation and Search Services Connect the Phone, Computer, and Car
SUNNYVALE, CA--(Marketwired - Apr 16, 2013) - Telenav®, Inc. (
"In-vehicle navigation has become commonplace in cars, but many lack real-time services and personalization, and that's a key purchasing decision for consumers," said Roger Lanctot, associate director at Strategy Analytics. "Drivers want to access their own content -- music, big data, navigation, etc. -- in the car. The merging of the phone and car allows automakers to offer a product that never needs to be updated."
Connecting the Car and Phone
Most in-vehicle navigation systems are only able to receive broadcasted information over the radio or satellite, but Scout for Cars: Built In combines technologies from Telenav's embedded and smartphone products to provide a consistent and personalized experience whether a driver is using Scout on their phone or in their car. Using Bluetooth, the in-dash system connects with a fully functional, standalone smartphone application to give drivers the ability to search, discover, and drive to places using one product and at a lower cost than most comparable in-car navigation systems.
Consistent and Familiar Across Devices
Search results are easy to access across [ Scout.me ], [ Scout for Phones ], and [ Scout for Cars ] -- so that drivers can use their favorite discovery and personalized navigation service no matter where they are. The new Scout for Cars: Built In product will also sync information from Scout for Phones into the car, allowing drivers access to the app's features and services through the in-dash LCD touchscreen. In addition, Telenav is the only company to offer an embedded product that transfers a route automatically from the car's head unit to the phone for "last mile navigation," providing walking directions as needed to the user's final destination.
Access to Information
The new Scout for Cars: Built In product can work with or without connectivity and brings the most frequently used features to the in-dash home screen -- including commute times, local search, personal favorites, and recent trips. In addition, it addresses drivers' top in-car navigation demands by making it easier to access addresses and points of interest (POIs) through voice commands and one-box search, a feature that allows users to enter the entire address or business in one step.
Other key features include:
- Personalized Information: Favorites, recent trips, and commute times automatically sync between the computer, phone, and car
- Fresh Maps & POIs: Access to up-to-date maps and millions of POIs
- Local Weather: Real-time weather and forecasts
- Local Search: Integrated one-box search with automatic suggestions makes it fast and easy to enter addresses & POIs
- Real-time Traffic: Drivers save time with live traffic overlays and updates that automatically reroute them around traffic jams or road congestion
- Voice Control: Safety is increased as drivers are able to keep their hands on the wheel with voice-activated commands
- Flexible Branding: OEMs can offer embedded navigation in their vehicles under their own brand, look, and feel
- Companion App: OEMs can use Scout for Phones or their own branded smartphone app to bring connectivity and services into the car
"Drivers are looking for a reliable, personalized, and connected navigation experience in their car," said Hassan Wahla, vice president and general manager of Telenav's automotive business unit. "By leveraging Telenav's unique mobile and automotive capabilities, we are delivering a customized product to OEMs, and a personalized user experience, that drivers want and expect."
The new Scout for Cars: Built In product is available worldwide and can be rebranded and designed to match the automaker's in-car experience. Founded in 1999, Telenav has global experience providing navigation to the auto and mobile industries, with a presence and partners in Asia, Europe, North America and South America. Telenav is currently partnered with Delphi (for General Motors vehicles) and Ford to provide in-car navigation worldwide and works with carriers like AT&T to provide white label-branded services to their subscribers.
About Telenav
Telenav's mission is to help make people's lives less stressful, more productive, and more fun when they are on the go. Our personalized navigation services help people make faster and smarter daily decisions about where to go, when to leave, how to get there, and what to do when they arrive.
We aim to be everywhere people need us. Our partners are wireless carriers, automobile manufacturers, app developers, advertisers and advertising agencies. Our carrier and automotive partners include AT&T, Bell Mobility, Boost Mobile, Ford, NII Holdings, QNX Software Systems, Rogers, Sony, Sprint Nextel, Telcel, T-Mobile U.S., U.S. Cellular, Vivo Brazil and YP. You can also find us in mobile app stores and on the web at [ www.telenav.com ] and [ www.scout.me ].
Follow us on Twitter at [ www.twitter.com/scout ] or on Facebook at [ www.facebook.com/scoutbytelenav ].
Copyright 2013 Telenav, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
"Telenav," "Scout," the Telenav and Scout logos, "telenav.com" and "scout.me" are registered and unregistered trademarks and/or service marks of Telenav, Inc. Unless otherwise noted, all other trademarks, service marks, and logos used in this press release are the trademarks, service marks or logos of their respective owners.
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