Telenav has been steadily improving Scout, its personalized navigation platform, ever since its introduction. Today, Scout users will finally get the crowd-sourced traffic info they were promised back in April. Scout for both iOS and Android now provides you the wisdom of its 100 million users and traffic partners, allows you to see which roads are congested and calculates up to three possible routes -- letting you find the most efficient way from point A to point B. That real-time traffic info augmented with user input also enables drivers to share a more accurate estimated time of arrival, so your dinner date will know exactly how long you'll be delayed due to that unforeseen fender-bender on the freeway. Additionally, the update adds several new recommendation categories to its Things to Do feature, so it'll now tell you about live music, local festivals and outdoor activities, too. Sound good? You know the drill, Google Play and the App Store await.
Filed under: GPS, Software, Mobile
Source: Google Play, App Store
Scanadu clearly knows to tap into our collective Star Trek dreams, as the company just reached $1 million in funding for its Scout tricorder. The backing so far comes from people in 91 countries, including luminaries like Eugene Roddenberry (who else?) and Steve Wozniak. That figure is more than symbolic, we'd add -- backers who've paid for a Scout can now get theirs in black rather than a clinical-looking white. Should the new color option prove tempting, it's not necessarily too late; as of this writing, there's still a few days left to make a pledge.
Filed under: Household, Science
Source: Indiegogo
We first saw a prototype of Scout, the tricorder and companion app built by Scanadu for the Tricorder X-prize competition late last year. Today, the company is unveiling Scout's final version and launching an Indiegogo campaign to let folks order Scout and sign up to participate in a usability study -- which will provide Scanadu the user feedback needed to help its tricorder get certified by the FDA. In the six months since Scout was first revealed, the design has changed somewhat, and we checked in with company CEO Walter De Brouwer to get the lowdown on the new version.
Like the prototype, the new model tracks your temperature, respiratory rate, systolic blood pressure and stress level. Scout now pulls your vitals in ten seconds using just optical sensors, which enables it to read the vital signs of others -- as opposed to the prototype which utilized an EEG sensor and could only record the info of the person holding it. Plus, thanks to some newly developed algorithms, it can now take both systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings with 95 percent accuracy. Running the algorithms to translate the optical sensor info takes a good bit of computing power, however. So, Scout got upgraded from an 8-bit processor to a 32-bit unit based on Micrium, the operation system being used by NASA's Curiosity Rover for sample analysis on Mars. If you're into supporting real world space technology being used to make science fiction a reality, the crowdfunding project of your dreams has arrived.
Filed under: Misc
Source: Indiegogo
Telenav has long been a purveyor of navigation apps for phones, browsers, and cars, but today the company's revealed Scout for Cars: Built In to bring those platforms together. It's an in-dash system that provides both the form factor and UX optimized for autos and all the features of the Scout for Phones app. It works using Bluetooth to connect to iOS, Android, or Windows Phone devices to sync your info and let you access the mobile app's current map info. It also borrows your phone's data connection, which gives users access to voice control and search and discovery features, plus real-time weather and traffic updates using the in-dash touchscreen.
Scout for Cars: Built In can also seamlessly hand off navigation duties to the phone when you exit your car -- a convenient feature for folks as directionally challenged on foot as they are behind the wheel. And, if you're worried about getting lost should you forget to bring your phone, fear not, for Scout for Cars: Built In uses your handset to provide a better experience, but it's not dependent upon it, so it still gets you where you need to go on its own. The system is currently available to automakers right now, so the system should be finding its way into dealerships sometime soon.
Filed under: GPS, Transportation
There are plenty of choices to meet your mobile mapping needs, from feature-rich offerings from big names like Google, Apple and Nokia to crowd-sourced services like Waze. Telenav's Scout app falls somewhere in between, and today the company announced that it'll get both 3D buildings and landmarks and crowd-sourced traffic reporting (backed by TomTom's database) later this year. Graphically, Scout in 3D looks similar to Google Maps and will initially be available for major metro areas in the US.
As for traffic reporting, Telenav will be asking its 34 million subscribers to report accidents and traffic jams, and will update its database in real-time. That means that as road conditions change, Scout'll suggest faster alternate route options to get you from point A to point B hassle-free. No word exactly when these new capabilities will make it to users, but when they do arrive later this year, both premium and free users will get 'em. In the meantime, check out the video of the new 3D maps in action after the break.
Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Software, Mobile
Beyond its free price, users of Scout for the iPhone have an extra reason to smile today as the navigation app now supports location sharing. More specifically, users will be able to share their current location or future destination via either text message, email or Facebook. By leveraging Telenav's HTML5 navigation system, recipients can take advantage of the company's browser-based, turn-by-turn directions by merely clicking the sender's enclosed link. As another nice touch, Scout also now supports automated notifications, which allows users to provide estimated arrival times via text message to chosen contacts whenever they depart for a specific destination such as home or the office. For a peek at the new features, in addition to a quick introduction of the new Things To Do menu and revised My Dashboard, be sure to check out the video after the break.
Source: Scout (App Store)
While home security systems are definitely making strides towards modernization, we haven't seen many that look the part. However, Sandbox Industries' Scout might be the first home protection option that manages to gel with even the most swanky digs. Available in three stylish trims (black, white and wood), this wireless setup uses a base receiver that communicates with its security sensor panels by way of your home's network. Like most home protection systems, Scout offers remote control and monitoring via computer or mobile device, but the big draw here is its aesthetically pleasing equipment and simplified installation process.
Set to ship in August, packages start at $120 with additional à la carte purchase options depending on your household's needs. For those of you looking to further secure your bunker, Scout's hardware packs backup batteries in the event of a power outage as well as an optional 3G-powered monitoring service with plans starting at $10 per month. Of course, if you're not feeling such a high-tech setup, you could always place toy cars and Christmas ornaments beneath your doorways and window seals. Hey, it worked for Kevin McCallister.
Filed under: Household, Wireless
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Scout
The quest to create a tricorder began many years ago, when such a device was but a figment of Gene Roddenberry's vivid imagination. However, his vision has crept ever closer to reality in recent years, with many researchers crafting devices capable of gathering human health data and the creation of an X Prize competition to spur further tricorder development.
Scanadu is a company that's answered the X Prize bell and is aiming to bring just such a device to market by late next year for a mere $150. Called Scout, the tricorder is roughly two inches square and a half an inch thick and packs a rechargeable battery, IR , EEG and EKG scanners, plus an accelerometer, Bluetooth radio and a micro-USB port. That hardware, when combined with Scout's companion smartphone app can track a person's heart rate, breathing rate, body temperature, pulse transit (essentially systolic blood pressure) and blood oxygenation.
To gather that data, users first must download the free Scout app and pair the tricorder hardware with their Android, iOS or BB7 handset via Bluetooth. Then it's simply a matter of pinching the device between their thumb and finger and holding it against their temple for ten seconds while the app takes the necessary readings. From there, the app can track your data over the long haul and provide an accurate picture of your health. We had a chance to see functional and production Scout prototypes and to speak with Scanadu CEO Walter De Brouwer and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Alan Greene about Scout's development, so join us after the break for more.
Filed under: Misc
We know that iOS 6 will bless iPhone users with some in-house-made mapping, but that hasn't stopped Telenav from bettering its own Scout navigation offering for Apple's favorite handsets. Scout now does offline navigation by letting users download maps of the west, central or eastern United States over WiFi only. Plus, Scout now takes voice commands, so on your next road trip you can tell it to find the nearest Whataburger whether you have cell signal or not. Interested parties can head on over to the App Store to get their download on, but you'll pay for the privilege -- offline navigation costs $9.99 a year or $2.99 a month, though the free, data-dependant version of Scout for iPhone still includes speech recognition. Still not sold? Perhaps the video after the break will persuade you.
Continue reading Telenav's Scout gives iOS users offline navigation in exchange for ten bucks
Telenav's Scout gives iOS users offline navigation in exchange for ten bucks originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Aug 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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