Telenav demonstrates Ford's integrated Scout smartphone app
updated 07:50 pm EST, Tue January 10, 2012
We test drive Telenav's Scout app for Fords
We were given the chance to check out the product of the recently-inked Telenav and Ford deal at an event at the CES show. The smartphone Scout app will allow users to take their personal trips on the road with them, as it will seamlessly transfer from their smartphone screen to Ford's Sync-system equipped cars. It requires a constant data flow and GPS signal access from the smartphone, as content isn't stored locally on the car's hardware.
This is both a blessing and a curse, however, as travelling where roaming data charges are incurred could prove to be expensive. Users will never need to update map data, however, provided Telenav does so from its end before it streams it down from the cloud. The app will also have the ability to warn drivers when they have exceeded the speed limit, either visually or audibly.
The thing we liked most is that a car that's shared by many family members won't require Mom to enter her usual, daily destinations, as her smartphone can have it programmed as a favorite. At the same time, users can send directions to the app from a desktop PC, and therefore plan their trips ahead of time without wasting time in the vehicle setting it up.
The system will go live in the spring, though pricing is yet to be revealed.
