First, it is compatible all over Europe. Second, it not only has the speed limit displayed, but also notifies you when you are approaching a speed trap! How cool?
Turns out that Google and the French Competition Authority just entered a settlement regarding advertising on the Web. As Google rejected advertising for NavX (the company that collects the speed trap data) because radar detectors are illegal in France, French authorities requested Google overhaul their policies and procedures for rejecting sponsored ads.
Google agreed to a three month notification period for ads they reject. The adjustments currently only pertain to France, but they will eventually be effective worldwide.
Although the FAC made Google change there policies on a worldwide scale, NavX still filed a commercial suit seeking 7 million euros in damages to their business. Yikes!
I think this would be a huge success here in America, primarily because radar detectors are NOT illegal here. With the rise of Smartphones, it is becoming obvious that consolidation of technology is an essential element to successfully maintaining market position within today's technological marketplace.
ReplyDeleteI own a Garmin, and besides the basic navigation functions, it does include speed limits everywhere I go (most of which are accurate). By consolidating radar detectors (speed trap notifications) with GPS systems as we know it, GPS companies could consolidate these two popular technologies, and leverage them to consumers in the marketplace.
However, before GPS systems invest too much money in anything, they need to adapt to the threat of Smartphones all but putting them out of business, since most Smartphones today do come with GPS systems, or available GPS apps to download.
I think GPS systems have become a significant part of traveling. My family used one last on a trip to Colorado. It was nice being able to take a drive and not have to worry about looking at a map the whole time.
ReplyDeleteI do have a downside though. My mom's family is from a rural town in Virginia. We were there a few years ago to visit and we distinctly purchased the GPS option with our rent-a-car. Bad news though! The small roads of the town didn't show up. We got lost several times and of course, our cell phones didn't work. We had fun anyway, until it was time to get back to the airport . . .
This might be a silly question, but is there an app for that?