It seems like more and more, GPS mapping and navigational apps for smartphones are getting social integration in an attempt to be even more plugged into our lives. While I’m personally not sure that I approve of this—I mean, do people really need yet another reason to be distracted by their phones while driving?—it seems worth noting regardless.
Earlier this week, Telenav’s navigational app Scout received yet another upgrade designed to push the app to be used as not only a navigational aid, but also as something of a social meetup app. These new features will offer real-time location and ETA sharing within groups, much like Glympse does. Users can also message each other from within the app (which seems like a horrible idea).
Apple users will get an extra feature: predictive, personalized traffic reports based on your meetup location. Users can schedule traffic reports for regular locations, which will show up as push notifications shortly before normal travel times.
This most recent update is simply the most recent of several changes that Telenav has made to their Scout app. Earlier this year, in fact, they announced that the app would switch from using TomTom maps to OpenStreetMap for a basemap source. While Telenav’s apps are available worldwide, right now the social features are only for the US-centric Scout app, but it might be extended to other countries if they become popular enough.
