TomTom has announced the launch of in-car navigation systems with Renault, Fiat and Mazda at the IAA Frankfurt Motor Show (15-25 September 2011).
Apart from the usual navigation features, the Renault system also monitors battery level of the electric car and ensures that the car has enough juice to make it to a charging station.
The new Renault Fluence Z.E. electric car.
Ever wondered who makes those in-car navigation systems that come with the cars on their dashboards? TomTom has launched four such in-car navigation systems based on their LIVE platform for the Renault Fluence Z.E., Fiat Panda, Mazda3 facelift and the Mazda CX-5.
TomTom LIVE in-car navigation system for Mazda CX-5 and Mazda3 facelift.
All four systems feature the regular slew of navigation features in typical in-car navigation systems. These include HD Traffic which combines real time traffic with dynamic routing, speed camera information on both fixed and mobile cameras enroute, live weather updates and local search, and updateability of both map data and system software.
TomTom’s navigation solution for the new compact crossover SUV Mazda CX-5 and the Mazda3 facelift is already available as an option for the recently launched compact van Mazda5. The Blue&Me TomTom LIVE is being featured on a Fiat A-segment car for the first time.
The range of the electric car is displayed against the location of charging stations.
In addition to the usual navigation features, the Carminat TomTom Z.E. LIVE for Renault’s electric car receives information from the car’s battery on its current state of charge, and uses it to determine the remaining range of the vehicle. This information is displayed on the navigation screen, showing the current route against the available range and the routes to the charge stations.
This will help alleviate the “range anxiety” experienced by drivers of electric cars, helping them effectively manage charging into their daily itineraries. At the end of 2011, there will be more than 5000 charging stations in Europe.
All these systems will come standard fitted on the cars in selected European countries.
With 500GB and Wi-Fi access over 802.11 b/g/n and a rechargeable battery, this latest member of the GoFlex family connects wirelessly to devices via the use of the free GoFlex Media app—available now on iTunes, the Apple App Store and Android Market—or a web browser.
Available for Apple iOS devices such as iPad, iPhone and iPod touch and any Android devices; the GoFlex Media app provides a seamless way to connect the mobile wireless storage to your mobile devices. Those that currently use an Android smartphone or tablet can access content on a GoFlex Satellite device through its web browser.
The easy-to-use Media Sync software, also included free with purchase, makes grabbing media from a Windows PC or Mac OS X computer a breeze. Wherever the files are stored, whether that is a file structure of your own creation or in an iTunes library, the Media Sync software will load all of your desired music, videos, photos and documents on to the GoFlex Satellite drive.
For rapid loading of media content, the wireless mobile storage comes equipped with the superfast USB 3.0 cable to get files from the computer to the GoFlex Satellite drive. The USB 3.0 cable will also continue to work with USB 2.0 ports and is easily removed for portability. In addition to the USB 3.0 cable, the GoFlex Satellite drive comes complete with a car charger and a compact wall charger.
