CoPilot Live North America Blog

CoPilot at WWDC 2013

By Ashley Riley | Published: June 19, 2013

IMG_20130613_175959_252I was thrilled to attend the World Wide Developer’s Conference this past week in San Francisco, CA on behalf of the CoPilot team. Having never been to a developer’s conference, I wasn’t sure what to expect from WWDC. There is so much to see and do that the event can seem overwhelming. Luckily, you’re surrounded by like-minded people, each one as excited as I was to participate in Apple’s innovative and inspiring conference.

 

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As a developer, I was interested to know the new features and design that Apple had in store and how we could maximize the CoPilot experience in iOS7. It was really cool to learn about the changes firsthand, like the automatic App updates to keep the latest version of CoPilot on your device. Of course, we will continue to provide What’s New information on our blogs and social media for our users to see new features and updates.

 

 

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Here at CoPilot , we’re excited to dive into all the new APIs available in order to give our iOS users a great experience while using our apps. iOS 7 will be available  in the fall and we can’t wait to see how awesome CoPilot can function within it.

- Alex Weisberger, Software Engineer Extraordinaire

 

Check out more photos from Alex’s WWDC trip here

 

Did you attend WWDC? Tell us about your trip in the comments!

Posted in CoPilot GPS, CoPilot Truck, General News and Info, General Product News & Updates, iPad News & Updates, iPhone News & Updates | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

FREE map update for CoPilot users

By Ashley Riley | Published: June 18, 2013

We’ve released a complete map update featuring our latest 2013 Q1 map data for all CoPilot North America customers.  The update includes thousands of new miles of roads in the U.S. and Canada and hundreds of map improvements submitted by our customers through the ALK MapSure™  service.

How to download your quarterly map update:

1) Download the latest free app update from iTunes, Google Play,  Windows Phone Store  or the CoPilot Web Store

2) Connect to WiFi

3) Inside your CoPilot app, go to MyCoPilot and select My Maps

 

copilot map update 1

Read More »

Posted in Android News & Updates, CoPilot GPS, CoPilot Truck, General News and Info, General Product News & Updates, iPad News & Updates, iPhone News & Updates, Windows Mobile News & Updates | Leave a comment

CoPilot Ensures Father Really Does Know Best

By Ashley Riley | Published: June 16, 2013

Family road trips create great memories for kids. Dad in the driver’s seat, trusted with taking the family from point A to point B without trouble. Their secret? CoPilot of course.

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This Father’s Day, give the man in your life the gift of carefree driving. CoPilot’s expert navigation and route planning will help Dads keep their eyes on the road and their minds available to play all your favorite road trip games.

Dads will love features like Alternate Routes and ActiveTraffic™  which are perfect for getting the whole clan to your destination.

After all, we know how much he loves to ask for directions. :)

 

Happy Father’s Day!

Love,

The CoPilot Team

Posted in CoPilot GPS | Leave a comment

Developer’s Perspective – Bringing CoPilot to Windows Phone 8

By Ashley Riley | Published: June 13, 2013

 

Rob Irving

By Rob Irving, Senior Software Developer

 

 

For the past 5+ years as an ALK developer I’ve watched the smartphone ecosystem change at an incredible pace. CoPilot first began over 10 years ago on the Pocket PC/Windows Mobile platforms. Years later we were able to move to iOS and Android as those platforms expanded the Smartphone consumer market. The release of Windows Phone 7 really excited me, but limitations of the SDK prevented ALK from being able to develop a CoPilot application for the platform. It wasn’t that we didn’t want to support the platform, but we wanted to make sure we would have been able to create an experience worthy of the CoPilot name.

 

That’s why I was so excited when Microsoft announced the Windows Phone 8 SDK that would allow native app development. From that moment forward, we began initial plans to bring CoPilot to the Windows Phone 8 platform.

 

Microsoft publicly released the Windows Phone 8 SDK at their Build 2012 conference last October – right around the same time that the east coast had been hit by hurricane Sandy. My community didn’t suffer as much as many others did in New Jersey, only experiencing a few downed trees during the storm. Unfortunately, ALK’s HQ in Princeton was badly affected and many of us had to work remotely for a few days. This actually gave me the chance to devote time to install the Windows Phone developer tools and study the SDK documentation in detail. I started working to bring CoPilot to life on this exciting new platform for us.

 

lumia920_large_verge_medium_landscape_wMenuNow after 6+ months of late nights coding, and extensive testing on some great Windows Phones such as the Lumia 920, I and the rest of the ALK dev team are pleased and proud to see CoPilot become available to all Windows Phone 8 users on the Windows Phone store.

 

So what’s next?

The CoPilot development team are extremely passionate about the products we work on, and we always take note of the feedback we receive from our customers through the app stores, social networks and of course our support forum. Now that we are up and running on WP8 rest assured that we will work continuously to improve the app, so if you have any suggestions or comments please let us know.

 

I hope you enjoy CoPilot on Windows Phone 8. I certainly enjoyed the challenge of supporting this new OS for CoPilot.

 

The CoPilot support forum is found at: http://forum.copilotlive.com/copilotlive.

Posted in CoPilot GPS, General News and Info, General Product News & Updates, Windows Mobile News & Updates | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

CoPilot in the News: May

By Ashley Riley | Published: June 6, 2013

We’ve been working hard behind the scenes this month to bring you new and exciting updates to your CoPilot app! We hope you enjoyed our Memorial Day Sale and found some great places to spend your long weekend.

Here’s a comprehensive roundup of all the great reactions CoPilot received this month. Many thanks to everyone who took the time to write about us, we appreciate your support!

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Hit the road with these 11 road trip apps for Android, iOS

“If you happen to find yourself off the grid, having a secondary offline navigation app like CoPilot GPS can be a lifesaver. Just be sure to download the free maps for the areas you plan to travel to before you hit the road; you’ll only have to sacrifice a few gigs of storage space.”

Read More

 

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Forbes_LogoCoPilot Live App Makes Travel Navigation Safer by Andy Robertson

Happily then, the CoPilot Live app (iPhone, Android, Windows Phone) has a neat way around this by downloading all the navigation data beforehand.

Read More

 

Posted in Android News & Updates, CoPilot GPS, General News and Info, General Product News & Updates, iPhone News & Updates, Reviews & Awards, Windows Mobile News & Updates | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Helpful Hint: CoPilot Saves Your (Battery) Life!

By Ashley Riley | Published: June 4, 2013

With any smartphone or tablet, battery life is a hot commodity meant to be rationed by any means necessary. Rest assured, CoPilot users, we know and understand this logic and have given you a way to save on power while navigating. In addition to lowering screen brightness and turning off vibrate mode, CoPilot offers a way to help reduce the amount of battery used.

Inside the CoPilot app, you can go to Settings and choose Power Saving. Once there, choose a lower setting which will move the map display fewer times per second and help save your battery.

Power Saving

If you’re using CoPilot in the car, it’s best to keep a car charger handy too. Need more ways to save battery? Check out this video by MinuteHacks:

Posted in CoPilot GPS, General News and Info, General Product News & Updates, Hints and Tips | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Deft Device Stands For Your SmartPhone and Tablet

By Ashley Riley | Published: May 31, 2013

Travel season is upon us! As you head to the beach or lounge pool side, don’t forget to give your device a nice place to relax as well. We’ve rounded up some of the coolest device holders to make sure you’re coveted Co-Pilot enabled smartphone or tablet has a great resting spot.

If you’re…A CAT LOVER

 You’ve Gato Call Phone Stand from ModCloth $21.99

This fancy feline will gladly hold your phone while you’re tending to other important matters.

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If you’re…A TRENDSETTER

Smart Pebbles multifunctional cell phone holder by DesignMAX $10.40

 The heat-resistant, silicon based pebbles serve as a great laptop stand or device holder and come in many different colors.

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If you’re…NOSTALGIC

Jonathan Adler Smartphone Holder by Jonathan Alder $48.00

Though the price tag may be hefty, this Jonathan Adler piece does allow for charging while the phone is in place. Simply plug the cord into the bottom of the stand!

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If you’re…A BIG KID

Astronaut Smart Phone Holder $20

This useful action figure is also available as a soldier, polar bear or bell hop.

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If you’re…INTO TRUCKS

Lori Load Stand by Monkey Business $23.99

For all you CoPilot Truckers, here’s a flatbed for your smartphone.

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If you’re…A BEACH BUM

iBeach smartphone stand by treehouseoasis $36.00

These cute beach chairs will have your phone lounging in style. Available on Etsy.

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Already have a great stand for your smartphone or tablet? Did you DIY your own device holder? Tell us all about it in the comments!

Posted in CoPilot GPS, CoPilot Truck, General News and Info | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Have a Monumental Memorial Day!

By Ashley Riley | Published: May 27, 2013

Memorial Day Weekend is the long awaited three (sometimes four) day weekend that unofficially kicks off the summer travel season. Everyone heads to their favorite shore spot to get relax in the sun and sand.

But the official reason for this holiday is to commemorate those that have fought valiantly for our country and there’s no more evidence of that than the monuments scattered around the USA. However, most of these beautiful works of art aren’t confined to Washington D.C. Behold, our list of majestic, lesser known memorials that are worth a visit.

Soldiers and Sailors Monument – Indianapolis, Indiana

Soldiers_and_Sailors_Monument_Indianapolis  Located in the heart of downtown Indianapolis, this 242-foot high monument serves as a memorial to all of the Indianapolis natives who lost their lives in the American wars in the 18th and 19th century. The monument also serves as a Christmas tree for the city, a ceremony known as the Circle of Lights, during the holiday season with decorations beginning the day after Thanksgiving.

 

 

 

 

 

San Jacinto Memorial- La Porte, Texas

San Jacinto Memorial

They say that everything is bigger in Texas, and this monument is no exception. Clocking in at 567 feet tall, it is the largest monumental column in the world! Commemorating the decisive battle for Texan independence, this monument is a popular tourist attraction located at the San Jacinto Battleground Historic Site near Houston.

 

 

 

World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument – Honolulu, Hawaii

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This memorial actually spans three states – California, Alaska and Hawaii. The biggest site is in Hawaii which is the final resting place for the infamous USS Arizona and the USS Oklahoma Memorial, the USS Utah Memorial, and parts of Ford Island and Battleship Row.

 

 

Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Located in the historic Washington Square section of Philadelphia, this monument honors soldiers who gave their life for their country during the Revolutionary War. There’s a mass grave located behind the memorial for soldiers who, as the plaque reads, “died to give you liberty.”

 

 

 

 

 

Which monuments are the best kept secrets in your state? Let us know in the comments. Have a safe, happy Memorial Day!

 

Posted in CoPilot GPS, General News and Info | Leave a comment

Make Memorial Day Memorable with CoPilot!

By Ashley Riley | Published: May 22, 2013

Memorial Day Weekend is fast approaching and CoPilot wants to make sure you’re taking full advantage of your extra day (or days!) off from work.

Don’t miss out on our Memorial Day Sale and get 10% off CoPilot Live Premium USA  in the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.  Our millions of Points of Interest and search options from Google™, Wikipedia and Yelp can help you find some fun for MDW.

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Still not sure what to do with an extra 24 hours? We’ve got some ideas for you!

Point-Pleasant-BeachHead to the beach!

The beach is a great place to relax and unwind with friends and family. If you’re not located near one of the coasts, head to the nearest lake or bay for some great water activities like kayaking, waterskiing or windsurfing!

 

 

 

 

 

Plan a BBQ!memorial-day-food

A more low-key celebration that’s sure to bring all day fun! Grilling in the backyard with your family and friends is a great way to spend MDW. You’ll probably be able to play a few impromptu games of basketball or kickball, too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Memorial Day 03-31-10Catch the parade!

Small towns and big cities across the US put on a great parade on Memorial Day that highlights community veterans and military personnel. Check your local government’s website, or maybe a neighboring town, to see the closest parade to you.

 

 

 

 

Take yourself out to the ball game!citi field

Take the family to see America’s favorite pastime live. Baseball season is still going strong with many teams playing on Monday. If you’re favorite team is on the road, organize a game all your own in your town with a few neighbors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honor our armed forces!

There are plenty of ways to honor the great Americans who keep us and our constitutional rights safe. Check out a list of charities benefitting military families and veterans.

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Where you decide to go, CoPilot can help you get there.

Have a safe and memorable Memorial Day!

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Helpful Hint: Remember Where You Parked!

By Ashley Riley | Published: May 15, 2013

After enjoying a great concert or perhaps a long happy hour, it may be easy to forget where you left your car. Luckily, CoPilot can help sort this out.

Once you park your car, you can save the location by going to More > Parking. Once there, simply tap to save this location. You can also leave yourself a note in case you want to remember the price of the garage or what time the meter runs out.

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For more information, check out our video demonstration:

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