SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Telenav®, Inc. (Nasdaq:TNAV), the leader in location-based services, today announced several new capabilities and updates to its free Scout mobile application that make the process of connecting and getting together easy and fun. Scout users can now manage the details of creating an event, contacting and inviting friends, choosing a location, communicating with the group and navigating, all within the updated Scout application. For iOS devices, the new app experience will offer predictive, intuitive traffic push notifications for users' everyday trips; eliminating the need to manually check for traffic delays. The newest version of Scout is now available on Android and iPhone mobile devices.
It is no secret that planning an event is stressful - whether it is a seemingly casual trip to the movies with a few friends, to coordinating with several family members or co-workers for a major event. The results of a new survey from Telenav released today underscore the common pain points of planning events, meet-ups and meetings for consumers - especially Millennials - which Telenav is aiming to help alleviate with the updated Scout app:
Generation Tardy: One third of millennials said that as many as half their friends typically show up late for events and get-togethers.
Little White Lies: Thirty percent of the general population, and nearly half of Millennials, have been guilty of telling friends that they were just a few minutes away from arriving to an event when they were actually much further out.
The Most Common Causes of Tardiness:
Sleeping: Seventy percent of Millennials have been late to a meeting or social gathering because they were sleeping, compared to 40 percent of the general population.
Eating: More than 40 percent of Millennials were busy eating, compared to 22 percent of the general population.
Sex: Nearly one third (30 percent) of Millennials have been late to a meeting or social gathering because they were having sex, compared to 15 percent of the general population.
Better Late Than Never? More than 40 percent of respondents have been negatively impacted by being late - of those respondents, 43 percent experienced a negative impact on their job.
Nearly half (49 percent) of Millennials reported that they would find it useful to have a single solution that enables them to plan an event, communicate with attendees while they're en route and see each other's estimated time of arrival - all in one app.
"Mobile users have come to expect more out of their navigation devices and applications," said Rohan Chandran, president and general manager of Telenav's mobile division. "Navigation alone is critical, but it is a commoditized utility. We are looking to embrace the things that people really care about - the experiences in real life for which you navigate. Getting together should not be hard work, and we are trying to solve that. Scout is the new way people connect, get together and go places in real life. It's the only app that takes you all the way from chatting, to making event plans, to getting together in person, complete with voice-guided GPS along the way and everyone's whereabouts and ETA pinpointed on the map."
Scout's new in-application features include:
Socialized Navigation Experience
In addition to offering invitees voice-guided, turn-by-turn directions to the event destination, Scout offers real-time location and ETA insights so guests are able to view the positioning of other guests on the navigation map. This prevents a barrage of "Where are you?" texts and calls while you are en route - and eliminates questions about where directionally challenged or perpetually tardy friends are.
Meet Up Invites Made Easy
Scout replaces what typically requires multiple applications by conveniently taking care of all the details of getting together, from inviting guests on their contact lists, to picking a day, time and location. "Did I get an invite?" and "what time is the event taking place?" are the last questions that organizers will be asked.
Group Chat
For the friend who is always left out, Scout users can now chat with all of the other event attendees directly within the app, allowing them to avoid juggling multiple text and phone conversations, and easily adjust and discuss the details of an event.
Predictive, Personalized Traffic Reports (iOS Devices Only)
Most of us do not use navigation services when traveling to destinations we head to every day, such as work or the gym. Yet, an unexpected traffic jam or accident can have a huge impact on your travel time.
With the updated Scout app, users can schedule traffic report updates informing them of road conditions for their regular drives, and recommended alternate routes.
Scout® by Telenav is a cross-platform service that connects users to the people and activities they care about the most through location personalization. Powered by OpenStreetMap (OSM) - the most up-to-date maps with a community of more than 1.6 million editors regularly making updates - Scout features a personalized home screen that provides users accurate and relevant routing information - commute times, alternative routes, destination recommendations, etc. - to make thoughtful navigation decisions throughout a user's day. To learn more about Scout, please visit: http://www.scout.me/products.
The updated Scout application is available immediately on Google Play for Android and iTunes for iOS.
This survey was conducted online on behalf of Telenav in October 2014 among 1,500 adults over 18 years old across the United States.
