Sat-nav news

Sat-nav jam alerts on call

Track traffic on your mobile with Nokia.

Auto Express Car Reviews

21st February 2008

Motorists' mobile phones could soon be used to track traffic and provide real-time jam updates.

Manufacturer Nokia has been testing the accuracy of the GPS systems on its mobiles to produce detailed data on road congestion. This could then be fed back to drivers to help them avoid jams.

Bosses say the potential of the technology is limitless. Motorists could even receive warnings about jams on routes they may use later that day, as the set-up is able to sync with the phone’s diary.

Students at the University of California, Berkeley, have been helping to test the technology by sitting in traffic and being tracked via one of the brand’s smartphones, such as the N95 (above). But the Nokia set-up is not the only way drivers can share information. Sat-nav maker TomTom has developed a new tool that lets motorists log their own traffic updates, points of interest or new roads on to its website. Other users can then download this information on to their units for free.

The device is part of TomTom Home – a new package that works on PC and Mac computers, and can be used to access online data and update portable sat-navs.

As part of the software, drivers get the option to change their on-screen vehicle icon to a favourite model, or receive alerts when they approach one of their stored POIs.