GPS Advisor

Intelematics Australia today announced a new version of CLO Software's TrafficAU iPhone app. The new software tells users on which side of the road traffic congestion is occurring and delivers faster updates from the SUNA Traffic Message Channel.

The SUNA Traffic Message Channel is run by Intelematics Australia and provides traffic information to GPS devices, allowing them to recalculate routes to avoid congestion or accidents.

The announcement comes days after Telstra launched its Whereis Navigator Traffic service for mobile phones.

“With TrafficAU, iPhone users will be able to get up-to-date detailed information on road conditions before they leave the house or office”, said Adam Game, CEO of Intelematics Australia. “This means that drivers will be aware of traffic hotspots before they even get in the car, enabling them to avoid unnecessary delays."

The application has been available from the iPhone App Store for some time, and Game told PC World that today's update reflected feedback from users of the application.

There are currently more than 40 individual user reviews for Traffic Australia in the iPhone App Store, with an average rating of two out of five stars. Many complaints are about the lack of directional information for road congestion and update frequency, but there are also complaints about the application's interface.

The Whereis Navigator Traffic service utilises information available from the Australian Traffic Network, while the SUNA Traffic Message Channel compiles traffic information about accidents, construction and congestion from the telemetry data of state traffic authorities.

The SUNA Traffic Message Channel is used primarily to provide live traffic information updates for in-car GPS navigation units, in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. Intelematics Australia plans to expand this coverage to include Canberra, Adelaide and Perth by the middle of 2009, and improve the signal for GPS users on the Gold Coast.

The Traffic Australia iPhone application is currently available for $3.99 with a 12-month subscription to SUNA traffic updates. After 12 months users will have to pay for the application again.