Some of you may have noticed that when we initially launched MapQuest Navigator for iPhone, we offered a $.99 price for a 14-day trial. Unfortunately, due to App Store restrictions, we are now unable to support this offer. The application is now initially available for one month at $3.99.

After the first month for $3.99, users can choose the subscription model that best suits their needs: one month at $3.99, three months at $9.99 or one year at $29.99.

Thanks to everyone that has already downloaded the MapQuest Navigator for iPhone, and for the great feedback we’ve received. If you haven’t already downloaded the application we encourage you to try it, and believe that you’ll like its easy-to-use interface, voice-guided navigation and convenient local search capabilities.

Today, MapQuest released the new MapQuest Navigator for iPhone, an easy-to-use voice-guided, turn-by-turn navigation application with convenient local search capabilities. MapQuest Navigator for iPhone is available for a 14-day trial for $0.99 from the App Store and At the end of the trial period,users can choose the subscription model that best suits their needs: one month at $3.99, three months at $9.99 or one year at $29.99. Subscriptions can be purchased from within the application and are non-recurring–on an opt-in basis only.

MapQuest Navigator for iPhone offers a feature set that is focused on providing helpful driving directions while assisting people to find things along the way, including:

• 2-D and 3-D moving maps to help people follow the route as well as spoken directions with street names
• Route optimization to avoid areas with accidents, construction or other events affecting traffic
• Full route corridor download at the beginning of the journey enables the application to quickly re-routes in case of a missed turn, regardless of network coverage
• One-tap search for businesses along a route via a palette of on-map widgets in categories such as hotels, shopping, gas stations, coffee shops, parking garages and more
• More than 16 million points of interest and maps for the U.S. and Canada

The app is available now on the iPhone App Store by clicking here.
To see a demo video, click here.
If you would like more information about the application, visit wireless.mapquest.com

MapQuest Navigator for iPhone key features:

5. Our new MapQuest® place carousel: Easily displays locations for hotels, movie theatres, gas stations, and more with a single tap.

Thankfully, MapQuest just introduced their GeoRSS Embeddable Map feature that allows you to easily share location referenced content on a MapQuest map within your blog or website. The feature requires access to an online service that provides a feed with location data (Flikr, Brightkite, Yelp or When.com are examples) and places icons of your content and their location on an embedded MapQuest map.

The example below depicts our very own “Mark The Star” in various points of interest around the city of Denver. We have utilized our Geo-tagged images on Flickr and brought them into the MapQuest map via Flickr’s “geoFeed” feature.

So get ready to try out our new easy-to-use GeoRSS feature for Embeddable Maps. And, if you don’t need the GeoRSS ability, we encourage you to still look at how simple it is to add a map to your blog or website with our embeddable map feature!

Fall has many special occasions, and among them the changing of the leaves. Growing up, I was fortunate enough to experience the vibrant reds, oranges, maroons & yellows of Fall in Vermont. I spent my college years in southwest Virginia where the beautiful maroon and orange colors were indicative of my school’s colors and meant that it was football season. These days I’m in Denver, Colorado with a different view of Fall as the Aspens turn a bright green and then to a vibrant gold color. Although the leaves here are beautiful in their own right, I must say that the most beautiful Fall seasons that I’ve experienced were in Vermont & Upstate New York.

If you’re looking for some great foliage viewing and need some ideas, check out this list put together by our friends at Digital City. If you need a few tips for your trip planning, make sure you make use of all of MapQuest’s features:

Low on Funds?

• Check out our handy fuel cost calculator- it uses your car’s gas mileage in conjunction with the length of your trip and gas prices in your area to determine the cost of your route.
• Drag your route to see side roads and more foliage. (Save your route too!)

Looking for hotels to stay at along your route?

• Click on our on-map search tool on the right of the map- you can select either the bed icon or a brand that you prefer on the toolbar. Scroll up or down to see more options.
• Check for restaurants or gas stations too!

Planning in advance?

• Save your trip in your “My Places” account for easy access online OR on your mobile device!
• Check out MapQuest Local to see what else is happening at your destination.

Going on a whim?

• Check out our mobile products for your use on-the-go.

Safe Travels!

For those of you that haven’t downloaded the free application, we have made it super easy to get the app so you can hit the road! Over on wireless.mapquest.com we have added a handy little widget that allows you to easily get the application on your BlackBerry. Simply enter your mobile number into the form, click “Send me the link” and seconds later your download link arrives via a *text message. After clicking on the link, your download of the application will begin. It’s the fastest way to start using MapQuest 4 Mobile on your BlackBerry!

To see if your BlackBerry is compatible, please click here and select your carrier and phone.

*standard carrier text rates apply

While these widgets are extremely useful and functional, none compare to the importance and impactful nature of our new Missing and Exploited Children Widget powered by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).

The new widget features pictures and information about children who are missing from your default local area established on local.mapquest.com. You can also search for missing children by name and link directly to NCMEC’s website for other missing children resources.

Continuing a relationship with NCMEC that spans nearly 10 years, AOL and MapQuest believe the new widget is an informative method for anyone to easily help in the search for missing children.

The new widget can be found at http://local.mapquest.com

After the product began to “settle-in”, we heard from a great deal of users that the “1-line” interface was confusing and a bit “clunky”. What did we do? We fixed it and then improved the overall performance of the app as well. Now in version 1.1, when you click within the search field, you are presented with two horizontal search boxes; one for “search by business” and one for “search by address” (see illustration below).

The list below represents the complete set of updates found within the new 1.1 version:

• Improved search experience: “Double-decker” entry for business search & address
• Improved Place Carousel speed and performance
• Faster “tabbing” between modes: Maps, Directions, My Places, and Settings
• Improved routing performance
• My Places locations and locally stored locations can now be viewed on the same screen

If you haven’t already downloaded the free application for your iPhone, click here to get the latest version now {opens iTunes link}.

As most you may know this past June, we launched the Mapping & Directions app – MapQuest 4 Mobile on iPhone (link opens iTunes). What you may not know is the true story of one MapQuest mobile developer’s plight to bring a little casual happiness to the folks that use the app.

Yes that’s correct, not only does the app provide functional usage around Maps & Directions—it also quietly adds a little charm, or dare I say snicker to those that uncover the existence of the….Hand Dog.

So, what is a “Hand Dog” anyway you ask? As our developer put it, “…call it an ode to my childhood creating shadow puppets, staying up late in our backyard tent throwing hand rabbits, birds, and swans against the dim, backlit wall. I threw a crude “dog” against the wall and everyone laughed.”

Since then, the “Hand Dog” has made its way throughout our developer’s life-bringing joy and smiles to family gatherings, barbecues, and now an iPhone app.
As he puts it..”The day is always a little better with Hand Dog“.

So, where can I find the “Hand Dog” in the app? One of the cool features of the app is the ability to use a photograph or choose from our “stock” My Position Icons to represent your current location on the map. The “Hand Dog” just happens to be one of our stock icons to choose from (click on “Settings”, then select “My Position Icon”)

For those interested in downloading the free app and discovering the “Hand Dog” for yourself, click here.

For those looking for more information on how to make your own shadow puppet, click here.

Since our MapQuest 4 Mobile on iPhone app launched last month, a great deal of you requested a way to easily plot the address of a contact in your address book onto a MapQuest 4 Mobile map. Well, ask and you shall receive! The latest version available now in the iPhone App Store includes this new feature as well as a host of changes and enhancements. Here is the complete list:

1. New Address Book integration! Easily plot any address from your iPhone’s address book onto a MapQuest 4 Mobile map and get directions to that address.
2. 13 new branded place widgets that include: Chili’s®, Citibank®, Comfort Inn®, Embassy Suites®, FedEx®, Home Depot®, HSBC®, Interstate Batteries®, Kohl’s®, Papa John’s®, Quality Inn®, Sears®, and Wendy’s®.
3. Added Search, Map, and Directions Icons to My Places for easier visual recognition.
4. Various user interface bug and stability fixes.

So, if you haven’t downloaded the free application, what have you been waiting for?
Click here to get it now.

We’ve captured 350 Fireworks Celebrations and Parades from across the country and loaded their locations, websites (if available) and address details behind a single click icon (see illustration below). Clicking on the fireworks icon in my neighborhood revealed a show that has apparently existed forever and somehow slipped my attention (and auditory senses) all these years!

They say that knowledge is power, right? Well, I plan on taking my new knowledge on the road and visiting a fireworks show in the western part of the state. What about you? Are you planning on hitting the road for the 4th this year? Let us know!. In the meantime, visit MapQuest.com and click on the fireworks icon in the right-hand search tool to find local fireworks celebrations.