1. Landscape View For Route Narrative. This is one of the least known features.  Next time you’re using the navigation part of the app – check out the flashcard view of your next maneuver!  Just click “List” and turn the phone longways/horizontal view.  Look, an easy glance look of the next maneuver – SWEET!
2. Editable Routes. When you have a bunch of errands to do, you probably add numerous locations to your route.  One feature that I love is that you can “Drag and Drop” the order that you want to run the errands.  Sometimes you can pick a circular pattern for a round trip – or pick the errand that’s farthest away first then make it back to your house.  The app has the power and the functionality to be able to support any multiple stop route you want! You can easily edit the order that you want to visit the locations by clicking “Edit” and Dragging the locations into the desired order – then Clicking “Get Driving Directions”.
3. Walking Directions. When you have a small distance to lunch – and your not sure if you want to walk or drive – MapQuest 4 Mobile can help you out.  We give you the ability to set your walking distance threshold in the Settings -> Directions Settings – Walking Directions Alert.  Just pick the distance that you are willing to walk – and then when your route falls within that – you will get an option to do a walking route.  Of course – you can always create a walking route on the fly if you click the “Edit” button in the Directions tab.
4. Customizable Map Toolbar. You know the toolbar right under the map?  Ever looked at it and said – “Jeez I wish they had a button for ice cream parlor”?  Well, we do!  Scroll the bar to the left and hit the “plus” sign to see the other categories that are available.  Just touch the icon you want for a second and drag it down into the Toolbar – then you can search for ice cream anytime! (great for the kids or after a date!)
5. Position Icons. Unless you saw our contest last week, you might not know that you can have a Tornado, Hand Dog, or a Tank represent you on a map! Just click on settings – My Position Icon -> and choose the icon that you want.  If you’re not a fan of what we offer, you can also upload your own picture.

These are just a couple of tips and tricks that I have found useful in MapQuest 4 Mobile iPhone.  If you haven’t checked out the app yet, we hope you do.  Enjoy!

Landscape View for Route Narrative

Editable Routes                     Walking Directions

Customizable Map Toolbar

After two full weeks of voting the new Position Icon for our MapQuest 4 Mobile app is the Robot icon. We have to say that at the end it was a very close race with the Fist Bump in the lead for most of the week. With all votes in, here is the final leader board.

We hope everyone had fun voting to customize the MapQuest 4 Mobile experience. For us, the customization of our app is one of our favorite features and so we thought why not let you help us make it better.

The Position Icon is one of the many customizable features in the MapQuest 4 Mobile app. The Position Icon is the image that represents you on the map and moves as you near your destination. If Robot wasn’t your first choice, don’t worry, you can import a photo or take a photo using your mobile phone camera and use that photo instead. Every journey can truly be your own.

So when will you be able to start using the Robot to represent you? Now that your votes are in, we are submitting the update to the Apple and Blackberry app stores, so keep checking back to our blog or Facebook page for the latest news on MapQuest 4 Mobile.

If you are wondering what other features make MapQuest 4 Mobile the best free turn-by-turn app for your mobile phone, stay tuned…

Since the MapQuest 4 Mobile app debuted, you’ve been able to customize your icon.  After all, who wants to be a be a plain old pin or waving man when you can be Skull & Crossbones, a Hot Air Balloon, a Football or even upload your own photo?

So, go vote for what you think should be the next Position Icon.  Once you vote, you can come back to the voting page at anytime to see whether you’re icon is in the lead.  You can only vote once, but if you get your friends and family to vote, your favorite has a better chance of winning! Voting is open until next Thursday (9/23) and then we’ll announce the winner that Friday (9/24).

If you want to check out the feature now, download the app, click ‘Settings’ -> ‘My Position Icon’ -> and choose the icon that you want!

One of the top requests we’ve fielded since the advent of our spoken street names feature is to rotate the map so that it aligns with the direction you’re traveling.  In our continued quest to be your mapping service of choice on iPhone, your wish is our command.  In other words, with this update, when you start navigation the top of your map will no longer always be North.  So, if you’re headed SW, the top of the map will be SW (see image on left) allowing your position icon (waving man, dog cow, car, hand dog, etc) to now travel along the road in the same way you do.

Try out this convenient new feature, and let us know what you think.  To give us feedback right within the app, simply select the Settings Tab, ‘About’ Button, and click ‘E-mail Support/Feedback.’

Hope you enjoy the new feature!

We aspire to help our users, and spend a great deal of time poring through Customer Service logs and App Store reviews to understand the nuances of our users’ experiences as well as their requests for enhancements.  As such, we want your feedback – make us better!

If you don’t have the app already, take a second to download it and see for yourself what the MapQuest 4 Mobile app is all about. We hope it helps you on your next journey, no matter where you’re headed!

Last week we announced the new MapQuest.com and today we’ve got some big news for mobile:  MapQuest 4 Mobile iPhone version 2.0 debuts!  We listened to all your feedback and now this new version speaks street names aloud, re-routes automatically, and runs in the background with iOS 4 making FREE navigation easier.

Spoken Street Names keeps concentration on the task at hand while providing the most critical information needed in an easy-to-understand medium: the street name of where to turn, spoken in a friendly voice (e.g. ‘Turn Left on York Street.’).

Auto Re-Route eases the stress of a missed turn, by automatically recalculating the way to the destination.  In other words, no interaction with the device is necessary.

Compatibility with iOS 4 allows MapQuest 4 Mobile iPhone to organize the myriad of purposes afforded by fast application switching and background GPS (via iOS 4) by continuing Voice Guidance  & Spoken Street Names whether on a call, listening to iPod, or saving battery with the application hidden.

The App Icon is also new.  To reflect our new MapQuest brand, you’ll now look for the green and white icon to launch the MapQuest app.

Who needs in-car or paid navigation when one can carry it in their pocket, for free?

Q. Why don’t you have more business categories in the carousel?
A. You can already customize the carousel to add more categories! We include the most popular in the original set, but encourage you to customize to fit your needs.

Simply touch and flick the carousel until you can see the circled plus icon (+). Tap (+). The Configure screen is then displayed. From here, Tap, Hold (1-2 seconds), and then Drag icons to or from the carousel. You can also Tap/Hold/Drag icons from left to right on the carousel to rearrange them.

For detailed help, refer to How to Customize the Places Carousel.

Q. Can I use addresses from my saved contacts?
A. Yes you can! After you tap Maps or Directions, tap a location box and the contacts icon appears at the end of the box. Tap it, select a contact from your list of contacts, and that contact’s address is used for the location. (Note: If you don’t see the contacts icon, make sure you selected the ADDRESS box, not the ‘Business or category’ box.)

For detailed help, refer to How to Map an Address from Your Contact List.

Q. Where is the volume control?
A. To set the alert volume for both sounds and voice, tap Settings at the bottom right of the screen. Tap Guidance Options. Drag the slider to the left or right to decrease or increase the volume.

For detailed help, refer to How to Set the Alert Volume.

Q. Where do I select the battery saving settings?
A. To modify your settings to conserve battery power, select Settings at the bottom of the screen. Select Energy Saving. Select Low, Medium or High.

For detailed help, refer to How to Change the Energy Settings.

If you have other questions about MapQuest 4 Mobile or any of our other products, visit our Help Site or our Forums.

This new feature is extremly useful for me and I know it will be the same for our users. For instance, last week I needed to get back to the airport from my hotel after an eventful CTIA conference in Las Vegas. After a busy 3 days, my mind was shot – thankfully, MapQuest 4 Mobile was sitting shotgun in the rental car, literally telling me how to get there.

After a quick search, I got my directions overview from the hotel to the airport. I pressed the green START button and was on my way. As I approached my first turn, the voice guidance informed me twice, and then confirmed the turn with a succinct ‘Turn right, now.’ That was easy.

Uh-oh, cut-off by a cab, and couldn’t hit my next turn! The voice informs me that I am off route, and provides a message that will help me. I pull into a gas station, and tap ‘Reroute Me.’ Back on track.

I drop off the rental car, and am pleased that I was able to use my device on a paucity of power (naturally, I forgot my charger) – the medium power setting allowed my screen to dim while the voice guidance continued, saving me precious power. Phew, I can still e-mail my boss before my flight.

Oh, and it wouldn’t be Vegas if my wallet weren’t lighter so thank goodness the app is FREE! Why not try it?

According to the most recent semi-annual survey results CTIA-The Wireless Association®, there are now more than 257 million data-capable devices in consumers’ hands, up from 228 million at the end of 2008. MapQuest wants to be on every one of them.

If you own one of these 257 million devices, take a second to acquaint yourself with what MapQuest has to offer with this quick video interview by Butterscotch.com shot earlier this week.

BlackBerry 8220 Pearl Flip
BlackBerry 8230 Pearl Flip
BlackBerry 8520 Curve
BlackBerry 8900 Curve
BlackBerry 9700 Bold
BlackBerry 9630 Tour

Download MapQuest 4 Mobile from BlackBerry App World™ now. Once you’ve downloaded it, please rate it – we want to hear what you like and/or what we should improve!

In case you’re not familiar with MapQuest 4 Mobile, here’s a quick look at it’s features:

• My Places: Registered My Places users on MapQuest.com can view their saved maps and routes.
• Directions: Reliable directions you’ve come to expect from MapQuest.com.
• Maps: Enjoy aerial maps and street maps with quick pan and zoom features.
• Live Traffic: Live traffic with the latest road conditions.
• Find Me: See your location from your phone’s GPS chip. Track your progress as you move (select handsets only).
• Local Search: Search for a business, either by name, or maybe just a category. Pizza anyone?