Telenav brings Yelp to connected cars

Partnering with Yelp represents Telenav's next step in providing consumers with an enhanced connected-car experience. In addition to Telenav's in-car ads and in-car commerce offerings, integrating Yelp "“ a leading and internationally recognised purveyor of crowd-sourced reviews concerning local businesses "“ into Scout GPS is an important step in the company's efforts to grow its leadership position in offering consumers the in-car experiences that are changing the future of connected cars. With Scout GPS Link, users can now view Yelp's trusted ratings and reviews to locate and research places of interest to them.

"Yelp is the most recognized business-review service in the world, and now Telenav provides drivers of SGL-connected cars with easy access to the reviews and ratings they value most, right inside their in-car entertainment system," stated Sal Dhanani, Telenav Co-President, Automotive Business Unit. "It's a win-win for both drivers and select Telenav auto OEMs. Drivers have the benefit of Yelp ratings integrated into their in-car navigation system, while those auto OEMs can continue to offer current and relevant content through their in-car entertainment systems."

Telenav Scout GPS Link provides drivers with navigation, including real-time traffic updates, and the ability to share points of interest and estimated time of arrival with contacts. SGL powers the navigation experience by:

Controlling and displaying the Scout GPS Link navigation app on the car's multimedia display
Finding local businesses and addresses with its Onebox search capability
Providing real-time traffic-based navigation with interactive maps
Saving "˜favorite' destinations

"It's one thing to locate a restaurant or coffee shop in your on-board navigation search," said Roger C. Lanctot, Director of connected mobility for Strategy Analytics. "It's another thing to find the restaurant or coffee shop that the locals love. This is a meaningful value added from Telenav and Yelp."