Navizon is a software for mobile devices (Windows Mobile, Symbian, Blackberry and some Java phones) and for laptop computers (PC or Mac), that will display your location on a map and help you find stuff around you.
Navizon comes with very cool features such as the Groups, the Geotags, the Buddy Tracker and the Local search (read more about it below).

Navizon is free and can be used with a GPS device (optional). If you do not have a GPS device, you can use Navizon with our Virtual GPS (free to try, $24.99 to buy).

To download Navizon on your cell phone, just go to www.navizon.com with the browser installed on your device. If you want to run Navizon on your PC or Mac, just click here.

With Navizon, you can create or join groups and display its members' geographic location thanks to the buddy tracker.
These groups can be anything you can think of: "Geocachers in the UK", "Find a date in New York city", "Cab drivers in San Francisco"... or if you want to make it a more private group "Joe Shmoe's family". Your imagination is the only limit.

Here's how to create/join a group:

Create, edit, join or leave groups in Navizon's member section:

go to your member section,  log in and go to the group section.

To Join a group, hit , you can either enter the name of the group you wish to join and its password (if there is one) or click on the link "see directory" to choose among the list of existing groups.
You are allowed to join as many groups as you want.

NOTE: The public group is open to everyone, you can choose to join it if you want!

To leave a group, hit
Check the groups you want to leave and hit .

To create a group, hit , and set the features of your group:

-You have to choose a name for your group
-You can protect your group by a password, to do so check 'Password protected' and type the password you desire
-You can give a description of your group
-You can give the URL of your discussion board if you have one
- If you check 'List group in public directory', your group will appear in the directory, otherwise, it will be hidden.
Once you are done choosing your group options, just hit , and your group is created.
You can change the options of the groups you created by hitting .

On your phone, use your buddy tracker and set your privacy options:

• See your buddies' location on the map:
  When you see the map, hit Menu > Buddies > List ., and then Menu > Show on map, you can also call them or search a particular contact.

NOTE: Check 'Update Live' to update the positions each time Navizon connects to server.

• Choose the groups you want to see on the Map:
  Click on Manage groups, and check the groups you are interested in.

• Make your location available to your group buddies:
  When you see the map, hit Menu > Buddies, and check 'Send Location'

If you are using Navizon with a GPS, you will be able to share your location with your group members' wherever you go. If you don't have a GPS and are using Navizon in Wi-Fi/cellular positioning mode, this feature will work in the areas already covered (see "My coverage" in the user section).

NOTE: You can also find your buddies on the web interface, in the member section, click on Tracker and you will be able to see the position of your friends who made their location available.

No Big Brother here
With Navizon's buddy tracker, only users that are member of your groups can see your location. So you can only be located by the people you want.
And if you don't want anyone to know where you are, you can even turn it off altogether by unchecking "Send location".

With Navizon, you can create notes that will be attached to a specific location. We call them "Geotags". These geotags are then shared with the rest of the community, thereby creating a directory of spatial annotations.
This directory can be very useful to share some information with other people on a specific place. Let's say you're in a restaurant. You really like it or really hate it. You post a note using Navizon's Geotags. Then everyone else that will pass by this restaurant will see this note pop up on his device (as long as he has the same interests than you). Another example: let's say you see a speed radar on the highway, you could have in the comment "Speed radar here. Slow down!" and tag it with "speed radar driving".

How to create a Geotag?
Let's continue the example of the restaurant. So you really like it and you want to let people know about it.
Once you see your positioning information on the map, just hit Menu > Geotags > List... and click on 'New Tag'

Fill in the information and hit 'create tag', and your Geotag is created.

NOTE: You can also create your Geotags from the Web Interface, in the member section, click on 'Tag' in the menu, go to 'My Geotags', choose the location of your tag and enter the information...and your tag will be available to other users.

How to manage the Geotag function?
You can choose whether or not you want to see the tags appearing on your device, and you can choose how and when you want them to appear.
- In Menu > Geotags > List... set the sensitivity, for instance if you choose 10km, you will be able to see the Geotags in a 6miles (10kilometers) radius.
- Choose the kind of notification you desire (quiet, Pop Up, Alarm) or set it at disabled if you don't want this function to be active.

- Check Live Update in Menu > Geotags  if you want the Geotags to be updated while you are using Navizon.
- Choose the Geotags you want to see, only those of certain groups (see below), all public Geotags...
  You can see the location of the Geotags on your map, just hit Menu > Show on map...

 
NOTE: You can also see the Geotags from the web interface in the member section.

With Navizon you can see your location on the map...

...and search for pretty much anything, right around where you are:

Let's say you are in New York city and are looking for the closest Pizza joint. Hit Menu > Search > search...  and enter what you are looking for as in the following example:

You can then see those locations on the map, call the restaurant to make your reservation, add it to you contacts and so on!

In order for this feature to work, you will need an active Internet connection on your Pocket PC (Wi-Fi or GPRS) and to have positioning data where you are located. If you are in an area covered by our database, you won't need a GPS device but if you are a big traveler a GPS device might come handy to always be able to find your way with Navizon.

Note: you don't need to have internet access on your mobile to use this feature.
Indeed, if you have used Navizon with internet once, the map of your neighborhood will be saved in your phone. To choose the size of the map you want to save, go to Menu > Options > Map

You can see an illustration of the local search feature in this video.

*New*  Displaying your trail

With Navizon, you can keep track of everywhere you go with the trail capability. Here's how to enable this feature:
1) In your account, go to Preferences and check "Save my trail"

2) On your Navizon client,
- if you are on a Windows Mobile device go to "Go to map", then in Buddies check the item "Send Location"
- if you are on an iPhone, launch Navizon and hit "Cancel". Then set Invisible to "Off"
- if you are on Symbian, Blackberry device or on laptop (XP, Vista or Mac OS X), go into Buddies and uncheck "Appear invisible"

And that's it! Navizon is now logging your position.

Then if you go in the Member section of the web site, here's what you will see:

The color of the markers stand for the positioning method that was used: green for GPS, orange for WiFi and Blue for Phone 

You can also display this information in Google Earth or export it to a CSV file. Just go under my trail and click on the appropriate link.

Oh and I almost forgot: this information is only available to you, so you don't have to worry about someone else keeping an eye on your whereabouts.

This feature is not available on the Lite version.

*New*  The Navizon Contest

Each month, the top 3 Navizon users having mapped the most data points (Wi-FI APs and Cell towers) will receive a prize (which will come in addition to all the Navizon rewards earned during this period of course).

- 1st prize: $50 worth of products from the Navizon store

- 2nd prize: $30 worth of products from the Navizon store

- 3rd prize: $20 worth of products from the Navizon store

So grab your mobile device and... ready... set ... GO!!  And may the best win.