TomTom has made the comedic directions of Homer Simpson available on their native iPhone app, they hope that the friendly and encouraging directions from the well known former father of the year will make car journeys a fun filled event.

The sat nav giants have struck an official partnership with Fox who have provided original sound bites that can be used in the UK and rest of the world depending on your app version; it costs £3.49 and will work on the new TomTom iPhone map pack.

Senior VP of marketing, Alain Pakiry explained: “Homer Simpson is one of the most familiar and fondly recognised cartoon characters on the planet. So to have Homer become uniquely available for our TomTom App for iPhone is really thrilling for us. We believe Homer will bring lots of fun and enjoyment to millions of fans around the world, as drivers’ very own co-pilot.”

Homer’s voice joins the likes of Han Solo, Darth Vader, Yoda and C3PO which are also available for the app.

We have been supplied with some official sound files direct from the app, have a listen and let us know what you think.

Homer Depart

Homer_Preview_01

Homer_Preview_02_UK

Homer_Preview_03

Is it a ‘doh’ or a ‘woo hoo’ in your opinion?

Homer Simpson Comes to iPhone TomTom App is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

If it goes into production the software would automatically switch dialects as you entered different counties, regions or countries. Navman say you could expect to hear a good variety of dialects, colloquialisms and accents meaning not only will it sound like the locals but it will use phrases too.

Some of the proposed accents include Geordie (Newcastle upon Tyne), Cockney (London), Brummie (Birmingham) and Mancunian (Manchester). Missing off the list is Scottish, one of the most popular choices on TomTom’s survey.

A Scouser dishing out directions?

Charles Smith, Product Manager from Mio said “While our main focus is getting a driver from A to B, we’re always looking to make the car journey a more enjoyable experience – we were the first to introduce Freeview TV to satnavs with our V505 model, and now we’re looking into bringing Britain’s most recognisable accents to our devices. Aside from the all the benefits that our sat nav’s provide, we hope that in the future you will also be able to familiarise yourself with some of the iconic local phrases and accents, unique to certain parts of the country.”

This system at the moment is only an idea; we really hope it goes into production though. Imagine turning up to Newcastle to hear “Way’ Aye man, turn left here”. Genius, what phrase would you love to hear and in what accent?

Mio Navman Consider Automatic Regional Dialect SatNav is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

Interestingly the Geordie and Scottish accent was also a popular choice, despite being more difficult to understand. I suspect the Geordie accent is popular because it is more lively and friendly, the Scottish accent is also pleasing to the ear.

Two accents that failed to impress were the brummie and East Anglian voices, “Yow must tern roight” didn’t sit well with the people surveyed, the Liverpudlian accent also took a bashing with people saying it was common and the most frequently mimicked.

The survey was taken to find the perfect accent for the next TomTom voice, instead of being a celebrity the new voiceover will be performed by a member of the Great British public.

Brian Blessed, who comes from Yorkshire and will judge the contest, said:  “I’m pleased to see the Yorkshire accent was voted the most reassuring, so I’m hoping for a big-hearted entry from my neck of the woods.  But what this survey shows is that people find a broad spread of regional accents appealing for different reasons”.

TomTom Survey Routes out Popular British Accents is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

Last.fm has inctroduced a new Remix feature that will mean better sounding and more modern advertisements for consumers. Spotify has said that it is still well on course for release in the US later this year and Amazon launches its Kindle ebook store in the UK.

Google has all but pulled the plug on Google Wave because it only managed to attract about 7 users but, on a positive note for the Internet giant, it was pretty much cleared of any wrongdoing over stealing user information over Wifi  connections. Twitter reached its 20 billionth Tweet and made a star of a Japanese user and Facebook looks likely to float on the stock exchange in 2012.

TomTom sat nav users have been given the opportunity to use a Yoda voice to help guide them home and a Facebook campaign gathered enough steam, collecting more than 25,000 users and leading the company to approach Brian Blessed to boom directions to users too.

In console news, we’re told that the Wii 2 will offer something very unique and surprising but we’re not allowed to know what and UK users will soon be able to enjoy a 320GB white PS3 Slim.

This Week In Gadgets is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

Homer Simpson was one of the first voices offered and he went down such a storm that several others have been added. Yoda is one of the more recent examples and his voice has been offered by voiceskins.com and Lucas Film so that you really can use the force to get you home.

The TomTom community is able to request voices and the most popular requests are usually filled. In fact, one Facebook group that was started several years ago, forgotten about, and then promoted with some vigour, has helped ensure that one of the boomiest, deepest, and most theatrical of all voices will soon be heard ringing frantically from car windows as drivers follow Brian Blessed’s directions home.

The actor, probably best known for his role in the film Flash Gordon, became the subject of a Facebook campaign led by Richard Gardner from Manchester. He initially started the group to have Blessed used as the TomTom voice in April 2008 but having forgotten about the group was surprised to learn that it had gathered 450 members in Feburary 2010. Several thousand members had soon joined the petition and Gardner approached TomTom.

Gardner was told that if he could raise 25,000 members of the group then TomTom would approach Blessed to start negotiations. With 25,772 members, the SatNav manufacturers have remained true to their word and Brian Blessed really will soon be showing you the way home (if you own a TomTom of course).

Who navigates you home?

Will you be downloading Yoda or Brian Blessed?

Yoda Or Brian Blessed? – You Decide… On TomTom SatNav At Least is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

Garmin’s Astro DC 40 is available in a garish orange, which is a fairly useful visual aid for dog seeking in itself and the black GPS receiver is attached in a durable manner to one side. Garmin assures potential purchasers that the collar is comfortable for the dog as well as being convenient for the owner.

The main application of the tracking collar is for keeping tabs on hunting dogs, according to Garmin. For this reason the compatible Astra 220 receiver module which you will need to find your animal is capable of maintaining contract with ten different collared dogs simultaneously.

You can set the GPS beacons on the collars to emit location information in incremental steps between five and 120 seconds, which might make the sport of hunting a little more interesting, with modern technology on hand to help out when required.

The Astro DC tracking dog collar is powered by a battery which you can recharge using an included adapter and it should last for several hours, depending on how frequently you choose to refresh the transmission of data.

Although the collars will obviously be useful for hunters, it is easy to imagine that owners of household pets who do not want to chase after a particularly adventurous dog will end up buying this gadget in order to avoid irritation or, at worst, heartbreak.

Garmin launches pooch tracking dog collar is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

TomTom launched the Darth Vader voice navigation pack on May the 4th, which has traditionally been designated as Star Wars Day by fans of the epic space saga and for the princely sum of £7.95 any TomTom owner can be ordered around by Darth Vader during a journey.

A promotional email was circulated last week, ostensibly from the Sith Lord himself, although the media kept quiet about the launch until the day actually arrived.

TomTom has commissioned novelty voice navigation packs in the past and it seems that the number is set to grow as Scottish comedian Billy Connolly and fictional cartoon father Homer Simpson are both confirmed for future releases.

The launch of other Star Wars navigation packs are planned for the next few months, when TomTom is set to bring mercenary Han Solo, robot C3PO and wise green sage Yoda to a sat nav near you.

It remains to be seen whether the novelty factor of these voice-overs is enough to keep you using them for extended periods, or having a quick giggle and then reverting back to the neutral, default voice files. However, the modest price is sure to attract quite a few TomTom owners over to the Dark Side for a dabble with Darth Vader and chums.

TomTom launches Star Wars-themed sat nav update is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

The Google Maps Navigation app is in pre-release form and it first turned up in the US as version 4.1.1 at the beginning of April. Now the app has been proven to be working well on certain UK-owned Android smartphones.

The latest Google Maps Navigation app is ostensibly designed for use with phones running Android 2.1, but according to reports from the XDA Developers forum, phones with version 1.6 of Android onboard are also said to work well with the new app. This includes such behemoths as the recently released Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10, which with a 4 inch screen is perfect sat nav replacement material.

Independent tests have confirmed that Google’s own Nexus One and its step-sibling the HTC Desire are both able to run the app in full. The Nexus One, being an official Google device, actually gets a couple of perks over the other Android phones, but all of these mobiles can reap the benefits of free navigation whether you are behind the wheel or on foot.

Nokia made history when it launched the first ever completely subscription-free turn-by-turn navigation app earlier in the year and other firms have been struggling to catch up. Google already launched its own free navigation app in the US, but international users had been left in the dark, until now.

Free navigation from Google hits UK is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

If you have been considering buying a SatNav but are put off by the bad press associated with incidents such as these or sarcastic goading from male friends or relatives then don’t worry. Millions of these devices have been sold and are used daily by most drivers without any problem, other than maybe taking the odd wrong turn. If you use the SatNav in the correct manner then they are a useful prompt to tell you that your next turn is due or will provide you with an instant alternative route if there are major road holdups. They are a useful aid to driving and should not ever be followed if the road ahead looks like it presents dangers, if you follow all visible road warning and direction signs, read the road correctly and of course use common sense then you will not encounter any problems. There will always be the odd car driver who has a mishap, such as driving their car through the side of a house after a momentarily lack of attention but that doesn’t mean we all do. A SatNav will provide you with easy access to route information both here and abroad and can be a valuable tool to assist the competent driver. Don’t feel ashamed or embarrassed to buy one they are a fantastic aid to driving and never again will you need to drive around in the dark trying to find a passing pedestrian to ask for assistance (unless you are a kerb crawler).

For the very small minority of SatNav users who rely on the device too much (some even seem to think that they drive the car for them) then it is clearly bound to end in disaster and quite frankly they should really not be allowed to leave the house without being wrapped in bubble wrap and with a police escort!

Don’t let the SatNav drive you up the wall! is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos