Apple already offers a free app that can help you track a missing device, but what if you want to see where your friends are located?

This is the premise behind Find My Friends, a free app that lets consensual users of iOS gadgets -- namely, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch owners -- find one another on a map. Now, you can see who's nearby to join you for coffee or if your daughter has made it home from school.

But this app can also be an effective, low-cost solution for small businesses and its employees – with proper consent, of course. For example, you can see if a colleague's flight has landed, if your sales associate is on her way to the meeting or to see if your employees are at the trade show they're supposed to be at.

Find My Friends taps into the device's GPS signal to identify its geographical location or it could use Wi-Fi if, say, you're on an iPod touch or non-3G iPad model. The app requires both the new iOS 5 upgrade and an iCloud account to work — but both are free, at least.

Setting up the app is a cinch. The first step is to sign in with a valid user ID and password — the same one you use to downloaded goodies from iTunes. Next, you'll tap the Invite Friends tab, where you'll type in someone's e-mail address and a personal message, if you like. Once your friend has approved the invitation on their end, you can follow that person. Your friend will now be seen as a coloured orb on Google Maps. You can choose a standard view with street names, satellite view or a hybrid of the two.

When you see your friend's blip on the map you can also read their address, tap to send a text message, video call them via FaceTime or get visual (not audio) directions to where they are. If you like, you can also scroll through a list view by touching an icon in the top left of the screen to see which friends are nearby; tap on someone's name and the map will zoom into their precise location.

You can also choose to share your location for a limited period of time with a group of friends, see your own location on the map or disable the feature altogether. Since it eats up some battery power for this feature, you might want to disable it when you're running out of juice. Or if you're indulging in a guilty pleasure like sneaking a bite at a fast-food restaurant even though you're on a diet or secretly attending a Kenny G concert, you also might want to turn off Find My Friends.

On that note, anytime there's talk of a location-based app for smartphones or tablets, there are concerns over privacy. Allegedly, someone who suspected his wife was cheating used Find My Friends -- which he set up on her new iPhone 4S without her knowing -- and caught his spouse in a lie when she was questioned about her whereabouts.

Another issue with this app is you can only set it up using one Apple ID, therefore if you have multiple iOS devices -- such as an iPad and iPhone -- you can use only one device for Find My Friends instead of both (unless you want to manually log out of one device and sign in on another). I agree with some customer comments on iTunes that suggest it would be better if you could set it up by device rather than by ID.

But overall, this app works well, and if used rather than abused, it could be a handy tool to see where your friends, family and colleagues are at any given time. The app is offered in 31 different languages.

Imagine this scenario: 400 employees in 200 constantly moving locations, who need to be connected together and continually tracked. If it sounds like a challenge, it is, but it’s one that my company has recently overcome. Here’s how.

Gaudreau is a Quebec-based company that specializes in residual material management. In other words, we do everything from garbage collection and landfill site management to the operation of a sorting centre, plastics and recycling plant and composting platforms. Every single day, 400 employees use our 200 fleet vehicles to collect septic waste and other compostable or recyclable materials from commercial, industrial and residential locations across Quebec.

The challenge came in making sure that our customer service was fast, reliable and cost-effective—no small feat as our trucks are quite literally all over the map at any given time. And when customers contacted us for confirmation about material pick-ups or specific timing, we needed to be able to respond quickly. Our solution was GPS technology.

We knew this was the right option for us, but we weren’t sure how to implement it or make it work efficiently. We found a company called Complete Innovations, a provider of mission critical operational solutions, and they helped us deploy a GPS platform based on the Telus Fleet Tracker solution.

Working with Complete Innovations, we gradually outfitted all of our vehicles with the hardware modem on each dashboard over a 4-month period. Now, using the Fleet Tracker software, our staff members are able to use mobile devices, like Blackberries or Windows Mobile phones, to access vehicle speed and location in real time. We can determine vehicle location in three-minute intervals, which not only improves dispatch’s ability to track, monitor and communicate with drivers, but can now plan routes more efficiently as well.

When customers call and require an immediate pick up, we can track the closest truck and reassign a driver for the ad hoc collection. This saves our dispatchers from calling each driver individually, as they’ve now got access to detailed trip history information and can automatically identify where vehicles are located.

Our drivers are happy with the new system, too. They feel more connected to our dispatch centre, and find that their jobs run smoother because problems are quickly identified and addressed.

I can say that the solution really gives us a handle on what’s happening on the road, and has actually allowed us to save 10% on fuel costs. On top of that, we’ve boosted our customer service and improved our driver productivity by 15%.

Marc Fournier is the operations manager for Gaudreau, a Quebec-based firm that specializes in residual material management. For more information, visit www.groupegaudreau.com.

Welcome to our App of the Week series where we highlight Smartphone applications for business.

Today we continue our look at Applications which turn GPS enabled Smartphones into business ready turn-by-turn navigation systems with a review of Navigon for iPhone.

Introduction and Cost

While not as familiar to Canadians as some other brand names, Navigon has been in the GPS sofware business for almost 20 years.  Their software is consistently in a race with Business App of the Week:  TomTom for iPhone for the most popular paid on-board navigation app from the Canadan Apple iTunes store (more about on-board maps here).  As of Thursday May 20, 2010, they have jumped into first place, past TomTom.

Part of the reason why Navigon is so popular right now has to do with selection and price.  First, Navigon has an almost ice cream shop selection of navigation apps covering countires and regions the world over - even a map of the Middle East is available!  Second, and probably most importantly, Navigon recently dropped their prices.  Similar to the TomTom app, Canadians also have a choice of two versions.  A Canada only (iTunes link) version is currently sale priced at $39.99, while a Canada and USA (iTunes link) combination is sale priced at $49.99.  According to the Navigon website, the sale ends May 31, 2010.

Usage and Points of Interest

The best way to describe the Navigon interface is simple and functional. It's not super fancy, but everything is there and it all works as it should (which is a good thing).  The application launches in less then 10 seconds, it's easy to enter an address and simple to search for a Points of Interest (POI).  Overall, the application feels snappy and with few delays between screens.

Navigon has a database of POI's installed with the app, but from my experience the Canadian POI list isn't as comprehenisve as it's competitors.  A good example is finding businesses with multiple locations - I was often disapointed when obvious locations were missing.  Fortunately, a Google search feature is also available to backup the on-board POI's which I used quite often.

A nice bonus for business users on the go is a one touch options to find the closest parking lots, fuel stations and resturaunts.  Again, the built-in POI database isn't very large, but the feature is solid in a downtown core.  The "Take Me Home" option works well - too bad it can't be renamed "office" instead of home.

Maps

Canadian maps are often less comprehensive than ones for our neighbours to the south, however the Navigon Canadian maps appear to be solid and on an equal playing field with the TomTom - in fact in my test area of Calgary, the map accuracy (and inaccuracy) was practically identical.  Both the 2D and 3D views are easy to follow and show important details like current speed, time to next turn, ETA and distance remaining.  Unlike the TomTom app, Navigon still shows the current time, wireless signal strength and battery level at the top.  For an extra $9.99 as an in-app purchase, users can add in a Panarama 3D view which shows hills and valleys while in 3D mode (it takes elevation information and displays your route going up and down hills).  While this feature looks cool, it doesn't really add much for most business users.

Navigon does edge out it's competitors in freeway navigation.  I really loved the "Reality View" representation of freeway signs that were presented at off-ramps.  It makes the navigation instructions very easy to follow.

Additional features of note to businesses

Turn-by-turn navigation is clear and easy to listen to.  I specifically appreciated how it notes future turns when they come in a series - making preparing for a quick series of turns easier.  The integration with the iPhone contacts is also very good.  Navigation to the recorded address starts in as little as two taps.

Safety features are also readily available including an SOS Direct Help option.  This screen provides details including your current street location, GPS cooridnates and one touch links to roadside assistance, Police, Hospitals and Pharmacies.  For business people in unfamiliar territory these options are a good safety net.

Conclusion

Although it's on-board POI database is small, Navigon for iPhone is a solid app.  It's easy to use, accurate and reliable for business use.

But is it better than TomTom for iPhone?  That's a really tough question.  Both apps are excellent and both navigate very well.  If the prices were identical, I would give the slight nod to TomTom because of what I believe is a better on-board POI database for Canada.  However, Navigon is currently on sale for $20 less than TomTom.  For business, that $20 means a lot - especially if you are setting up multiple employees.  Go for the one that costs less.  As of today, Navigon is the winner.

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Whether to cross a continent or to find a small business hidden in the corner of an industrial park, a good map is a valuable tool.  In recent years however, traditional paper maps have been substituted with highly accurate and sophisticated GPS systems which pinpoint your current location and automatically calculate the ideal route to your intended destination.  For businesses on the move, GPS makes perfect sense: spend less time studying a map and more time with your customers.

The recent convergence of Smartphone and GPS technologies allows businesses to easily equip their staff.  Applications are available for BlackBerry, iPhone, Android and other platforms which transform a GPS enabled Smartphone into a full vehicle navigator.

This leads to the questions:  What should businesses consider when selecting a navigation app?   What type of investment is required?  And probably the most difficult question, what is the best app for business in Canada?

Today we will start with the basics: 5 considerations for business Smartphone based navigation.

1 .  Maps

Most stand-alone GPS navigators are limited to their built-in (on board) maps.  With Smartphone apps, users have a choice of how they would like their maps.  Here are considerations for each:

Online maps

• Apps usualy have a low up-front cost of less than $10.
• Maps are downloaded from the internet using the wireless network as they are needed and used (similar to Google Maps). The more you use the app, the more wireless data you will use.
• Maps are not stored on your Smartphone so the apps use very little memory space.
• As maps live on the Internet, they are likely to be the most up to date.
• App is fully functional only when the Smartphone is within wireless data coverage.
• Ideal for urban business usage where up to date maps is important and strong wireless signals are available.

Onboard maps

• Apps usually have an up-front cost of $50 or higher.
• An entire collection of maps is installed on your Smartphone and stored in the memory.  Data usage will not see a substantial increase with usage.
• Maps for Canada and the United States can easily consume over 1 GB of storage.
• Maps are only updated when the application is updated, therefore maps could be months or even years old (similar to how a paper map gets old and needs to be updated or replaced).
• Maps and navigation are processed within the Smartphone app and not via the Internet.
• Maps do not require a wireless network to operate (GPS signal is still required).
• Ideal for those who travel in fringe coverage areas, have high amounts of use or wish to keep data costs more fixed. 

2.  Points of Interest

A Point of Interest, or POI, is simply a useful point on a map.  Good examples would be gas stations, restaurants and stores which may be along your route.  POI's enable you to find the closest "Joe's Burgers" instead of having to know what the address is. The more POI's you have access to, the more likely you will be able to  enter in a name instead of a full address.

Apps with Online maps always go to the internet when a POI is searched - often to a provider like Google or Bing which have millions of POI's. Onboard maps automatically install a smaller base of POI's to your Smartphone.  While the search is faster when the POI's are installed on your Smartphone, the Internet has the best accuracy.  The ability to have both onboard POI's and Internet search covers all the bases (like the time I was outside of coverage deep in the BC Rockies and needed a gas station - onboard POI's pointed me to the closest one).

3.  Voice Prompts

Turn left in 200 meters.  Stay to the right at the fork.  Stay in the middle lane.  Voice prompts mean you don't have to look at the screen of your Smartphone as you drive.  The first step is to make sure the app you select has them.  However, not all voice prompts are considered equal.  Some can say the name of the road while others only give directions.  ("Turn left in 200 meters" versus "Turn left in 200 meters on Main Street").  Multi-region companies should also consider user language - some applications are limited to English voice prompts only.

4.  Power

Smartphones operating a GPS Navigation app consume considerably more power then a phone at standby.  Online map based apps potentially use the most power because of the regular wireless data network activity.  Ensure your employees have the ability to charge their Smartphone while on the road with a simple car charger (about $25).

5.  Mount

Just like standard GPS units, GPS enabled Smartphones require a clear view of the sky in order to calculate their location from orbiting sattelites.  A windshield or dashboard mounted phone cradle is ideal.  They also allow easy access and clear viewing without causing undue distraction.  Suction style windshield mounts usually start at about $25.

It would be a miss not to mention the need for good judgement when using any device while driving.  Check out Focus on Driving for more information.

Over the coming weeks, look for reviews of a number of leading turn-by-turn Navigation applications including TELUS Navigator (online), Navigon (onboard), Tom Tom (onboard) and MotionX GPS Drive (online).  If you have specific questions you would like covered during those reviews, just pop in a comment below.

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