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Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Find your way home with Homer
When driving on the roads, a sat nav is, some would say, a vital part of modern in-car equipment, making sure we reach the destination without consulting a map or asking directions. The only problem is the typical default voice...which is normally mechanical, plain and has about as much personality as a plank of wood.
Fortunately, personalising your sat nav is now an option and with a wide variety of voices to choose from, it was only a matter of time before one voice reigned supreme.
Homer Simpson, star of The Simpsons, has been officially recognised by the Guinness World Records as the most downloaded sat nav voice, beating off competition from Darth Vader, Ali G and Brian Blessed.
The voice, provided by Simpsons actor Dan Castellaneta, has been downloaded thousands of times, with the US accounting for more than 40% of the sales.
Developed by Locutio Voice Technologies in partnership with the Gracie Films Worldwide Brand Division and Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products (FCP), the voice has outsold competitors by nearly three to one.
Locutio Voice Technologies chief executive Chris Hilton said the success of Homer Simpson has encouraged them to bring more Simpsons characters to satellite navigation systems.
“Homer was the breakthrough GPS voice that firmly established the category. It has been a real pleasure working with the Gracie Films Worldwide Brand Division and FCP to bring the original voice of Homer to GPS devices for fans of The Simpsons to enjoy on their journeys.”
As Mr Burns would say: Excellent...
Photo © Joe Shlabotnik via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Fortunately, personalising your sat nav is now an option and with a wide variety of voices to choose from, it was only a matter of time before one voice reigned supreme.Homer Simpson, star of The Simpsons, has been officially recognised by the Guinness World Records as the most downloaded sat nav voice, beating off competition from Darth Vader, Ali G and Brian Blessed.
The voice, provided by Simpsons actor Dan Castellaneta, has been downloaded thousands of times, with the US accounting for more than 40% of the sales.
Developed by Locutio Voice Technologies in partnership with the Gracie Films Worldwide Brand Division and Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products (FCP), the voice has outsold competitors by nearly three to one.
Locutio Voice Technologies chief executive Chris Hilton said the success of Homer Simpson has encouraged them to bring more Simpsons characters to satellite navigation systems.
“Homer was the breakthrough GPS voice that firmly established the category. It has been a real pleasure working with the Gracie Films Worldwide Brand Division and FCP to bring the original voice of Homer to GPS devices for fans of The Simpsons to enjoy on their journeys.”
As Mr Burns would say: Excellent...
Photo © Joe Shlabotnik via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: Dan Castellaneta, GPS, Homer Simpson, sat nav, The Simpsons
Friday, December 9, 2011
Concept cars really do hold the key to the future
I like looking at the newest concept car offerings which are often show-cased at, I believe, very overstated events. The incredible specifications, such as self drive settings and exteriors which can change colour, never cease to amaze me.
However, although I daydream about owning a car with such advanced features, it seems that these concept cars might be a truer indication of what the future hold than I first thought!
A 1969 concept car, which goes by the name of Holden’s Hurricane, has been put back on display at an event held in Melbourne. The flashy vehicle was originally unveiled 42 years ago in the same city when its features would have been seen as revolutionary.
The vehicle boasts a rear-view camera, digital displays and a primitive magnetic GPS system. Mind you, the car might be pretty difficult to find a car insurance quote for as it has been fitted with a 4.2 litre engine and a roof which lifts off entirely.
Finally, my dreams of a car which doubles as a dressing room might actually come true! Only time will tell.
However, although I daydream about owning a car with such advanced features, it seems that these concept cars might be a truer indication of what the future hold than I first thought!
A 1969 concept car, which goes by the name of Holden’s Hurricane, has been put back on display at an event held in Melbourne. The flashy vehicle was originally unveiled 42 years ago in the same city when its features would have been seen as revolutionary.
The vehicle boasts a rear-view camera, digital displays and a primitive magnetic GPS system. Mind you, the car might be pretty difficult to find a car insurance quote for as it has been fitted with a 4.2 litre engine and a roof which lifts off entirely.
Finally, my dreams of a car which doubles as a dressing room might actually come true! Only time will tell.
Photo © ricardodiaz11 via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: camera, car, car insurance quote, concept, dreams, engine, GPS
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Directions by Jeremy Clarkson
Driving can be stressful, so what you don’t need is a sat nav which gives you instructions in Jeremy Clarkson’s voice.
If you choose to use this new voice, being released by TomTom in October, your GPS navigation system will order you – amongst other panic inducing phrases – to “Turn right. Turn RIGHT. You missed it! For the love of . . . !”
“It’s not a gentle sat nav voice, put it like that,” stated Mr Clarkson.
Road users who are easily panicked by the tone of voice used by the famous Top Gear presenter may wish to switch to the new Stig sat nav voice.
Jeremy Clarkson explains, “You can put it in Stig mode, apparently, which is when nothing happens. It doesn’t speak to you at all.
“So you can either have Stig or me and personally I would use the Stig most.”
There are reports that TomTom has been in contact with Jeremy’s co-presenters, in a bid to add their voices to its sat nav instruction repertoire, however Mr Clarkson doesn’t seem to think they’d work very well.
“Hammond, well that wouldn’t work because he hasn’t got the patience.
“James May genuinely doesn’t have a sense of direction.”
We love getting new voices on our sat navs and we’ll try any voice at least once. Let’s see how long we last when getting ordered about by infamous Clarkson.
If you choose to use this new voice, being released by TomTom in October, your GPS navigation system will order you – amongst other panic inducing phrases – to “Turn right. Turn RIGHT. You missed it! For the love of . . . !” “It’s not a gentle sat nav voice, put it like that,” stated Mr Clarkson.
Road users who are easily panicked by the tone of voice used by the famous Top Gear presenter may wish to switch to the new Stig sat nav voice.
Jeremy Clarkson explains, “You can put it in Stig mode, apparently, which is when nothing happens. It doesn’t speak to you at all.
“So you can either have Stig or me and personally I would use the Stig most.”
There are reports that TomTom has been in contact with Jeremy’s co-presenters, in a bid to add their voices to its sat nav instruction repertoire, however Mr Clarkson doesn’t seem to think they’d work very well.
“Hammond, well that wouldn’t work because he hasn’t got the patience.
“James May genuinely doesn’t have a sense of direction.”
We love getting new voices on our sat navs and we’ll try any voice at least once. Let’s see how long we last when getting ordered about by infamous Clarkson.
Image © HamsterRun via photobucket
Labels: driving, GPS, Jeremy Clarkson, sat nav, Stig, TomTom
Thursday, April 21, 2011
We’re not lost – we just don’t know where we are
We girls have a reputation for being poor map readers – but new research shows that this might actually be a good thing.
A University of Dundee lecturer in behavioural neuroscience undertook research on the effect that sat-navs are having on motorists.
She found that as a result of being led around UK roads by a big arrow, we are starting to neglect our innate ability to familiarise ourselves with our surroundings through the recognition of landmarks.
The lecturer explains that, “With GPS devices and the increase in popularity of hi-tech navigational tools, we're doing less of this visual navigation which the earliest humans will have used expertly.
“If most of our time travelling through new areas is spent following a flashing arrow instead of looking out of the windows, we're not likely to know anymore about the place for having been there.”
So, it may seem obvious, but an important part of finding your way around places seems to be the act of looking at the environment around you.
Maybe having your eyes fixed on GPS instructions or your nose stuck in a book of maps isn’t as useful as men like to make it out to be then. Perhaps relying on our inner compasses and taking in the sights is, quite literally, the way forward.
She found that as a result of being led around UK roads by a big arrow, we are starting to neglect our innate ability to familiarise ourselves with our surroundings through the recognition of landmarks.
The lecturer explains that, “With GPS devices and the increase in popularity of hi-tech navigational tools, we're doing less of this visual navigation which the earliest humans will have used expertly.
“If most of our time travelling through new areas is spent following a flashing arrow instead of looking out of the windows, we're not likely to know anymore about the place for having been there.”
So, it may seem obvious, but an important part of finding your way around places seems to be the act of looking at the environment around you.
Maybe having your eyes fixed on GPS instructions or your nose stuck in a book of maps isn’t as useful as men like to make it out to be then. Perhaps relying on our inner compasses and taking in the sights is, quite literally, the way forward.
Image by krebsmaus07 via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: GPS, map, motorists, road, sat-nav