Updated M8 navigation app includes local gourmet guides & hotel booking

Location based navigation and community mobile application M8, your local mate in the UK (M8) - developed by Telmap, an Intel company - has received a recent major update designed to offer UK consumers a more compelling user experience and practical location-based service that is relevant to them.

The updated version sees the launch of an M8 community, and content from trusted travel sources Michelin and The Good Pub Guide joins its lineup of inbuilt local travel and culture information guides for those seeking top rated pubs, restaurants and other leisure facilities. Adding to the significant update, M8 offers users enhanced visuals, premium novelty voices and updated motoring functions for navigation, while integrating leading hotel portal HRS’s booking service into the app’s raft of existing features.

With a current blend of travel guides and peer review services that includes premium Michelin and The Good Pub Guide content together with Lonely Planet, Trip Advisor and Yelp information incorporated as standard, the M8 navigation app offers the most extensive range of aggregated local content available to the UK market all-in-one application. Set to help travellers, motorists, foodies and UK users in general better explore the areas they find themselves in, the mobile app is designed to offer users a rich, social experience and is pitched as the ultimate mobile companion for UK iPhone, Android and BlackBerry Touch device users.

Placing users in control of their experience, M8’s latest version provides a personalised experience, enabling app users to select and source the information and reviews they want from a host of trusted travel guides and review sites. Enhancing the personal and social nature of the user experience, the new M8 Community has been created to encourage users to share tips and hints when travelling or exploring within the UK, adding to M8’s existing social media integration.

Boosting the navigation function of the mobile app, users are now able to access speed limits and calculate journey times and ETAs, while those wishing to customise the turn-by-turn navigation can do so by purchasing one of the novelty voices on offer. Selecting from a range of voices, users can set their navigation to the real voices of actors Kim Cattrall and Verne Troyer or elect to be directed by Mission Patrol or the Voice of God.

Launched in October 2012, M8 has been recognised by industry and consumers alike for the app’s ability to support users as they discover, interact and connect with the communities and locations around them. Adding to the turn-by-turn navigation, real time traffic news and local information - including cash machine, petrol station and parking finder features - offered since its launch, and the update which saw the integration of active deals on MyVoucherCodes, this latest update amplifies M8’s offering by delivering 3D landmark visuals, premium novelty sat nav voices, enhanced functionality and additional sources of relevant and local information and recommendations wherever it is used.

“We believe this latest version of M8 really is top class for the people in the UK. All-in-one app, users are able to explore the UK more deeply by checking local content from multiple sources, are able to book hotel rooms and access advanced navigation delivered by the voice of their dreams, and can locate those facilities and places that make daily life that little easier.

“We hope the updates will make a huge difference to users whether they’re using M8 to make a long journey, to locate a cash machine, to find the best spot for lunch, or to get the inside track on a new area, and of course, we believe that the updated app - jam packed with a full library of useful information - most certainly retains that fun, easy-to-use experience,” said Tim Owen, UK Country Manager at Telmap, developer of the M8 app.

A sophisticated mobile application fusing aggregated content and multiple layers of dynamic location-based data with the latest satellite navigation technologies, M8 seamlessly integrates with social media channels, providing a next generation navigation app enabling UK users to access instant, hyper-relevant information and recommendations from sources they trust whenever they wish, wherever they are while being able to share their experiences with fellow users.

Currently available for download on both iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry Touch devices, M8, Your Local Mate in the UK has been designed and developed by Telmap, the world leading location- based services provider.