Dec 07/Jan/08

It may not be strictly a business application, but hopefully there's still some Christmas spirit about, and we felt many users of satellite navigation systems would be intrigued by a new product called RoadTour Heritage for Garmin satnav models.

It's a kind of spoken travel guide, keyed to 600 points of interest around the UK. When it's activated, you get a prompt whenever you're approaching a listed location, and can listen to a short commentary about the place, spoken by a female voice. You also get at least one picture, plus some information about opening times and prices where relevant.

The commentaries last about 90 seconds each. They are said to have been researched and written by a team of twelve amateur historians. The places covered include castles, stately homes and battlefields.

The product is the brainchild of Daniel Taylor, who is described as an inventor. He says he hit on the idea five years ago while walking round the Roman baths in Bath with his wife. 'We were listening to one of those walk-around handheld audio guides. I felt truly inspired, and began wondering about other heritage attractions nearby.' It's taken the five years since then for him to get the product to market.

 

The price for the underlying software application? A very affordable £19.95. Not bad value for a bit of family fun.