Smart Parking Reimagined - Parker 4.0 Drives Into App Store!
Award-winning parking guidance app for the iPhone features one-click turn-by-turn voice navigation, updated design, and more than 23,000 garage locations
FOSTER CITY, Calif., May 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Streetline, Inc. today unveiled a new release of its award-winning parking guidance application, Parker(TM) by Streetline. Parker 4.0 is now available for the iPhone and features a clean, updated design; an easy-to-use side panel menu; and one-click turn-by-turn voice navigation--further enhancing the hands-free capabilities of the app.
Parker displays open on-street parking in real time, as well as available parking at garages and nearby parking lots, by tapping data from Streetline's real-time sensor network in more than 35 locations globally and parking garage and lot data for more than 23,000 off-street locations. Since the app was first introduced in December 2010, Parker by Streetline has recorded more than 100 million parking "events" and was recently named Best Mobile Innovation for 'Smart Cities' at the 2013 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
"Streetline introduced the world's first parking guidance app in 2010 and has since continued to spark the imagination for how technology can change the way we think about parking," said Zia Yusuf, president and CEO of Streetline, Inc. "With this latest release of Parker, Streetline again raises the bar for what consumers can expect from parking guidance apps, making it even easier for motorists to locate parking so they can go about spending their time on the more important activities of their day."
"With Parker, our goal was to go beyond just helping drivers locate a parking space; we want them to find the right space," added Vito Salvaggio, Senior Vice President, Product Management of Streetline, Inc. "Parker allows users to search by parking type - metered space, garage/lot, ADA accessible, or electric vehicle charging stations. The app shows available parking relative to your current location and also lets motorists filter spots by price."
Some of the key features of Parker 4.0 include:
-- Real-time information in select areas to guide consumers to open and
available parking spaces; Parker updates automatically when a car is
parked or leaves;
-- Ability to toggle between availability and price, including real-time
updates as prices are changed or updated;
-- Easy access to rates, hours, and time limits for metered, on-street, and
garage/lot parking;
-- Side panel navigation gives user access to filters, price toggle, places
and satellite view;
-- Search field with enhanced ability to find parking by address or points
of interest (e.g., coffee, gas station);
-- Enhanced filters allowing users to set criteria, such as EV charging
stations, ADA spaces, on-street or garages/lots only, or specific
payment options (coins, credit card, mobile payments);
-- Park function allows user to note where a car is parked (and later find
guidance back to the car), set reminders, and other options including
mobile payment (where available);
-- Ability to select display preference to show the number of available
spaces or price;
-- One-click access to turn-by-turn voice navigation that guides you to
available parking
"In designing the app, we tried to focus on the things that matter most to the user," added Salvaggio. "Because parking availability changes very quickly and drivers don't want to show up at a space that's no longer available, unlike other guidance apps that have emerged, our first priority is to provide accurate and reliable real-time data to drivers at all times."
"Because there are so many little businesses downtown, we are essentially competing for customers. It's important to do things to improve customer experience and get more people through the door. Apps like Parker by Streetline help us to do just that. Being able to direct customers to spaces right outside my store is one way to set Vanilla Moon apart from the competition," said Christie Perego, owner of Vanilla Moon, San Carlos, Calif.
"Montclair State needed an app that lets our students know where parking is available. Parker was the logical choice. I like the new format and larger buttons in Parker 4.0," said Perry H. Eggleston, MPA, Director of Parking Services, Montclair State University.
Lauren Blaine, President, Blaine Artist Management, Los Angeles, Calif., stated, "As a busy music industry professional, I have meetings with clients all over Los Angeles. This can be a very stressful business so the last thing I want to stress about is finding parking! Parker helps me quickly find a spot so I can arrive on time and make a good, stress-free impression."
"I'm constantly exploring new restaurants and bars in LA and Hollywood, but parking can be a real pain - especially when I'm rushing to meet someone after work. With Parker I don't have to get there early to leave time to find parking, I just open the app, park, and don't have to worry about being the last one at the table!" said Jessica Hopkins, Executive Assistant, Los Angeles, Calif.
To download Parker by Streetline please visit: http://www.theparkerapp.com. Parker 4.0 is available today for the iPhone. Parker 4.0 for Android is coming soon.
About Streetline, Inc.
Streetline's mission is to make smart cities a reality through the use of sensor-enabled mobile and web applications. Streetline's pioneering technology makes the parking experience for consumers easier, while making cities and university campuses more efficient.
Already deployed in more than 30 locations in both the U.S. and Europe, Streetline's patented smart parking platform detects the presence of a car through a network of ultra-low power wireless sensors located in individual parking spaces. Data from these sensors, or from counting equipment installed in parking garages and lots, is then made available in real time via various cloud-based applications, such as Parker(TM), the leading mobile app for consumers, and - soon - in-car navigation systems. Earlier this year, Streetline introduced ParkerMap(TM), an embeddable widget that allows merchants, universities, cities, and parking providers to easily showcase nearby parking options via any website.
Streetline is a privately-held company headquartered in Foster City, CA with smart parking deployments in Germany, the U.K., and across the United States including California, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia, and Washington, DC. The company was named one of Fast Company's 10 Most Innovative Companies in Transportation, as well as IBM Global Entrepreneur of the Year. Streetline was named Best Mobile Innovation for 'Smart Cities' for Parker at the 2013 Mobile World Congress.
For more information on Streetline visit: http://www.streetline.com. To follow Streetline on Twitter: @streetlineinc
To download Parker by Streetline please visit: http://www.theparkerapp.com. Parker 4.0 is available today for the iPhone. Parker 4.0 for Android is coming soon.