Abstract: A search apparatus includes an input unit that receives an input of search-object information indicative of facilities to be searched for; a designating unit that designates, among combinations of facilities indicated by the search-object information, a combination of the facilities that are located on the same premises; a generating unit that, using location information concerning the facilities constituting the combination designated by the designating unit, generates search result information; and an output unit that outputs the search result information generated by the generating unit.

Abstract: An input unit receives update information concerning an updating of map information. A calculating unit calculates a ratio of information to be updated in the map information based on the update information received by the update information input unit. A generating unit generates update ratio information indicating the ratio calculated by the calculating unit. An output unit outputs the update ratio information generated by the generating unit to a device that uses the map information.

Abstract: A navigation apparatus includes a storage unit, an acquiring unit, a comparing/identifying unit, an updating unit, and a control unit. The navigation apparatus stores data required for the navigation operation in a plurality of areas and also acquires the data from an external recording medium. The data stored in the plurality of areas is updated based on a comparison with the acquired data to identify which is the most recent data. At least while the updating of data is in progress, the data that is not in the process of being updated is used to perform navigation operation.

Abstract: A 3D surround system including a plurality of speakers is provided, a guidance-information acquiring unit acquires information on route guidance, and a control unit controls output of a guide sound so that a direction from which the guide sound is heard moves based on the information, using at least two speakers among the speakers. In addition, the output of the guide sound is controlled using a low-pitched sound speaker and other speakers among the speakers.

Abstract: An information reproducing apparatus reproduces music information with an information reproducing portion. And it refers to an output voice, an output video, a voice level and so on during reproduction of the music information, and specifies a starting time and an ending time of the arbitrary phrase such as a refrain on a touch panel with a reproducing section specifying portion. And it generates a phrase information file indicating the phrase (reproducing section) consisting of the starting time and the ending time of the phrase with a reproducing section information generating portion. In the case where the phrase information file and the music information thereof are extracted to reproduce only a phrase portion or the entire music information, it is also possible to reproduce it by having only a sound quality of the phrase portion changed by a sound quality changing portion.