Google Maps Navigation for Android 2.0 trumps GPS for anything else. Pricewise, at least.
You hear that? On the wind? That’s the sound of a million TomTom, Garmin, and Magellan owners saying “aw, crap.”
It’s because Google today announced their own turn-by-turn navigation application, dubbed Google Maps Navigation. The buyer’s remorse for anyone who bought a standalone GPS will set in when they hear the price, which is significantly less then any other GPS nav system on the market.
100% less, to be precise.
In true Google fashion, Google Maps Navigation is available on the Android 2.0 mobile OS and is absolutely free.
By comparison, the Tom Tom app for iPhone is available in the Apple App Store for the one-time-not-so-low-low price of $99.99 (CDN).
The first phone to offer the app will be Verizon’s Motorola Droid, which you might recognize from the pisstaking “iDon’t” commercials that have been running lately. If not, well, enjoy the site’s (annoyingly long) flash intro.
Although none have been announced, it seems likely that the app will soon be available for all future Android 2.0 phones. Also, according to Cnet, an iPhone version is in the works, so it stands to reason a WinMo version can’t be too far behind as well:
However, Google is working with Apple on bringing it to the iPhone, and it’s not ruling out licensing the software to makers of portable navigation devices used in cars throughout the world, said Gundotra, vice president of engineering at Google for mobile and developers. The process involving Apple is slightly different from the usual App Store submission process, because Maps is a built-in iPhone application, [Google’s Vic Gundotra] said.
Kieth Ito, software engineer at Google, had this to say about the app on the official blog:
This new feature comes with everything you’d expect to find in a GPS navigation system, like 3D views, turn-by-turn voice guidance and automatic rerouting. But unlike most navigation systems, Google Maps Navigation was built from the ground up to take advantage of your phone’s Internet connection.
The app boasts 7 reasons Google Maps Navigation (or GMN, which kinda looks like a shortform for Garmin to me) is better than a stadalone, all based on your phone’s ability to connect to the Internet:
• The most recent map and business data
• Search in plain English
• Search by voice (this is beyond huge, IMHO.)
• Traffic view
• Search along route
• Satellite view
• Street View
Google has released a demo video of the app in action, and it looks promising. For anyone already planning on getting an Android 2.0 phone, getting this app in favour of a standalone GPS unit is a no-brainer. For anyone who’s been contemplating smartphone and is in need of such an app, this might be the thing that convinces you to pull the trigger on that new Motorola Droid you’ve been eyeballin’, in the States, at least. Since there’s no word yet on Android 2.0 backwards compatibility with existing handsets, the Motorola Droid is the only device guaranteed to run the app.
The Droid drops in Verizon Wireless stores on November 6. You can wait 9 days, right?
[edited 10/28/09 1:50pm by RebelScum]
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As far as I’ve read, it sounds like the software is totally cloud-based, which means no data connection, no map.
That’s a big drawback, but not insurmountable if they allow you to preplan a trip, or download maps (even just the simple maps). There’s been a 3rd party app for WinMo available for some time that basically does the same thing as Google Nav…
http://pdafun.net
which allows for data caching.
“As far as I’ve read, it sounds like the software is totally cloud-based, which means no data connection, no map.”
So basically, if you’re a Rogers customer planning a trip from Toronto to Montreal, it’s useless 🙂
“There’s been a 3rd party app for WinMo available for some time that basically does the same thing as Google Nav…[global navigator]”
Yup looks about the same, except for the voice search feature. So unless you’re a big Google fan, this won;t be a selling feature for WinMo users per se.
I do hope it features pre-installed maps or at least data caching.
I doubt it’ll pre-install maps. Comprehensive map data in in the 100s of MB or even GB+ of information. It would make more sense for the end user to cache data for trips they think would put them in ‘no coverage’ zomes.
As for the WinMo app, it’s still of interest, because GN is a paid app (and an expensive one). These guys are going to have to reduce their price, or maybe they’ll just become obsolete.
I didn’t see the pay feature. Dayum.
TomTom installs maps on the iPhone. Its compressed footprint is (IIRC) ~1.5gb. I had to free up 3gb on my phone to install it. Farewell SmodCast and Clash, Smiths, Nirvana and Lagwagon discographies :'(
So yes, it’s frakkin’ HOOGE. However, with phones running 16 and 32gb in size, and assuming you can install apps onto MSD cards, it’s kind of a non-issue, isn’t it?