Google Maps Mobile May Become a Full-Fledged Navigation App

Ed Hardy · 10-28-2009, 11:01 AM

UPDATE: This report was confirmed yesterday, and the Motorola Droid will be the first smartphone to ship with this new app.

Google offers free mapping software for a wide variety of smartphones. If a rumor is correct, this is going to be turned into a full-fledged navigation app, with voice-guided, turn-by-turn directions.

Nav software for hones has become increasingly common in recent years, as most high-end models gained GPS receivers. Google's current free app offers only mapping and basic routing, but others offer much more: voice instructions, automatic re-routing, etc.

TeleNav leads this business now, and versions of its software for cell phones are offered by three of the four top U.S. wireless carriers, each under a different name. Customers pay about $10 a month for this service.

Enter Google
Unconfirmed reports say Google is going to offer a similar service, but for free.

This app will supposedly be supported by advertisements. These could be strongly targeted, as the app will know both the user's current location and where they are going.

When -- or if -- Google plans to release its rumored enhanced navigation service is not known.

Source: Forbes

Related Articles:

Magellan · 10-28-2009, 12:45 PM

It seems to have moved beyond the rumor stage! See here. http://www.google.com/mobile/navigat...html#p=default

headcronie · 10-28-2009, 01:34 PM

Wow. Goodbye Telenav. Goodbye paid GPS software like TomTom, and Garmin. They don't stand much of a chance if this goes to every major smartphone OS. The few that can't stand the ads, won't be enough to support these companies software platforms. Especially, if this comes pre-installed on phones in the future.

Being that Apple just recently invested in their own map company, I suspect the iToys may not see this great bit of software. I'd laugh if Apple rolled theirs out as a paid service, while everyone else got to play for free. I wouldn't put it past Apple to do something like this though.

Magellan · 10-28-2009, 03:20 PM

Doesn't Sprint also charge for navigation?

headcronie · 10-28-2009, 03:30 PM

It depends on what data plan you have. My SERO account doesn't get it for free. If you pay the $25 full data plan, you get it for free. If you pay for the $15 data plan, you have to pay extra for Telenav.

The $25 plan nets you telenav, sprint tv, and... I forget the other thing.

Ed Hardy · 10-28-2009, 11:18 PM

I used the new Google Navigation app on the Droid on my drive home from the airport today (I had to go to NYC to get my device.) My preliminary opinion: thumbs up.

I'll have more details in the coming days.

p.s. Yes, this is definitely going to shake up the smartphone navigation market.

-

AZ-TE · 10-29-2009, 10:25 AM

I am very anxious to see this for WM 6.5!

headcronie · 10-29-2009, 10:45 AM

Not just WM 6.5, but possibly as far back as WM 5. This would be a killer app. The only time this would not be useful is if you don't have network coverage.

questionfear · 10-29-2009, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by headcronie

Not just WM 6.5, but possibly as far back as WM 5. This would be a killer app. The only time this would not be useful is if you don't have network coverage.

The only thing that would keep this from being compatible back to WM5 would be hardware requirements. That's the one really nice thing about the WM5-->WM6-->WM6.1-->WM6.5 conversion is that almost everything is backwards compatible to that point.

headcronie · 10-29-2009, 02:46 PM

I fixed my typos in both posts.

Regardless, QF has it right. That opens the door to a lot of devices. I do hope it rolls out to those versions.