Tech Tuesdays: TomTom Nav App for iPhone Joins an Already Crowded Field
TomTom was the first to announce a turn-by-turn navigation app for the new iPhone 3GS, with a company representative even appearing onstage at Apple's World Wide Developers Conference in June, where the latest version of the phone was unveiled. But by the time TomTom released its nav app yesterday, which also works with the original iPhone 3G and includes mapping for the U.S. and Canada, several others had already hit the street.
So why would you want to spend $99.99 on the TomTom app -- so far the most expensive -- as opposed to paying a little more for a portable nav? And how does it compare to other nav apps?
The other car-specific nav apps available so far -- from AT&T Navigator, Gokivo, iGO My way and Navigon -- take two different paths to iPhone owners' pocketbooks. AT&T Navigator (which runs on software by TeleNav, a provider of a variety of nav apps for mobile phones) costs $9.99 a month even though the app is free, whereas the Gokivo app is $.99 and also costs $9.99 a month (and is from another well-known mobile phone nav software provider, Networks in Motion). The iGo My Way and Navigon's MobileNavigator apps both sell for a one-time fee of $79.99 and $69.99, respectively.
While each nav app has its advantages and disadvantages (and we plan to do a shootout soon and test all five), their biggest drawback, of course, is that route maps and directions are displayed on the iPhone's small 3.5-inch touch screen. But a big part of their appeal is that drivers don't have to carry a separate portable nav system.
The TomTom nav app for iPhone also employs the company's exclusive IQ Routes technology, which calculates estimated travel time based on historical data culled from millions of TomTom users running the roads rather than just posted speed limits, as with most nav systems. The other features of the TomTom app include the usual standard nav fare: automatic rerouting, 6 million PIOs, 2D and 3D map view, multiple language capability, night and day display modes and more.
But perhaps the TomTom app's biggest draw is that it's the only one developed in conjunction with Apple and it has exclusive features such as a "tap and go," which takes advantage of the iPhone's multi-touch screen and makes it easier to enter a starting point and destination on a map by just tapping the location rather than typing it in.
More importantly -- and what gives the TomTom app a potential edge over competitors -- is it can be combined with an optional car cradle that adds an amplified speaker to pump up the volume on turn-by-turn directions and an antenna to boost GPS reception. It also allows for hands-free calling and swivels so that the phone can be used in a landscape or horizontal position. Pricing and availability for the car cradle hasn't been announced, but you can check out a video below showing it in action.
While analysts have been predicting that the growth in mobile phone navigation will be the death knell for portable nav, it remains to be seen whether drivers will dump their portables for apps like TomTom's. And if they'll tolerate the smaller screens that go along with the trend.
At least until Apple reveals what it has up its sleeve based on a recent patent for an in-dash nav system that can link to the almighty iPhone.
- Posted by
- Doug Newcomb August 18, 2009, 3:00 AM
- Permalink
- Categories:
- Automotive Technology, Car Audio and Electronics, Car Tech Tuesdays
- Technorati Tags:
- Apple, AT&T, iPhone, Navgation, Navigon, TeleNav, TomTom
I'm looking forward to the shootout. I've an Altima Hybrid with nav, but I don't think the nav is all that great for a number of reasons, one of which is that it's not that intuitive or as easy to use as other systems. I had pretty much committed to getting a portable nav (rather than in-dash) for my next car, but since I recently purchased the iPhone 3GS, I'd much rather use that than carry around another piece of hardware, even if the screen is smaller.
I like the one-time charge better than the monthly, cause over the long run it'll save money. But then, how do they each handle updating their maps? On the Nissan you need to pay a huge sum for a new DVD update -- particularly aggravating since my DVD was already pretty out of date when I got the car.
Another thing that drives me a little nuts is that these systems only cover real-time traffic on major highways. When you ask it to reroute you around highway traffic, it says "no faster route found," even though I know that the side streets would get me there sooner. (In fact, my system has never successfully rerouted me anywhere.)
In the meantime, I think a lot of people are just using GoogleMaps and other free apps to get where they're going.