TomTom $99 GPS app heads to iPhone
(Credit:
TomTom)
A hundred-dollar makeover can turn your iPhone into a GPS device.
GPS specialist TomTom announced Monday that its new $99.99 iPhone app is now up for sale at the iTunes store.
TomTom for the iPhone comes with features typically found in standard GPS units, including voice directions and full maps of the U.S. and Canada. Maps for Europe, Australia, and New Zealand are available at varying prices.
The app uses a new technology called IQ Routes, said the company. Instead of suggesting the quickest route based on travel time, IQ Routes taps into the actual experiences of other TomTom drivers to determine the fastest route to take. TomTom said this technology lets people reach their destinations quicker up to 35 percent of the time.
In addition, the software can suggest alternative routes if a turn is missed or a road is blocked, the company said.
"With TomTom for iPhone, millions of iPhone users can now benefit from the same easy-to-use and intuitive interface, turn-by-turn spoken navigation and unique routing technology that our 30 million portable navigation device users rely on every day," said Corinne Vigreux, managing director of TomTom.
The company will also offer a car kit, so that drivers can attach their iPhones to the front window or dash.
(Credit:
TomTom)
The new app runs on the iPhone 3G or 3GS and requires iPhone OS 3.0. Compatibility with the iPod Touch and older iPhone models should come soon, said TomTom.
TomTom first announced its new iPhone app at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference on June 8 (see video demo).
TomTom's new app will battle for a spot on your dashboard with several other iPhone navigation products--AT&T's $9.99-per-month Navigator, the similarly priced Gokivo app from Networks in Motion, and Navigon's MobileNavigator, now on sale for a flat fee of $69.99 until August 31.
Lance Whitney wears a few different technology hats--journalist, Web developer, and software trainer. He's a contributing editor for Microsoft TechNet Magazine and writes for other computer publications and Web sites. You can follow Lance on Twitter at @lancewhit. Lance is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and he is not an employee of CNET. 
Apparently, if you buy the cradle from TomTom then the software will work with the iPod Touch and first generation iPhones because it includes a GPS chip. I honestly didn't see that one coming...
if you are going to spend $200 for the app and the dock, you might as well get a GPS and a better one for that price.
my car has an aux port on the stereo. I play music in my car through my iPod via this port. My guess is the stand will have an audio in and out port. If it doesn't.. then I will use my 2nd gen iPod touch. The stand has a GPS antenna in it.... so it should work with the touch.
The cradle has a built-in speaker. This is something that is a problem with current iPhone GPS solutions - the phone has a built-in speaker but it isn't very loud.
I don't want a separate GPS unit. One of the main reasons why I want to buy an iPhone is because it will do a lot of things that normally requires separate devices so having just the one, in a compact size, will be very convenient. Of course, we are still waiting for official confirmation of the price of the hardware/software package and I'll be paying in Euros rather than Dollars.
They'd probably have better luck with a monthly fee. Or just charge a much lower amount for the program, and then each year a reasonable fee to update roads that are new or rerouted.
Apparently the cradle does the following:
* Rotate for the portrait/landscape orientations
* Charge the iPhone
* GPS
* FM Transmitter for music playback
* Loud speaker
Much of this now seems to be more useful for the Touch than the iPhone.
I have no idea what the price is going to be but bear in mind that figures published so far seem to be based on a pre-order page on an independent website that has a habit of changing its prices. When it shows up on somewhere reliable, like Amazon, then we should know.
As @Spartan_458 pointed out, $99 is a one time fee vs 10/month. And don't forget even if it was FREE... it would be from AT&T. I would happily pay $99 as a one time fee where I am guaranteed to get reception.
What good is a GPS if you cannot get the reception!
I have been using TomTom and Garmin for the past 7 years and granted Garmin is much better for US & Canada when compared to TomTom, I would definitely choose TomTom over AT&T (actually I would choose any GPS provider over AT&T).
source: http://cnettv.cnet.com/wwdc-2009-tomtom-launches-navigation-app-iphone/9742-1_53-50072814.html
and
http://www.9to5mac.com/tomtom-ipod-touch
Apple fanbois are more stupid than I thought.
What arrogance......
Think about how expensive this is-
They have to have many many vans, loaded with GPS sensors, go around the country and map ALL the roads.
They have to collect all the data.
They have to get it on really powerful computers.
Compile it into maps.
Make it fit on every single screen size and resolution of GPS that they've ever sold.
Test it, so there are no bugs or defects.
FINALLY, push it out to people.
1. TomTom is not Apple. They made an iPhone app. Answer me this, how do I download a suction cup?
2. Software doesn't "just happen magically" when you push the button. Teams of people worked countless hours including weekends, so you won't get lost.
[CNET editors note: Personal attacks deleted.]
A bottle of Don Perignon for $150 and it DOESN'T come with a glass to drink it?
Champaign fanbois are more stupid than I thought.
What arrogance...
That was just too easy and it looks just as rediculous as what you originally said.
F**kin funny! Love it...!
There is also a next generation iPod Touch just around the corner. Maybe GPS will come with the new model.
$99 is an OK price since that's comparable to TomTom software on other phones. The iPhone needs to multitask at a minimum TomTom, phone calls, incoming SMS and music for it to be useful or you are better off with a separate portable GPS.
AT&T Navigator is available for $10 a month if you would rather pay monthly instead. $10 a month is $120 a year and you can't use AT&T Navigator if you aren't in the data network coverage area.
Amen
I did read some idiot complaining that they wouldn't be able to use the GPS and text. That sort of thing just scare the heck out of me.
If you can't see if there are any upcoming turns while you are on a phone call, that makes this app not very useful.
If you use a portable GPS with built-in bluetooth speakerphone, you can answer a call and still see the map with turn by turn directions all it does is mute the navigation voice so you can listen to the caller. That's a workable solution. Having the phone "app" take over the screen and kill the GPS app while you are using the navigation is not acceptable.
BogusBasin, Not only can you relaunch after a phone call or text, many applications auto relaunch.
BogusBasin, Nothing wrong with your passenger texting or taking a phone call while you drive.
Yes true multi-tasking is very nice.
Excluding e-mail, yes... yes I can.
you have to understand where tomtom is coming from. they want to avoid cannibalization of their other products by this one. So, they have kept it as high as it is, if there is a paradigm shift in tomtom they would have given it away for much lower price. Is it a bargain, depends on who you are. If you are a frequent traveler or if your car does not have GPS, it is worth it.
The iPhone has location assisted by cellular triangulation - so when you use an app that is trying to locate you, the triangulation via cellular towers can help located you faster. But the pin pointing of your location is still done by GPS. So if you don't have cellular service it may take a while longer to find you, but the GPS system does not depend on cellular service, and ultimately, you'll still be able to use your S/W.
The only issue to remember here - and this is a smartphone vs iPhone thing - is that you can't really use your device for anything else when using the nav. So If you're traveling for work and want to use it for that 1 hour drive from airport to meeting no luck with doing calls etc at the same time.
Amen
Putting all of your eggs in one basket, makes life miserable when the basket breaks.
I bet if you saw a digital camera in Target for 15 bucks you would call people who buy Nikon digital cameras stupid fools.
Just because something is cheaper does not make it better.
"I bet if you saw a digital camera in Target for 15 bucks you would call people who buy Nikon digital cameras stupid fools. " You shouldn't bet or make stupid leaps in logic.
"Just because something is cheaper does not make it better." I don't recall posting that it was.
- by Remo_Williams August 17, 2009 8:15 AM PDT
- Copilot is worse than TomTom. In fact, it's bizarrely bad.
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
Showing 1 of 3 pages (123 Comments)This sets a new bar for GPS apps. One-time is immeasurably better than a monthly service charge; upgrades could be the new "service" when TomTom software gets revised. But better news for consumers is that this is a real market, so watch for one-time price competition to emerge and the $99 to get cut in a year.
Anything that kills pay-per-use is a good thing.
--#