Here's a fresh Apple rumor in the run-up to MacWorld: a TomTom GPS module for the iPhone. We just received this supposed photographic "evidence" of said device from a Dutch tipster. Our take? Might be, might not. TomTom is a Dutch company and a righteous, straight-talkin' Dutchman would never tell such a fib, would he? On the other hand, that device is clearly not in a car heading to Rotterdam. Still, it could be a route demo and that stretch of highway (A13/E19) is a favorite for internal TomTom validation studies. Surely a move towards GPS is a logical next step for Apple -- particularly after that little
VW concept. And with Apple on the verge of opening the iPhone to
third party developers, well, anything goes, eh?
posted Dec 12th 2007 8:27AM
This needs to happen YESTERDAY. I've been dying for a GPS add-on since June.
but then how will Apple get a commission every time you need maps?
Go get a HTC Phone (like Tilt) of Blackberry.
There are tons of phones that have GPS built in.
I am using Atnt Tilt with TomTom6 installed already.
Jason: Commision? Why would Apple get commision for Maps? The bandwidth is already paid for, there are no ads, and if you are talking about searching for businesses, I really don't think it works that way.
Very cool. I'd happily buy one.
shouldnt need this now google are doing gps on their maps from your mobile signal no gps needed! and as iphone users have unlimited data ... what more is needed?
If you've never used TomTom and only Google Maps, you don't know what you're missing... The main two things are route recalculation and heading-up as opposed to north-up navigation. The triangulation feature that you mention is great as long as you don't mind the accuracy of a ~1700 yard diameter circle. I've been places where it has put me very close but the accuracy of a GPS with WAAS (~10 feet) is much better to navigate by.
The only thing Gmaps brings to the table is free current maps and free traffic.
BTW: the only thing that would be different in a route playback would be the flashing "DEMO" in the bottom right corner... this could simply be playing back a route and the picture was taken between the flashes.
now if only that Google Maps to Tom Tom interaction was direct and not needing to use the "home" software as a middle man. This would be very cool.
The only time I need GPS is when I'm someplace without a cellphone signal. Conundrum!
The only time I'd need a GPS is when I've gotten hopelessly lost away from civilisation.
iPhone already has bluetooth, why the need for a 'module' ? - Just use any existing Bluetooth enabled GPS device. (Unless this 'module' works with the iTouch also ? - maybe it also has its own onboard memory for maps?)
Google Maps (My Location) currently only works on V2 for Windows Mobile / Nokia etc. The included Google Maps with the iPhone does not have this feature. (Probabl coming soon ;-)
Apple crippled the Bluetooth.
Again, they want to keep every possible feature they can behind a commission.
Exactly my thoughts. Besides, this thing looks like its sitting undernearth the iphone, not connected to it - I say POO.
Ah damn you engadget, you just made my previous comment invalid.. (kinda)..
Who wants an external dongle. Put it inside, instead.
No matter, the iPhone 2 will have all the good stuff anyway.
You are correct - the second iPhone will probably have it built in. Maybe. Who knows. But the latest rumors put the 2nd iPhone for a summer '08 release at the earliest. So by then, there will definitely be tons of iPhone users who will want this.
What I would suggest is a car docking solution that contains the GPS guts. Personally, I would only use this in the car anyway, so why make it a card that sticks out and that I have to remove every time I get out of the car and want to put the phone in my pocket?
No, it has to be a module, whether attached or bluetooth. For one thing, I don't have a car (live in NYC) so I'd need this to be portable from rental car to rental car.
Also, I love that it's TomTom doing this as it means access to international maps. And that's the other time I'd use this: when finding my way in some European city while traveling.
If it is to be a module then it needs to come with a mounting dock. If you're driving in your rental with an iPhone in your hand, you're asking for a ticket. Having a mount that can accommodate both the module and the phone would be ideal. It can be suction cupped to the windshield or clip mounted in the air vents.
Put it in a mounting dock that is powered. That way there is no drain on the battery (actually charging) when using GPS in a car.
GPS tracking is far more precise than "cell tower" triangulation...
The unlimited data access of the iPhone makes it interesting, in combination with a GPS module, because it would allow the device to retrieve live information such as traffic, road works, accidents, and also make calls for reservation of restaurants and so on.
Now, if only TomTom adapdet their interface to match the iPhone one, with some clever use of multitouch, that would be great. Let's see how it ends. iPhone limitations (no memory card slot) will force TomTom to creade an add on (which I personally don't like that much as a solution), instead of a Bluetooth antenna module (such as Nokia had in the first series of GPS enabled phones).
Actually,
The device seems to be located in Delft, near the Technopolis of the University. That's not the oddest place to find such a thing, now is it? :-)
Wow Photoshop FTW!
Yep, the photo's definitely a hack job. Decent fake would be to build the interface for the iPhone/iPod Touch, run it on the devices, and take a snapshot there instead of trying to slap a pic that has massive JPEG compression artifacts already into an existing device.
But GPS over the dock? That and Bluetooth, hook into Google Maps, you're there.
Hence the quotation marks and the word 'supposed' heh
If there ever was a more obvious fake then I don't know what is, and I don't even think it's a photoshop but just a picture they cut out of an ad and put on top of an iphone
My opinion: clearly a fake (and not a good one). But it would be great to have this, if it will exist any time in the real world... :)
mk
This should cost less than a stand alone gps receiver, but I wonder if it really will be.
Also... damn crippled gps. It's just stupid.
GPS ? how to fuck a already fucked up battery !
there are many many more important things than GPS, like MMS,Flash player,Standrd headphone jack ,video recording , better camera (SE K750i was 2mp also),tactile feedback , user replaceable better battery ....
Uhm... Then don't get it? It's an add-on from Tom Tom (tee hee, I rhymed), do you expect them to make those things you mentioned?
Some people would want GPS on their iPhone, those people can get the attachment (if it exists).
well it wouldnt really be a problem for the battery as most people will use it in car, thus probably in a dock that is charging the phone. So battery drain is a none issue unless using it walking around??
@russ
And how do you suppose one docks this phone seeing as how the module is plugged into the docking port?
GPS? On a phone? That's certainly five years ahead of the competition!
real or not, i would buy this in a heartbeat.
That looks photoshopped... No, not photoshopped, MSPainted.
Make is totally bluetooth and a BT hands free kit as well and I'm sold. Make it something I install.
There is a market for a portable "module" as well. Release them BOTH... As long as I don't have to pay for the software twice, I'll buy them both.
It is a road in Holland! That is for sure..... I travel this road every day!
and they just need to make it ipod touch compatible and it'd be perfect
My BlackBerry 8820 has had GPS since the day I got it. Garmin, BlackBerry Maps, Google Maps, Wayfinder, TeleNav -- take your pick of software.
So Apple goes from being 10 years behind to being only 7 years behind. Soon they will get to bluetooth GPS, and only be 5 years behind, and eventually integrated GPS, and be so 2007.
Definitely fake. I'm sure someone is working on a GPS module in time for Apple to release its SDK in February; however, it'll need a pass-thru dongle to be practical for in-car use. Or it can be a pass-thru dongle with mounting block for the iPhone. These, blocky jpgs are worse than almost any current cameraphone out there.
i hope they bring this to the ipod touch, or atleast it gets hacked to do so!
If it's not fake, I'd be getting this in a heartbeat. I was looking to get a TomTom 720 Go, but I may well hold off to see if anything comes of this...
One more thing that TomTom (or other cellphone GPS system with maps on the device) has over GMaps is that you can make a call AND use the GPS to navigate since you can't have a GPRS/EDGE connection when you're on the phone.
Too bad the iPhone speaker isn't loud enough to hear the directions.
Hopefully this will help the price of GPS drving devices to fall through the floor - I thing the $700-800 are way overpricd...
Whether this is a fake or not...it seems inevitable that it WILL happen eventually. Once the iPhone SDK is out we will start seeing all kinds of cool stuff!
Not only GPS, but I think we'll see a Slingbox player reall soon as well! My two most wanted features.
You can already get GPS, 3G and Slingbox on a Nokia N95-3.
You can also eat your own arm if you want...
So true! God I wish apple would fix that!! They've been saying a firmware update will fix the speaker problem, but that sure as hell hasn't happened yet....maybe once apple finds a way to charge us .99 cents for each new volume bar they'll do it.
Hello!
Does anyone realize that supposed iPhone is sitting on a table and TomTom is indicating driving?
OK, still, TomTom makes a fine product, but the Honda and Infiniti in-car navigation ain't too shabby.
My friend knows some iPhone developers. According to him GPS is definitely in the next iPhone, though I'm not sure which company they're working with.
I sure hope they find a way to allow me to charge the iPhone while using that GPS Module. Otherwise we will all get to our destinations, but will not be able to use our phone once we get there.
It's a retouched photo. Pixelated image and image kernel dimensions are incorrect, sides of image are not parallel to phone sides (skewed), upper left rounded corner, overall image does not correspond to iPhone image area (but close).
Might be legit, they got some big offices in Amsterdam and that maps heading for Rotterdam down the road. Although could just have been made by some TomTom engineering folks for a laugh.
I think this is a fake photo, since TomTom produce widescreen form factor devices (although the smartphone ones are in portrait mode), you'd think they'd utilise the widescreen aspect ratio of a rotated iPhone.
Adding to this rumor: TomTom is going to (or already) did acuire another Dutch company called TeleAtlas, which currently supplies a great lot of satelity images used on Google Maps.. makes this rumor a little more plausible..
But I do hope that the next iPhone has this hardware build-in! I hate add-ons!
Hopefully as part of the iphone SDK, apple will have a bluetooth serial port API so that we could use a BT GPS with this. Also since all iphones have data plans i think it makes sense to go with an online nav solution like telenav, wayfinder vs an offline solution like tomtom which would take up valuable space on my 8GB iphone (tt typically takes 1-2GB).
the bluetooth chip in the iphone is also available with built in/on GPS capability... why hasn't apple put that chip into the iphone, making it unnecessary to attach an external unit via bluetooth or dock connector...
for my part i'm waiting for an iphone version that allows me to use my tomtom bluetooth GPS or includes a GPS internally... to have to attach a GPS physically to the dock connector is not a good option!!!
great idea, that way, ipod touch's could get gps as well!
I think it wouldn't hurt your stocks when you can deliver a fully functional software product ready to go with a GPS enabled iphone. Either Customers could go buy into your software or Apple might buy it from you.
It's a nice piece of software already.
FAKE. the photo is taken on a Desk. But gps shows a highway???. I do often drive with my desk on highways with 14.2kmh =)
[Sebastian] I was just going to say that myself... I can't believe that no-one pointed that out until today! I don't know many desks that travel more than 0km when in situ, but I'd love to see that desk in action. ;-)
Definitely a FAKE! The feature would be nice though, but like previously mentioned, use the Widescreen aspect.
Another reply from Holland:
Three years ago I bought a TomTom navigator working on Palm Tungsten + Bluetooth GPS module. The photo suggests the exact same functionality. TomTom is making software for 3rd party hardware for ages. When they can do it for Palm, why not for iPhone. In fact, when the SDK is out, it's so obvious...
I live in Canada, and while I'm not sure if I would buy the iphone I have to ask where to hell is it? This gps might just be the tipping point for me in which i might buy it. Its all over europe and the USA and people can get them in china no problem. I know I can fetch one on ebay and get it unlocked, but is it so hard for apple to score a deal with fido, rogers or telus? we have 3 GSM carriers all with decent coverage. WHERE IS OUR IPHONE!!!???
Since it already has GPS chip inside, why not uncripple the existing device to GPS software?
Apple, why must you make us cry?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15103971@N00/2108660559/
Haha
I wonder what the odds of it working with the iPod Touch are?
本来就该有的.™
You will note that the interface you see on this picture is Nav 5, not Nav 6.
I call hoax (for now)
This is either fake or unfair. It means tomtom has been given a heads up on the SDK whilst other companies can only start their iphone app development when the SDK is released.