True, it's not the first app offering turn-by-turn driving instructions for the iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS -- but it is from TomTom, an industry heavy-weight that is finally delivering on years of
rumor and
speculation. After starting with New Zealand a few hours ago, the iTunes App Store is now populated with region specific TomTom apps for NZ ($95), Australia ($80), US and Canada ($100), and Western Europe ($140). If that sounds expensive... it is; dedicated TomTom navigators start at $120. In other words, this isn't one of those knee-jerk 99 cent App Store purchases. Naturally, that price does not include the announced
TomTom iPhone car kit (rumored to cost
£113.85 (about $194) with bundled mapping software) that mounts and charges your iPhone 3G or 3GS while enhancing its GPS performance, speaker, and microphone. Our advice: wait for the reviews before dedicating your non multi-tasking iPhone to the dashboard for navigation duties.
Update:
Recombu took the software for a spin and seem duly impressed by their ability to navigate streets with an iPhone
taped to the dash (not a joke). They say that when a call comes in, the TomTom app "turns off but restarts as soon as you finish the call." Lame. See the video overview after the break.
Update 2: TomTom says the upcoming
car kit dock / windshield mount will also
work with the iPod touch and third-party apps -- it contains a faster, more accurate GPS chip than the one in the iPhone. Check a video of it after the break.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Read [Warning: iTunes link]
posted Aug 17th 2009 11:17AM
$99 seems steep since we already own the hardware. Does it have TTS?
Dont forget that AT&T charge you $9.95 a month for the privilege of using navigation software. I still use my standalone GPS from 3 years ago. 3 years at $9.95 equals $358.20
Im not saying TomTom couldnt of lowered the price, they could have, but you cant expect them to sabotage their main product line, standalone GPS's.
I use Sygic on my Iphone but will look into TomToms offering. Competition is always good.
Adderz, isn't the 9.95 fee for using the AT&T navigation? I think that's a free app, but you need to pay the monthly. if anyone is interested in getting a nav app, I really the MobileNavigation app from Navigon. It's $70 and works REALL REALLY well. I just used it all weekend long.
And so bigins another edition of KIRF. just hope its made by newman ;-)
I didnt reply to this post Engadget >:-(
@Adderz >> "but you cant expect them to sabotage their main product line, standalone GPS's."
The number of non-iPhone users vastly outnumber those with iPhones.
This is a neat product, for a very popular phone... but considering how many iPhones there actually are in the market... this shouldn't cut into their normal GPS units.
This might cut into the sales of their standalone GPS units when:
1) the person has an iPhone
2) they don't already have a GPS unit
3) they would even want to turn their phone into a GPS unit... some people still like to have a separate device... to loan to a spouse, a friend, etc
But, if the person still buys the iPhone TomTom software... TomTom still makes a sale!
@Adderz
AT&T only charges if you want to use their GPS software, which i believe is tele nav (anyone confirm?). You are free to use the GPS hardware with whatever software is out for the OS of your devise without a monthly charge. Ive had GPS on my last 3 phones and have never paid a charge to unlock it monthly or otherwise. So stop spreading FUD about AT&T when you dont know what youre talking about.
And now that i sound like an AT&T fanboi verizon does have an overall better network in the US, but not in my area.
"Im not saying TomTom couldnt of lowered the price"
COULDN'T OF? WTF is that supposed to mean?
Would you say that the iPhone GPS has always been, and will continue to be, in a world of hurt?
I have had TomTom 7 on my HTC Touch Diamond for a while now and have never been charged a monthly fee, sure the maps are expensive (painfully so), but that has been the only cost and that was a one off (thank god!). I suspect that it will be the same for this app, unless you subscribe to the live traffic updates and other services that TomTom offer.
Look on the bright side, for $99 you get the TomTom Maps and it includes the iphone holder which was used on the guy's dashboard for free!...
@op
This IS TomTom you're talking about. They're the Monster Cable of GPS devices.
I'm doing some work with TomTom - at the moment of launch, the TomTom iPhone app will not be compatible with text-to-speech. We're going to continue innovating the app, and we'll announce any new features and services by press release.
price = huge fail
I bought the Co Pilot Live app last week for about £26 and it works beautifully on my 3GS. Especially as it's jailbroken with Backgrounder installed.
its not that bad when you have jailbreaked.
if you have to ask about price, you cant afford it!
He compares it to a TomTom Go 520 which is $60 (http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=208261614&listingid=24036440). That Iphone app is a steal.
"unless you have a really long conversation and get lost." lol
What if you want to text while driving?
Sprint Navigation came free on my Palm Pre.
Anyone here ever heard of a Google Map for the iphone? I've been using it to find my direction and never encounter a problem (travel from Texas to California to Vegas). Plus, you can view realtime via satellite view which no GPS offers. It's free so it's a winner in my book.
PhotoFre@k Ugh. Google Maps does not do TURN BY TURN VOICE DIRECTIONS which for a CAR NAVIGATION app is absolutely 100% essential for safe driving.
@chrise524 "What if you want to text while driving?"
What if you want to kill yourself? While you're at it go grab yourself a double shot of 60% alcohol whisky before you set off.
so how long till' someone hacks the source code a "YomYom" app for $1.99 releases to Cydia?
excuse the grammar, i'm drunk
...or even better a MotMot?
More like until someone cracks it and puts it up on xsellize, which will probably be this week ;)
it will be on appulo.us tomorrow guaranteed
More like NomNom!
@ mithinco
You killed the joke. Ship it!
I stand corrected, its already craked, and uplaoded ;) That was a quick one....
Nom Nom...you sir should get a prize for that...killer!
Only if it has a Pac Man avatar and pellets on the roadways to eat.
they already did u can download any app for free
what do nerds do when they're drunk? get laid? nope, they read engadget, damnit!
Thanks, that was the funniest statement of the day.
99 cent sounds about right for this
For that price I'd rather have a dedicated GPS
No kidding.
yeah standalone el-cheapo GPS for $99 is much better, you have to charge it every 4 hours with special cable, hide it every time you park and let some asshole take it when you forget to hide it ....
traffic cable alone costs more than $50 for Garmin
I think its a good thing in this case that the iphone can't multitask...
As an iPhone owner. No, this is actually one of the reasons why it needs to offer multitasking for 3rd party apps, even if it is just one, whatever, something.
So you are navigating away and a call comes in and you lose the map, have to reopen the app when you are done, wait for it to reconfigure and hope it has state saving otherwise its back to typing in where you were going.
This, radio style and geo-caching apps are 3 excellent examples where no multitasking is tedious.
Any iPhone owner who says otherwise is either a Troll or really hasn't thought through the situation.
Most other GPS units actually can take phone calls and such things while handling your navigation. This means that your $400 iphone+kit doesn't even have the same capabilities as a $99 bluetooth GPS unit from Wally World.
I was just refering to people thinking THEY can multitask by texting and driving at the same time.
iPhone has been multitasking since day one. With 3.0, selective 3rd party app can continue to run even when phone is put to sleep! I know for fact because I own one of the apps that does just that!
I'm glad it can't multitask. I don't want someone trying to follow their GPS and talk on the phone and drive all at the same time. That is an accident waiting to happen.
I've bought the software. When it is running/navigating and you receive a call the voice commands continue to tell you which way to go. When you have finished the call it takes you back to the map view and continues the navigation - what more do you want?
@Perry: quit trolling. Running while in sleep mode is not multitasking.
"So you are navigating away and a call comes in and you lose the map, have to reopen the app when you are done, wait for it to reconfigure and hope it has state saving otherwise its back to typing in where you were going."
If you take a call while the TomTom app is running, navigation will pick up right where it left off and automatically continue when your call is finished. However, if you want to make a call, you will have to exit the application and restart navigation.
Does iPhone OS not have a phone API? I'd like to think that if I wait there will be a v2.0 with built-in phone and audio controls...
I give it a week before I can dl it for Free. Jailbreak ftw.
You can find it now.
This is the exact reason Apple doesn't want JB to be ligitmised. JB and use original softeware is one thing, JB and use pirated software is another. You're ruining the playground for people.
but Jailbreaking is legitimized. They just don't want Title 17 Chapter 12 of the US code (the copyright section) to be modified to specifically say "jailbreaking is legal" because everyone that thinks things are legal/illegal solely by what they hear people say would then jump on jailbreaking and feel okay about it.
an excerpt from Title 17 chapter 12 section f:
"a person who has lawfully obtained the right to use a copy of a computer program may circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a particular portion of that program for the sole purpose of identifying and analyzing those elements of the program that are necessary to achieve interoperability of an independently created computer program with other programs"
the only thing you are "breaking" is Apple's EULA, which is only valid if you bought the phone from AT&T, in the United States. If you use the iphone on Tmobile, ignore the EULA. If you bought your Iphone from Ebay, ignore the EULA, if you bought your phone in Europe, ignore the EULA.
"he only thing you are "breaking" is Apple's EULA" Except in the case of Appulo.us which i highly doubt ANYONE who installs programs from that site on their phone end up buying them. So you are BREAKING the law via copyright infringement.
Who coined the term 'jailbreak' btw? The coolest word when used legally!
Jailbreaking has nothing to do with piracy. Sorry buddy, all you did was tell us what you would do.
Been waiting forever for this app! I'm going on a trip to CA in a few days, so this couldn't have come out at a better time for me. I hope they do something for people who want to "upgrade" to the gps accessory whenever that comes out.
The price seems reasonable. That's what Garmin charges for Turn-by-Turn on other smartphones.
What, did everyone all of a sudden get cheap?
The people who is complaining about the price is most likely to be someone who is 1) a student and/or 2) someone who never programmed for a living and don't understand what a major effort it is to build a good product. It's depressing.
Sure why not buy tomtom for iphone for $100, or go buy a whole Tomtom unit for the car, for the same price
Exactly. The pricing sucks.
And with a separate unit, it won't interrupt the navigation software when you get a call.
do you actually own GPS?
standalone GPS is great unless some asshole takes GPS unit from your car when you leave it there, separate GPS unit is another bulky thing in your pocket you always forget at home when you really need it, another device with special charger, another thing you forget to charge if you take it for a hike .... if I would not have GPS already, I would get this for sure.
also don't forget that normal GPS uses only satellites for GPS navigation, iPhone uses satellites+wifi routers and thus better locations in the city with tall buildings
JimboJones,
Stick it in the glove box when you're not in the car. Plug it in with the car adapter when you are. Problem solved.
Khav, mine got stolen from glove box, I had nothing in the car what was showing any sign of GPS being inside, yet they stole it. If I would have GPS app on iPhone, I would keep it in my pocket all the time.
I really think that if the GPS on iPhone works as good as standalone unit, then there is almost no reason to get standalone GPS unless you are cab driver and needs it 24/7
@ Jimbo "Khav, mine got stolen from glove box, I had nothing in the car what was showing any sign of GPS being inside, yet they stole it."
Wow, Springfield has gotten a lot rougher than I thought. My guess is it was Kearney, although that Nelson is never trustworthy. Maybe you should hang around with a better class of character.
it doesnt require a data plan, does it?
No. Map is preloaded just like a dedicated GPS device.
Seems like this is kinda the same thing with the garmin for the blackberries. It's a gps that utilizes your data plan to get turn by turn directions. The maps are stored on garmins servers. This seems like the same thing. The problem w/ this is that many have jailbroken iphones that doesn't have a data plan, they mainly use wireless. The price is kind of a big fail too. You can get a real gps unit for your car that's widescreen with tts for garmin and tomtom's for about 140.
At 1.21 gb, it better not be pulling the map data off the servers. Plus considering AT&T's amazing coverage, I wouldn't trust a gps that required a data connection on my iPhone as far as I can throw an elephant.
I didn't know the size was 1.21 GBs. Are you sure that the size of the file? If that's the case, then the maps are probably included with the program and it wouldn't need a data plan which is great. The downside of this would be that the maps would get outdated and you're probably gonna have to shell out 60 dollars a year for the newest map update. It's cheaper just to get a stand-alone gps and add the newest maps from the underground scene.
Check the iTunes Page: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=326075661&mt=8
I'm on my Ubuntu OS and don't have itunes installed to go to the appstore. I hate ITUNES, but will use it reluctantly for my iphone. It's not worth it to reboot and use ITUNES and see more information on this. I'll take your word for it that it's 1.21 gb.
The TomTom iphone app download was approx 157. Indicating the maps are downloaded to the phone. So minimal data would be used through the app by the looks of it.
thats 157 MB sorry
You are wrong! These comes with preloaded map. That's why they have different apps for different countries!
Nope. Map is included just like a dedicated GPS so it can run without cellular network.
The size of the map varies depending on the app that you download. The US & Canada map is 1.2 GB, but the memory requirement for the install is 2.41 G.
Big fat bag of satellite GPS assisted price fail
Are people really still going on about multitasking?
I had a WinMo phone for the past year. It was a middle tier phone that cost me over $1000 unlocked 12 months ago. It could barely run the OS let alone multi task well.
Ask yourself how well you can multitask on a 3" screen anyway.
There is no point introducing multi tasking until they work out a way to do it well. WinMo has all the features in the world but doesnt do any of them well, its the jack of all trades.
lol the funny thing is my verizon razr can GPS navigate and at the same time i can text and make/receive cell phone calls without closing the program.
Glad to have you back Thomas, engadget ain't the same without you. As for this, that price is just stupid unless it's a magical experience of course
The biggest question: will I be able to have Homer Simpson give me directions like on a standalone TomTom?
As dumb as that sounds that is what I am wondering too.
Ok I just got a reply from TomTom and they say that the app currently does not have access to additional voices.
I am hoping that's a future update but not counting on it.
You do get an iPhone with purchase right? Next turn, Left Fail Street.
I do think it is better than the AT&T app since it doesn't have a monthly charge, and I'm sure plenty of people are using that. Depending on how good the app is, I would say the price isn't too terrible.
On another not, if it really does just download all of the maps off of Tom Tom's servers, it won't work too well what with spotty AT&T service and all. I lose service on Verizon all of the time where I live and I've heard AT&T is much worse.
*note
this is the type the make people want to Jailbreak their phones. Though i live in a somewhat good Att coverage area. My maps app sometimes just does not want to load. Specially when i am driving at around 70 mph. I have to slow down and wait for it to load. Besides, like many have been saying, Ill rather get a dedicated Tom tom for the car that you know is always connected to 6 or more satellite at a time and not running off your data plan sucky service
So... with the hardware mount and app you'd be dishing out close to $300???? For a turn-by-turn from the navigation device company that built its reputation on being the cheapest out there?
I'm sooooo confused.
Did you even read the article? The kit includes the software.
Typical Apple price gouging.
This is TomTom's price, not Apple.
Whatever helps you sleep at night.
whatever helps you troll better
here's a thought:
GPS on hardware with a removable battery, so you can actually run it without the battery going flat well before time, and you can own and use it comfortably for years without disposing of the hardware and/or paying outrageous sums for return-to-base battery replacement surgery.
http://www.apple.com/support/iphone/service/battery/
http://au.support.tomtom.com/cgi-bin/tomtom_au.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=8879&p_created=1199797047&p_sid=MWOERAFj&prod_lvl1=&prod_lvl2=&cat_lvl1=&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9Niw2JnBfcHJvZHM9JnBfY2F0cz0mcF9wdj0mcF9jdj0mcF9wYWdlPTEmcF9zZWFyY2hfdGV4dD1iYXR0ZXJ5&p_li=&p_topview=1
The battery rip-off continues. Maps? Maps I can understand being somewhat expensive. Non-removable batteries? Man, that just makes no sense.
Doesn't the as yet non-existent and unpriced Tom Tom accessory provide in car charging?
@Cy Starkman
Yes. Apparently it also contains an FM transmitter for playing your music through your car radio, although this probably isn't an attractive option if your car comes with an iPod dock already (mine doesn't and I'm already using an FM transmitter).
I'm running Tom Tom on my Touch right now. Works great without any problems or delays. I didn't pay $100 for it though. At that price I would just stick with my dedicated Garmin that I paid $130 for.
WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!????!!!!
If TomTom is not apt to heed the MO of the iPhone buy general population, then by all means, they may offer apps at $100, but it appears to be a great oversight to ignore the fact that the iPhone using population truly took off after the AT&T subsidy made the product more affordable. For the price that this App is being offered, a user could purchase a GPS device and not fill their phone's limited data reservoir with 1.2 GB of data. I understand that development costs need to be reimbursed and that TomTom is not necessarily trying to do anyone favors, however, the presumption that the app is worth $100 is inane when it does not come with a hardware bundle. I hope that this strategy will be rethought in the near future because it seems as though the lack of practical pricing will fail to serve the needs of the general iPhone community. Also, WTF OMG SO MUCH!