http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/]]>Oct 27th 2009 4:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/
This would be a huge value add and would really be a great differentiator over the iPhone. Maybe this is why Apple bought that map company. They probably know they can't compete otherwise if Google decides not to bring this feature to other phones other than Android phones.

http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2009/10/22/motorola-droid-makes-appearance-on-motorolas-site/]]>Oct 27th 2009 4:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/Oct 27th 2009 5:25PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/Oct 27th 2009 7:25PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/Ads could be just voices and little dots. Remembering how Google placed right ads into right places, their ads would be like, "Second right for a Starbucks Coffee, if you mention this voice ads, we'll give you 20% discount. Otherwise go straight for 2 miles"
Ads price could be also appropriately set depending if you actually visited the place...]]>Oct 27th 2009 10:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/
That would really make me want that new Google phone on top of already how much I want it lol. :)]]>Oct 27th 2009 4:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/Oct 27th 2009 8:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/]]>Oct 27th 2009 4:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/
"Turn left past McDonalds where today it's Big Mac Monday, 2 Big Macs for a Dollar"]]>Oct 27th 2009 4:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/
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Should have patented that! If someone else does it after today, I will support your cause fighting it :)]]>Oct 27th 2009 5:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/Oct 27th 2009 4:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/Oct 27th 2009 4:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/Oct 27th 2009 4:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/Oct 27th 2009 4:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/Oct 27th 2009 5:03PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/
If it did, do you think so many iPhone users would be spending $100 or more on nav apps?]]>Oct 27th 2009 5:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/Oct 27th 2009 8:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/Oct 28th 2009 4:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/
Me: Alright where is my next turn?
GPS: Come on down to your local Toyota dealer to save big this weekend only! Intersection of Maple and Main street!

BUT I'm sure Google will make it reasonable. Ad-block anyone?]]>Oct 27th 2009 4:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/Oct 27th 2009 4:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/Oct 27th 2009 4:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/
Finally, I'm not an economic law historian but I do know anti-competitive laws / moods have changed over the decades. Companies that would be considered monopolies in the past may not be so presently. Right now, it's about not stifling innovation or harming the end consumer. That's google. But I can see the lawyers and spin doctors spinning this aspect differently.

Anyways guess is the next flavor of anti-competitive clause will be targetting companies that echo all the past sentiments of what constitutes a monopoly with something new. And that new thing? My guess is preventing companies from becoming "too big to fail". I think that will be google.

Just wondering...
]]>Oct 27th 2009 5:59PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/Oct 28th 2009 2:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/Oct 27th 2009 4:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/Oct 27th 2009 4:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/Oct 27th 2009 4:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/> "They've obviously found a business model that allows them to provide all these services at no cost to the user without losing money. That's not anti-competitive, that's just intelligent."

So true. Maybe TomTom will realize that people would have been happier using a free ad-supported app than pay a couple hundred dollars for a hardware/software solution.

Although the hardware with the extra GPS module might work better... you can't compete with free in many people's minds...]]>Oct 27th 2009 5:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/
But, how do you know they aren't providing it at a loss. They are taking the revenue from their search engine and subsidizing these other "sub industries" or even buying them outright. They've been doing that all along. MS has done it. Look how long it's taken for youtube to be profitable. I don't know what youtube is currently doing, but in the past it use to bleed them hundreds of millions of dollars.

Finally, I'm not an economic law historian but I do know anti-competitive laws / moods have changed over the decades. Companies that would be considered monopolies in the past may not be so presently. Right now, it's about not stifling innovation or harming the end consumer. That's google. But I can see the lawyers and spin doctors spinning this aspect differently.

Anyways guess is the next flavor of anti-competitive clause will be targetting companies that echo all the past sentiments of what constitutes a monopoly with something new. And that new thing? My guess is preventing companies from becoming "too big to fail". I think that will be google.

Just wondering...]]>Oct 27th 2009 6:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/Oct 27th 2009 8:11PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/google-developing-free-navigation-app/
"In March 2008, YouTube's bandwidth costs were estimated at approximately US$1 million a day."
"In June 2008 a Forbes magazine article projected the 2008 revenue at US$200 million, noting progress in advertising sales."

So that's $365million dollars a year, and $200 dollars in revenue. That would be a net loss, according to wikipedia.

Here's what the chief financial officer had to say about youtube just last summer (2009):

Patrick Pichette said, "in the not long, too-long-distant future, we actually see a very profitable and good business for us,"

So it hasn't even been profitable up to the year 2009. And has been bleeding money ever since.

Anyways, Hurricane, it's no secret in the business world that google get it's main source of revenue from the online ads in it's traditional search engine, most everything else that Google does barely makes them a profit or is subsidized by their original business. In fact, that is one of the biggest complaints investors have about Google, that Google hasn't found a way --yet-- of making profit in other ways. This is the business model that you are talking about. I think it's definitely "spinnable" that Google can be slapped with an anti-competitive suit. Note, I said "spinnable" whether it's "truly" deserving or not, is another matter.
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