Google adds free turn-by-turn navigation, car dock UI to Android 2.0 (video)

Those nat service providers' fears were actually quite justified. Google today unveiled Maps Navigation (beta, of course), an extremely upgraded version of its current Maps software that'll be free and, from what we understand, available by default on all Android 2.0 devices. All the usual Maps features are present, including the ability to search by name of business and have it suggest the closest matches, both semantically and geographically, and traffic data. We're also now looking at turn-by-turn navigation, female robotic voice and all, and integration with satellite and street view, the latter of which will be able to show you what lane you need to be in when exiting the highway, for example. Instead of just searching nearby, it'll also now search along the route for when you're looking for upcoming gas stations or fast food joints that won't take you too far off your beaten path. Select addresses can be added to the Android home screen as their own icons, and given the limits of living in the cloud, trips and their respective visual feeds will be cached just in case you hit dead spots along the way. Still no multitouch, but as VP of Engineering Vic Gundotra noted at a press conference, there's nothing stopping a company like HTC from adding that feature à la Sense UI.

In addition to demonstrating the basic navigational functions, Gundotra also showcased a new user interface that appears when the device hooked up into a car dock, one that is intended for use "at an arm's length away." Essentially, it means much larger iconography and a convenient "voice search" option front and center. We later got confirmation from a Google product manager that car dock detection was definitively a hardware-based feature, which we take to mean Android devices currently on the market won't necessarily have the same convenience. If Android 2.0 takes off how Google (and Verizon!) hope it does, companies like TomTom and Garmin are going to seriously need to worry about their bottom line. Watch Gundotra demonstrate the app after the break.

Update: Navigation for the iPhone? Gundotra said the ball's in Apple's court, so no telling if / when that'll happen. Remember how well Latitude integrated?

Google Maps Navigation beta press shots

Google Maps Navigation beta / car dock presentation

See more video at our hub!

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 28th 2009 4:15PM]

Don't forget Google isn't making any money on this. They only make money from advertising so they might want it on the iphone so they have more users and therefore more advertising revenue.

[jackchance Posted Oct 28th 2009 4:14PM]

this is the first thing that makes me even consider getting rid of my iphone.

[FriarNurgle Posted Oct 28th 2009 4:24PM]

Can't wait for the free Google Healthcare app.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 3rd 2009 12:55AM]

You guys are right about Google offering apps to all platforms... but that was before Google Voice... Why would Google waste their employees time developing for a platform who won't accept their applications.. Unless Apple can guarantee that it will make the app store before they start building for it.. Google is better off developing for WinMo .. lol

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 28th 2009 6:52PM]

To all you people who think Google wants to shut down the iPhone and all become Android users; nonsense! Google is about search and ads. Everything...EVERYTHING they do is to get people to respond to ads. Search hits are key too. Google knows how many people use the iPhone and search Google via mobile Safari; they want that to continue.

[Nimer55 Posted Oct 28th 2009 5:55PM]

i'd wait for next year...


tegra is going to be 4 times faster. So are the other companies..

Phones will be going dual, and possibly quad core next year... Arm is afraid of intel getting into phones so they stepping their game up like no other... I got my pre in august (when it came out on bell, but that's cause i didn't have a phone.)

if you don't have a phone, or want a smart phone, then upgrade... If you already have the g1, or first gen iphone, i would wait....



That's why the pre is slightly slugish. Web-os was designed for the hardware coming out next year, and the year after... They have alot of features planned.... I might leave them though... Android is looking better daily. And i really like side way flips... Atleast i think, i've never had one... (pre was my frist smart phone.)

[Veraxus Posted Oct 28th 2009 5:48PM]

THANK YOU GOOGLE! I love that Google is single-handedly saving capitalism by forcing greedy bastards like TomTom and Garmin to rethink their economic strategies. When the only difference between a $100 GPS and a $500GPS is a few bits of data disabling features in the cheaper unit... then there's a problem.

I can't wait until Google gets into the healthcare business.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 28th 2009 7:26PM]

Although the app is free, do we have to pay for a data plan?

[emaildejan Posted Oct 28th 2009 10:00PM]

Google should adopt a new slogan for its Android users...here's my 2 suggestions:

"Google...It's good to be evil"

or

"Android...we're better than good, we're evil"

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 28th 2009 10:09PM]

You pay a price of using Google maps on your phone. Ads & commericals baby!!

And in turn you also less responsiveness because it is tied to the cloud and not local.

And you can't look at a map outside the cloud.

Who knows about battery life either. Is is crappier than a local app would be?

Also this is a marketing video. Since when is voice command technology going to work even close to as good in the video? Yeah good luck getting it to recognize the Bohemian restaurant like the guy was able to in the video - like that wasn't staged x2. How come this voice tech isn't on Google Maps on my computer if it works so well?

And the tiny street view navigation crap is pure nerdness. Something you only show off to your geek friends.

Don't believe the hype.

[Jamboy5590 Posted Oct 28th 2009 11:39PM]

Apple just **** their pants

[scottkrk Posted Oct 29th 2009 12:10AM]

WTF is it with all the iPhone haters.

"Other platform support will be announced "by carriers and phone makers" when they're ready, but Google implied they are working closely with Apple now on it."

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5391408/google-maps-navigation-a-free-ass+kicking-turn+by+turn-mobile-app

So fanboys calm down a little business 101:

1) Google makes $ from selling advertising (repeat this point a number of times)
2) Google need to make sure no one OS dominates the mobile space and could then lock them out of the platform
3) It is in Googles interest to see multiple mobile OS platforms Symbian/iPhone/Palm/Android.
4) It would be natural to beta test/release applications on Android first
a) Because they control the platform
b) They want to give their platform 'a leg up'
5) Read point 1 again.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 29th 2009 1:13AM]

Google is just getting better...I compare them to Apple on the level of...."if something is put out by Google, I am almost certainly interested in trying it." They have a huge buy-in with how they create there applications and how they cover such a broad range of needs. I heart Google lol. This navigation app has everything you would want from what I'm seeing

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 29th 2009 3:05AM]

There have been some rumors floating around that Google is going to release this for the iPhone. While that may be true down the road, they have not even started on the iPhone version and are likely in no hurry to do so... so this will remain a Droid/Android specific app at least for the short term (4 months+)

http://www.droidforums.net

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 29th 2009 8:23AM]

This won't work. Google's getting bad data from its providers. Many rural and near rural communities have screwed up maps. In fact, if you went by Google Maps, I live on the other side of town!
http://blog.itechtalk.com/2009/pro-acai-max-review

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 29th 2009 9:12AM]

you verizon fanboys are forgetting one thing...if your loading a webpage and someone sends you a text...that page stops loading, no simultaneous voice/data; which is the main reason i left verizon, it gets old quick.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 29th 2009 10:47AM]

TomTom and Navteq still have the maps!

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 29th 2009 12:43PM]

I checked an application done by Ceiborg that once you are offline it goes to a set of backup maps and all keeps working. Ceiborg did it for Android and it is great. As technology evolves, I do not see the use of a dedicated GPS unit, unless it is already in your car.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 29th 2009 2:59PM]

There are already applications that have that. I checked one done by Ceiborg. If you are offline it goes to a set of backup maps and all keeps working. But the major difference is in the approach. You have your phone always with you and its GPS works anywhere because it does not get the location from satellites only. Why will you need another piece of equipment if your phone already has the capability to locate your position?

[BigSarge Posted Oct 31st 2009 5:10PM]

I can't believe no one here has mentioned the MotionX GPS Drive App for the iPhone. It's 3.99, and is a heckuva good GPS system for near dirt cheap. I think it has a lot more features than what Google is offering, and it doesn't break the bank either. Hopefully they will release this for you Droid users.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 17th 2009 12:10PM]

I used MotionX and it is a one of the best programs I saw, but in the long term Google applications and Android platform will offer more capabilties. I received a few of them for testing and they are much better than those I have in my iPhone: Google Maps Navigation while connected to the Internet, Ceiborg Tours using Google Maps while connected to the Internet and prerecorded maps in places where you cannot get any connection to the Internet, cab4me using Google Maps which is wonderful and many others.

[thomasseifu Posted Dec 2nd 2009 10:32PM]

I think this is awesome but the consumption of Data is far too much while navigating!! but still Google is so innovative we need more companies like Google!!

[Jawali Posted Jan 18th 2010 4:20PM]

Will this app ever come to the iPhone?