Garmin releases StreetPilot onDemand iPhone app starting at $0.99
Garmin has added some new concepts to the standard navigation apps already present on the iPhone. StreetPilot onDemand is designed for the urban user, with provided routing that includes public transportation and wraps bus and train schedules into the usual GPS features.
"Our new StreetPilot onDemand app is the perfect solution for anyone who occasionally needs navigation but still is looking for a premium experience and precise directions. There is nothing comparable in the App Store today," said Dan Bartel, Garmin's vice president of worldwide sales. "By including multimodal pedestrian routing, our new app is especially helpful for users in urban areas. The app seamlessly provides directions in the car and integrates public transportation when getting directions by foot."
If you are driving, there are a host of features that Garmin has added that will be familiar to users of Garmin's standalone navigation devices. Such features include spoken turn-by-turn directions, photorealistic junction views, and real time traffic information that will provide routing around tie-ups. Garmin also includes Google search for destinations, warnings when your speed is over the limit, and weather conditions at your destination.
Garmin StreetPilot onDemand is available in the App Store for US$0.99 and includes turn-by-turn, voice-prompted navigation and traffic rerouting for 30 days in the United States and Canada. Users can extend this initial period by subscribing on a monthly ($2.99) or annual ($29.99) basis. Garmin is offering a special introductory price of $19.99 for the yearly subscription from August 31 through September 14. Even without a subscription, users can still view maps, look up points of interest and create routes. A subscription is required for turn-by-turn voice guidance with automatic off-route recalculation, real-time traffic information and multimodal pedestrian routing.
The maps are not on-board your phone; that means downloading what you need, which I don't think is the best methodology. Lose your data connection, and you are out of luck. I'm also not wild about the subscription model, but Garmin is offering a lot of features for a low, but continuing price.
I'll be reviewing the app soon, with reactions to how it works compared to other solutions already on the market.
Some screen shots are in the gallery below.
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