Filed under: Odds and ends, iPhone, App Store
Uh oh! Google releasing free turn by turn GPS app for Android
Just when you thought it was safe to buy a nav app for the iPhone, Google goes and announces a free app for Android, and says it's going to be available for the iPhone if Apple will let it into the App Store.The app, called Google Maps Navigation, will ship with phones running the Android OS 2.0 and includes search by voice, search for points of interest by voice while in route, satellite and street view, and support for a hardware dock for 'certain devices.'
This won't be great news for TomTom, Navigon, or any of the rest. Google says the app is U.S. only for now, and will be seen first on the Verizon Droid which will appear in November.
Talk about disruption! With the FCC watching it will be most interesting to see if Apple allows the app onto the iPhone and, whether yes or no, the effect on Android sales.
I can't wait for all the fur to fly. You can watch a video of the app in action in this YouTube clip. Admit it. You want this!
Get a WordPress.com Blog
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Patrick Polischuk said 2:09PM on 10-28-2009
I DO WANT THIS for iPhone. And I want a dock. And, get this, I want it now.
Reply
Gillan said 2:10PM on 10-28-2009
The built in Google 'Maps' app works fine on the iPhone, and doesn't tell you to make a U turn in the middle of an interstate, so luckily i wasn't stupid enough to buy something that talks to me and would most likely be wrong, when i can just use Maps :)
Reply
THJ said 5:48PM on 10-28-2009
I agree. Reading a phone screen while driving at 55+ is far safer than spoken directions.
Actionable Mango said 8:32PM on 10-28-2009
I think the dock should link to the car controls and then Google can just steer for me.
Level 5 said 2:10PM on 10-28-2009
Honestly, I was set to buy an iPhone, but this Droid device changed EVERYTHING. I still will have to extensively play with one, but this is the droid I'm looking for.
Reply
Marduk said 3:43PM on 10-28-2009
+1 Star Wars reference
takamaru said 2:10PM on 10-28-2009
Do want.
Reply
Jim D said 2:10PM on 10-28-2009
Must HAVE on the iPhone. If they reject this, I'm going to be quite frustrated...
Reply
emil said 2:11PM on 10-28-2009
Seems to me it was only a matter of time, given how robust the directions on maps.google.com are. I'm suspect this will be included as part of an OS update to the built-in Maps app.
Reply
Timm said 5:12PM on 10-28-2009
I doubt this would ever be included in the built-in Maps app, as it would infuriate a lot of developers out there.
emil said 2:00PM on 10-29-2009
.. and Apple has NEVER infuriated their developers, right?
A. G. said 2:11PM on 10-28-2009
This almost makes me want to reactivate my G1...I'll probably swap out my iPhone's SIM and see how well this works.
Reply
directeco said 5:16PM on 10-28-2009
It's android 2.0 only, which is only going to be available on the droid from
verizon for the time being.
recharged95 said 8:07PM on 10-28-2009
And since HTC just announced that they're getting 2.0 on the HTC Hero--a G1 update will happen (G1 and Hero use the same hardware).
It actually maybe easier to update the G1 since the Hero's Sense UI will be a extra integration task and the G1 is all 'with Google'. Same goes for the myTouch and Cliq... only time with tell. T-Mobile: it would be a NICE XMAS GIFT?!
Ray said 2:17PM on 10-28-2009
Do I want this? Yes. Does it do any good to the marketplace? No.
This may be one of the cases where the needs of the many outweighs the needs of the few, and Google has crossed the line. Garmin, and a lot of other navigation companies, took a serious hit (up to 20%) today. I'm all for progress, but Google has f*ed the market, and it all came down, even them.
Reply
jollyllama said 2:26PM on 10-28-2009
You have a funny perspective on business, technology, and progress. Things change, technology gets better, and not every business model can last forever. You're arguing against this basic truth.
lolism said 2:29PM on 10-28-2009
Whoa! whatever happened to the "free market ideals" that look down upon protectionism? If Google can do it for free, they should be able to figure something for themselves too. It is amazing that people will defend even the most ridiculous forms of contract-protectionism by Apple/AT&T (see google voice for iphone), and also demand that a legitimate app be stopped because it is destroying a market that seems outdated anyways!
Next you will demand that cameraphones be stopped because the market for consumer compact digital cameras is suffering, and internet on iphones be stopped because netbook markets are not operating at full potential because of them.
jal said 9:46PM on 11-03-2009
That's absurd. I hate to see anyone lose money, but the notion that Google shouldn't produce a product that people want in order to protect the profits of a particular software segment is seriously misguided.
Again, it sucks if your market bet went bad, but you shouldn't be investing if you can't take the loss. It also sucks if that's your company, but that's part of capitalism. I seriously doubt folks at Garmin were overly concerned with the fate of folks printing Rand McNally's map books...
camkevbell said 2:29PM on 10-28-2009
Looks very good! I do hope it gets released in the iTunes store.
Reply
Galley said 2:31PM on 10-28-2009
iLounge.com is reporting that Google and Apple are collaborating to bring this to the iPhone.
Reply