TomTom iPhone app officially costs a Benjamin [w/VIDEO]
TomTom iPhone navigation application – Click above for video
With the unveiling of Apple's latest iPhone, the 3GS, the gates were finally thrown open for third-party navigation software companies to develop navigation apps for the world's most popular smart phone. A TomTom app was announced at the same time, but we've been waiting a long time and a number of less well known companies have released navigation apps for the iPhone in the mean time. The wait for TomTom's attempt at navi bliss on the iPhone, however, is over with the introduction of the TomTom U.S. and Canada turn-by-turn navigation program.
The $99.99 app promises all the same nav functionality as a normal single-purpose handheld nav system right on your iPhone. Among its many features are the ability to tap the screen for start points and destinations in either landscape or portrait mode, depending on which way the unit is oriented. The mobile TomTom can also find restaurants and call for reservations, and it features IQRoutes, which calculates the best-possible route based on actual road speed data and accident and construction data. Pretty standard nav stuff, but in this case effectively bundled with a phone and built-in iPod.
TomTom app buyers can also purchase a kit that includes enhanced GPS features and a mount to secure the iPhone to the windshield of a car. The 1.2 gigabyte download is available now on the iPhone app store, though the large file size means you have to download it first to your PC or Mac and then sync it up your iPhone.
Now, $100 is a lot of money for an app when you've already paid $199 to $299 for the iPhone itself. The cheapest dedicated TomTom we could find on Amazon was also $100, so buyers will have to decide if it's better to have two separate devices or an all-in-one option.
If you haven't seen the program in action, there's an official video embedded after the jump.
UPDATE: Click here to view the app in the iTunes App Store.
[Source: Daily Tech]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
bgkeen 2:45PM (8/17/2009)
Garmin > TomTom
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Kumar 3:20PM (8/17/2009)
Does Garmin have an iPhone app? I know they dumped the winmo one like a hot rock. Though Copilot Live just came out for winmo.
Tomtom dumped smartphone winmo GPS for the US market too....
Level 2:45PM (8/17/2009)
I still prefer the app from Navigon that came out earlier in the year...
http://www.navigon.com/site/us/en
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Dan Mosqueda 7:22PM (8/17/2009)
I've been using the Navigon app for about 2 months. I just canceled it today. It simply is not that good. The TomTom app is a bargain as it will pay for itself within 10 months vs shelling out the cash month after month plus the taxes you pay on the service to the Government through AT&T.
A key problem with the AT&T app is that it relies on the internet for mapping. Without an internet connection, you are out of luck. It appears TomTom sells you the entire map so your iPhone should work without an internet connection because it relies on GPS and the 1.2 GB map of the US or whatever map set you purchase.
Another issue with AT&T's app is that it cannot always keep up with your car's speed. I used it for over 10,000 miles of driving in 2 months and often at critical moments in big cities like Houston, Atlanta and Washington DC, it would crap out because it couldn't keep up with it's own "position" and the map. Another example is it can be easily messed up by going through a cloverleaf.
I'm not sure TomTom's will be much better, but at least you're not relying on Edge or 3G to get your map.
Cary 11:16PM (8/17/2009)
World's most popular smartphone? By what measure? Surely not in units sold.
ktsau1 1:50PM (8/18/2009)
Dan, are you sure you're thinking of the correct app? The AT&T Navigator and the Navigon app are 2 completely different things...
The Navigon app is currently on sale for $69.99 through the end of the month. It's a stand alone app that also doesn't require a cell signal in order to work...
The Navigon offers lane assistance and a couple other features that the Tom Tom does not. Graphically it looks a little better as well...
Peter 2:59PM (8/17/2009)
not bad - in Europe they are charging a 100 euros, with the current exchange, it's a bargain stateside
Reply
CollateralDmg 3:11PM (8/17/2009)
So it's $100 for the app, and another $100 for the mount/antenna.
Is it really worth $165 more than something like CoPilot Live?
www.alk.com/copilot/iphone/
Also, anyone have any experience with that app?
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Kumar 3:22PM (8/17/2009)
Looks like neither. No pricing on the bundle that I could find yet. You'd think that would be part of the price, since probably costs $5 for them to produce.
ipodrulz 5:27PM (8/17/2009)
The mount is optional, the app works without it but it's obviously better with it.
m 3:24PM (8/17/2009)
Having it in your pocket all the time whether you think you're going to need it or not (because you virtually always carry your phone) gives it a lot of advantages over a standalone unit. When you get impossibly lost in your friend's car, it might come in pretty handy while your dedicated unit would be sitting in your car on the other side of town.
The best GPS unit in the world is the one that you have with you when you get lost.
That said, I'll have to see some pretty glowing reviews of it before I'm willing to spend 100$. The built in maps application already covers all of the core pieces of this. All this really adds are a few convenience features like spoken commands and automatic reroutes. I still don't see why the maps program couldn't add that functionality. Seems like it'd be really easy to do, but then I guess they wouldn't profit from programs like this.
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ermax18 5:13PM (8/17/2009)
Exactly. Apple collects a %30 Apple tax from TomTom for each sale. If it was built in then they would be able to collect that tax.
Tin 3:25PM (8/18/2009)
Google map license does not allow it to be used for turn-by-turn direction.
DJ 3:25PM (8/17/2009)
Garmin was rumored to be working on an iPhone app before they decided to build their own SATNAVPHONE unit all-in-one device.
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Chibi Chaingun - blackhivemedia.com 3:26PM (8/17/2009)
$100? Count me out.
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Matthew 4:01PM (8/17/2009)
At that price it is not going to happen for me. $100 for the Car mount and app would have been enticing. They can feel free to price themselves right out of the market.
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Fox 4:45PM (8/17/2009)
I agree with this...
$120 was the rumored price for the software + hardware, and that price I would go for it.
Otherwise it is just expensive, especially when we have a good functioning Garmin in our car...
Lindsey 3:44PM (8/17/2009)
Um... $100? To do something a little bit easier than the iPhone already does? Sure you have to tap the little arrows to move the googlemap directions, but it works just fine - for free.
I'll stick with my Garmin for in the car and iPhone w/ free Google maps for when I'm hopelessly lost (and likely without cell signal) somewhere else or in another car. Besides I already spend the $$ for the cool mount and hid all the wires for my Nuvi.
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i64X 6:41PM (8/17/2009)
See... you're obviously missing something here. Granted Google maps does work fine on the device with GPS. I used it just this weekend and it did it's job... until we drove in to an area with no cell signal. At that point Google maps lost connectivity and was 100% unable to download maps. It was then that we were all staring at a grey on grey grid with a blue dot moving across it, which was absolutely worthless to us.
If this app puts the map data on the phone, then it'll work even if there's no data signal (or very low data signal - Gmaps sucks with 1-2 bars), since GPS works regardless of data connectivity. I think it's a much better solution, and as stated above, I always have my phone with me... I hardly ever carry around a standalone GPS unit... so if I'm in a friend's car and we get lost... etc.
Jiminy_Glick 9:08AM (8/18/2009)
A safeguard against cell signal loss with the normal iPhone maps is to always use the directions feature when planning a trip. Even if you lose your cellular connectivity along the way, the blue line and the associated turn information (street names, exit numbers, etc) will still display, along with your current-position blue dot. You won't have the map pictures to actually see the full map, but it's still enough to tell if you've gone off track.
Now, if you're lost and need to START using maps without a cell signal, then you're still quite boned...