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jedijoe

macrumors 6502
Oct 13, 2005
255
3
Boulder, CO
yeahh!!! $10 more per month. awesome. i can't wait to pay another $10 for MMS and another $60-$70 per month for tethering. In the end, I'd like to be paying AT&T around $500 a month for being such a freaking cool company.
 

D-Man18360

macrumors member
Sep 11, 2008
55
13
That's why AT&T's business model for this app is doomed.

I think there is a niche for this, and it's for people who don't own GPS units and instead of buying one for $100 plus, they enable the feature for $10, go to their location and use it (say a weeks vacation in some unknown area), and then cancel their subscription since they don't need it anymore.

Could this be done (go a month when needed), or is there some other language not allowing this?
 

gber

macrumors newbie
Jun 18, 2009
22
0
Here is some info from AT&T web site: FAQ

What is needed to use AT&T Navigator?
An AT&T Navigator approved mobile device, AT&T network coverage, and either a monthly subscription to the service or a day pass. We also recommend a data rate plan for route information as standard data charges apply.

What devices is AT&T Navigator available on?
AT&T Tilt, AT&T Quickfire (CTX75), BlackBerry 8110, BlackBerry 8800, BlackBerry 8820, BlackBerry 8310, BlackBerry BOLD, HTC Fuze™, LG CF360, LG CT810 (Incite), LG Xenon, Motorola Q9 Global, Motorola Z9, Motorola V9x, Nokia 6650, Pantech C610, Pantech C630, Pantech Matrix™ (C740), Pantech Matrix Pro™, Samsung BlackJack II (i617), Samsung Rugby (A837), Samsung a637, Samsung a657, Samsung Epix (i907), Samsung Propel (A767), Samsung Propel Pro (i627), Samsung A777, Samsung Eternity (a867), Samsung Impression (a877), Sony Ericsson w760a

How much does AT&T Navigator cost?
$9.99/month for unlimited access (including a free 30 day free trial) or $2.99 for a day pass. Data charges apply for route information (average route uses 35kb or about 30 routes = 1MB)
Note: Day Pass is not sold at point of sale and is a self provisioned option for customers who have already used a free trial or canceled a monthly subscription.

Where can I use AT&T Navigator?
AT&T Navigator works in the U.S. including Alaska and Hawaii, Puerto Rico, as well as Canada. Note that international data charges apply for usage in Canada.

How do I find AT&T Navigator on my device?
AT&T Navigator is preloaded on some integrated GPS devices such as the Motorola z9. Go to the Main Menu and click the GPS icon to launch AT&T Navigator and sign up for the free 30 day trial. On GPS capable Blackberry and Windows Mobile devices, click “Get Navigator” or “Get TeleNav” and you will be prompted to download the application.

How can the best possible GPS signal be attained?
In order to receive GPS signals, the device should have an unobstructed view of the sky. The GPS signals are not affected by weather and will go through clouds, plastic and glass (with the exception of metal-coated, wire-mesh, and bulletproof glass). But GPS signals do not work indoors; buildings, terrain, heavy foliage, and materials such as metal, concrete, and stone will block GPS signals. In an automobile, it is best to place your receiver on or near the dashboard so that it can receive GPS signals through the glass windshield. Acquire the initial GPS signal while stationary. Be patient, it may take 2-3 minutes to acquire the first GPS signal of the day. Keep the device turned on to optimize subsequent uses of GPS.

How do I enter an address for driving directions?
There are three ways you can enter addresses:

When you select "Drive To" for driving directions, you can either select Type It to type the address using the keypad of your phone, or
"Speak It" to use our Voice Address Entry system.
You can also enter addresses online using your computer by going to http://www.att.com/navigator and clicking the Enter Address Now link.
If I decide to call in my address instead of typing it, will I use my Anytime Minutes?
Yes, any outbound voice calls made while using AT&T Navigator (i.e. calling in an address) will count against a customer's allowance of voice minutes. However, the BlackBerry devices use integrated speech recognition (no outbound call is made) so speaking an address or search does not use voice minutes.

What happens if I miss a turn?
AT&T Navigator will detect where you are while you are driving along the route. If you miss a turn or make a turn where you shouldn't, AT&T Navigator will automatically re-route you.

How can I increase the volume for the spoken directions?
Use the volume keys on your device to increase the volume of the spoken directions

How can I hear the spoken directions again?
Press the green Talk key on your device to hear the spoken directions again.

How can I extend my device battery life?
AT&T Navigator can use a lot of battery power. Make sure you completely exit from AT&T Navigator when you're finished using it. Always select the End option to ensure you've properly ended the application and it has stopped running.

How can AT&T Navigator help me to avoid traffic?
As you drive on your route, AT&T Navigator periodically checks your route for traffic alerts. If there is a slowdown or other traffic alert, it will notify you and give you the option to avoid that portion of the route.

Can I make AT&T Navigator avoid a specific highway without relying on the Traffic portion?
To manually re-route yourself, press Options and select Traffic Summary. Select the road you want to avoid, and press AVOID. You will then be rerouted to avoid that particular road or highway.

How do I use the Map features?
When you select Maps and Traffic, you can select "Current Location" to get a map of where you are, or you can get maps of previous or new places by selecting "Recent Stops," "Favorites", or "Address."

Can my map get traffic as well?
Absolutely. When you are in the Map view, press Options and select "Show Traffic."

A map is nice, but how do I know the address of where I am?
When you are viewing a map, press Options, then select "Cursor Address." This will show the approximate address of your location.

How do I use the Search feature?
The Search allows you to find nearby businesses. You can search by category or by name.

What can I do once I've found a business with the Search feature?
Once you have found a business, you can get driving directions to that business, maps of the area, read reviews and ratings about it, or call the business itself. You can even save the business to your Favorites.

How do I view reviews on those Businesses?
The Search feature also has a rating system. When you search for a type of business, there is a category for "Most Popular," which will show ratings and reviews.

How do I rate Businesses in the Search?
To give a rating or write a review, go to Tools/Extras and select the business from your Recent Stops or Favorites List. Once there, select the option to "View Reviews." From there you can add your own rating.

How do I find nearby gas stations?
The Search function has two different categories to assist you. The "Gas Stations" category will help you find the closest gas station nearby.

How do I find the cheapest gas?
Searching for "Gas By Price" will allow you to find the best deal within a 15 mile radius.

How do I check for traffic?
When you are looking at a map of a location, press Options, and select "Show Traffic."

How do I share addresses with my friends?
When you select an address in your Favorites list, you will see an option to "Share Address." This will send the address to your friend's AT&T Navigator.

How do I view addresses others have shared with me?
Your Favorites list will have a default category of "Received Addresses" where you can view, move, or delete addresses that were sent to you by others.

How many addresses can I have on my phone?
You are not limited in the number of addresses on your phone. However, you can delete unwanted ones, or move them over to your Favorites instead, through the Recent Places menu.

How do I customize AT&T Navigator on my phone?
From the Tools/Extras menu, select Preferences. Here you can change your routing style, your map display, turn traffic alerts on and off, and make other changes to tailor the service to your needs.
 

KindredMAC

macrumors 6502a
Sep 23, 2003
975
218
Just waiting to see what TomTom ends up doing.
Did some research on Garmin and it didn't look good for Garmin to join the iPhone ranks. Every article that Google brought up in regards to Garmin and the iPhone was stating that Garmin was focusing on products that would go head to head with the iPhone in your car.

I signed up on TomTom's website for the iPhone updates. If I like what they have to offer, price point and all, it could be the last nail in the the coffin for my Apple Gift Card getting used to pick up the new 3GS to replace my 2G iPhone!!!!!!
 

aerospace

macrumors 6502a
Jun 26, 2007
661
0
So I can download this app and use it for $29 days for free to test it out?

The price is ok if tomtom charges $100 for thier app. Vacation twice a year, is $20. Most likely I wont have an iphone for 5 years to come out ahead buying a gps app which of course will be way outdated by that time anyway.
 

Stargaze

macrumors member
Aug 26, 2008
88
4
Just waiting to see what TomTom ends up doing.
Did some research on Garmin and it didn't look good for Garmin to join the iPhone ranks. Every article that Google brought up in regards to Garmin and the iPhone was stating that Garmin was focusing on products that would go head to head with the iPhone in your car.

I signed up on TomTom's website for the iPhone updates. If I like what they have to offer, price point and all, it could be the last nail in the the coffin for my Apple Gift Card getting used to pick up the new 3GS to replace my 2G iPhone!!!!!!

I have been signed up to receive email updates from Tom tom since they updated their website after the WWDC and there has not been a single annoucement about anything yet.. just the same ad's and information available from day 1...
 

bigmc6000

macrumors 6502a
May 23, 2006
767
0
first thing i did when i updated to 3.0 "TURN OFF MMS"

Uhh, why? It's included in the text messaging plan and since you can't even get it right now what was the point in going out of your way to turn off a feature you can't even use?

I'm confused...
 

chris03

macrumors member
Jun 20, 2009
40
0
AL
The size of the app on the app store is 2.3 MB...so basically the maps aren't stored on the phone. God, why does AT&T suck so much
 

gber

macrumors newbie
Jun 18, 2009
22
0
This is odd how AT&T circumvented paying Apple 30% by giving the App for free! I thought Apple said at their WWDC, that Free Apps could NOT have a subscription service.
 

chris03

macrumors member
Jun 20, 2009
40
0
AL
This is odd how AT&T circumvented paying Apple 30% by giving the App for free! I thought Apple said at their WWDC, that Free Apps could NOT have a subscription service.

Well, I think they got around it b/c it's not subscription through the app store. So to Apple and the app store it's just a free app, but AT&T just adds $10 a month to the phone that you set this up on. Very sneaky...
 

Excellerator

macrumors 6502a
Aug 3, 2008
530
2
I really haven't used it yet but it looks good. You can try for 30 days for free. I actually like the $9.99 model better because you can check them out. I wouldn't want to pay $100 and find out I didn't like it.
 

thecypher

macrumors regular
Jul 10, 2008
122
0
Your reply makes no sense at all. First you ridicule me for saying they are greedy, then you make your argument by showing their greed. How are they giving their product away exactly? You have to PAY TO USE IT!!!!! Not to mention, you have to pay MORE to use it than other apps that GIVE YOU their maps, and dont stream them. Ya you lost cell coverage.. there goes your navigation!

So lets get this straight. Anybody who doesn't give you their stuff for free is greedy? :D

Nobody is forcing you to buy the service. There are people who do and if they think it is worth $10 a month so be it. They don't have to worry about updating maps every 2 years or not having current POI and the service probably gets decent traffic updates. So you can't really compare the one time cost of buying a unit/software to a recurring service. Both have pros and cons. Just check how much Garmin charges if you want to update your maps on your old GPS. It is a ripoff. You pay almost as much as a brand new GPS.
 

fishkorp

macrumors 68030
Apr 10, 2006
2,536
650
Ellicott City, MD
I really don't get why people are bad-mouthing this so much :confused: Like I said in the other thread, this is perfect for people that only need a GPS navigation system for vacations. Both of my cars have built-in nav, so a Tom Tom app is a huge waste of money for me. When we go on vacation and rent a car I'll get the GPS. Most car rental companies charge $10-15 a day to use the GPS, with discounted weekly rates (about $60 or so). I'm on on vacation 2-4 weeks out of the year I'll only need an app like this for that. I'd much rather have an app on my iPhone than yet another device to carrier around, especially when I get the directions for a month for the price of 1 day. So just because it doesn't fit your particular needs, doesn't mean it's not for everyone.

As for the offline maps, if it's like all the other AT&T Navigator apps, it will load all the map data for your route when you enter it. The only time it will need to fetch new maps on the fly is if you go off course. So enter your destination before you leave, let it fetch all the maps, then you don't have to worry about your data connection.

And as for price, $120/year (if you paid every month) isn't going to cost you that much more than if you get Tom Tom. Sure Tom Tom will have a 1-time price of $100 or so, but you don't get updated maps for free, you'll have to buy new maps each year. At least where I live, even 3-month old maps are very wrong. Land is still being developed like crazy here with new communities and shopping areas going up all over the place. So if you need updated maps, the Tom Tom app is going to cost you another $60-90 a year for updated maps (based on pricing I've seen with other devices, pure guess at this point).

I welcome this model for turn-by-turn and hope other vendors do the same. I'd much rather pay only when I need it.
 

DavidLeblond

macrumors 68020
Jan 6, 2004
2,322
599
Raleigh, NC
I agree I'd rather pay a one time price for an app than to pay for it monthly. Disagree that Tom Tom, Garmin, et al is a one time fee however. Map updates anyone? And don't think for a second that Tom Tom for the iPhone will magically provide you map updates for free either.
 

SpaceKitty

macrumors 68040
Nov 9, 2008
3,204
1
Fort Collins Colorado
Looks like a fairly decent app, too bad it has monthly fee pricing. I'm not a fan of that. I'll be waiting for Garmin's app (unless it turns out to suck and tomtom is way better).

Garmin isn't making an iPhone app since they have their own phone to concentrate on.

I have come to the conclusion that this A&T app really sucks.

There isn't much to it. You can't add POIs in the middle of the route without ending the current one and it's as simple as a GPS can get. I like my Garmin Nuvi 850, it obeys my every command! :)

This AT&T garbage is cancelled. That was fast.
 

Michael CM1

macrumors 603
Feb 4, 2008
5,681
276
I spent $130 on my widescreen Garmin Nuvi GPS system about a month ago. Someone must explain to me the allure of paying a monthly fee for such an app/service, because it's not like you need monthly map updates.
 

SpaceKitty

macrumors 68040
Nov 9, 2008
3,204
1
Fort Collins Colorado
has anyone bought this/given it a try? i start my delivery job today in a newer town i dont know as well, so this would be perfect.

I've tried it for the past five hours. It would be ok for your job I think since it's most likely just around your city. There really isn't much to it, enter an address and it will get you there. You can search for all the usual places like stores gas by prices and even wifi access points. This is perfect for vacations or someone who just needs short term GPS access.


This does not download maps but they are delivered to the phone over the air. I encountered a dead area not far from my house where the map just froze till I got in a better 3G area. Try getting maps in remote areas. :mad:
Many people complain about the Google maps freezing up, this is the same.


It's just lacking most of the things my Garmin GPS has. I cancelled this service after five hours.
 

ScottNWDW

macrumors 65816
Jul 10, 2008
1,231
315
Orlando, Florida
I don't understand what all the gripes are about. You download the app for free and then pay $9.99 a month. With that you get turn by turn dorections and automatically updated maps.

Buy a GPS unit or the app that has a one time fee and your maps become outdated. Then you have to purchase new maps every quarter or so to stay current.

AT&T Free App, 9.99 a month = about $120 a year
GPS Unit $100-300 for initial device then about $75-100 a year for updated maps

In addition to that, this is an average price for GPS service on cell phones. I had a Blackjack 2 from AT&T before last July when I bought the iPhone 3G, the same GPS service back then was $9.99 a month. I was interested in it then but opted for a tom Tom GPS device. That device cost me $199 and then 6 months later Tom Tom said they updated the maps and the update would cost me $74.99. This year they came out with an annual subscription to update maps for $40 a year, but you have t have the most recent map to start the subscription, so they get you there too.

I don't get why everyone with an iPhone seems to think that every app or service needs to be free.

If you don''t like the app or the pricing don't use it. You have the FREEdom of choice, the choice to buy or not to buy.
 

SpaceKitty

macrumors 68040
Nov 9, 2008
3,204
1
Fort Collins Colorado
I don't understand what all the gripes are about. You download the app for free and then pay $9.99 a month. With that you get turn by turn dorections and automatically updated maps.

Buy a GPS unit or the app that has a one time fee and your maps become outdated. Then you have to purchase new maps every quarter or so to stay current.

AT&T Free App, 9.99 a month = about $120 a year
GPS Unit $100-300 for initial device then about $75-100 a year for updated maps

In addition to that, this is an average price for GPS service on cell phones. I had a Blackjack 2 from AT&T before last July when I bought the iPhone 3G, the same GPS service back then was $9.99 a month. I was interested in it then but opted for a tom Tom GPS device. That device cost me $199 and then 6 months later Tom Tom said they updated the maps and the update would cost me $74.99. This year they came out with an annual subscription to update maps for $40 a year, but you have t have the most recent map to start the subscription, so they get you there too.

I don't get why everyone with an iPhone seems to think that every app or service needs to be free.

If you don''t like the app or the pricing don't use it. You have the FREEdom of choice, the choice to buy or not to buy.

I stated all the negatives above. This app is only as good as the 3G service in your area. On edge, this app is worthless and will not work. You get a blank screen with the dot in the middle. That is the problem.
 

thecypher

macrumors regular
Jul 10, 2008
122
0
yeahh!!! $10 more per month. awesome. i can't wait to pay another $10 for MMS and another $60-$70 per month for tethering. In the end, I'd like to be paying AT&T around $500 a month for being such a freaking cool company.

Wouldn't it be nice if we didnt have to pay for anything in this world? :cool: Perhaps you should switch to Verizon. They give away everything for free!!

Unfortunately every company is there to make money. Every cellular carrier has these services (SMS, MMS, GPS) and they all charge for it. AT&T is no exception. Bandwidth is not free. SMS has a very small footprint. Only 160 bytes or whatever. MMS can really hog a lot of bandwidth especially when you are on an unlimited data plan.
 

Blue Fox

macrumors 6502a
Apr 13, 2009
514
71
Wow, this has got to be the whiniest thread I've seen on this site so far.

AT&T is OFFERING this to you as an option for people who want it. It's not like they just added it to everyone's bill and said "Gotcha!". They're offering it as a service. Don't want it, DON'T GET IT!

I mean, COME ON....no one can ever make you people happy unless they give it to you for free, but even then, I wouldn't be surprised if you STILL find a way to b***h and complain about it.
 
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