No ATT Navigator on iPhone...?

[Scottyfrombi]

I tried to add the AT&T Navigator for $10 per month which has turn by turn verbal and visual instructions for navigation with numerous phones on the At&t phone service. Except iPhone. Am I missing something. If the iPhone has all the pre-requisites for an application like Navigator, why won't At&t allow this service with the iPhone?

I know of Google Maps which is not only worthless, it is dangerous. When I try to follow the directions I must divert my attention from the road to the iPhone and manipulate it or read small print to see where I am and where I need to turn, especially if my route is deviated from the original course.

Is Apple working on something better that I have not heard of? It just doesn't make sense. Of all the phone sets in the entire world, the iPhone should have the best navigation service available but in fact it has essentially the worst.

Must be something I am just missing here. can someone please explain or show me how to get some sort of navigation service that tells me when to turn like Verizon or Sprint has or even At&t which won't let me use it?

Thanks

 

[RamblinWreck]

I remember a news story a while back that said TomTom was working on a navigation app, but I never read any follow up.

I agree that the Google map method is incredibly dangerous while driving. I've simply given up on that route and make sure to bring my GPS with me when I travel now. I'd much prefer to just bring my phone but until there is a better alternative, I have to have both.

 

[Scottyfrombi]

I've been reading about a Tom Tom Navigator for iPhone for almost a year now and nothing has materialized. In the meantime, there are iPhone look a likes for every major cell phone carrier now with turn by turn navigation and even at&t has an add on service for all it's smart phones except iPhone.

Why has there not been a total groundswell movement to get Apple to either allow 3rd party developers to add t by t navigation or done it within Apple for the iPhone? I just don't get it. I guess the only way will be for enough people to switch from iPhone/at&t to other carriers or within at&t to switch to Blackberries or some other navigator friendly device.

I know there are other complaints about iPhone but in my opinion this is the one serious flaw for iPhone that makes it less desirable than many of the newer touch screen devices being introduced by all other carriers now. The only thing keeping me on the iPhone is the way it works with iTunes, but that may lose it's appeal if I can not use the iPhone the way I need it in daily use.

Come on Apple you can fall off that pedestal just as easy as we (your customers) put you on it. Don't mean to be sarcastic, it's my frustration coming through on a $200 device that I pay over $100 a month for and can't get service that comes on almost all other phones and it would cost me a large bit to change service or phones.

 

[jason72780]

I know what you mean. If only there were some way to check on things before you buy them. Possibly with a group of networked computers or something. Then we'd be able to do some real research about what things can and can't do.

 

[kas23]

Welcome to the world of the iPhone. There are many very basic features that a lot of other cellphones (even free ones) have that the iPhone does not. It definitely is a head-scratcher and it is not likely AT&T that are blocking their development. Apple is.

As for the Tom Tom, I'm sure they have already developed a fully functional iPhone app. I wouldn't be surprised if it was sitting in the App store approval process right now. Not to be insensitive enough to compare the App store approval process to human rights violations, but the App Store approval process is sort of like Guantanamo Bay. We don't know what apps are in the process nor do we know what exactly is going on in there. Developers can't raise a fuss about it either because it would be in direct violation of Apple's policies.

For example, look at all the fart apps that are coming out. Who actually know there were over 50 fart apps that have been stagnating in the approval process since the beginning of the App Store? No wonder we don't hear about many app rejections, they just sit in the approval process instead.