I was listening to the mobility today podcast last night, and one of the host mentioned that a TomTom employee that he knows stated that he has had the completed tomtom app on his iphone, and that other employees have it too. The only thing stopping the app is apple. Why WHy
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TomTom employees have the app on their iphones
- Thread starter aok1975
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Because apple doesn't want to be liable for anyone killing themselves using the iPhone as a navigator.
And this would be the same Google that backdoored Apple, with the technology the built into the G1. Funny how that is??
For location awareness and local searches.
When you go from "You are here" (location awareness) to "Listen to me - take this corner" (turn by turn directions), things change a bit. Especially if the phone starts ringing and getting messages.
That being said - I believe Apple will eventually allow turn by turn to appear.
I appreciate that a lot of people seem to hold this point of view, but it's the most rediculous thing I think I've ever heard!
If this were true, and people could really sue Apple because of their own stupidity/poor driving, then why do SatNav units, or GPS phone software exist at all? Surely all of the companies involved would've been sued for past accidents involving their hardware/software?
In fact I've never heard of a case where anyone has successfully sued a satnav manufacturer because they were driving without due care and attention. It makes no sense whatsoever.
Ya ... but that's their business. It's literally 100% of what they do. Of course they assume that liability.
Apple likley will in time, as well. But probably just not yet.
Well, if that's the case, what's the deal with manufacturers like Nokia allowing TomTom on their phones? What's the difference? I've never heard of Nokia being sued either.
apple already has 2 GPS turn by turn apps in there app store. Granted they are 20$ idk who would pay that much when xgps is free. I would like a Tom Tom app. Im waiting for the 3.0 software update! if there are enough new features in it I may never go back to jail break. I dont really use the themes. just SB settings and a few other things. I would really like apple to release 3.0 already!
I was at the Oshkosh Aviation Show and reps there that had Aviation Apps for the iPhone/Touch said they couldn't use existing Bluetooth GPS receiver units for the old iPhone - Apple wouldn't let them.
They had some prototypes of Wifi GPS receiver units so that it would be compatible with the Touch as well - I don't know if they are available yet as they were waiting for Apple's response on those.
They had some prototypes of Wifi GPS receiver units so that it would be compatible with the Touch as well - I don't know if they are available yet as they were waiting for Apple's response on those.
I think the fact we allow stupid people to faile lawsuits due to their own negligence is ridiculous.
Hey - don't get me wrong. I'm all for having this (and any other) app on the App Store.
But Apple likes to take their sweet time with everything. Let the features trickle out over time and all that.
Maybe this is will all become a bit more "official" with 3.0? I'm really just stabbing in the dark here (if that wasn't already obvious).
I was referring to the voice search in Google's iPhone app, which Google has admitted violates the SDK, but has yet to be pulled by Apple (and likely never will be).
Great! So next time I'm in an accident, I can sue TomTom and retire!
I highly doubt GPS makers assume any liability in these regards, and rightly so. If I am wrong, please provide a link to an EULA/terms stating so.
This correct. In addition, cellphone carriers (Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T) all have GPS software on a multitude of different cellphone manufacturers. None of these entities are in the GPS business, but they offer the service/ability. None of them have been sued either for faulty directions. It is very clear that liability is not the reason voice-guided GPS is not on the iPhone. Apple probably has some fee-based service in store for firmware 3.0.
You realise that TomTom will likely be around £80/$110 right? That would be in line with their pricing for other mobile platforms.
I suspect that probably the main issue that's been preventing TomTom, etc, from releasing an app for the iPhone isn't due to limitations with whats allowed in the SDK, hardware problems like the GPS chip not being strong enough, or fear of being sued by idiot drivers who crash. I suspect it's far more likely to do with the 30% Apple will charge for hosting the apps.
TomTom and the other main satnav manufacturers use either TeleAtlas or NavTeq maps, which are very expensive, and account for most of the cost. I think that 30% slice of the pie might not make it that economically appealing to them to release on the iPhone. They may be hoping to do a special deal with Apple to reduce the cost slightly.
This is also the reason why we won't see TBT on Google Maps. They have access to the same maps and can provide them for free so long as they're not real-time navigable.
Yep. Plus I am sure they get around most of the liability the same way my Garmin GPS does, and the same way in-dash GPS does...have a disclaimer before you can enter data that says "I know not to use this while I drive, and if I drive and navigate and crash it's my own damn fault." And in-car gps devices sense when the car is in motion and won't let you type a new address in while driving.
All it takes is a "I know I'm stupid if I watch the GPS and not the road. If I crash because I tried to type an address going 80mph it's my own damn fault." disclaimer button.
If you talking about the G-Map apps, they've been pulled.
Anyways, we can speculate all we want as to the motives, but the simple fact remains that a TomTom app is not allowed because it violates part of the iPhone Developer Program License Agreement, specifically:
