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Turn by Turn GPS for iPhone Coming?
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I don't think so
You have GOT to be kidding...right? I mean, you are comparing a digital camera with GPS to an iPhone with GPS?! I think I could believe buying a GPS device (ala TomTom) that might also take a picture, but I cannot imagine buying a Digi Cam that I would expect to give me directions.
No, when the iPhone, the revolutionary Internet in your hands device says they now have GPS, I think that most people's realistic expectations were for it to do turn by turn.
Not really, there are digital camera with GPS that doesn't do turn by turn also.
You have GOT to be kidding...right? I mean, you are comparing a digital camera with GPS to an iPhone with GPS?! I think I could believe buying a GPS device (ala TomTom) that might also take a picture, but I cannot imagine buying a Digi Cam that I would expect to give me directions.
No, when the iPhone, the revolutionary Internet in your hands device says they now have GPS, I think that most people's realistic expectations were for it to do turn by turn.
The 600 miles I've done the past few days disagree with you. The iPhone's GPS didn't put a foot wrong in keeping me on the right bit of Google's purple line.
Yes, that happens to me too. However, don't forget that you're doing GPS and either 3G or EDGE/GSM data at the same time - with the maps pre-loaded I think it'd be fine.
Turn-by-turn GPS is a must for the iPhone, in my opinion. It's one of the few reasons I still don't have an iPhone.
Analog Kid's answer was fine, but I'll make it even simpler.
Turn by turn tells you "In 500 meters, turn right, then bear left" and it shows you a first person view of the street as you are traveling. As opposed to an overhead view and static directions (without recalculating the route from your current position) that Google Maps gives you.
Even standalone units need to pay a monthly subscription fee for live traffic information --- that's the whole point of the "business model" problem with the iphone turn-by-turn. TomTom doesn't know if Apple wants 30% of the monthly subscription fee (on top of the 30% cut of the application software itself).
It has nothing to do with being paranoid. It has everything to do with DUAL licensing.
"Open Source" companies such as Trolltech and MySQL --- have a dual licensing business model. If you want to provide free software --- you can download the source code under GPL. If you want to provide a commercial application, then you have to pay Trolltech and MySQL a licensing fee and obtain the source code under a proprietary license.
Same thing with GPS maps. 2 companies in the world provide maps for the whole world --- TomTom owns one and Nokia owns the other. If you want the maps for non navigation stuff --- they provide maps for a low low price. If you want the maps for navigation purposes --- they provide the maps under a difference license for a very high price.
Google pay the low low price, so they are stuck with a restrictive license that doesn't allow them to provide navigation stuff. The Apple iphone uses the Google maps, so they are also under the restrictive license.
That's the exact point why I haven't bought a license for Wayfinder on my Nokia N810.
OTOH I could live with annual fees if they were less than, say, $30.
I hope Apple and Tom Tom are wiser. I'd love to see Tom Tom software on Apple hardware.
tomtom 7 has been hacked off various roms for use on smartphones/pdas etc. They said they weren't going to continue development on 3rd party hardware, but I guess that isn't/wasn't true. They're a useless company, it's badly written but still probably the best car navigation software about - the list of alternatives is as long as my arm.
Don't know about the iphone, it's a rediculous price and has an awful closed app system - who would want one of those?
Don't know about the iphone, it's a rediculous price and has an awful closed app system - who would want one of those?
Anybody know anything about the upcoming Garmin Nuvifone? It looks very nice. http://www8.garmin.com/buzz/nuvifone/media_gallery.jsp
Supposedly it's under approval from FCC and will be for sale very soon for AT&T. I like my iPhone but I'll drop it like a hot potato if Apple doesn't add proper turn-by-turn soon. And without trying to figure out how to nickel and dime everybody (fat chance?). Google maps is worthless for using on-the-fly, not all that accurate and no realtime reroutes.
Supposedly it's under approval from FCC and will be for sale very soon for AT&T. I like my iPhone but I'll drop it like a hot potato if Apple doesn't add proper turn-by-turn soon. And without trying to figure out how to nickel and dime everybody (fat chance?). Google maps is worthless for using on-the-fly, not all that accurate and no realtime reroutes.