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TomTom Releases iPhone Navigation App
andylim writes "Today TomTom released its long-awaited iPhone app that allows you to use your iPhone 3G and 3GS as a GPS navigation device. Recombu.com tested it out on video this morning and concluded that it works well but if you receive a call while you're driving then the app does cut out — it will restart once you've finished the conversation. The app costs £60 for the UK & Ireland version, £80 for western Europe, £45 for Australia and £60 for the US and Canada."
So here is the question I have for many of you who own iphones and such. If you pay for an app and your phone dies, or something, will that app be transferred to a replacement phone or do you need to re-purchase the app for the new phone?
The truth is, I don't know. But I can tell you this: I have an iPod Touch and an iPhone. I've purchased apps on the iPhone and have been able to use them on the iPod Touch, too. It would appear as though that it's all about the iTunes account you use on the device.
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
The apps you buy are tied to your account, not the iPhone/iPod Touch.
I've had to get my iPhone replaced twice. Neither time did I have any issues transferring my purchased items. The store (Apple or AT&T) will not transfer any settings, contacts, music, apps etc for you. However, iTunes (OS X, I assume Windows version will behave the same) recognizes this is a phone it hasn't seen and asks you if you want to restore this new phone from the last backup.
There is very little future in being right when your boss is wrong.
Wow, this is a crap deal. How disappointing. Why is the app is 1.2GB in size, when the iPhone is designed as an always-on device? A $30 1GB app with paid map downloads on demand, instead of storing the entire USA on the phone at once, would make much more sense. I agree that streaming maps (such as the google maps app) are useless if you're in the sticks with no coverage or Edge-only coverage, but giving up over 1/8th or 1/16th of my total storage for maps I won't use 99% of the time is a terrible compromise. if I could install map packs based on my travel plans, that would make much more sense. And $100 for the USA, when I can buy a standalone TomTom 125 for $80? Unless the $100 app has feature parity with the $400 standalone units, the only conclusion I can come to is that they are trying to incentivise people away from using the iPhone app, and toward buying a dedicated GPS unit instead. I can think of no other excuse. Bad form, guys. I hope someone sees the market opportunity and steals your cake.
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Voice navigation is not in Google Maps. Also, I think many (but perhaps not most) would argue that it has better algorithms for determining the route to take. It also doesn't rely on having an Internet connection, since you're downloading the entire map with TomTom, so it would work even out in the boonies.
The GPS component of Google Maps suffers pretty drastically compared to ye olde average GPS device:
1. No voice navigation;
2. No "OK, you're coming up on the turn, take the NEXT right turn";
3. No "Oops, you've missed it, OK, the next street is a one-way street, so go two blocks .. " (i.e. automatic route re-calculation);
4. No ability to specify preferences such as "I want to take that bridge, not this one" (maps.google.com lets you rejigger your route quite nicely, but not the app on the iPhone);
5. Doesn't help you at all if you need to control your iPod component right now (so the app isn't in the foreground);
Yes. Which means that if you and your wife both have iPhones and share an iTunes account, you should both have the app for the price of one.
It doesn't hurt to be nice.
1.) No turn-by-turn
2.) No voice routing
3.) Most important - No offline storage of maps.
If you dare go somewhere without cellphone service, you'll quickly find that the streets disappear in Google Maps... That's because it loads the map as needed over your cellphone data connection.
you can download any app you bought for free on the same account as many times as you want. all the apps are downloaded as .ipa files into your profile in windows and you can even easily back them up yourself so you don't have to download them again.
i have 2 iphones. one for myself and one for my wife. i just put the ipa file on her computer, add to itunes library and next time it syncs she gets the app
The built-in Google Maps does automatically display the next direction when you reach a turn, it does not reroute when you go off course, and it does not do anything aloud- everything is displayed in small text.
I have been using the Google Maps in the iPhone for about a year, and it is definitely useful, but it's not a TomTom equivalent. It requires a navigator to be used effectively. Someone other than the driver needs to press the next button and read the directions aloud- otherwise it's like trying to text while driving.
It's up on the US app store now:
US & Can $99.99
Western Europe $139.33
Australia $79.99
New Zealand $94.99
Rumour has it there might be, but in the meantime you can get CoPilot for Android (and iPhone) for about half the price of TomTom.
http://www.alk.eu.com/copilot/android
If the app isn't available in the USA store then where does the price converted to pound comes from?
England. Duh.
The prices are in British Pounds, because the linked article is on a UK website. The author of the article is someone who is reporting the news to people in his country of origin. Congratulations on discovering that there's an entire world outside your country's borders!
Registering accounts later than some other chrisb since 1997
TomTom missed the boat on this app. You can buy a new TomTom device for $99. Why would I pay the same to add software to a device that I already paid for? I would have bought this if it came out at $50 for the software, or $99 for the software plus the hardware accessory kit. At $99 for the software alone, I will pass.
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Given there are many more navigation apps in the App Store (MobileNavigator for one), I think the GPS chip in the iPhone is "good enough". It uses aGPS to get fast time to first fix (seconds, since the almanac can be transferred via AGPS faster than downloading it from the satellites).
No, the reason for the enhanced GPS cradle is twofold - firstly, the iPhone doesn't have advanced GPS features like WAAS support, and most importantly, you don't need an iPhone. The latter is important - for TomTom's app can work on the iPod Touch which lacks GPS. So now, if you don't have an iPhone (for whatever reason - hate AT&T, what have you), you can use your Touch in your car. Plus, the iPhone's speaker isn't that loud, so a nice loud speaker for directions, and if it supports voice command, the Touch needs a microphone.
TomTom's niche will be the millions of iPod Touches that were formerly cut out.
There are many complaints here that I don't agree with:
With regard to the price and competing GPS apps: I have a TomTom GPS device that I bought a couple years ago. I paid about $200 and it has been worth every penny. If I didn't already have that device, I would buy the $99 iPhone app in a heartbeat. Yes, there are cheaper GPS apps, and I honestly don't know how most of them compare. I did buy a GPS app last week for $2 or $3. Considering the price I'd say it was good. But it doesn't compare to my TomTom at all; I deleted it. The Google Maps app is also nice, but it doesn't provide turn-by-turn directions while driving. TomTom is doing the smart thing and charging based on the value of the app.
With regard to the size of the app: I can understand the complaints. But (I think) the storage sizes on phones that will run this range between 8GB and 32GB. 1GB is a significant, but not huge, chunk of that. Phone storage sizes will only increase. I don't want to get lost because my phone can't reach the map server; storying 1GB of map data on the phone seems perfectly reasonable.
If you don't want it, don't need it, or can't justify the price, then don't buy it. But I think this will be a worthwhile app for many people.
There are even cheaper solutions involving jailbreaking and Cydia that are actually legal (xGPS).
Don't kid yourself. It's the size of the regexp AND how you use it that counts.
Hmmm as a TomTom owner I can't help but feel a little ripped off. The price of the iPhone app including maps is considerably less than the cost of upgrading to the newest maps on the TomTom itself.
Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?