Google Maps Navigation beta uncorked
THE SEARCH GIANT, Google, has released the beta version to its brand new Google Maps Navigation software, developed specifically for Android 2.0 devices.
Google Maps for Mobile has been around for ages to locate stuff on a map, but is not suited to use on the move and much less in a blow-by-blow account of your driving. Google's new Maps Navigation does just that, combining GPS positioning with a wealth of info available on Google Maps.
Maps Navigation is voice-commanded, if you can drown out the background noise in a car, and it will advise you on traffic and suggest alternate routes. It'll even feed your Android 2.0 device with Street View and Satellite View content.
Better than a simple 'turn right, turn left' voice droning on, Maps Navigation will locate businesses and locations as presented on Google Maps, taking you door to door, rather than street to street.
One concern with Maps Navigation will be reducing the amount of data being sucked through a 3.5G connection, as most data plans are still capped and you simply wouldn't want to blow your traffic limit on GPS navigation, much less get stuck with a bill from your operator.
If you hadn't guessed already, Google Maps Navigation (beta) is free. No pricey licenses, add-on maps for new regions or premium services for traffic updates. You can almost feel the likes of TomTom, Garmin, Magellan and Mio squirming under the satellite image-enabled, feature-rich boot-heel of Google. Right now the service is only available in the continental US, granted, but the beta is available as a free proggie and it's only a matter of time until other regions get theirs.
So, summing up, it's "free GPS navigation with a feature set rivalling most current GPS devices, plus all the extra tidbits you get out of an Android 2.0 handset, cheaper than most GPS devices."
Google did point out that Verizon's Droid handset would be the right way to go. µ
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Global ‘droid domination is correct. The mobile phone space will be owned mainly by Android, with iPhone keeping its niche.
The others will be wiped out. Microsoft's Windows Mobile phone OS will be the first to suffer. WinMo is already 3 years behind the competition, and waiting for system-wide multi-touch to come next year, unless there are further delays.
This announcement from Google of free turn-by-turn navigation for Android phone users will be the end of Windows Mobile (not that anyone will miss it).
@Amadeus: I'll miss it :(
but i think i'll be the only one :(
Truth be known though, if Microsoft tried to push a "free" application into a market where people pay, the US gov would be all over them quicker than WinMo's downfall...
Happened with IE, would happen no matter what else they do...
Google seems to have free reign to do whatever they want...
It will be too late before anybody stops Google...
At least the government is on track to milk another big cash cow...
Real GPS usage with GMaps is non-existent, it is sutable only for walking, but for driving is unergonomic to the max.
The new GPS app may be better, but there is still the problem of downloading data from the net, and that costs money.
Maybe in the US there will be some point, but in the rest of the world classic GPS gadgets and/or software with offline maps and specifically made UI-s are stil going to rule.
Except if you think GPS is for finding your groceries or movie tickets. Real on-road/of-road tracking, usage for long periods, especially in areas with no signal... that is something else.
Oh come on, not withstanding the quota you'll suck up by the 10th in month, the google maps are grosely innacurate for routing and are community editied (which btw is the reason its free, with non-cloud navigation someone actually has to do discovery work to make accurate quality maps).
As with any Web2.0 system it will work properly just for high frequency areas where errors would be quickly discovered and receive enough "popularity" to be corrected quickly, everything else will be inaccurate for a good time in the future, starting from position, turn restrictions to traffic rules. But hey, its free and its beta so you dont get to complain alas you are an ungrateful worm.
I am sticking with my WM HTC and NavNGo, I did pay for the maps I use but it all works and will work even if I take out the GSM, even if WM dies I will still use NavNGo on symbian. Autonomy is the key to freedom, not dependency on monetary free but service binding stuff.
The writing's there now for all to see. Arguing the current limitations of mobile internet/GPS, is like saying that the whole country will never have electricity, it will happen, and you can't stop it, period. This is simply another move by Google which gives people a glimpse of their power to dominate through superior technology and the supporting infrastructure. People whining about Microsoft not being able to do this forget that with IE, Microsoft were leveraging one monopoly to create another, Google certainly do not have a monopoly in smart phones, or anything else that I can think of.
funny how open source seems to get 80-120% of the features of the very expensive enterprise payed version of a given software most of the time. Meaning usually i'll get about 85%-95% of payed functionality out of SOME free / or foss [free and open source] application that accomplishes the same type of thing. Sometimes, however, the 'free' or 'foss' version has much more than any available payed version!! GO GO FOSS