TomTom demoed their turn-by-turn GPS application for the iPhone with voice navigation at the WWDC 2009 Keynote address and also announced that the TomTom iPhone App will become available after the iPhone OS 3.0 is launched.
TomTom had announced last year that they were developing navigation software capable of running on the iPhone but it did not take off due to various reasons. This time though it looks like we will finally get the TomTom Navigation App for iPhone.
TomTom is one of the market leaders in Portable Navigation Devices (PNDs) and deals with digital mapping and routing on car navigation. They will be the first to have come up with an in-car navigation solution for iPhone.
TomTom's award winning turn-by-turn navigation system combined with the iPhone OS 3.0 will bring the much anticipated voice navigation system to the iPhone.
As mentioned in the TomTom website for iPhone:
"The TomTom solution combines two new TomTom products to provide users with state of the art in-car navigation on their iPhone 3G:
- The TomTom navigation application for iPhone; an Apple version of TomTom’s award-winning turn-by-turn navigation software, including IQ Routes and latest maps from Tele Atlas;
- The TomTom car kit for iPhone; a specially developed car kit for secure docking, enhanced GPS performance, clear voice instructions, hands-free calling and in-car charging."
TomTom had expressed their intentions of developing a TomTom App for iPhone as early as last year. However, they could not make any progress due to Apple's SDK's terms which prevented the development and marketing of navigation applications. Another issue they faced was the map providers restricting the usage of their map data.
It appears that TomTom has done the application and accessory integration with the iPhone and will come with a range of national and international maps. Both the TomTom Navigation App and the TomTom car kit for iPhone are expected to be launched soon after the iPhone OS 3.0 is launched on JulyJune, 17.
Their car kit will be an optional accessory that safely attaches the iPhone to a car and makes use of iPhone 3.0 accessory framework to provide more accurate GPS, play music from the iPhone on the car stereo and even charges your iPhone.
With its presence in over 30 countries, it seems logical that TomTom is looking at expanding its market share by teaming up with Apple. TomTom has not yet revealed the price of their iPhone App. Although there is another App named G-Map East/West, which isn't nearly as great but is priced at $25. Hence, some sites have speculated the price of the TomTom Navigation App to be around $50.
Another navigation company entering the race is a German-based company named Navigon. Last week Navigon announced in a press conference that by the end of June, they will have their own MobileNavigator software available in the form of an iPhone App. Navigon has not yet announced the price of their App but they will come up with a 'lite' and a full version of the App with the full version providing the complete turn-by-turn navigation support. Garmin, another major player in this field have already announced that they have no plans to support iPhone given their smartphone partnership with ASUS.
Check out TomTom's promotional video that shows the TomTom Navigation App and the TomTom car kit for iPhone.
Do let us know if you are excited about the TomTom Navigation App for iPhone and the price that you would be willing to pay for their iPhone App?
[via TomTom's website]
