I’m gradually becoming less excited about the Garmin Nuvifone, and now it’s been pushed back to sometime in 2009.
It’s not that I think it’ll be a bad phone, but it’s just going to be too late. If the iPhone has turn-by-turn GPS in the next six months, what on earth will be the draw of the Nuvifone? Granted, the Nuvifone might have better turn-by-turn, but the iPhone will have thousands of apps, a superior interface (I assume), better browsing, etc.
As Unwired View points out, Garmin won’t even commit to a Q1 2009 release, meaning it could be well into 2009 before it comes out. At that point, it had better be awesome and cheap!
There were various reports today that Apple is testing their 2.1 firmware for the iPhone, and one major feature will be improved GPS tools. In particular, items such as direction and speed tracking are reported to be in there. While I can see their usefulness, why are they necessary? If you get a mere two points from a GPS, you can very easily determine speed and heading, and theoretically could have a full-featured turn-by-turn system using that info.
I’ll admit I’m not an expert on GPS, but that’s how it looks to me. Am I missing something here?
The Digital Earth Blog points us to Enkin, a very cool looking augmented reality program being developed for Google Android. Watch the video below to learn all about it:
This could certain cause some headaches at Garmin. Their Nuvifone looks pretty neat, but will reportedly cost $500 with a contract, which suddenly looks very expensive when compared to the $199 iPhone. Of course, we have no idea what the TomTom software for the iPhone will cost, so some of the diffrence is likely to be chewed up. I’d expect to see more news on this very soon.
One of my favorite applications, Google Maps for Mobile, has been updated! This version brings bus, train and ferry information right into your mobile device.
Version 4 of the VZ Navigator has just been released! Among the new features:
Traffic
Local movies and events
3D perspective view
Gas finder
Weather
They’re really doing a nice job of adding features that take advantage of the data connection, something that most standalone GPS units can’t do. The cost is $9.99/month or $2.99 for a single day.
(via AllAboutSymbian) Powered by ARC Transistance, Nokia Maps will soon have real-time traffic to help you find the quickest route to your destination. It will cover 16 countries in Europe, but apparently none in the US (yet). Hopefully that will change if things go well.
Press Release:
Espoo, April 29, 2008 – Nokia and ARC Transistance, the European network of automobile clubs, announced today that they are working together to provide Real Time Traffic Information to users of Nokia mobile devices. Nokia will offer the service as a premium offering in Nokia Maps 2.0 and in future versions of Nokia Maps. By adding RTTI, Nokia can save precious time for drivers by alerting them of traffic, construction or other road hazards that could affect their journey. When Nokia Maps receives the road updates from ARC Transistance, the application can dynamicly re-route during navigation and provide a faster route. This is a significant milestone for Nokia Maps, which makes navigation an even more compelling experience for Nokia device owners.
ARC Transistance Traffic Information services aggregate the real time road and traffic conditions of 16 countries in Europe, and growing. The leading navigation industry players also use the ARC Transistance Traffic Information services to enhance the routing guidance and navigation experience of their customers.
Nokia Maps turns mobile devices into local mapping and routing engines with a navigation option, providing worldwide mapping free of charge. In so doing, the unique hybrid solution combines the advantages of on-board and off-board navigation. Maps and location-aware content only need to be loaded once – they are then always available on the device.
Upgrading to the GPS navigation option enables your mobile to become a powerful connected personal navigation device, that provides clear, turn-by-turn visual and voice guidance. If your Nokia device does not have built-in GPS, you can also use an external GPS module with a compatible device. With vector maps provided by TeleAtlas and Navteq, Nokia Maps now has maps covering over 150 countries, with over 70 of them navigable.
The new version of Nokia Maps 2.0 for selected devices is available on the Nokia Beta Labs website: http://www.nokia.com/betalabs. Beta Labs shares some of the exciting new ideas that Nokia is working on and let users help shape their future development. A strong online community has developed around Beta Labs, attracting especially technology savvy, early adopter mobile enthusiasts. The current version of Nokia Maps and the Nokia Map Loader are freely available for download* for selected devices at http://www.nokia.com/maps.
It sure looks that way. It’s hard to tell if it will be an embedded GPS or simply support for an external unit, but it appears the support will be built-in.
There are also references to strings mentioning satellite status, GPS time, type, position, accuracy, latitude, speed, magnetic variation, etc., which is a good sign for iPhone users looking for GPS integration.
I would think they’d really want to include it with the unit, simply so more people will have it and they can build more great apps around it. We’ll find out soon.
I’m gradually becoming less excited about the Garmin Nuvifone, and now it’s been pushed back to sometime in 2009.
