First of all, Google quite simply GAVE PedNav developers $25,000 for their hard work. The competition was designed to advertise and showcase their OS, for which they paid good money to honest people.

Secondly, the waking directions in question are only currently available on their website, which only coincidentally is viewable on Android, but no one in their right mind would bypass the internal application for that. This would not make it a “competing” product.

Thirdly, Google is not using any privileged information or access that is otherwise hidden from general developers to make their “product” better than the “competition” (Internet Explorer, anyone?).

Lastly, pedestrian navigation is as proprietary a concept as the WHILE loop. Anyone claiming to have exclusivity to the concept would be well advised to think again.

But having those Public Transit and Walking directions are magnificent.

“You acknowledge and understand that Google and/or members of the Open Handset Alliance may independently develop applications that may be similar to or identical to your Entry in terms of theme, idea, function, or in other respects. You agree that you will not be entitled to any rights in, or compensation in connection with, any such similar or identical applications and/or ideas. You acknowledge that you have submitted your Entry voluntarily and not in confidence or in trust.”

http://code.google.com/android/adc-submit/tandc.html

the interesting, ambiguous word here being “independently.” and with software patents recently starting to fade away (see coverage on /.), this opens the door even wider.

I LOVE your example of getting “in the path of an oncoming train”. Not only is it funny… even if the pun was unintended… but its right on the money.

I agree that anyone could see Google making these “Line Extensions”. The AndroidScan comparison might seem like a stretch now… but over time, I think its the type of thing that will happen at some point. Android and Google’s other ventures are creating so many relationships on every side of many industries that they won’t be able to prevent/avoid stepping on toes in some major ways.

Just ask Verizon. I’m sure there will be others… it would be interesting to see if the folks at PedNav could weigh in.

Your example of walking and transit directions are logical “line extensions” of Google’s existing driving directions, akin to Procter & Gamble developing Tide-brand “stain sticks” to extend their existing line of laundry detergent. I don’t view this so much as “overlapping competition between Google and application developers” as application developers who consciously decided to get in the path of an oncoming train.

Now, take an app like Android Scan. That would be much more of a stretch to consider as a logical extension of something Google already has — the closest thing would be Google Shopping (the old Froogle). If Google decided to build their own Scan equivalent, *that* might well qualify as competing with their developers.