By 
Before Google announced Google Nav for Android, the turn-by-turn direction world was dominated by two other giants: Garmin and TomTom. While Google may have eaten into their marketshare, both companies still have a humongous user base and rightfully so. The price point on Google Nav is perfect (it’s free) but both Garmin and TomTom traditionally offer better location pinpointing and have a different set of features and unique looks that their respectively loyal fans enjoy.
Those loyal TomTom fans will be happy to learn that the launch of a TomTom Android App is imminent. Company co-founder claimed a launch would come “fairly soon” but it’s his emphasis that the “summer season is important for us,” which makes me think an appearance by the end of June is likely.
TomTom already has a fairly successful iPhone app priced at $59.99, although it’s sub 4-star rating may worry some. You can expect that an Android version will have a very similar look in feel to the actual car navigation, while the on-phone navigation should (we hope) mirror Android’s style more closely.
I’m a huge fan of Google Maps/Nav. In fact, it’s probably the single Android app I use most besides GMail. Comments on the iOS app indicate the same sentiments, and point out that a recent social media integration isn’t the direction they’d like to see TomTom take given the success of Google Maps. Personally, I can’t justify spending an extra $50 bucks on TomTom for Android when Google Maps/Nav come free and work pretty darn well.
How about you?
[polldaddy poll=6293136]
[Via pocket-lint]
Why?
Never used TomTom. I did have a Garmin Nuvi 360 back before I got a modern smartphone and I loved that damn Garmin. I still think Garmin’s route-finding algorithms are better than Google’s. And I like their TTS better. But alas, Garmin still doesn’t understand that this is a post-standalone-GPS world and continues to insist on standalone devices and its ridiculous Garminphone. Someday they’ll learn. Or die.
Garmin is focused on auto companies now (I think they struck a deal with Ford), not phones given that the phone space is free. Garmin has the aero/boating/outdoor units as well, which will keep them afloat but they need to figure out how to get back into mass consumer biz.
Well said. But I’d still buy a Garmin GPS app, even at $60 if it was as kick-ass as my old Nuvi 360.
Garmin makes the Navigon app. I have not tried the app, but if you want a Garmin on your smartphone, it’s probably the closest. I’m currently on the 14 day trial of Sygic and it works well aside from a few force closes, but I don’t like how it hides the notification bar.
Personally, I don’t understand the hate for standalone offline GPS apps. all carriers have dead spots, particularly if you are going to backwoods areas to enjoy the great outdoors. Google finally updated Maps, and it’s a huge fail for those expecting to use it for offline navigation. It still needs to connect to the internet to calculate routes! No offline POIs! If you’re out of the coverage area and need to find an ATM or gas station, good luck! Plus the maximum area it can download is limited to a few square miles. Absolutely useless for any kind of extended road trip where you will be out of the coverage area.
Google Maps. Build into every Android phone. For free.
That, I think is probably their biggest hurdle.
I love the traffic updates and integration of Google’s built-in Navigation and that’s all I’ve been using for awhile, but TomTom’s lane guidance feature makes it much easier when driving on unfamiliar highways. It’s much easier to figure out where you’re actually going to be going on a quick glance.
I got a tom tom just before the myTouch was released. It sucked (sending us all sorts of stupid directions). Google Maps makes a little error here and there, but Tom Tom ate up hours of my life. They deserved what they got.
still Google maps for me. The one thing I’d like to see is the ability to load different voices and personalities in the nav. Other than that, it has never failed me yet!
You just want the Darth Vader voice pack. Admit it. =)
who wouldn’t?!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ljFfL-mL70
=)
those commercials were great!
Of course a wouldn’t waste 60$ to replace an app that already works fine. I’ll just steal the apk off apktops or apkmania. <3
The only way I will buy Tom Tom is if Google and other phone makers get to greedy with their advertising inside map/nav apps. If they do, then it will be nice to know there is an alternative available thru Tom Tom.
i’m one of the schmucks that paid for the tomtom iphone app for their turn-by-turn directions and i can tell you that it was not worth it at all. it was incredibly unresponsive adding to my travel time. the app was riddled w/ bugs and their support was unhelpful. needless to say, i would not recommend it to anybody in android community.
no mention of NavFree or other free navigation apps that use the OpenStreetMaps data?
If the tomtom app is anything like their 150 dollar xxl tomtom then they can keep it because all at damn thing says is ” stay in the right lane, keep right, keep right, stay in the right lane, stay in the right lane” complete garbage on the way they hook people is by putting celeberties voices in their software.
Google Maps/Nav works fine until you get to an area without wireless data coverage. Then their model soon breaks. Their maps are cloud based, with only a small local area downloaded just in time to the client .
I also use CoPilot Live for Android navigation, since its maps are client side. It works as well in a dataless zone as it does in a data coverage area. Its user interface is maddening however, so I would welcome a replacement that works without a data feed.
TomTom’s only hope is if it has client-side map data. Without that, it’s an expensive also-ran.
My ideal would be for Google Nav to work in area without data coverage.
(Yes, there’s still lots of places without data coverage. Shenandoah National Park, just 60 miles from Washington DC, is a classic example.)
i navigate from nyc to vt on google maps never had an issue on t mobile in dead zones
Google Nav already has the ability to cache map. You just have to do map the route while you still have data connectivity. I think that’s a better model than keeping a giant database on your phone, most of which you’ll never need.
LOL! Bad timing… Google maps native kills Garmin or Tom Tom. might not be as “pretty” but it does everything I need and more.
Marked “$10. Yes”. Not because I’m a cheap skunk, but because neither Garmin, nor TomTom provided nearly the functionality I need the most in Google Nav – public transit navigation, 3D buildings (to recognize landmarks in downtown, which I hate to go to). And I already have TomTom hardware for in-car Navigation.
If it has the iOS interface like in that photo, it can gtfo.
google maps is by far the best nav ever
Lol horrible timing. Google Maps offline will kill these GPS companies.
My dad’s tomtom is always inefficient with options, has limited points of interest, and can’t tie in to reviews and other stuff. Sure tomtom’s app might use the web and be able to link in to yelp and google and stuff for that, but overall I don’t see the point. Googles works great for addresses, and pretty well for most businesses, and they recently said that if you report a wrong location it can be fixed within a few minutes, so they clearly take user feedback seriously and are aiming to improve.
we got a nice free 100% working nav, why spend 60$ for something that is free….
Free Google nav, with soon to be offline maps, yeah… Totally need this app.
With today’s announcement from google of the optiion of taking their maps offline, I dont see how Tom Tom could possible compete.
I have Navigon already and love it, I’ll pass on Tom Tom. You also forgot to mention Magellan, another big company in the GPS world.
Having apps like this are vital to those of us who live, work and travel in areas that have spotty to no cell service. These programs store the data on the phone or card, so they work with or without a signal.
TomTom has very good traffic algorithms. Saves time, and time = money. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-tzD00MWZ8
Nice… anyone have an overview of goog tech? Theirs is wonky some times… If i drive away from my destination (but towards the turnpike) it will keep re-routing a longer and longer route and tell me to turn around. But when i hop on the turnpike my commute goes down by 45 minutes. And yes i do have allow toll roads chosen.
As with most poll’s the options are hugely flawed!
I may buy the app if it’s rated as very good and the reviews would dictate the amount I’m willing to pay. Right now I’m very happy with Google Maps/Nav but it’s not perfect.
I made the mistake of buying a TomTom years ago. Darn thing couldn’t even get me to an area airport that has been here for years! Took me to a dead end street in a barrio!!! I’ll take Google any day!
I bought Copilot U.S.A for $10 in the play store about 6 months ago and I have to say it is great for where I live since cell coverage can be crappy at best. It stores the whole U.S on to the SD card so there is no need for cell reception, its only about 2 Gigs of memory and you can download the maps on to your PC or Mac for faster downloads and then transfer over to your phone.
Updates to the maps are made multiple times a year and they even update aesthetics giving the U.I extra features which are useful. I can justify spending $10 on something that I will use on my mobile devices for years to come, all being Android devices of course. You have to spend about 1/4 of the amount you will spend on the latest and greatest Android device to get a stupid ass TOM TOM app. They have to be out of their damn minds, I wouldn’t pay that much for one one their crappy GPS units.
Meh, three years too late & too expensive, garmin, sygic & copilot all mature products on android why bother?
I have a tomtom at home that I had to hack to make work. I accidently goofed up the file system trying to load my own poi’s. Called up support to get the maps it came with and they said I’d have to buy them again. Even though it comes with the north America maps from the factory. I’ll never buy a stand alone GPS again.
If this app were to work off the data network and included Canada then i would buy it. Otherwise, i have google navigation, and Onstar.
Google Nav is THE killer app for me on android. Use it every day with a car dock to tell me how much traffic is going to be on my daily commute. FREE for me and VALUABLE for Goog due to crowd-sourcing. Would not consider other lesser mobile OS’s (cough windows phone, iphone) that do not offer this.
Google maps and CoPilot Live. Had TomTom on my Treo (w/external GPS). Much prefer the current selections.
If we have survive all this years without it. Who cares? I might get it pirated.