HTC Desire Z and Desire HD to Come Loaded with TomTom Maps
One of the major changes touted in the new version of HTC Sense loaded on the HTC Desire HD and Desire Z is HTC Locations, a new mapping and navigation service that allows for map pre-loading. Today the Taiwanese manufacturer announced exactly where it will be getting its map data. A partnership with TomTom will start with the companies maps being featured on the two big Desire releases and then move on to see other handsets in the future.
What isn’t clear is where exactly Google Maps stands. On the Desires HD and Z, viewing TomTom map data through HTC Locations is free, but to use navigation one would need to pay for the feature. We would hope that Google Navigation would still be freely available for those people who don’t want to pay for a location service, while TomTom and HTC Locations remain for those who deem it worthy of the extra cash. Oh, beeteedubs. The Desire HD should be officially available from several online outlets around Europe as of today.
TomTom and HTC unite to deliver best of class location and navigation experience on the phone
Amsterdam and Taoyuan, Taiwan – 20 October 2010 – TomTom, the world’s leading provider of location and navigation solutions, and HTC Corporation, a global designer of smartphones, today announced they are combining strengths to deliver superb navigation and location solutions on HTC smartphones.HTC Locations, HTC’s new mapping experience, comes preloaded with TomTom’s location-rich maps, resulting in a zero-wait navigation experience. HTC Locations is initially available on the new HTC Desire HD and HTC Desire Z smartphones in Europe and Asia and will be extended to a wide variety of future smartphones and geographies.
“I am very pleased to be providing HTC customers with TomTom’s accurate location and navigation content on their phones wherever they are. The beauty of it is that the maps are preloaded and instantly available at users’ fingertips. For the first time, this makes the power of TomTom navigation content available ‘in-pocket’ for HTC smartphone users”, says Maarten van Gool, Managing Director of TomTom Licensing.
“This partnership with TomTom underlines HTC’s commitment to giving our customers an innovative navigation experience that is natural and provides unique enhancements for common navigation needs,” said John Wang, Chief Marketing Officer, HTC Corporation. “HTC and TomTom have worked closely to optimize these amazing capabilities on HTC smartphones through our new HTC Locations application.”
Maps and location content come preloaded on HTC Locations while turn-by-turn navigation can be purchased and downloaded through HTC Locations or HTC Sync.
About TomTom N.V.
TomTom N.V. (AEX: TOM2) is the world’s leading provider of location and navigation solutions. Headquartered in The Netherlands it employs over 3,000 employees worldwide. Over 45 million people daily use its solutions, be it in the form of dedicated portable navigation devices (PNDs), in-dash car systems or tracking and tracing solutions for fleet management. In addition, hundreds of millions of people use TomTom’s digital maps on the internet or mobile phone.
In 2009, TomTom reported €1.5 billion in revenues and a €340 million net cash flow from operating activities. More information about TomTom can be found on www.TomTom.com.
For the world’s most up-to-date route planner, including LIVE traffic information please visit www.routes.TomTom.com.
About HTC
HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile phone industry. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC creates innovative smartphones that better serve the lives and needs of individuals. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit www.htc.com.