App Store – Real GPS turn by turn navigation by G-Map

One of the most requested application for the iPhone3G must be turn-by-turn navigation GPS software. After several rumors of TomTom and other such software suppliers we finally have a solution coming out later this month. The company XRoad is finishing their G-Map application and should release it later this month via the app store. The application works by downloading the maps from internet and this takes about 20 to 30 minutes. After you have downloaded the maps you can stick your iPhone to your car window and you’re ready to go. The price isn’t yet known but i expect it not to be cheap.
Features:
- Stand-alone electronic map that needs no internet connection
- Unfettered location search in the mountains, on the ocean, or the middle of nowhere, even when on the move
- Large-capacity map data enables easy search of desired location and route
- Real 3D View of intricate major intersections and highway junctions
- Smart location search powered by a search engine similar to internet search engines, using keyword search
- Detailed information on restaurants, hotels, and leisure destinations provided with Premium POI
- POI editing and memo capability for personalized POI
- Route preview provides optimal route to destination
- Search by phone number and latitude/longitude
- Phone number dial by POI (for iPhone)
G-Map for Europe, Central/South America, Asia and other countries and regions will be available by the end of the year.
The price of each application can be confirmed once they have been officially put up in the App store.
The indicated size for free space for installation is an estimated figure, and is subject to change.
\\ tags: App Store, G-Map, GPS, iPhone 3G, Turn-by-turn, XROAD
December 4th, 2008 at 11:35 am
Where does it say that it’s turn-by-turn GPS?
Nowhere. Because it’s not.
It’s basically the same as downloaded Google maps. No “Turn right at the next intersection”.
December 4th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
I was betting TomTom would be the first to get this to market… Guess I was wrong. :)
December 4th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
I don’t care if its $50.00 or $100.00, I’m freakin’ buying it. I have this feeling that Apple will never add “true” GPS to their FW updates, instead they’ll just modify it. The selling point for this application isn’t just the turn-by-turn, its the downloaded maps. If you check out the developer’s website (where it says “More Information” in the above post), you can view the “coverage areas” of the downloaded maps. There’s three choices: U.S.West, U.S,East, and plain ‘ol North America. Yeah, the whole friggin’ country. I don’t care how big the file is, or how long it takes to download something that incredibly massive, but I’m doing it. To be honest, I’d chose something like this over an Apple addition to Google Maps just for the mere fact that Google Maps runs off of the GPS signal, ergo, when you are driving cross country or in dead zones, the GPS marker is there, but the map itself is the “cannot find signal” grid bullcrap. You can’t really blame Apple or Google, that’s just how the program works. If it utilizes the signal for the map retrieval, then it’ll depend on the signal. I’m just glad the website says that its available mid December. I hate seeing announcements and getting all excited, then looking at the small print and have it saying “available in a year” or something like that.
December 4th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Erik, please make sure you understand plain English (turn-by-turn can be synonym with directions): “G-Map is a stand-alone electronic map. So once it’s downloaded, you can freely search your location and get directions without an internet connection, anytime, anywhere, even when you’re on the move. ”
My 2c.
December 4th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
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December 4th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
Dragos, by your definition, the iPhone already has turn-by-turn navigation then.
I’ve looked through the G-map site, they don’t mention “turn-by-turn” anywhere.
If their program works like Google maps directions, but automatically updates the next instruction depending on where you are (as well as enlarge the text) then I would find it very useful. But I can’t even find a sample of that on their site.
Can you?
December 5th, 2008 at 12:04 am
And not to forget, of course it’s useful that the maps are downloaded, but still it only makes it a version of google maps with downloaded maps. Not much more.
December 9th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
i agree with Erik