Sat Nav - Google stylee

OldBloke · October 28, 2009, 07:07:17 PM

Tomtom and Garmin shares take a dive.

HD2 now off the list. Android all the way ... now where's that HTC Passion (was Dragon)?

DarkAngel · October 28, 2009, 07:38:32 PM

Awesome. :dribble:

Bob · October 28, 2009, 08:25:04 PM

Incredible cool :woot2:
And I think this is just the start on what we'll see from Google and Android!

On a side-note: did anyone else notice something weird about that guys nostrils? :blink:

kregoron · October 28, 2009, 09:31:33 PM

Damn thats nice

Google world dominance getting closer

T-Bag · October 28, 2009, 11:05:44 PM

In a world where sat nav software is about Ã,Â£20 google aren't scared to give it away. Just look at Gmail, Picasa, GoogleDocs, Sketchup etc etc.

Google maps comes with the phone, and turn by turn is really not that hard when you've already got the maps, the GPS integration and OS.

smilodon · October 28, 2009, 11:09:55 PM

Looks good. As a hardcore sat nav user though I think something on a mobile phone is going to struggle to offer the same standard as a bespoke sat nav system.

My Tom Tom offers a lot more than simple voice directions. However I'm keen to see what Google offer.

kregoron · October 28, 2009, 11:20:57 PM

im just wondering, what kinda gps chip they will be using, just a random cheapo or something really good like the SiRFstarIII

Jabbs · October 29, 2009, 08:50:04 AM

Very nice

and FREE of course!

T-Bag · October 29, 2009, 09:09:53 AM

Quote from: smilodon;294440Looks good. As a hardcore sat nav user though I think something on a mobile phone is going to struggle to offer the same standard as a bespoke sat nav system.

My Tom Tom offers a lot more than simple voice directions. However I'm keen to see what Google offer.

I've been using co-pilot live for a couple of years. It's not just "bolted on" sat nav. It's as good as Tom-Tom (I had that on my phone for a while). You get full post code searches, camera locations, traffic updates, fuel prices and weather.

Link

I'm sure that the eventual aim of google is so you don't need to buy software so this features are hopefully goals in the development. My point is mobile phone sat nav is at least as good if not better than Tom Tom (because you can install Tom Tom on a phone they have to be competitive)

TeaLeaf · October 29, 2009, 09:30:34 AM

I have to say, I'm still loving the HTC Hero (Android) and additional services like this just emphasise the feeling of 'having chosen right'. I have a TomTom myself and am delighted with it, but if I can get the same or similar from Google then I'll stop carrying around the extra hardware that the TomTom gives me and I'll stop subscribing to the map updates etc. I already carry the telephone, so that will be enough.

smilodon · October 29, 2009, 12:48:45 PM

Very fair point. However Tom Tom currently offer live traffic with automatic re_routing as well as routing based on the time of day and day of the week. These two features alone completely change the way a sat nav works and for me (a big traveller) are crucial. If Google offer these features then I'm sold. Otherwise I'm not convinced Google 'Sat Nav light' will work for me.

Bob · October 29, 2009, 02:09:34 PM

Quote from: smilodon;294479live traffic with automatic re_routing

From what I could tell from the demo video, that feature should be present and very well working in Google's system. How well it will be covered around the world isn't good to say though...

delanvital · October 29, 2009, 03:20:24 PM

I haven't seen the vid (at work) but my concern is the loading of maps in areas with bad reception. I have used google maps in the car a couple of times and it has worked fine, but I had problems with bad reception to the net, and thus slow road of maps

smilodon · October 29, 2009, 04:54:38 PM

My Nokia phones used to download the whole UK Nokia map onto a PC and then transfer it to the phones memory card via USB. So I didn't have to spank my mobile broadband all the time getting the maps. If people all over the world are sucking down Google maps but never saving anything to their phone memory the bandwidth hit could be huge. Some people on 250 - 500 meg limits could be in trouble?

delanvital · October 29, 2009, 05:24:54 PM

Quote from: smilodon;294507My Nokia phones used to download the whole UK Nokia map onto a PC and then transfer it to the phones memory card via USB. So I didn't have to spank my mobile broadband all the time getting the maps. If people all over the world are sucking down Google maps but never saving anything to their phone memory the bandwidth hit could be huge. Some people on 250 - 500 meg limits could be in trouble?

True. If you use that app more than occasionally, then yes. I do have 3G flat rate on the phone and tbh - you don't use that phone completely, unless you have that anyway. If only you do mails, weather, a wee bit of browsing, you can keep within 250-500MB a month. If you do maps, streaming, tethering, download apps, news-tickers etc. you use past 1 GB/month. First month I used 1.6GB, this month about 900MB. I reckon I will stay around 1GB.