G-Map for the iPhone

There are quite a few navigational apps for the iPhone out there, including the built-in Google Maps, but only a few will do turn-by-turn navigation. There was actually only one that I knew of that existed before iPhone OS 3.0 that had similar functionality to a real GPS navigational car unit, and that was the G-Map by XRoad.

It was a very good product given the limitations of iPhone OS 2.x since Apple did not allow voice prompts nor turn-by-turn navigation. G-Map allowed you to avoid certain roads, marked out points of interest (POI), specific types of locations (gas stations, ATMs, restaurants, etc.) and even tracked your speed. The only thing it couldn't do that a GPS car nav unit could do was talk to you to tell you where to turn and when to do it. And at $24.99, it was a fraction of the cheapest after-market nav unit.

So along comes iPhone OS 3.0 that changes the game for a lot of navigational aids meant to be used in the car. Apple finally allows voice prompts and turn-by-turn navigation, and during the WWDC keynote, TomTom co-founder and CTO, Peter-Frans Pauwels, demos the new TomTom iPhone app along with the optional TomTom car dash mount for the iPhone. The iPhone device holder and mount allows you to rotate the device, which then results in the TomTom app interface to switch to landscape mode. The mount also has a built-in speaker, will allow you to play music while using the TomTom app, and charge the iPhone at the same time. Pretty slick!

So where is the TomTom app? Well, at this time, it's not yet available and TomTom indicates that both the software and the accessories for the iPhone will be available "this summer". No word yet if TomTom's app includes maps for all of the U.S. or has separate apps for each region of the U.S.

Meanwhile, G-Map has already released it's update to it's G-Map West and G-Map East apps. The update, now at version 1.3.1, is significant in that it takes advantage of the loosening of the restrictions for voice prompts and turn-by-turn navigation. The G-Map apps now allow for this and function pretty much just like a GPS car nav unit! It can tell you via voice prompts when to turn and will tell you how far ahead the turning point is. The update for existing G-Map customers is free, but the new version is at limited-time, special price of $34.99. No clues as to when the price will go and what the final price will be. I suspect that it will still be competitive to the TomTom app price though as a cheaper alternative to TomTom's iPhone app.

So how does it compare with the TomTom demo at WWDC? Here are the major differences that are noticeable given the scant details provided by the demo:

- G-Map only supports portrait mode. Rotating the device on its side does not re-orient the user interface.
- No G-Map device accessories are available for the iPhone.
- Personal opinion: I found the TomTom interface much cleaner.

All in all, I did find G-Map to be an inexpensive alternative to a dedicated car nav unit, and cheaper than the AT&T Navigator since that service requires a monthly subscription. The G-Map app did have a couple of bugs that I discovered during use. In one instance it tracked me being further back than I actually was so if I didn't know where I was going, I would have missed my exit. Second, there was a voice prompt that, "in 2 miles...". That was it. No indication as to what I was supposed to do in 2 miles. The same type of prompt occurred at the 1 mile marker. Then with a 1/4 mile to go, it finally told me I was supposed to keep to the right.

It will be interesting to see how well it performs against TomTom's app from a feature and price standpoint when it is released.