Quite a few people have been waiting on this one. TomTom has finally delivered a $100 app for the iPhone, giving users real-time GPS navigation, right on their iPhone. So far, people seem to like it pretty well.
If I didn’t already have a cheap, $100 TomTom One device, I’d consider buying this app. The only thing the app offers that my unit doesn’t have (that I would actually use, that is) is the IQ Routes. I can’t find anything about free traffic updates being included in the app, so someone correct me here if I’m wrong.
The car kit (dock, GPS amplification, mic and line out) is an extra purchase. It is not clear if voice instructions are provided in the app, or only available with the dock according to TomTom’s iPhone site. I’m assuming (and I’d sure hope!) that is included in the app itself and doesn’t rely on the external dock. The car kit is rumored to be priced at about $194. It appears this will include bundled software, but I’m still $100 more in the hole over my dedicated device.
Another problem I have with the app, as others have pointed out, is that when you receive a phone call, navigation halts. Depending on where you happen to be at the time and how long the phone call is, this may not be a problem. But if you’re in an unfamiliar city, it won’t take long to get lost.
So yeah, if I didn’t already have a dedicated GPS device, I’d consider the app. But for $100 I’d more than likely opt for the dedicated device anyway.
