Is HTC going to kill FREE turn by turn directions?

[dankish]

Please tell me that someone did the required research for this topic. Did anyone go online and see if the countries that this is being implemented in were actually supported by Google Maps Navigation, or are we just bashing a company based on our ethnocentric belief that all countries have access to Google Nav? Just curious...

This was my first thought when I read this. I checked to see if this was the case, and according to Google, many places in Europe and Asia have support for GMaps with turn-by-turn Navigation. Hmm.

If they are doing this to add navigation functionality where it still isn't available (many places I checked appears it already is available with turn-by-turn) whether it's free or not, I think that's a good thing!
If there is no FREE navigation available as of now, I'm sure people who would like to use it would gladly pay for it (at a reasonable price, of course). I know I would!
This also is a good thing for us who currently use GMaps for free. TomTom no doubt will have a lot more features, and that would most certainly entice Google to up their game, don't you think?
IIRC, didn't TomTom used to be on Palm and WinMo, but it was pirated so much that TomTom decided to make their own device? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember something along those lines. I really don't think HTC will disable GMaps on phones that already have it. IMO, Android is what made HTC who they are today. So, to go against Google (which helped HTC grow substantially) would be shooting themselves in the foot!


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[Jmart922]

I use turn by turn navigation here and there, I don't use it very often but its a very useful tool that android offers, and its free! Now If I had to pay a fee to use such a service when its currently free then I would be very upset, don't really need the added features of what Garmin could offer for a price, don't use it often enough to justify any price
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[sarreq]

Have any of you who are complaining ever compared google maps with TomTom our Garmin?

There is a reason that google is free and that they are not. I would pay to have this on my Incredible now if the user interface is good.

Sent from my Droid Incredible using DroidForums App

I agree. If I didn't have a Garmin GPS, I'd pay to have it on my phone. They are better. IMHO and YMMV!!

they might be better speed-wise and with direction accuracy in certain places (I've never had a problem yet though), but their UIs are bloody horrendous. if they were to replace their user inputs with something sensible, our just rely on android conventions entirely, and also allow updates over 3g, I might consider trying them. the only issue I've ever had with gMaps is the dirth of it's caching.

 

[ghorig]

Ever try to use GoogleMaps to drive out to the country-side where data coverage isnt so hot?

 

[Larry_ThaGr81]

Yeah this sounds more like a 3rd party app unless HTC removes the ability to use the navigation app by google.

 

[Martin030908]

would be a BIG mistake on HTC's part....

 

[techguru]

I seriously doubt htc would be able to block access to google navigation since it is available in the market. Nor do I think it is their intent. They are offering a solution with advantages over google nav, but due to the licensing requirements of the two leading map providers, they need to charge for the routing data. There will still always be free options available, but in the case of electronic maps, you do get what you pay for. Google maps works, and will improve over time, but tomtom (teleatlas) and Garmin (navteq) are way ahead right now.

Alan

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[sb1831]

Please tell me that someone did the required research for this topic. Did anyone go online and see if the countries that this is being implemented in were actually supported by Google Maps Navigation, or are we just bashing a company based on our ethnocentric belief that all countries have access to Google Nav? Just curious...

This was my first thought when I read this. I checked to see if this was the case, and according to Google, many places in Europe and Asia have support for GMaps with turn-by-turn Navigation. Hmm.

If they are doing this to add navigation functionality where it still isn't available (many places I checked appears it already is available with turn-by-turn) whether it's free or not, I think that's a good thing!
If there is no FREE navigation available as of now, I'm sure people who would like to use it would gladly pay for it (at a reasonable price, of course). I know I would!
This also is a good thing for us who currently use GMaps for free. TomTom no doubt will have a lot more features, and that would most certainly entice Google to up their game, don't you think?
IIRC, didn't TomTom used to be on Palm and WinMo, but it was pirated so much that TomTom decided to make their own device? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember something along those lines. I really don't think HTC will disable GMaps on phones that already have it. IMO, Android is what made HTC who they are today. So, to go against Google (which helped HTC grow substantially) would be shooting themselves in the foot!


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I couldnt find any current info as to who had map coverage and who had actual Nav coverage. The bottom line, is this is a pretty ignorant thing to be posting on the internet and stirring the pot like this when they make no mention of the two most important topics about this topic. 1) Is this in order to improve the use of the phone in countries where Nav is lagging behind that in the US? and 2) Where does it even mention that HTC would be removing GMaps?

It just angers me that sites that claim to be sources of Android information when they post garbage like this clearly just to stir the pot. Even when you read the press release it makes NO mention of GMaps being removed from the phones. It DOES say that TomTom maps will be stored on the phone though. Pretty convenient IMO.

 

[forum8417]

i have a tom tom and ever since i got my droid 1 i have never used it in my car. that would be a shame if they charged.

 

[dwoid]

I can't address TomTom, but at least in my experience, while Garmin hardware is good, their device map updates are expensive, time consuming and buggy...

After having done updates on our family's 4 Garmins, at a cost of $240 ($60 x 4), taking over 16 hours to download and install and finally requiring me to go in and tweak the file systems on each device in order to get the stupid updates to work, I'll go with GMaps anytime.

GMaps is free on our phones, is always either up-to-date or very close to it, and there is no fee or special installation to keep it that way. It's got my vote.

 

[kodiak799]

Ever try to use GoogleMaps to drive out to the country-side where data coverage isnt so hot?

Why would Garmin or Tom Tom be superior? I'd assume they face the same issues as Google with being able to put a huge honking database on your phone to eliminate the need for 3G coverage. Ultimately they all rely on GPS (which is independent of 3G).

Haven't been out in the countryside, but I've found Google Nav to be very fast, responsive and accurate.

 

[mwhartman]

Glad I do not have an HTC phone and since their customer service folks told me that HTC is not and will not be Mac compatible I will not be an HTC owner.

 

[kodiak799]

It just angers me that sites that claim to be sources of Android information when they post garbage like this clearly just to stir the pot. Even when you read the press release it makes NO mention of GMaps being removed from the phones. It DOES say that TomTom maps will be stored on the phone though. Pretty convenient IMO.

If HTC wants to try to monetize Nav, they do so at their own risk. People will have other options. If it's a supplemental pay app, then this is a good thing.

To me, the main issue here is GMaps not being stored on the phone. That's the problem when coverage is spotty. I don't know if it's the only issue, but my guess is GMaps didn't go that route because until Froyo you couldn't put apps on the SD card and there simply isn't space in phone memory for Maps. The new phones coming with 8 gigs or more internal memory you can definitely do it, if YOU as the user want to commit that much memory to Maps (and really 8 gigs is a ton of memory for apps because no reason music, movies and photos can't be stored on SD).

I'd also guess that the other challenge for Google is VZW and other providers don't want 2gig map updates going to every phone - talk about capacity issues! But here HTC would effectively charge that extra bandwidth hogging with a subscription fee for the app. And that, right there, is probably your answer to all this debate.

 

[sb1831]

It just angers me that sites that claim to be sources of Android information when they post garbage like this clearly just to stir the pot. Even when you read the press release it makes NO mention of GMaps being removed from the phones. It DOES say that TomTom maps will be stored on the phone though. Pretty convenient IMO.

If HTC wants to try to monetize Nav, they do so at their own risk. People will have other options. If it's a supplemental pay app, then this is a good thing.

To me, the main issue here is GMaps not being stored on the phone. That's the problem when coverage is spotty. I don't know if it's the only issue, but my guess is GMaps didn't go that route because until Froyo you couldn't put apps on the SD card and there simply isn't space in phone memory for Maps. The new phones coming with 8 gigs or more internal memory you can definitely do it, if YOU as the user want to commit that much memory to Maps (and really 8 gigs is a ton of memory for apps because no reason music, movies and photos can't be stored on SD).

I'd also guess that the other challenge for Google is VZW and other providers don't want 2gig map updates going to every phone - talk about capacity issues! But here HTC would effectively charge that extra bandwidth hogging with a subscription fee for the app. And that, right there, is probably your answer to all this debate.

My main concern was that NO WHERE in the press release or on HTCs page does it say that the HTC phones WON'T come with GMaps installed. Pretty careless and ignorant to post on a website like BGR without that fact being substantiated. All that happens is a bunch of people begin to complain and speculate about rumors that are completely unfounded.

I suppose I've come to expect too much out web "journalists"

 

[Larry_ThaGr81]

Yeah this sounds more like a 3rd party app unless HTC removes the ability to use the navigation app by google.

But if not, then this would definitely such for HTC users. Thank goodness I don't own an HTC product.