Google developing free navigation app?

We already know plenty of people who've eschewed traditional turn-by-turn GPS systems in favor of plotting it out for free on Google Maps, and now there's whispers that Mountain View is coming after the rest of the market with a free nav app. That's at least what nav services providers are saying to Forbes, who think El Goog is gearing up to release a free ad-supported navigation app after making moves to use its own US maps instead licensing data from Tele Atlas and putting ads on the iPhone Maps app. Obviously that would shake things up a ton -- and make Android devices a huge bargain -- but we'll see where this all leads over the next few months.

[Via Fierce Mobile Content; thanks Elad]

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 27th 2009 4:42PM]

Everyday, I run 65 miles oneway to work, it will be the big help.

Analytical
http://www.npalab.com

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 27th 2009 4:51PM]

Google is evil, pure monopolistic evil....

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 27th 2009 6:08PM]

You do know you are talking out your ass, don't you?

[TrueEddie Posted Oct 27th 2009 4:57PM]

Well that would suck for me, I just bought the Navigon app a couple of months ago.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 27th 2009 6:01PM]

That would explain the addition of speech synthesis in Android 1.6

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 27th 2009 7:04PM]

Since you mention this being a big deal for Android -- all Sprint plans compatible with the Palm Pre already include unlimited use of Sprint's GPS nav application, which comes installed on the phone. I'm not sure it's revolutionized anything, though it does work quite well (if you have a car charger...).

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 28th 2009 1:11AM]

I got a Sprint Hero two weeks ago, and it came with the Sprint navigation app also. Its not a Garmin, but for being included in the price of the plan and having traffic data it does a pretty good job. Turning on the GPS chip does drain the battery really fast so a car charger is a must if you plan on using it for more than just a few minutes.

A Google nav app might work fine in all the major cities, but Google's map data is very incomplete. I live in a city of roughly 65,000 people, so its not a one traffic light town, and my house and neighborhood are eight years old. Earlier this month when Google stopped using the Tele Atlas data and started using their own my house and whole neighborhood simply disappeared from Google Maps, and I'm far from the only person with this problem. Now if I want to look up directions I use Bing or Mapquest.

I guess my point is a Google nav app won't really be a threat to Garmin, Tom Tom, and all the others until they get their act together and have comparable map data instead of worrying about having enough Street View tricycles.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 28th 2009 1:45AM]

Non-competitive unless it routed around traffic AND didn't require data connection (since AT&T's signal will lock that out in most places).

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 28th 2009 10:26AM]

Google Maps on Android already does this, or at least most of it. I've used it several times. Simply ask for directions from "My location" to your destination and, when they show up in text form, click "show on map."

Works great.