iPhone app: TomTom gets going

TomTom has just joined the ranks of GPS apps in the App Store. The popular navigation brand has just unveiled its own iPhone application for the U.S.



I’m not sure what took so long for this to arrive — TomTom first announced it last June at WWDC — but now that it’s here, the app looks pretty good. At least the reviewer at iPhonewzealand digs it. (Apparently, the Kiwis got theirs first.)

Like full-fledged GPS units, TomTom for iPhone has turn-by-turn directions, voice-guided navigation, route options (for fastest or most direct), points-of-interest (POI) feature and night colors. But unlike its hardware cousins, it also takes advantage of iPhone functionality, including addressbook integration, fast calling to POI, pinch/zoom interface and accelerometer-driven display for landscape and portrait modes.

The reviewer mentioned a few glitches (like the app pinpointing his location in a nearby field once, or going a little buggy when he deviated from the directions), but aside from the occasional hiccup, the app worked well overall.

TomTom also plans to launch a pretty great-looking bundle (see vid). The package will include the app, plus a car cradle kit with charging port and hands-free calling. No other details on the bundle yet, but updates are available via online sign-up here.

[via TUAW]


EDIT: According to user reviews at the App Store, it's not quite as fleshed-out as the regular GPS units, which has some people waiting for updates that will hopefully improve or add features, such as speaking street names out loud, etc. And the price for the TomTom app is $99.99, which isn't cheap. But it's still less expensive than the cheapest new hardware product at TomTom.com ($119.95). So users are paying less, but might have to wait for enhancements as a result. Even so, if you prefer having an all-in-one device instead of multiple gadgets, this might be worth a look. I'll contact TomTom directly and see if they'll send me a review code for the software. If so, I'll report back on what I find.

EDIT2: Also, it appears that voice-guided navigation doesn't come in various accents, as was first reported, so that bit was removed.

All about: Travel, Cell Phone Apps, Apple iPhone 3G Black - 16GB, Apple iPhone 3G S 16GB Black, Apple iPhone 3G S 16GB White, Apple iPhone 3G Black 8GB, Apple

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