3rd party apps Navigation for Iphone

[Aimster]

This is one thing that is stopping me from buying this phone. WTF Apple?

 

[foges]

If I'm not mistaken its because it would use too much battery life to constantly update your position... do you want your iPhone to die after a couple of hours?

 

[DivideBYZero]

Rumour has it that it cannot do turn-by-turn due to the type of aGPS they have implemented. Tom Tom reckon they have had a system running on it, but if it worked it would be out there at launch. I mean, what a title to have in the app store, but it's been two months since there has been any news on it.

 

[pm]

If I were to guess, the problems with turn-by-turn have nothing to do with the hardware (several of the hardware guys at Apple say that it's more than adequate) and a lot more to do with usability issues (like, how does a turn-by-turn GPS handle an incoming call?) and Apple's desire to control things (like, how much money are you going to give us to let you sell millions of copies of your GPS software).

If I were to bet, I would say that it will be out on the AppStore well in time for Christmas.

 

[crimson117]

The iPhone already does track and constantly update your current position even while driving. If google maps would start providing GPS coordinates with the directions, then the iPhone could possibly compare its present coords to the directions, and change its focus to the next upcoming turn or something. So it's imaginable, at least.

However, using my iPhone as a driving GPS already eats up the battery. Adding voice and auto-update would be even worse. I'd much rather buy a dedicated car GPS device and use that.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

The problem is that the maps need to be downloaded from Wifi or 3G or edge so if you don't have a signal and you do have a GPS position. You won't have any maps. It is a fully functional GPS receiver so it can do anything a regular GPS receiver can do. But Turn by Turn directions are prohibited in the EULA or something like that (some legal document).

 

[Deeko]

Originally posted by: ChAoTiCpInOy
The problem is that the maps need to be downloaded from Wifi or 3G or edge so if you don't have a signal and you do have a GPS position. You won't have any maps. It is a fully functional GPS receiver so it can do anything a regular GPS receiver can do. But Turn by Turn directions are prohibited in the EULA or something like that (some legal document).

That's for services like Google Maps. There are 3rd party cell phone apps - such as Garmin's - that have pre-downloaded maps....if Apple would allow it, anyway.