Google owns us all -- Free Google Maps Navigation

[NFS4]

First of all, check out the stock plot of the three companies after today's announcement:

http://www.google.com/finance?...0&q=NASDAQ:GRMN&ntsp=0

Google Maps Navigation for Android 2.0:

http://gizmodo.com/5391408/goo...e-app?skyline=true&s=x

 

[SunnyD]

Doesn't Garmin or someone own patents on Turn-by-Turn though?

 

[CRXican]

lol

 

[dandruff]

Garmin atleast has been focussing on avionics and phones itself ...

 

[mb]

Originally posted by: SunnyD
Doesn't Garmin or someone own patents on Turn-by-Turn though?

I'm not sure but their shareholders better hope so!

 

[geno]

My question is, is this legal? Can they use funds from one side of their business to completely crush competitors by offering 100% of what they do for absolutely free? This is coming from a G1 owner who would love nothing more than free turn by turn.

 

[OutHouse]

trimble is still strong.

 

[jonny13]

I honestly don't see this threatening Garmin or Tom Tom, at least until it can be untethered from the web. I currently use Google Maps on a Blackberry, but once you get out of the large metro areas, it's worthless when your connections get weaker. That might not be an issue on the Coasts, but there are large areas of weak cell reception in the middle of the US and web based GPS apps make good paper weights there.

 

[ChaoZ]

Originally posted by: geno
My question is, is this legal? Can they use funds from one side of their business to completely crush competitors by offering 100% of what they do for absolutely free? This is coming from a G1 owner who would love nothing more than free turn by turn.

Is this a serious question?

 

[PokerGuy]

Originally posted by: geno
My question is, is this legal? Can they use funds from one side of their business to completely crush competitors by offering 100% of what they do for absolutely free? This is coming from a G1 owner who would love nothing more than free turn by turn.

Unless there is an anti-trust issue, yes, it's perfectly legal.

 

[her209]

Now if Google Maps and Apple split... that would be epic.

 

[Aharami]

way cool but will have to get unlimited data plan for this. that might negate any cost savings over a dedicated GPS device

 

[her209]

Originally posted by: geno
My question is, is this legal? Can they use funds from one side of their business to completely crush competitors by offering 100% of what they do for absolutely free? This is coming from a G1 owner who would love nothing more than free turn by turn.

Of course its legal. That's like asking "Is it legal for Intel to use profits from their chip business to fund their SSD and graphics business?"

EDIT: Although, Intel doesn't offer their SSDs and graphics for free.

 

[Deeko]

Originally posted by: geno
My question is, is this legal? Can they use funds from one side of their business to completely crush competitors by offering 100% of what they do for absolutely free? This is coming from a G1 owner who would love nothing more than free turn by turn.

If that weren't legal, Android itself wouldn't be legal.

 

[mb]

Originally posted by: ChaoZ

Originally posted by: geno
My question is, is this legal? Can they use funds from one side of their business to completely crush competitors by offering 100% of what they do for absolutely free? This is coming from a G1 owner who would love nothing more than free turn by turn.

Is this a serious question?

I think he is referring to dumping but that doesn't apply to this case.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: jonny13
I honestly don't see this threatening Garmin or Tom Tom, at least until it can be untethered from the web. I currently use Google Maps on a Blackberry, but once you get out of the large metro areas, it's worthless when your connections get weaker. That might not be an issue on the Coasts, but there are large areas of weak cell reception in the middle of the US and web based GPS apps make good paper weights there.

Maps cache along your intended route, so even if your connection dies along the way the route will still show you what you need to see, and text-to-speech voice synthesis of street names still works, too.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: jonny13
I honestly don't see this threatening Garmin or Tom Tom, at least until it can be untethered from the web. I currently use Google Maps on a Blackberry, but once you get out of the large metro areas, it's worthless when your connections get weaker. That might not be an issue on the Coasts, but there are large areas of weak cell reception in the middle of the US and web based GPS apps make good paper weights there.

Maps cache along your intended route, so even if your connection dies along the way the route will still show you what you need to see, and text-to-speech voice synthesis of street names still works, too.

very cool!

 

[Kalmah]

Originally posted by: Aharami
way cool but will have to get unlimited data plan for this. that might negate any cost savings over a dedicated GPS device

That's what I was thinking. Unless you already use an unlimited data plan, you pretty much have to add an extra $30+ to your cell bill a month.

If I didn't have to worry about stuff such as ping for online gaming, I'd probably not be using a landline internet and just use unlimited data with my cell.


edit: woa, I just got un-timewarped. I was timewarped.. and moved back. I don't think my flux capacitor is getting 1.21 jiggawatts.

 

[jlee]

ohdamn.

Too bad I have a Palm. :|

 

[jonny13]

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: jonny13
I honestly don't see this threatening Garmin or Tom Tom, at least until it can be untethered from the web. I currently use Google Maps on a Blackberry, but once you get out of the large metro areas, it's worthless when your connections get weaker. That might not be an issue on the Coasts, but there are large areas of weak cell reception in the middle of the US and web based GPS apps make good paper weights there.

Maps cache along your intended route, so even if your connection dies along the way the route will still show you what you need to see, and text-to-speech voice synthesis of street names still works, too.

Ooops, missed that part. I stand corrected, Google will own this market soon.

 

[rudder]

Bring on the google overlords.... $49.95 for a TomTom map upgrade of only a quarter section of the U.S.

 

[FoBoT]

my G1 looks forward to serving me with this function

 

[SunnyD]

Originally posted by: jonny13

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: jonny13
I honestly don't see this threatening Garmin or Tom Tom, at least until it can be untethered from the web. I currently use Google Maps on a Blackberry, but once you get out of the large metro areas, it's worthless when your connections get weaker. That might not be an issue on the Coasts, but there are large areas of weak cell reception in the middle of the US and web based GPS apps make good paper weights there.

Maps cache along your intended route, so even if your connection dies along the way the route will still show you what you need to see, and text-to-speech voice synthesis of street names still works, too.

Ooops, missed that part. I stand corrected, Google will own this market soon.

But if you stray from your intended route, you're fucked. I don't see this as a replacement for a stand-alone GPS product, considering you basically need a constant connection to make it 100% functional. That connection means a cell phone subscription - so much for it being free.

 

[dethman]

for android only? lame.

 

[txrandom]

Eventually Google will provide every service we need. But since it no longer receives advertising revenue from lack of companies, it will quickly go out of business. That's when the end of the world will start.