iPhone OS 3.0 and turn-by-turn navigation
Apple unveiled the iPhone 3.0 operating system yesterday and there were a couple of interesting mapping and navigation announcements as part of the show.
Turn-by-turn navigation
First of all, they opened the door to turn-by-turn navigation apps, as long as the developer uses their own maps. Expect to see application announcements soon from TomTom / Tele Atlas and also from TeleNav.
Garmin will be faced with an interesting dilemma. Do they develop an iPhone app, which would be quite the revenue generator if it became the top navigation app (not a high bar for Garmin). Or would that just encourage Garmin-lovers to skip the nuvifone and get an iPhone instead?
But can you make calls too?
Unless I missed something in the coverage yesterday, the iPhone won’t be able to run apps in the background, meaning you can be in navigation mode or making calls, but not both at the same time. Score one for the nuvifone.
Google Maps
While developers can’t use Google Maps for turn-by-turn navigation, they can use them for other applications. A new Maps API will allow them to integrate Google Mobile Maps services, offering Google Map tiles, current location, custom annotations and geocoding.
Actually, the “phone” app is not a normal app like all the rest. When you are in the middle of a call, you can use any other application. So probably, you will still be able to use the gps while on a call (though, I don’t really think you should, gps+call+drive). I don’t know how the bluetooth part works, as I never used one, but if you have it, it may not even require leaving the garmin app to take the call.
Thanks for clearing that up.
And I would think it wouldn’t be too hard for a heavy-hitter like Garmin (please, oh please make an iPhone app! and not the “download as you go” type, like the BlackBerry version) to automatically reload a route when you open the program. I’m pretty sure just about every single one of their products does this currently. So having to answer a call while navigating shouldn’t be *that* big of a deal.