Version 1.1 of TomTom Android App Announced

I love my NOTE 2 running Google navigation.

I'll check out the bugs I know about tomorrow.

I have been wondering for a month or two about what impact this will have on manufacturers of dedicated GPS units. It is not clear to me that the stand alone GPS can survive long term.

What it really has going for it right now is pricing. A cell phone or tablet that supports GPS is normally going to have an expensive monthly plan; not so for the stand alone unit. But if you are paying that anyway, then ????

A manufacturer like Tom Tom may be just as well off to sell an Android App as the whole thing, then they don't have to make and sell hardware. I have no idea what the relative profit margins might be, but maybe they see the writing on the wall.

Dave

As dedicated GPS units become cheaper, the margins have to be shrinking on the hardware side of things. Gone are the days of $500 dedicated units. With GPS chips in all smart phones, and GPS options for most cars, I don't see how the Nuvi's and TomTom's can stay in the hardware business. About the only thing my Nuvi offers is dedicated POI categories, and some of that will be addressed eventually. I already have RLC's via Waze, though it's not as extensive a database as what's here. But I still want entire categories, so if I'm out and want to stop for ribs I can find barbeque joints by just opening that POI category.

I didn't notice any difference. The map still shifts and you still have to go through three steps to exit navigation.

I too didn't notice any real difference on my Nexus 7, which btw, is still not able to directly install the app (have to install it on my phone, and copy it over to the N7). However, it still works great on the Nexus 7.

After using this app for almost three weeks, I am unimpressed. Aside from the bugs I've previously posted, the biggest drawback is lack the of voice recognition. I find that I am still using Google Maps more, because I can simply speak a POI or address.

It has been awhile since I've had a problem with TT's maps, but it misplotted the hotel I was traveling to last week. My first clue should have been when it took me in a loop prior to the street the hotel was on, but I thought maybe it was to make it easier to enter, i.e., not have to cross a major traffic artery. However, the map had the hotel about 1/4 mile away and on the wrong side of the road, so I had to cross traffic during rush hour anyway.

Later, when I went out for dinner that night, I used Google Maps to get me back to the hotel...it plotted the hotel correctly.

Used the TT app to drive between cities on my last trip, I like having the speed limits. Then used the voice input for Google maps to find a gas station near the airport before returning my rental car. A lot easier than typing it on my SGS2.