Alright, everyone, settle down. I know the Google Maps Navigation stuff is pretty amazing, but let’s not write off the traditional GPS makers just yet. They’re not going anywhere for a while. Your parents and friends will see to that.

Hopefully the sudden market loss that companies like Garmin and TomTom saw yesterday will wake the companies up and see that they are doing it wrong. They are in the habit of producing 78 different versions of the same GPS. Each model steps you up $20 and adds another feature. It’s a ridiculous business plan and totally opposite what successful companies are doing.

But it’s true. Google dropped a bombshell on GPS makers yesterday with it’s free navigation tool that trumps almost anything currently available. The Android 2.0 app is about as robust as you can get thanks to the always-connected Android OS and almighty Google. You can simply say “Where is the Best Buy in Flint, MI” and it will take you there. All this is free from the “Don’t Be Evil” company, Google.

TomTom has a cell phone navigation solution too. Except theirs costs $100 for the app and another $120 for the car kit and the whole thing isn’t nearly as powerful as Google’s offering. But there are others as well: Navigon sells an app for $100, TeleNav has one for $10 per month, and there are other no-name programs out there for around the same price. Those apps are all dead in the water as soon as Google ports the Navigation app to other platforms.

The standalone GPS will be fine though. It should survive the cell phone GPS onslaught because it generally caterers to a different market. Do you really think your parents could operate an Android phone, let alone a GPS app within it? Some might be able to, but first they will have to be convinced to buy the phone and expensive data service to go along with it.

There is a gigantic market of folks outside the tech/nerd world that have absolutely no interest in smartphones and the high monthly bills that come along with them. These same people might just pick up a GPS at Walmart though and figure out the rudimentary functions over the course of a few months.

Standalone GPS units also have screen size in their favor. Have you actually ever used a cell phone-size screen for navigation while it’s mounted on your dash or windshield? It sucks. I’ve found the screen size to be way too small. Just think about your Dad’s cataract-filled eyes. How the heck is he suppose to follow a route on a 3.5-inch screen? As the recently announced Nintendo DSi LL clearly shows, an extra inch can make a huge difference.

What will likely happen is that the Google app will finish off the already small market for Internet connected GPS units and top-tier models. These are the units that carry a monthly service fee in return for access to basic functions like gas prices, custom routes, and traffic info. This is where the two markets of smartphone users and GPS owners overlap. But this market was already dying due to the rise of the other GPS apps, and Google Maps Navigation will put it out for good.

GPS manufacturers still need to get with the program and cut down their product line. Garmin is notorious for producing a dozen models, each with a slightly different feature set. How about making just three aimed at three distinct price points: $99, $249, and $500. It simply doesn’t make sense to offer so many different models with minimal price and spec differences.

But here’s the thing. Don’t shed a tear for GPS makers. They will be fine as long as they recognize that the market is changing and adapt. If they don’t, it’s their own damn fault.

AppleInsider is reporting “that although the Car Kit dock is compatible with all iPhone models, the TomTom application will only work with the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G – even with the dock connected to a first-generation iPhone or iPod touch.”

You’ll recall that the hardware dock features its own built-in GPS chip and speaker to amplify GPS signal strength and the volume of turn-by-turn directions, so it appears that if you were to dock an iPod touch or older iPhone that you wouldn’t be able to take advantage of those enhancements. Basically, you’d have a $120 car charger.

AppleInsider further reports that “When asked whether the application could be updated to allow it to work with the iPod touch and first-generation iPhone, a company spokesman simply said that TomTom has not made any ‘public announcements.’”

It doesn’t seem like it would be rocket science to add the extra compatibility, and TomTom would theoretically benefit from the expanded hardware base of potential customers but, suffice to say, it’s best to hold off for now.

TomTom Car Kit, navigation software will not work with iPod touch [AppleInsider]

Aside from secure windshield docking, the kit also includes a secondary built-in GPS chip for “a truly reliable signal – even in high-rise urban areas,” according to the product description. There’s also a built-in speaker and microphone for hands free calling and a 3.5mm audio out connector that allows you to feed it directly into your car stereo’s audio-in jack.

TomTom Car Kit for iPhone [Apple Store via SlashGear]

TomTom is here with yet another GPS device. The 335S packs a 4.3-inch touchscreen and text to speech functions into a small package with a somewhat competitive MSRP of $239. But like most other GPS units, that MSRP will probably be undercut by retailers as they try to push these GPS units onto holiday shoppers. Thankfully, the XL 335S seems to be decent for that price although I couldn’t tell you the difference between this $239 335S and the $249 340S. (K.I.S.S)

Not only does it have the text to speech functions, but it also comes equipped with TomTom’s suite of software like Map Share technology that allows users to modify the maps and share with others, and the TomTom HOME desktop application that keeps the maps up to date. TomTom also loaded this PND with a redesigned UI that makes it a bit easier to use than previous TomTom menu systems.

The exact release date hasn’t been announced yet, but you can bet that it will be available before the holiday shopping season starts.

You didn’t think that this AT&T data service was going to be free, didja? The XL 340S LIVE comes with three months of the service, but after that, it will cost $9.95 per month. To some folks it might be worth it, but if your GPS stays in your glove box most of the time like mine, you should probably get the non-connected XL 340S for $249. But if you will use the data services, the LIVE version is set to come out soon at $299.

The press release:

Amsterdam, 24 September 2009 –TomTom announces today that the TomTom car kit for the iPhone will have a recommended retail price of EUR 99.99 or USD 119.95.

The TomTom car kit will be available this October and will be sold separately from the TomTom app. It will be compatible with the iPhone 2G, 3G and 3GS.

All further details on the car kit will be made available soon.

Kind of cold, eh? But at least all the deets are there. While the dock might be $119, that doesn’t including the $99 app. So for $219, you can either use your iPhone to navigate, or snag a dedicated, larger screen GPS unit. Personally, I would rather have the second option but that’s just me.

[via GPSTrackLog]

Both units share the large screen, but if you want TomTom’s “Advance Lane Guidance” you need to shell out for the more expensive XXL 540S unit. The 540S also has Mexico mapped out for you, unlike the 530S, which only has the US and Canada.

Both units will be available next month, with the XXL 530S at $279, and the 540S coming in at $299. Judging from the feature set, if you are a constant traveler, I’d spring for the 540S.

From the press release:

CONCORD, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–TomTom, the world’s leading provider of navigation solutions and digital maps, today announces the latest models in its award-winning portable navigation product offering – the TomTom XXL 530S and TomTom XXL 540S. Drivers can now enjoy TomTom’s premium technologies, including the highly acclaimed IQ Routes™ Technology, on an extra-large five inch screen.

“The new TomTom XXL devices enrich our product portfolio by providing our customers with new offerings that cater to individual preference and need, like the larger, easy-to-read screen” said Jocelyn Vigreux, president of TomTom Inc. “The introduction of the XXL range is in line with our strategy to increase the depth and breadth of our product offerings, based on customer feedback.”

Optimal Routing

The TomTom XXL 530S and XXL 540S devices enable users to always drive the smartest and most efficient routes, whenever or wherever they go. The TomTom XXL 530S and XXL 540S include TomTom’s exclusive IQ Routes™ technology. The technology is based on historical speed measurements for every time of day and for every road segment, from large highways to small local roads. In up to 35% of all cases, the use of IQ Routes results in driving a faster route, saving significant travel time, money and fuel.

In addition to the above mentioned features, the new TomTom XXL devices come with:

* Full maps of the US and Canada
* TomTom Map Share™ technology, so users can instantly modify street names, street direction, points of interest and more on their device and benefit from corrections made by others
* TomTom Help Me menu, so users can easily access local emergency service providers such as police, fire stations and hospitals.
* TomTom’s newest user menu with an elegant interface that features optimized icons for even easier navigation
* Award-winning Fold and Go EasyPort® mount, folds flat against the device, making it easy for users to transport
* TomTom HOME, the free desktop application to keep users’ devices up-to-date at all times

Features unique to the TomTom XXL 540S:

* Advanced Lane Guidance for realistic representations of complex highway junctions and lane-specific visual directions that take the stress out of navigating these otherwise challenging areas
* Preloaded maps of Mexico, the US and Canada
* Seven million points of interest, so users have access to information and location details of more restaurants, hotels, gas stations, etc. than ever before
* High-quality black finish, for a sleek look

Quoth Bloomberg:

“In the summer period, we’ve seen quite a good development in demand,” TomTom Chief Executive Officer Harold Goddijn said in an interview at his Amsterdam office. “We’re becoming more optimistic.” He declined to forecast revenue for the portable navigation devices, or PND, industry next year.

Garmin also believes the personal navigation device isn’t dead but I point both companies to a little something that also started with P – the PDA. Palm and Compaq fought a valiant fight but in the end the smartphone took over and killed the PIM/PDA industry. Whoosh. Gone. Unless TomTom and Garmin go all software – and they are – they’re toast. The PND market isn’t going up. It will be flat to down next year and gone by the end of the decade.

We saw photos of the TomTom accessory for the iPhone yesterday but now we have video of it. This is basically a little dock with a USB cable and a GPS booster. Not a huge deal but this could feasibly mean the end of standalone GPS devices, which is kind of important. What think you?

Would you replace a standalone GPS device with something like this? Do you already use something like this – maybe a BB or a WinMo phone tethered to the dashboard?

Remember this day. Today is the day that you saw the future of GPS navigation. Tele Atlas has partnered with Norway-based BLOM to provide photorealistic maps to personal navigation devices. So far only 40 cities in Europe have been ported to the service, but many more are scheduled to be released in the coming quarters. Soon the days of having basic 3D boxes to represent buildings will be gone and an actual picture will be there instead.

Tele Atlas maps are already on TomTom, the PSP, Mio and Pioneer devices. The first set of maps will be available in June with North America and Asia to follow in 2010. We can’t wait to see where this will take personal navigation. That is, of course, if the aging GPS satellites are still flying.Tele Atlas Sets New Standard for Realistic Maps with Highly Detailed 3D City Images

GHENT, Belgium–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Tele Atlas, a leading global provider of digital maps and dynamic content for navigation and location based solutions, announced today the availability of 3D, photorealistic Advanced City Models. Designed for use in navigation systems and location-based applications, Advanced City Models are three-dimensional representations of major city centers that dramatically raise the clarity and reality of screen images within in-car and portable navigation systems and mobile devices. With Advanced City Models, displays more closely match what users actually see in their surroundings, helping them more easily find locations and services.

The release of Advanced City Models builds on the company’s suite of enhancement products, which include Urban Maps, Points of Interest (POIs), Voice Maps, Speed Profiles and dynamic content. Tele Atlas has been delivering industry leading 3D products since 2006, used today in Mio, Pioneer and Sony PSP navigation solutions. The company accelerated the development of more advanced 3D images through its partnership with Norway-based BLOM and today transforms aerial imagery from BLOM into photorealistic maps.

“With the release of Advanced City Models, we are quickly delivering increasingly rich, powerful content to our customers that enhances their products and applications,” said Tele Atlas CEO Bill Henry. “Our partnership with BLOM and our new advanced production capabilities allow us to deliver incredibly detailed, realistic 3D maps to the industry and provide a superior experience for the end user in more cities than ever before.”

The June release of Advanced City Models will deliver 40 cities across Europe, and many more cities are scheduled to be available in subsequent quarterly releases. In 2010, Tele Atlas expects to deliver hundreds of cities, including cities in North America and Asia Pacific. Advanced City Models help Tele Atlas partners deliver products and devices that provide:

Lifelike Display with a high level of optical quality that answers the consumer demand for a more realistic, appealing map display;
Improved Orientation that depicts city centers, complete with city blocks, building textures and notable landmarks, to enhance recognition and guidance; and
Improved Navigation Experiences with a richer, more attractive visual guide for driving and pedestrian applications.

 

Microsoft explained that the alleged patent violation is related to  advances in car navigation technology that they have already licensed to other companies, including TomTom competitor Garmin. Given that their competitors can legally use the technology, analysts think that TomTom will most likely settle out of court rather then get into a prolonged legal battle.

[via Reuters]

TomTom and Fujitsu Ten have announced the ECLIPSE AVN4430 in-dash nav system and it’s pretty darn expensive at $850. But, I’m not sure how much in-car GPS units go for from manufacturers so correct me if I’m wrong. The plus side is that you can remove the TomTom GPS unit whenever you please and use it elsewhere. It sports a 4.3-inch screen and controls all of your car’s entertainment needs. It will be available in the States this month. Hit the jump for specs.

Best Maps

* TomTom Map Share™ technology, enabling users to make updates and corrections to their own maps instantly on the device and to benefit from improvements made by other users free of charge.
* Latest map guarantee so users always have free access to the latest map at time of purchase.

Safety

* ‘Help Me’ Emergency menu that gives drivers direct access to emergency services and roadside assistance
* Voice address input so that users can drive to millions of cities and street names by simply announcing the address of their destination
* Clear voice instructions and text-to-speech to enable street names, places, traffic alerts and SMS messages to be read aloud as part of the spoken instructions
* Enhanced hands-free calling with high-quality sound system via Bluetooth® to allow drivers to keep their eyes firmly on the road while making phone calls in the car
* Rear-view Camera Ready so drivers can expand their view outside of a normal field of vision.

Future Proof

* Free TomTom HOME software and content from the TomTom community to keep their device up to date at all times.

Easy to Use

* Large 4.3 inch touch screen with fresh icons and an updated user interface to navigate drivers to their destination even more easily.

Radio Shack is gaining yet another exclusive GPS model after the Motorola and NAVIGON units. The TomTom Go 630 seems similar in specs to the GO 720 with even the same $399 price.

• IQ Routes Technology
• Advance Lane Guidance
• Access to TomTom MapShare
• Text-to-Soeech
• 4.3-inch widescreen
• Bluetooth handsfree call

Side note about why Radio Shack is selling “exclusive” models after the break.

Price matching. I worked in retail for a long time and I can tell you that price matching is why Radio Shack is selling exclusive GPS units with similar specs as other models. Radio Shack rarely wins in price wars and hardly ever matches the price of a cheaper retailer. Now that they have a similar model, but with a different model number though, the issue disappears.

The conversation between a customer and Radio Shack worker would go like this:

Nice customer lady

“Best Buy has this TomTom GPS unit on sale for $349 this week. Can you match the price?”

Radio Shack tool

“Actually, we sell an exclusive version that comes with special features like a slightly brighter screen and a longer windshield mount so, no, I cannot match the price but you are going to want to spend the extra coin to buy this one anyway. Besides, it’s a different model number.”

The J.D. Power and Associates just released the 2008 Portable Navigation Device customer satisfaction rankings with Garmin taking the top seat and TomTom following closely behind. These scores are a composite of six factors that include: ease of use, routing, system appearance, speed of system, voice direction, and navigation display screen. 

Garmin ranks highest among portable navigation device manufacturers, performing particularly well in the display screen, ease of use and appearance factors

TomTom follows Garmin in the ranking, performing well in the routing, speed of system and voice direction factors

Personally, I have never been a big fan of Garmin interfaces; who am I though but a lowly gadget blogger.

JDPower via GPSTracklog

Ah, Black Friday. After working at Circuit City from 2000 to 2006, I don’t care how good the deals are, I’m sleeping in that day. This year is shaping up nicely though if the $99 GPS and $149 Blu-ray player rumors are true. Reportable, the GPS units are going to be top tier units from Garmin, TomTom, or Magellan and the Blu-ray player should be the Samsung BDP-1500. Still, I don’t care how cheap I can get a gizmo or widget, there is no way in hell its worth getting up at 3:00 A.M, only to wait outside in Michigan’s freezing November temperatures; my mother-in-law disagrees though.

Sorry Kim. I’m sure you’re a nice lady and all, but after being forced to sit through umpteen seasons of Sex and the City and the 3 hours of bonus drivel provided by the movie, I don’t think I could handle it. If anybody hopped in my car with your new voice pack installed on a TomTom, I would smash said TomTom with a brick.

If you think you can bear your way through such classics as “This is the city, darling. Anything goes.” and “Don’t touch my manolos!”, you can grab the new pack here for $12.95. These celebrity voice packs are suddenly like the GPS unit version of ringtones; Expect shady late night commercials and crazy babbling frogs soon.

GlaDOS: good litmus test for whether people you’re with are huge nerds.
Pimp or sexy lady voice: good test for whether you’re a raging misogynist (or closet prostitute).
Yoda: Eh, why not?

If you’re curious but poor (or care to exercise good taste, like me), you can listen to samples, so at the very least you can laugh at W saying “arrived at destantination. Mission accomplished,” which is funny even though the Bush imitator is only passable.

The TomTom ONE XL II (that’s a mouthful) launch is one step closer with the FCC stamp of approval. Details are still up in the air, but it seems this guy simply updates the previous model with Bluetooth hands-free calling. Even the available users guide doesn’t reveal any juicy details as it seems as if the guide is just repurposed from the current generation. All the docs are up on the FCC’s website if you need more info. 

[Thanks for the tip, Rich!]

If TomTom fills in the blanks later on – availability, U.S. cost, stuff like that — we’ll let you know.

HandTac via GPSLodge

PRO Features:
- A whopping 2 year warranty
- Menu lock option so you’re not tempted to mess with it while driving (this should be on all TomTom devices)
- Heavy duty sleeve for those of you suffering from dropsy
- Free map update in the first 12 months
- Accesses to a PRO only customer service line
- PIN lock to protect your information when other people use it

Some of these new “features” seem like items that all TomTom units should come with standard. Why the different treatment TomTom? Are us Joe-Lunchbox types not good ‘nough?

Anyway, the only difference between the two is the 8000 has premium features like IQ Routes, Voice Address Input, and Bluetooth hands-free calling. I’d advise you to get the cheap one and then complain until you get the good service.

via Navigadget