TeleNav, my favorite iPhone navigation app, is headed to Verizon. And, unlike its AT&T brethren, it’s coming in at a reasonable price point. Assuming I make the jump in the next week or so, this will be one of my first purchases. The AT&T Navigator branded TeleNav app currently runs $10/month or $70/year, whereas an annual subscription to the new app on Verizon will run only $22. Guess that’s what happens when you take out the carrier middle man. As you might expect, this dual platform approach has raised some questions regarding carrier control and the possibility of platform “fragmentation” – which TechCrunch counters as BS. But, any way you slice it, Verizon iPhone owners will have a compelling navigation experience available to them shortly. Yet for those looking for an inexpensive or free turn-by-turn GPS app, I continue to recommend MapQuest.
It seems like a nice navigation app, but it doesn’t seem nearly as practical in real-world usage as an iOS app like this…
Guess it depends where in the “real world” you live and where you’re trying to go…
I found the ZDNet piece and TC counter amusing, as an Android fanboy and an iPhone fanboy took their respective and expected sides.
The mapquest app looks nice, but it doesn’t appear to have that driver point-of-view that a traditional GPS device or Google Navigation has. Is there a free app for iPhones that works like this?
“Guess it depends where in the “real world” you live and where you’re trying to go…”
I have a good world map as a reference, and I believe the app I cited covers most of it…
The best things are rarely free… i would proudly recommend Navigon instead… the experience is amazing, the accuracy is very good, and the updates are plentiful.
I keep missing the half off Navigon sales. Wife uses the TomTom app – it’s decent and getting better, but I don’t love it.
WAZE is also pretty good for a free app. It’s not the best GPS ever but some of the real time traffic stuff rocks!
I liked Waze, and previously blogged about it, until it about got me killed (not literally). Bad routing, bad zooming. Not good. Led to many several stressful moments and a waste of time backtracking. Fun games though.
Telenav still hasn’t been released yet, and I expect they may need to rework it. Apple won’t like their new Verizon-only app angle. HOWEVER all the others seem to be on sale to capitalize on new Verizon customers. TomTom USA is down to $35 (my wife has it) and I just bought the highly regarded Navigon USA for $25: http://zatz.tv/efn7uT