TomTom iPhone app now available

 

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Posted on 17 Aug 2009 at 17:08

TomTom has released its navigation software for iPhone users, with immediate availability from Apple's iTunes App Store.

The TomTom app for iPhone 3G and 3G S owners includes a continental map of Europe or map of UK & Ireland, costing £80 and £60 respectively. The prices do not include the forthcoming car kit, which will provide a windscreen mount and car charger. No pricing has been announced for this.

The interface looks much like that on TomTom's standalone navigation devices, but is tailored for the iPhone's portrait screen. Of course, you only need rotate the iPhone to landscape mode to see the navigation view as it appears on devices such as the Go 740 Live.

You also get TomTom's IQ Routes. Instead of using travel time assumptions, IQ Routes bases its routes on the actual experience of millions of TomTom drivers to calculate the fastest route and predict accurate arrival times.

TomTom has ensured that the app integrates well with the iPhone's features. This means you can use multi-touch gestures such as tap, swipe, pinch and zoom to operate the application and zoom in and out of the map and you can navigate to addresses just by tapping on contacts in the address book.

TomTom's app will compete with rivals from Navigon and CoPilot, both of which are cheaper. CoPilot's UK version, for example, costs just £26, while Navigon's European maps cost £60 - the same price as TomTom's UK & Ireland region.

Although no details are currently available, TomTom is planning to bring out a version of the app for iPod Touch and original iPhone users. This may coincide with the launch of the car kit, which is expected later this summer, and is said to have a GPS receiver built in.

Without the car kit, though, we can't see the navigation app being much use, unless you already have a windscreen mount for your iPhone. To see a video of the app in action, watch this YouTube clip.

Author: Jim Martin