I'm not yet saying the nail is in the coffin for companies like TomTom, Garmin and Magellan, but they better start figuring out ways to lower the costs of stand-alone GPS devices. The navigation application on a cell phone or smart phone will blow them out of the water.
Research firm In-Stat thinks so. "Mobile phone operators now have the ability to market a downloadable navigation application that is just as good as, if not better, than personal navigation devices," In-Stat says in a new report. Handset-based mapping and navigation apps could "cause a major change" in the navigation market, the firm adds.
Why?
1) People already own their cell phone, and many have GPS capabilities built in because of mandates to support E-911 services. If they want to try a navigation system, they don't have to buy an additional device.
2) Customers who don't want to use their navigation application all the time can pay for just a 24-hour version, giving them the directions they need for one-time trips. Unless we drive to unknown locations for a living, most of us know how to get where we're going. It's the occasional unknown destination that makes us sometimes yearn for driving directions.
In-Stat predicts that by 2012 there will be 42 million mapping and navigation mobile phone subscribers, with cellular operators who have CDMA- and iDEN-based networks with an advantage over other operators (because of the A-GPS technology they already have).
No wonder firms like Mio Technology and others are looking to add additional functionality to their stand-alone devices. Features like MP3 players, video players and PDA-like organizers could extend the life of these devices for a while. In addition, functionality such as speech recognition and real-time traffic alerts are also being explored.
But if I was a betting man, I'm more comfortable with the position of the carriers and companies like TeleNav, which run their applications off of a handset, over some of these stand-alone manufacturers.
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You are SO right!
You are so right. Those guys are HOSED!
I mean, it's not like TomTom or Garmin have any mobile phone navigation systems.
You are NOT so right!
Please check your facts. Garmin DOES in fact have something called Garmin Mobile which puts Garmin navigation capability into Sprint cel phones. 5 years ago nobody would have guessed that GPS would become the consumer product it is today. Predicting technology into 2012 is shaky ground.
OK, an adjustment, then...
The Garmin Mobile and TomTom mobile software applications help prove my point -- the market will move away from expensive stand-alone devices towards a platform where the device is less expensive and more attractive to other features -- the cell phone.
If I could adjust the original post, I would say that the companies aren't doomed, but I think the stand-alone GPS device as a product category is doomed.
I applaud Garmin and TomTom for recognizing this and putting their software onto other platforms like cell phones. Maybe you'll see them move out of the hardware business at some point as well.
obviously you don't know
obviously you don't know what sarcasm is
I Agree With This Article
There are already cutting edge products available on mobile phones, such as WHERE, that fully utilize a handset's built-in GPS Navigation System to find nearby places and provide driving directions. Unless stand-alone GPS devices can become more portable, less expensive, and more efficient the built-in GPS capabilities of ordinary cell phones will render them obsolete in a few years, much like the 8-track and the VHS.
Phone based GPS not ready for prime time
I've been using telenav on a sprint phone, and while way better than nothing, the lack of processing power, precision, and accuracy make it considerably less useful than a standalone gps.
I agree nail isn't in the coffin
I have an app www.trapster.com that runs on BlackBerry. If you have the PDE etc. key it works on Sprint handsets and other GPS phones. I've also "ported" it to Where.com (mentioned above).
I test my app all the time - Here's some of the not-so-good about doing this sort of thing on a phone (same issues for most any GPS app):
1) Battery life - better plug that phone into car charger if doing GPS locates frequently enough to be useful while moving.
2) Accuracy/speed of locates, especially in areas with tall buildings around.
3) Usability - BlackBerry can run apps in background, but most smartphones can't. That means you can't talk while getting driving directions. Any Where.com app gets interrupted. Of course it starts back up after call is over, but that's a lousy replacement for in-car nav.
4) Biggest issue - carrier walled gardens. The reason the original author didn't know about Garmin or other software is that TeleNav is the one his carrier approved. Even if Garmin or some other player has software that is better than TeleNav, we'll never know until our carrier allows it to run on our phone which will likely be never. There's a line a mile long of app developers trying to get their stuff on carrier handsets. I've (obviously) run into this issue with an edgy app like Trapster...
Clarification - not saying
Clarification - not saying phone app GPS / Where.com / etc. isn't useful. Much to the contrary, they work *great* for find-it-once-and-go (e.g. find a location/business/buddy ... or just get directions).
They just aren't reasonable replacements (in my experience) for in-car nav systems (or trap finders) or other leave-it-on, background, type apps... yet.
GPS-enabled cell phones may
GPS-enabled cell phones may well replace in-vehicle navigation systems. But that's not the only market for stand-alone GPS. I spend a lot of time in the desert where there is no cell service. My Magellan is a lifeline to me. Boaters would second this opinion, I'm sure.
Boaters would indeed. At a
Boaters would indeed. At a one-time cost of $149 (Black Friday) the Mio C310x is a bargain compared to $49 or more per month for a cell phone. Extra apps are a gimmick not a category savior: I verified that the Mio's MP3 player worked once and have never used it since -- a standalone MP3 player is much more convenient. And until cell phones are waterproof and have transflective displays and NMEA interfaces to laptop charting apps like SeaClear, they will never replace the likes of my Garmin 76CSx.