As Federal and State Governments consider banning navigation and digital radio devices in motor vehicles in Australia, European Navigation company TomTom has introduced a new iPhone application that not only delivers mapping but turn-by-turn spoken directions via a voice activation system.
Set to be launched in Australia later this year the application which runs on the new 3G S iPhone will include a mounting kit for a motor vehicle and a speaker so that commands can be given to the device
Announced by TomTom co-founder and CEO Peter Frans Pauwels at the Apple Worldwide Developer’s Conference, the app will be sold for a price yet to be announced.
The device will not be exclusive to the iPhone with several other navigation manufacturers set to launch new iPhone navigation software.
The Tom Tom mounting kit provides a speaker and microphone to the iPhone and allows it to mount on a windshield. It uses the Tom Tom current twist-and-lock mount that can fold up for carrying in your pocket. It also charges the iPhone and allows you to tilt the iPhone so it may adjust between landscape and portrait modes.
TomTom said that the app will include IQ routes and MapShare technology which provide estimates on times of arrival based on historical traffic patterns for better accuracy and which allow users to send map updates to TomTom for sharing with other users.
TomTom has not revealed whether the app will announce the street names of upcoming turns, nor whether it will provide HD Traffic. This latter feature is available in Europe and uses the two-way Internet connection in a device to track the user’s road speed as he drives and send out live traffic reports to all TomTom HD Traffic users.
