Google Android: turn by turn navigation for free

[haven]

This is an exciting time for smart phone shoppers. There are new capabilities in phones that use operating systems based on Windows Mobile, Palm Pre, Blackberry, Apple and Nokia. Now Google has thrown its hat into the mobile OS ring.

Google has developed a new operating environment called Android. Today, Android is used for smart phones and mobile internet devices (Archos 5 and 7, and Dell Streak, for example). In the near future, I expect to see Android used as the OS for general purpose computers.

Google just announced Android 2.0 for phones, a major upgrade. One nifty feature of Android 2.0 is its free turn-by-turn navigation. The navi system works with Google Maps to provide a map view, or the view from street level as you drive. Google Maps also updates traffic conditions on major roads every few minutes.

Here's a video that explains the features of turn-by-turn navigation on Android phones:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGXK4jKN_jY

Android phones are or will soon be available from most major carriers. Today, T-Mobile sells a phone that uses Android. AT&T is selling an Android phone made by Motorola. Dell is making an Android phone, and will sell it via AT&T. And Verizon Wireless said that they will start selling phones based on Android next week.

I'm uncertain if the Android phone uses GPS or cell phone tower triangulation to establish the phone's position. In either case, the free turn by turn navigation is not a substitute for topo map software. It's designed to help you navigate along existing roadways.

Chip Haven

 

[sleeoffroad]

I'm uncertain if the Android phone uses GPS or cell phone tower triangulation to establish the phone's position. In either case, the free turn by turn navigation is not a substitute for topo map software. It's designed to help you navigate along existing roadways.

Chip Haven

It can use the cell towers to get a rough fix, or GPS for better fix. I use a G1 Android Phone that already does this, however not turn by turn as an app that ships with it. 3rd party apps are available.

Also the Garmin Nuvi phone is pretty cool. Available from AT&T

 

[bmonday]

I have a MyTouch (T-Mobile's current Android offering), and it has built-in GPS, but can also rely on triangulation if that's all you have available.

It will be interesting to see if any topo capabilities emerge for Android.

 

[haven]

Trimble Outdoors is a topo map application for the Android environment.
The reviews say it has a clunky interface. You can download topo maps
to the phone to help with navigation.

Check out this page that talks about My Tracks, a gps and mapping
application that works with Android and Google Maps. While the example
uses running as the mode of travel, it could just as easily track an afternoon
of off-road driving
http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2008/10/google-on-android-maps.html

There are about 11,000 applications available in the Android app store,
called the "Market." That's only 10% of the apps in the iTunes store, but
it's still a sizable number. Like the iTunes store, the Android Market is
filled with stupid games and programming exercises that don't do anything
useful. But there are a few winners in there.

 

[biglos454]

im a verizon customer and i have been waiting for them to release an android phone for almost 6 months now. they just offically announced the first motorola droid today. should release next week. I cant wait to get my hands on it:wings: and the free turn by turn navigation is a really nice thing to have on a phone i think. cant wait to try it out

 

[java]

i love my g1, im running htc dream software and nav for all is free and works great, the google app is cool to have the street view

 

[alosix]

Google ION here (waiting for the 2.0 software to hit HTC's dev site)

The phone helped save my butt on the barney riley trail. 2 guys driving that had never been there before and my Nuvi locked up. No removable battery and no reset button.

Brought up a compass app and my tracks, compared to paper maps and I was good to go.

Jason

 

[Fish]

Trading a Treo for a Droid

Well, my Treo has been slowly dying, so I ordered a Verizon Droid on Friday. It should be here tomorrow or Tuesday. I'll post reviews as I learn about it. I'm not normally one to jump on new technology, but what the heck.

 

[Trail Monkey]

anybody have droid experiences to share yet???

 

[brut4s]

I got my Droid Sunday just used it going to work I have not been able to go any where yet, but it works faster and is more accurate than my Pioneer Navi. in dash unit.

 

[franklinmall]

finally figured out how to add addresses and look up businesses on the web and synchronize them to my navigator's "Favorites". If anyone is interested here is the link: http://my.telenav.com

 

[crawldit]

I love the Androis OS. I bought a T Mobile G1 when they first came out and then upgraded to a My Touch 3G once they were available. There are so many cool apps out there that I don't even use the Google Maps program that came pre-installed. I'm currently running Copilot Live as my navigation software and love it. It's amazing how much these 'smart phones' are becoming more like palm sized computers everyday.

 

[fetus]

I've had my Droid for a week and some change. I did a drive with the wife to drop the kids off at the grandparents in Solvang. So I rode shotgun and played with my phone.

There is a bit of lag with the navigation icon. It skips and pauses and isn't as smooth as a typical GPS unit. It also doesn't function well, if at all when there is no cell service, as I found when we were on some canyon roads near Santa Clarita. So it doesn't appear to cache the maps for your route.

The layers are pretty nice, being able to overlay Google earth imagery is a huge plus for me. Being able to have a birds eye of what's actually around you building and street wise is nice.

Another cool feature is the Street View with the compass mode turned on. Say you are looking at your house on the screen, as you physically pan the phone, it senses the direction you are facing and pans the Google Street View Image. Also nice is the Google Skymap with the stars and compass mode functions much the same. You can't navigate with Street mode turned on, I think. It didn't work for me.

The screen is pretty scratch resistant. Though some people have scratched it with silica or sand that was in their pant pockets. An Invisible Shield is on my screen. I'm holding out for hard cases at this point.

Battery life is so-so. Running apps and GPS, WIFI and bluetooth runs the battery down in a few hours. I carry a spare battery and a standalone charger that can be charged in the car. Both are available at Verizon Wireless online with a 20% discount. CODE: ACC20

Verizon also gives free overnight shipping via Fedex, as well.

 

[bigreen505]

anybody have droid experiences to share yet???

It's like an iPhone designed by committee. I will likely send mine back in the next couple weeks and wait for something better. I seem to use it as a phone outside the house and in the house use my old iPhone on wifi instead. That says a lot to me.

If you need to be on Verizon and need a phone now, I would say go BlackBerry and see what shows up in a few months. Beyond undeserved hype, there are very few redeeming qualities about the droid. If you are a PC/Linux user and like an open platform it may be a good option. If you expect a polished user experience you will be disappointed.