Sam Oliver
The $0.99 application (">iTunes link) comes with a 14-day free trial, after which users can purchase one month of service for $3.99, three months for $9.99, or one year for $29.99. The subscription is enabled from within the application, which features maps for both the U.S. and Canada.
According to MapQuest, features of the application include:
- 2-D and 3-D moving maps to help people follow the route as well as spoken directions with street names
- Route optimization to avoid areas with accidents, construction or other events affecting traffic
- Full route corridor download at the beginning of the journey enables the application to quickly re-routes in case of a missed turn, regardless of network coverage
- One-tap search for businesses along a route via a palette of on-map widgets in categories such as hotels, shopping, gas stations, coffee shops, parking garages and more
- More than 16 million points of interest and maps for the U.S. and Canada
This month, TomTom is set to release its $120 car kit for the iPhone and iPod touch. Contrary to early reports, the hardware kit will not ship with a copy of the iPhone navigation software.
However, the hardware does include an external GPS receiver that is said to improve reception on the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G, and allow it for the first-generation iPhone and iPod touch. TomTom has said its car kit will work with other navigation applications.
A comparable business model to MapQuest's application is AT&T's Mobile Navigator. That application is free and offers voice guidance, 3D on-screen navigation, and automatic rerouting. It, too requires a monthly service subscription, at $9.95.
Charles Martin
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24 Comments
Generally I'm pretty anti-subscription but when the prices are that manageable and it comes with the ability to do varying time frames it's hard to ignore. It's rare that I need GPS so this might very well be the best option for me.
Great, so if you even have service, you can use your iphone to get lost as hell!
(I know I sound like a stinker, but I just hate mapquest from a bad experience in kentucky. It brings back nightmarish memories.)
Let the competition begin.
Great, so if you even have service, you can use your iphone to get lost as hell!
(I know I sound like a stinker, but I just hate mapquest from a bad experience in kentucky. It brings back nightmarish memories.)
I'm with you, haven't used MapQuest in ages because they never updated their info. Google is moving onto my sh*t list, too. They need to keep updating, have they forgotten things change?
On the plus side, the cost for this is manageable, there are options, and it's GPS turn by turn. Hopefully MapQuest will set the others straight on their pricing (you see that TomTom? NO ONE wants to spend $200 on a GPS when they already own the GPS part )
Even AT&T's was ridiculously over-priced crapware. Another +1 for competition yay!
The app is only 2.9 MB. Either these are the best compressed maps in the universe, or else the second you lose cellular connectivity, you also lose your maps. It's cheaper, but it seems like you get what you pay for.