...thanks to Google.

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/10/28/go ... n-android/

The second video displays just how brilliant this is.

FREE and only on

Google’s New Mobile App Cuts GPS Nav Companies At The Knees



Google released a new mobile navigation app today and GPS navigation companies such as Garmin And TomTom saw their shares take a plunge. The announcement shaved $1.2 billion off of Garmin’s market cap alone. Its shares are down more than 16 percent so far today to $31.60. TomTom’s shares are down 21 percent to $8.11.

And this is just for an Android app. But Google could very well make it available to other phones as well, and that is what has investors worried. GPS navigation apps are among the most expensive, and most lucrative, of all mobile apps. TomTom sells its iPhone apps for $50 to $100, with a different app per country.

Google just cut the traditional GPS navigation companies at the knees by releasing what may be a far superior product for free. It is not a standalone navigation app. Rather it taps into a lot of the resources Google makes available on the Web, including Google Maps, Streetview, voice recognition, and sophisticated search. You can use voice search just as you would look for something on Google’s search engine. “Where is the Pizza Hut in downtown Palo Altoâ€

I'm waiting for a car that can read my thoughts


(God I'm hungry, where should I go to eat?)



(Car navigation voice) "Fish taco stand 1.4km, turn right on Main St. ahead"

I'll have to remember this the next time I rent a car for a substantial trip.

Imagine if you’re the executive who convinced Garmin to build the Nuvi phone right now.

Ouch. That’s got to be a bad day. Here’s how it probably went:

CEO: You idiot! Have you read TechCrunch this morning? We’re doomed! It’s over.

NuviDude: Relax, will ya? It’s free, so It’s probably craptastic, and you get what you pay for.

CEO: Two things: first, you’re fired. Second, we’re all freakin’ fired. It’s over. Game over, man. We have no business in this market anymore. Google just gave away, for freakin’ free, a product that’s WAY better than our Nuvi. It’s better than TomTom on the iPhone for that matter, and those idiots are charging $99!!!

NuviDude: Sorry, what did you say, sir? I was busy selling all my Garmin stock using my new ‘Droid phone.

this kind of thing is not really your forte

cant wait for the download release

Did I read that right, it's only available on Android 2.0, and that new Verizon phone is the only 2.0 phone out?

All other Android phones should be able to upgrade to 2.0 soon. I believe the Android updates are over-the-air updates.

tim is right, its currently on the Droid but theyll be throwing out an update to everyone else i think before the end of the year

Sweet, because that google nav looks amazing. I've only had my android phone for about two weeks now, but it's far and away the coolest gadget I've ever owned.

The only android not able to update will be the MotoCliq by T-Mobile which comes out next week because it is running the MotoBlur version of Android.

that phone is geared towards social network geeks right?

yup

Damn, if I can do this via bluetooth from inside a helmet (like I could with traditional bluetooth-enable GPS devices), this would be pretty damn cool.

"I need gas."
"TURN LEFT"
"Thanks"
"NO SWEAT"

it's possible, so yeah, pretty damn cool.

For all of Dalen's orgiastic reviewing/pimping of the Droid, and all the sniping about the ATT network, I'm going to give the Verizon Droid phone a shot before making the switch. For once in my life, business interests will win out over being cool.

hahah, i liked it.

the cliq sucks. i'm using a version at work. the droid is far, far superior.

man, that Droid device looks slick, and comes with Android 2.0 already.

and man, fuck cool. you want something that works the way you want it to.

Dalen, have you tried running the Hero OS on your droid phone?

isn't the Hero OS just Android?

i have the myTouch 3G.

i don't know why so many people pay monthly fees to navigation companies.

i'd be interested to know how many people bought that souped up service from AT&T on the iphone... considering the maps feature's navigation can get you anywhere ALMOST as easily for free.

I don't know how I'd feel about a robotic voice saying this to me.

this is the hero OS --> http://intruders.tv/inqtv/2009/07/01/a- ... -htc-hero/

It's running on a Hero on that video, but that OS will run on your myTouch 3G and from what I've read it makes for a huge improvement.

I'm not sure if it's just android. I know it's a version, of android. When I was researching the Hero, the Hero OS was the newest available android OS and wasn't available to all android phones yet.

of course, I could be wrong. about everything