It’s all about the data. The just-announced Garmin FR70 Fitness Watch doesn’t care where you’ve been or where you’re going. It only cares about your body while you’re going there. Despite coming from Garmin, the FR70 doesn’t have GPS. It only tracks and monitors the body’s vitals and then presents this info in a coherent fashion through Garmin’s online service making this a fine watch for indoor or outdoor training.

The FR70 is fully compatible with ANT+ devices such as heart rate monitors, foot pods, and even ANT+ comptible stationary fitness equipment. It records everything from speed to distance to the run cadence. There’s even an optional speed/cadence bike sensor that also works with indoor trainers. Once this data is collected, plug the watch into a computer and the info is uploaded to Garmin Connect for easy tracking.

This model is the latest in Garmin’s line of fitness watches but hits with a lot lower cost of admission. Available in November, FR70 will cost $129, which is $70 less than the FR60 was when it was first announced. However, now that the FR60 is only $99, you might want to save your $30. The new FR70 can hook up with the Tanita BC-1000 body-composition platform for six point body measurement tracking. That’s for the crazies. For the rest of us that just want some personal accountability (and maybe a new gadget) the older model seems just fine, too.

If you’re looking to get preemptive with holiday weight watching, Garmin’s got an app for that. The company today released the Garmin Fit app, which tracks speed, pace, distance, time, calories, and with the addition of Garmin’s ANT+ accessories, heart rate and cadence. The app also maps out the user’s workout and uploads it directly to Garmin Connect, all for $.99.

We’ve seen devices that perform almost all the same functionality, though they tend to be much smaller dedicated fitness devices. The FitBit, the Striiv, and even Motorola’s new MotoACTV smart watch take the same metrics, but force you to carry around an extra device. That said, it may be much easier for most to pop a small pedometer/fitness tracker in their pocket or wear a watch than it would be for someone to carry around a 4.3-inch smartphone.

The upside to the Fit app is that it never stops working, even if you have to take a call or write a text. A single tap displays all your basic metrics, including time, distance, pace and calories. Users will also be able to control their music from within the app.

Once you’ve thrown in the towel on your workout, the Fit app will let you give notes on the experience and input details, at which point all the information is sent straight to Garmin Connect. From there, users can track their overall performance and improvements over the last 30 days.

The Garmin Fit app is available now as a $.99 download from both the Apple App Store and the Android Market.

It’s interesting to chart the size and shape of fitness watches over the years. The first Garmins looked like protein bars melted to your wrist by this new one, the Forerunner 910XT, looks as svelte and lithe as the marathoners who will probably wear it. The 910XT costs about $400 and will be available next week.

The new model supports Garmin’s Connect online service as well as their clever Virtual Racer feature that pits you against a ghost runner. It’s good for swimming, biking (with the appropriate add-ons), and running. Optional bike mounts allow you to slap it to your handlebars and then take it off when it’s time to swim.

The 910X adds vibration alerts for hands and ear-free operation. Sadly it looks like you’ve got limited battery life on this thing – about 20 hours – so you’ll need to charge it on long trips.

Product Page

I’ve used quite a few heart rate monitoring watches in my day. I’ve played with Suuntos and Nikes aplenty, with whosits and whatsits galore. But the RCX5 is different in its utter simplicity. Designed to be worn while swimming, running, or biking, all of the smarts are actually in the optional sensors, leaving the watch itself as basic as a $20 Timex with a few tricks up its sleeve.

The base kit – that is, the watch, heart rate band, and a battery – costs $349. Although the watch and sensors are ostensibly OS X and Windows compatible, you’re going to be more comfortable using the software on Windows. I had some issues with the Mac sync and it wouldn’t work at all for me using a MacBook Air. It did work on my Mac Pro at home.

The extra gear costs, well, extra, although different packages – Run, Bike, Multi – add more than $100 to that price on the high end. To be clear, this watch is a major investment. The watch supports the Polar bike cadence and speed sensors, running pedometers, and GPS units. The heartrate monitor is water resistant as is the watch so you can wear it in all sorts of situations.

The battery lasts about six to eight months of regular use, which can be attributed to the watch’s dependence on radio communications. This is a far sight better, however, than most rechargeable models.

The things that stand out the most for me with this unit is the size, compact shape, and simplicity. Rather than cruft up the UI with “ghost running partners” and “time to exercise” reminders – although those are useful in some cases – this watch is no nonsense. The goal is to strap it on, do your training, be it biking, running, or swimming, and then look at the results. It’s a real sports watch in that it doesn’t want to help you loose weight or meet friends in the park for a jog. It wants to make you a machine.

To use it you simply strap everything to your body or bike, press the red “go” button to select a sport, and then press it again to start recording. You can also run pre-set workouts that you define in software. There are multiple activity readouts including a screen that shows current heart rate level (in comparison to the ideal) as well as speed, cadence, and distance. You can also set a special “gesture:” bringing your watch up to your heart rate monitor sets the watch to a different screen momentarily, a screen that you can preset. For example, you could set it to show you current time or distance and then drop back down to a read-out that focuses on heart rate.

DC Rainmaker has a video:

Once you have the watch, however, you need the accessories. It’s this upsell that may peeve some watch owners used to having an all-in-one solution although, I’d warrant, this looks better with a dress shirt that any of the monstrous GPS watches Garmin offers. Because this watch is only as good as its complementary sensors, so we’ll address those one by one.

Cadence sensors (bikes) – I tested the $30 CS speed sensor W.I.N.D. and the complementary $30 cadence sensor on my bike and got strong, consistent readings. Installation is a snap – you just place the sensor on one part of the bike and a little magnet on the other (placement varies). The sensors are small enough to be unobtrusive and are water resistant.

GPS – I also tested the small G5 GPS sensor, a device about the size of an iPod Nano that acted as a GPS antenna. It picked up a strong signal in New York and, surprisingly, also picked up a nice signal in Poland after about 30 minutes of searching. This small sensor comes with an arm band and is rechargeable via USB. Precision was strong – once the device achieved a satellite lock – but moving to a new location required another lengthy search process.

Foot pod – I tried the $113 s3+ stride sensor that connects to your shoe and senses current stride and footfall. I found this to be far more convenient than the GPS unit although slightly less precise.

Heart rate monitor – The standard model was comfortable, unobtrusive, and water resistant. It worked fine in all situations and I often forgot I was wearing it.

I’m away from my main computer and was unable to synchronize the watch with my Mac on this trip but here is a screen from the workout designer, a system for creating special interval workouts with a set speed and heart rate. You can also upload ready-made workouts to the watch and, for example, perform a set of intervals based on your specific goals.

If you’re looking for endurance-specific features, the RCX5 has them in spades. To be clear, I’m a big fat blogger so I can’t address the actual utility of these tools so I’ll paste them verbatim here for you to peruse. That said, I can state that this watch is different in that it definitely offers far more data than I’ve ever seen from a standard “runner’s” watch. Will it inspire me to do an Ironman? Probably not, but a boy can dream.

Sport Profiles: Essential for multisport and triathletes, this feature enables users to quickly switch between sports during training. With just a few button presses, this feature quickly adjusts settings to the current sport. It automatically detects any sensors needed, so that no time or training data is lost between swims, rides or runs. Four sport profiles come pre-loaded into the RCX5, and more can be added based on the user’s preferences.
ZoneOptimizer: Knowing how hard to train can be a challenge and it depends on many factors, including physical and mental state, stress, sleep, and previous training. The brand new ZoneOptimizer feature eliminates guesswork by adjusting personal heart rate zones based on a user’s current physiological condition. It guides training at the right intensity, making every session more effective.
Race Pace: The perfect feature for regulating speed and race strategy, Race Pace allows users to set a target time for a certain distance, and then displays the current pace/speed, as well as how far ahead or behind the user is from the target.
Training Load: This feature within polarpersonaltrainer.com displays a color-coded graph of a user’s cumulative training load, notifying a person when he or she has recovered enough for the next session, and accurately predicting training developments to prevent overtraining. This data also provides intelligence to modify training sessions as necessary.
polarpersonaltrainer.com: Several upgrades have been incorporated into the free online training journal to support the RCX5 users. Users can now create complete endurance training programs for running and cycling, including warm-up, work and cool-down sessions. The training programs can be easily synched to the RCX5 via the DataLink data transfer unit. After each session, it is easy to track progress online over time.

I’m obviously coming at this from the perspective of a dilettante so I’d recommend you also check out this exhaustive review by DC Rainmaker. For the average weekened runner, however, I think this watch may be a little too powerful and a little too expensive. While I wouldn’t recommend the Nike+ GPS watch for city-dwellers, it works just fine and Garmin has always pleased me with their self-contained heart rate/GPS watches.

Is this the watch for a weekend warrior? Probably not. It’s pricey, complicated, and oftentimes overkill. However, is this the watch for a serious triathlon trainee with a geek’s love of numbers? Absolutely.

Product Sets

RCX5 Bike (MSRP $389.95):

RCX5 training computer
WearLink®+ Hybrid transmitter
CS speed sensor W.I.N.D.
DataLink data transfer unit
Getting Started Guide

RCX5 Run (MSRP $419.95):

RCX5 training computer
WearLink®+ Hybrid transmitter
s3+ stride sensor
DataLink data transfer unit
Getting Started Guide

RCX5 Multi (MSRP $469.95)

RCX5 training computer
WearLink®+ Hybrid transmitter
G5 GPS sensor
DataLink data transfer unit
Getting Started Guide

RCX5 Basic Set (MSRP $349.95) (Available July 2011):

RCX5 training computer
WearLink®+ Hybrid transmitter
DataLink data transfer unit
Getting Started Guide

Product Page

German-based Navigon pulled out of the North American PND market in 2009 and has since focused on the European region and smartphone apps. It’s likely that these two areas of investment were key to Garmin’s interest. We reviewed Navigon’s last US-centric GPS units in 2009 and while they were competent, failed to eclipse Garmin’s or TomTom’s models in anyway.

Navigon is also a major player in the automotive OEM field, which might lead to big things for Garmin and consumers. Right now most baked-in GPS solutions aren’t exactly impressive and could a dash of Garmin charm would go a long way.

Going forward, Navigon will operate as a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd pending the acquisition’s approval and closing.

Similar to Garmin, Navigon, which is based in Germany, develops navigation software and GPS devices. The company also offers navigation applications for the iPhone and Android. The company has an estimated seven percent share in portable navigation devices in Europe.

Garmin president and CEO Cliff Pemble said in a release that the addition of Navigon’s European automotive OEM business is complimentary to the company as it looks to expand its “footprint” in Europe.

The eTrek 10, 20 and 30 all pack the ability to display geocaching GPX files and properly display the key information like terrarin, hints, and discriptions. The slightly more pricey eTrek 20 and 30 models sport a 2.2-inch 65k color display while the eTrek 30 contains a 3-axis tilt-conpensated electronic compass, which displays heading information without being perfectly level.

Garmin expects to release these new models sometime in the fall for $119, $199, and $299, respectively.

The Montana, as we’ve said several times, can pull double duty and to that end can display both turn-by-turn navigation, marine maps, or topographic maps. There’s even satellite data available if owners are willing to buy the subscription. The Montana 650t will be available for pre-ordering shortly for $699. Click through for a quick ad spot.

Garmin’s latest edition to its long-standing Forerunner brand is easily the sexiest yet. Even the GPS-connected watch is slimmer, it still packs in the features with a glove-friendly, high-res touchscreen. But it’s not the screen that’s important. Nope, it’s the training apps that attempt to justify the $350 price with the ability to upload and download different routes to the Garmin Connect web service. From there runners can attempt to best their own times or even other runners. Of course the 610 packs all the heart rate monitoring and distance measuring you’d expect with the Training Effect feature.

The release doesn’t mention the expected release date, but it will probably be rather soon as running season is starting back up in most of the country now. Until then, click over to this comprehensive review that goes over nearly every feature and function of the watch including the available accessories such as the bike mount.

Attention, geocachers! Garmin has a new device that may be worth your while. It’s called the chirp (yup, lowercase “c”), and it works in conjunction with Garmin phones to ensure a “more interactive and enjoyable geocaching experience.” Sounds fun. Not that I’ve ever been geocaching, but it seems like a swell way to spend an afternoon. It certainly beats trolling message boards all day long.

Chirp, which is available now (for $22.99), is described thus by Garmin’s Dan Bartel, vice-president of worldwide sales:

With Chirp, geocachers have a new tool to enhance the joys of creating and finding caches around the globe. In listening to and participating in the vibrant geocaching community, Garmin created a one-of-a-kind device that builds on popular innovations such as paperless geocaching and downloading cache details directly to the device.

And as you know, geocaching is basically a form of treasure hunting. You walk about the earth with a GPS, aided by geocaching Web sites, and find little bundles of stuff all over the place.

It sounds ludicrous at the outset, but what doesn’t? It’s certainly no sillier than becoming the “mayor” of a café because you’ve “checked into” it more times than anyone else.

The chirp is tiny, described by Garmin as “slightly bigger than a quarter.” It transmits geocaching data to your Garmin handheld device, things like coordinates, how many times a cache has been found before, hints, etc.

It’s your geocaching companion~!

I don’t know, it seems neat. Geocaching is so not my scene, but it sounds delightful.

Click through for basic run-downs of each model.

Sleek and streamlined, Forerunner 410 introduces an enhanced touch bezel, a premium soft-strap heart rate monitor and new software features evolving from the revolutionary Forerunner 405, which Leisure Trends Group’s RetailTRAK™ Running Report found to be the top selling electronics item for 2009 in the running specialty channel, as published in Running Insight.

In addition to the enhanced touch bezel that lets runners quickly scroll and select features on the run – in all types of weather – Forerunner 410 alerts runners before transitioning into power-save mode and allows users to manually shut down the power in preparation for long breaks in training. The new touch bezel provides unmatched reliability in sweaty, rainy conditions, and it processes information even faster than before. When your workout’s done, Forerunner 410 keeps working by wirelessly uploading data to the Garmin Connect™ online training community when in range of your computer. It works via ANT+™ wireless technology and the USB stick that comes with your watch. No wires, no manual uploads, no sweat.

As easy to use as the popular Forerunner 110, Garmin’s new Forerunner 210 is ideal for runners who simply want to step outside, acquire satellites and start their workout. Forerunner 210 provides real-time data such as pace, distance and time by using a high-sensitivity GPS receiver with Garmin’s HotFix® technology to quickly acquire and sustain satellite reception. For runners who want more training capabilities, Forerunner 210 lets you create customized interval sessions and see your pace for each interval. You can also set up heart rate alerts to notify you when you are above or below your targets. If you’re using the 210 with Garmin’s featherweight foot pod (perfect for running indoors or out), you will later be able to see your running cadence, or steps per minute, when you upload your data to Garmin Connect. Available in a stylish glossy black-on-black design, Forerunner 210 looks fashionable on the run, in the office or out on the town.

Quickly now, quickly. T-Mobile has reduced the price of the new Garmin phone to $129 (that’s including rebate). This isn’t exactly surprising given that the phone is trying to survive in an iPhone and Froyo world. So if you were ever on the fence for the little guy, well, no time like the present.

Garmin’s “study” showed that even a short trip could be expensive. Their example was from Calais to Paris, and Garmin suggested that trip could cost a phone user as much as $112 in data charges. Of course, it’ll depend on your phone, your plan, and Garmin is of course spinning it in their direction, but it is something to be aware of if you don’t have an unlimited data plan. I think they definitely see the change in the wind that PDA companies missed back in the day – their own extinction.

The new model brings a 2.6-inch 65K color touchscreen that’s designed to work in the bright of day. That’s important too as users will be able to load Garmin custom maps and BirdsEye aerial imagery onto the handheld. Some models even feature built-in topography maps along with tri-axial electronic compass and barometric altimeter.

It seems this guy will hit streets as early as July starting at $350 with a Canadan-spec’d model running $550.

I think the standalone GPS device is all but dead – I’m a pessimist that way and I know that your parents and mine both use standalone GPSes but that’s because we never showed them how to use the ones on their phones – but Garmin is still churning out some nice-looking models.

The members of the new 3700 series, consisting of the nüvi 3790T, nüvi 3760T and nüvi 3750, have multi-touch gestures as well as better speakers. The 3790T, the big daddy in this little dystopian GPS underworld, has:

With a customizable “wake-up phrase” to initiate voice-activated navigation, nüvi 3790T lets you tell it what to do and where to go while you keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road.
• And the road ahead never looked so realistic, thanks to the unprecedented details of 3D terrain and 3D buildings. Whether you’re heading for rolling hills or urban canyons, the shaded topography and realistic landmarks provide unrivaled context and enhanced situational awareness.

Best of all, the devices also have a “predicted destination” system called MyTrends. The device looks at where you tend to be and then starts looking only in those areas unless you tell it otherwise. In this way it can predict where you’re going and, in the end, take you there without you knowing it.

No pricing yet.

via Garmin

Inspired by the countless runners who have the same request at race expos and retail outlets – “Show me the Garmin watch that has GPS and is easiest to use” – Forerunner 110 is the ideal entry-level device for easily tracking progress and goals in exercise and training. In addition to displaying time and distance, Forerunner 110 shows pace in one of two ways, averaged out either over the current lap/mile (if auto-lap is enabled) or over the duration of the run. Runners wearing a Garmin heart rate monitor (included in some bundles or available separately) can monitor how hard they’re working while they exercise as Forerunner 110 displays current heart rate data and features heart rate-based calorie computation. Between workouts, the simplified menu system helps users review run data, change auto-lap, set an alarm or edit the user profile.

The new chip adds better satellite reception and can last eight days on one charge in GPS standby or eight full hours of training. It comes in “fashionable” pink and red. Click through for the full press release.

New Forerunner 110 simplifies and streamlines GPS for runners

March 29, 2010 – posted in Into Sports,

Inspired by the countless runners who have the same request at race expos and retail outlets – “Show me the Garmin watch that has GPS and is easiest to use” – Garmin’s newly announced Forerunner 110 sports watch is a sleek, intuitive and affordable solution for runners, joggers and walkers who simply want to know the most essential of real-time workout data: how far and how fast. Forerunner 110 will debut in April at the world-class marathons in Paris, Boston and London, where it will be on display at Garmin booths in each location. It will then be available at running and fitness retailers, so be sure to ask at your favorite local shop.

“Forerunner 110 fills the needs of runners of all levels by focusing on simplicity without sacrificing accuracy,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “Within seconds of stepping outside, you simply press start and instantly know your distance, pace and time – all without any complicated setup or excessive accessories.”

Forerunner 110 is the ideal entry-level device for easily tracking progress and goals in exercise and training. In addition to displaying time and distance, Forerunner 110 shows pace in one of two ways, averaged out either over the current lap/mile (if auto-lap is enabled) or over the duration of the run. Runners wearing a Garmin heart rate monitor (included in some bundles or available separately) can monitor how hard they’re working while they exercise as Forerunner 110 displays current heart rate data and features heart rate-based calorie computation. Between workouts, the simplified menu system helps users review run data, change auto-lap, set an alarm or edit the user profile.

Water-resistant and slimmer than any other GPS-enabled fitness watch on the market, Forerunner 110 boasts a high-sensitivity SiRFstarIV GPS receiver with Garmin’s HotFix technology to quickly acquire and sustain satellite reception, perfect for wooded trails under dense trees or in the urban canyons of skyscrapers.
Available in three stylish color combinations – black/gray, charcoal/red and gray/pink – Forerunner 110 looks fashionable on the run, in the office or out on the town. Lasting up to 8 hours in GPS/training mode and up to three weeks in power-save mode, Forerunner 110 can be an everyday watch even on an off day of training. Users can save time by charging the battery and uploading workout data to Garmin Connect at the same time through an easy-to-use USB connection, which also is used to upload free software updates quickly from www.garmin.com.

Because Forerunner 110 stores and displays up to 200 hours of saved history, runners can see their totals even when they haven’t had a chance to upload to Garmin Connect. But once at Garmin Connect, users can quickly and easily log their workouts, track their totals, set goals, share workouts with friends and family and participate in an online fitness community of more than 20 million activities around the world. Garmin Connect displays metrics such as time, distance, speed, elevation and heart rate. This information is shown through charts, illustrations, reports and a variety of map representations including street, photo, topographic, and elevation maps as well as the popular Google Earth application.

Newsflash: birds see a LOT of stuff thanks to the fact that they can fly. Garmin wants to give you the same sensation (minus the flying part) with its new “BirdsEye Satellite and Aerial Imagery” feature, “an annual subscription service that gives users the option of loading highly-detailed photo-based maps to select Garmin handheld navigators,” according to a recent press release.

You’ll be able to access the imagery on Oregon, Dakota, and Colorado series GPS units for $30 per year. It’ll be available starting in March. As for the imagery itself:

The images are among the most highly-detailed available – offering 0.5 meter per pixel resolution in many areas of the United States.  Users can also view imagery at every zoom level – from 12 miles to 20 feet – unlike other offerings that force users to stay at pre-determined zoom levels.  BirdsEye Satellite Imagery also lets users overlay vector maps, to get a better idea of terrain contours and points of interest.

It’s being pitched at hunters, hikers, geocachers, and tourists.

Garmin Launches BirdsEye Satellite and Aerial Imagery [Press Release]

Amazon’s got a one-day deal on the 4.3-inch Garmin nuvi 855 GPS at $160, down from $190. You can still get it by Christmas with one- or two-day shipping, too.

The device features turn-by-turn voice directions, lane guidance, direct transfer of Google and Mapquest maps, MP3 playback, and expansion via microSD. For a GPS system that normally costs almost $200, it’s a tad disappointing that there’s no built-in traffic receiver or Bluetooth but you can at least add the traffic part after the fact, if need be.

Garmin nüvi 855 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator [Amazon.com]

Alright, everyone, settle down. I know the Google Maps Navigation stuff is pretty amazing, but let’s not write off the traditional GPS makers just yet. They’re not going anywhere for a while. Your parents and friends will see to that.

Hopefully the sudden market loss that companies like Garmin and TomTom saw yesterday will wake the companies up and see that they are doing it wrong. They are in the habit of producing 78 different versions of the same GPS. Each model steps you up $20 and adds another feature. It’s a ridiculous business plan and totally opposite what successful companies are doing.

But it’s true. Google dropped a bombshell on GPS makers yesterday with it’s free navigation tool that trumps almost anything currently available. The Android 2.0 app is about as robust as you can get thanks to the always-connected Android OS and almighty Google. You can simply say “Where is the Best Buy in Flint, MI” and it will take you there. All this is free from the “Don’t Be Evil” company, Google.

TomTom has a cell phone navigation solution too. Except theirs costs $100 for the app and another $120 for the car kit and the whole thing isn’t nearly as powerful as Google’s offering. But there are others as well: Navigon sells an app for $100, TeleNav has one for $10 per month, and there are other no-name programs out there for around the same price. Those apps are all dead in the water as soon as Google ports the Navigation app to other platforms.

The standalone GPS will be fine though. It should survive the cell phone GPS onslaught because it generally caterers to a different market. Do you really think your parents could operate an Android phone, let alone a GPS app within it? Some might be able to, but first they will have to be convinced to buy the phone and expensive data service to go along with it.

There is a gigantic market of folks outside the tech/nerd world that have absolutely no interest in smartphones and the high monthly bills that come along with them. These same people might just pick up a GPS at Walmart though and figure out the rudimentary functions over the course of a few months.

Standalone GPS units also have screen size in their favor. Have you actually ever used a cell phone-size screen for navigation while it’s mounted on your dash or windshield? It sucks. I’ve found the screen size to be way too small. Just think about your Dad’s cataract-filled eyes. How the heck is he suppose to follow a route on a 3.5-inch screen? As the recently announced Nintendo DSi LL clearly shows, an extra inch can make a huge difference.

What will likely happen is that the Google app will finish off the already small market for Internet connected GPS units and top-tier models. These are the units that carry a monthly service fee in return for access to basic functions like gas prices, custom routes, and traffic info. This is where the two markets of smartphone users and GPS owners overlap. But this market was already dying due to the rise of the other GPS apps, and Google Maps Navigation will put it out for good.

GPS manufacturers still need to get with the program and cut down their product line. Garmin is notorious for producing a dozen models, each with a slightly different feature set. How about making just three aimed at three distinct price points: $99, $249, and $500. It simply doesn’t make sense to offer so many different models with minimal price and spec differences.

But here’s the thing. Don’t shed a tear for GPS makers. They will be fine as long as they recognize that the market is changing and adapt. If they don’t, it’s their own damn fault.

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 Alto”? If Google’s search engine can find it, then so can Google’s navigation app. Garmin and TomTom can’t compete with that kind of Web-scale computing power.

And Google is happy to give its navigation app away for free because it leverages many existing technologies it has already built for the Web, and it encourages more people to use Web-capable phones and do local searches on them. Its strategy is to give the software away for free, and make money on the search ads.