Time was when a GPS device was the must-have item in any self-respecting gadget-lover’s gear bag. But as years wore on and smartphones began to usurp the location functions, they’ve grown increasingly irrelevant. Sure, they still serve a purpose, but we’ve been advising companies like Garmin and TomTom for years to do some serious self-evaluation if they expect to be around much longer. TomTom appears to have truly taken this to heart, and are taking the appropriate actions.

As CEO Harold Goddijn diplomatically put it after their earnings report:

The PND business is important and will remain an important part of our business and revenue, but the market size in absolute terms is shrinking and we need to adapt our costs, some of which are variable and some aren’t.

In other words, the volume is shrinking fast (sales down 23% just this last quarter) and they can’t afford to be running design and manufacturing infrastructures that were configured with a much larger market in mind.

The new focus will be on automotive and embedded systems. It’s an area where Google (the biggest danger to their business by far) has almost no foothold at all except in a few special cases. Meanwhile people still associate the TomTom brand with location and GPS, and the expansion of such systems into cheaper cars means the market is blowing up. They can ride the wave yet again, growing a new market while iOS and Android devour the old one.

It won’t be a bloodless restructuring, though. Jobs will be lost and shipped overseas, and it’s likely that they’ll have to move to cheaper manufacturing to stay in the black. Meanwhile, shares bounced back a bit on the news, though they’re still an order of magnitude away from where they were a few years.

Ladies and germs, this is the Go Live 1535 M, which according to TomTom, is the first PND with connected apps. That claim may not exactly be true, but the Go Live 1535 M does have an impressive — that is, impressive for a GPS — set of non-standard functions through a variety of apps such as Twitter, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Expedia. These are in addition to TomTom’s VIA connected services that includes fuel prices, weather and Google Local Search.

The personal navigation device market has lost much of its thunder the last few years. These apps are the sort of functions that could have at least temporarily slowed the transfer of power to the smartphones regime. But alas, the Go Live 1535 M is hitting a few years too late with a crazy-high price.

Most of the apps are what you’d expect. Yelp and TripAdvisor, well, advise travelers on restaurants and different locations. The Twitter apps is gimped and only functions as a sort of auto-tweeting device, automatically sending out a tweet or check-in once you arrive at a location; you can’t read tweets on the device.

The new Go Live 1535 is expected later this year for $299. The already-released 2535 M will get the apps through a firmware update at a later time. The device, thanks to its price, is likely to only satisfy a very niche market as consumers who are actually interested in apps likely have a smartphone that can pull double duty.

Some infrastructure news for your Monday afternoon. Pretend this is Civlization V. TomTom has a new traffic database called TomTom Traffic Stats that makes it easier for BIG GOVERNMENT for study traffic patterns and the like. A sort of, “Hmm, maybe we should add a traffic light there, there seems to be a lot of slowing down and confusion as people approach the intersection.”

Government and other interested parties can make traffic inquiries, and within 24 hours “highly accurate and up-to-date traffic data analysis” will be at their fingertips.

The service isn’t free—TomTom has to pay the bills—but an evaluation license is available.

In case anyone from the National Transportation Safety Board reads CG!

There’s Bluetooth calling from a connected cell phone, voice commands, and lifetime traffic & map updates as well. These two new models offer pretty much everything in TomTom’s arsenal besides the always-connected LIVE services. Prices? $299 for the 4.3-inch and $319 for the 5-inch and they should be available from TomTom, Amazon and Best Buy shortly.

TomTom Introduces Next Generation Navigation Devices

New GO Series Offers Faster Routing, Enhanced Software and New Look and Feel

CONCORD, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–TomTom, the world’s leading provider of location and navigation solutions, announced today the launch of its newest generation of navigation devices in the United States. The new TomTom GO 2405 TM and GO 2505 TM devices will offer consumers a powerful navigation experience with faster routing, an enhanced software platform, and a new look and feel.

“At TomTom, we are continuously working to deliver innovative navigation solutions for our consumers”
“At TomTom, we are continuously working to deliver innovative navigation solutions for our consumers,” said Tom Murray, senior vice president of market development, TomTom. “The GO Series combines new software architecture and enhanced routing to provide our consumers with superior driving intelligence.”

Smarter, Faster Routing

TomTom is committed to providing drivers with a world-class navigation experience and now has created a patented, high-speed algorithm that allows for instant route planning. The GO 2405 TM and GO 2505 TM utilize this innovative technology to conduct continuous routing. By regularly monitoring traffic information, these models will recommend the best current route to drivers.

Intuitive User Experience

The GO 2405 TM and GO 2505 TM are the first TomTom products to include a new, enhanced user interface. With more-intuitive software, users will be routed to any destination within a few taps. Additionally, drivers will experience seamless routing with voice recognition navigation commands.

Complete New Look and Feel

The new devices also feature capacitive touch screen technology and a brighter display. Drivers will be able to navigate through menu screens with just a swipe of the finger and can pinch and zoom for easy map viewing. Furthermore, the device will be secured with a new click and lock magnetic mount that can easily be docked and un-docked with one hand.

Features Overview

The devices offer exciting new features that enhance drivers’ user experience, including:

Instant and continuous routing
Crisp, sharp graphics and intuitive user menus
Pinch-to-zoom and swipe from screen-to-screen using gestures
Bluetooth® hands free calling* to maximize safety
Voice recognition to operate the device with verbal commands
A click & lock mount to keep the device securely mounted while driving
Expanded driving view on 4.3” (GO 2405 TM) or 5” (GO 2505 TM) glass touch screens
In addition to the new features, drivers will continue to benefit from TomTom’s most popular offerings, which include:

Lifetime Traffic & Map Updates**
Announces Street Names
Advanced Lane Guidance
Availability and Pricing

The TomTom GO Series is initially available at Amazon.com, BestBuy.com and TomTom.com in the United States. The devices will be available at retail stores in mid-2011. Prices begin at $299.

The size of the app is a bit misleading: you actually need a good bit more than that unused on your phone in order for the app to even install. I’ve got an 8GB iPhone 3G, and it took me awhile to trim down my playlists and delete lesser-used apps before I could get the TomTom app to load successfully. Then I had to do it all over again when an update was released. You cannot install or update this app over the air: the file size requires you to install it from your computer.

With a footprint well over a gigabyte, it should be no surprise that the app is slow to load. It takes almost 30 seconds for the app to load into memory and be ready for user input. The application is not particularly snappy, which can be a nuisance if you’re trying to update a route while on the go.

I found the routing to be just fine, and have no complaints about the quality of the maps or the included points of interest. I found the Ukrainian Museum-Archive while tooling around in Cleveland, Ohio. If such a niche is in the POI list, I’m confident that many other interesting places are also included. And to make things even better, the TomTom app also ties into local Google listings, allowing you to hit Google from within the TomTom app itself (obviously a data connection is required for this aspect fo the app).

I particularly liked the automatic “night mode”: when the calculated local sunset occurs the color scheme automatically switches to a darker palette, making the app easier to see in the lower light without blinding your night vision. When the calculated local sunrise occurs, it switches back to the daytime color palette. Both palettes are user-configurable, allowing you to find a scheme that you find comfortable.

A minor nicety of the app is smooth music fading, so that currently playing songs are not awkwardly paused. Instead the music fades nicely, the TomTom voice directions are made over top of the softer music, and then the music is returned to its previous volume.

As you can see from the screenshot above, the TomTom app squeezes a lot of information into a small screen. Along the bottom you can see your current speed, the current road’s speed limit, distance to the next turn, estimated time remaining on your trip, and the current local time. Along the side you see the optional traffic report.

One of the more interesting features of the TomTom app is a TomTom Traffic subscription, which you can purchase from within the app itself. It costs $20 for a one-year subscription, and the traffic updates are integrated extremely well into the app itself. I asked TomTom how it worked, and this was the response:

We start with our own TomTom IQ Routes Technology, which uses anonymous historical speed profile data to give our customers the most efficient route for any time of day or day of week.

We then layer in real-time GPS information from our LIVE, wirelessly connected portable navigation devices, and combine this data with third-party information from a number of sources. These include GPS sensors from fleet operators, Department of Transportation (DoT) traffic cameras, DoT speed sensors, airborne/mobile spotter vehicles, digital scanners that cover many local emergency services, police callouts, and traffic “Tip Lines.”

Our users opt in to provide anonymous speed profile data via our portable navigation devices. This aggregate data is delivered when the user connects the device to a computer that has our free desktop software, TomTom HOME.

Additionally, our wirelessly connected devices (like the GO 740 LIVE) themselves provide anonymous information about real-time traffic information for the benefit of other TomTom users.

In my testing, the traffic details were extremely accurate. It reliably reported rush hour slow downs, holiday congestion, and a couple of accidents on a regular basis. Unfortunately for me, the fastest route was still usually the one through the thick of the congestion, regardless of cause.

Is it worth $20 a year extra for the traffic subscription? That’s a tough question for me to answer. If I were buying this app solely for myself, I’d probably opt not to get it. My guess is that it would simply be too infrequent that the app would be able to effectively route me around a slow down, but that’s just my opinion. If you live on the road and time matters, you might feel differently.

Complaints
I have a couple major complaints about the TomTom app. First, as previously stated, it’s a huge application that is slow to load and a bit sluggish to respond. It’s a total battery hog, so if you’re using this app in the car be sure to bring along a charging cable of some sort to keep your phone alive.

A subtle related issue is processing speed. If you miss your turn, the app re-calculates and suggests the next best turn for you. Unfortunately, it often told me to turn onto the street I was already passing. At 35 miles per hour in a city, you’re often driving faster than the iPhone 3G can calculate. Maybe an iPhone 4 will be better.

Second, the GPS reception on my phone was pretty weak. If I placed the phone on my lap or between the seats next to me, I would consistently lose GPS reception. I’d have to hold the phone up or place it on the dashboard in order to maintain a decent connection to the satellites. When GPS reception is lost, the screen turns monochrome and a status message appears at the top of the display. While driving to and from Lexington, KY, I’d lose signal about once every five minutes.

Third, the TomTom app announces driving directions in a manner that I wasn’t quite expecting. It’ll say “In 300 yards, turn left onto Suchandsuch Street”. Then, after 300 yards, it’ll say “Turn left”. It will not repeat the name of the street onto which I am to turn. This took a little getting used to, and caused me to miss my turn on more than one occasion. My wife considered this a fatal flaw and completely panned my use of the app as a result. Once you know what to expect, it’s not that big a deal; but it would be nicer if the street name would be repeated, for safety sake.

Conclusion
For $50 you get a lot of app. For an extra $20 you get a lot more in the way of a traffic subscription. If you need turn-by-turn directions on your phone and simply can’t (or won’t) buy a dedicated GPS device, the TomTom app is a good choice.

GPS Tracklog noticed the new models. They’re good. The TomTom XL 350 brings with it a 4.3-inch screen, lifetime maps/traffic, with MSRP’s between $170 and $230.

The XXL 550 lists a 4.3-inch screen but that’s likely a typo. Expect a 5-inch screen like the other XXL models, along with lifetime maps/traffic with prices between $200 and $260.

More importantly, may the fourth be with you and click through for Darth Vader’s TomTom recording session. It’s worth your time.

Behind the screen rests a 500MHz ARM CPU, 128MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, and a SIM card. All that power is there to power a new UI based on WebKit’s underpinnings. The system retains a familiar TomTom look and feel but should be a bit more snappy and modern. TomTom’s connected service — TomTom Live — is set to launch in Euroland this coming June and will feed the GPS fuel prices, weather, and traffic info. All this is free for the first 12-months and less than €50 ($67) per year afterwards, which is a tad less than the projected cost in the states.

No word on pricing just yet but if we’re really digging we’re this is going. Low-cost connected services and large screens will keep the GPS market alive while the smartphone market expands. Eventually though, more and more consumers will find the smaller screen on their smartphone just fine and not opt for a secondary device like a GPS.

TomTom Lifetime Map and Traffic Updates Now Available in North America

~ Lifetime Features Deliver the Most Up-To-Date Maps; Help Drivers Steer Clear of Traffic ~

Concord, MA – March 29, 2010 – TomTom, the world’s leading provider of location and navigation solutions, today announces the availability of a wide range of TomTom devices offering Lifetime Map Updates and Lifetime Traffic Updates. These new features empower users with the accuracy of TomTom’s most up-to-date maps, as well as real-time traffic information that helps them avoid traffic delays and other hassles on the road. At no extra cost, customers will receive these updates for the useful life of the device.

“The nation’s roads are changing every day, so TomTom is proud to offer Lifetime Map Updates on our portable navigation devices,” said Tom Murray, vice president of market development for TomTom Inc. “This feature, in conjunction with TomTom’s Lifetime Traffic Updates, offers our customers the assurance that they will always have the industry’s most accurate maps and the real-time traffic information they need for hassle-free navigation.”

Lifetime Map Updates
TomTom’s Lifetime Map Updates feature allows users to keep their maps fresh by downloading, every few months, the industry’s most accurate and up-to-date maps. The maps include one million more miles than competing maps and, in certified tests, rate highest in terms of quality and reliability. The road network changes on average 18 percent annually, so they are continually refreshed to include improvements across the entire road network and updates to Points of Interest.

Lifetime Traffic Updates
TomTom’s Lifetime Traffic Updates feature offers real-time insight into traffic events to help drivers avoid delays. The TomTom device receives the latest traffic information every three minutes, recalculates total drive time and suggests more efficient alternate routes if they are available.

All TomTom products featuring Lifetime Updates also include TomTom’s proprietary IQ Routes™ Technology and TomTom Map Share™. IQ Routes offers the most efficient routing for any time of day or day of week. This feature, combined with the real-time traffic information via Lifetime Traffic Updates, ensures the very best routing possible. Map Share allows users to make map improvements on their device and share these improvements with the TomTom community.

Availability and Price
Select TomTom devices across the TomTom XL and TomTom XXL product lines are now available with Lifetime Map Updates, Lifetime Traffic Updates or a combination of these features. Pricing starts at $199.95 MSRP and varies by model.

For more information, please visit: www.tomtom.com

# # #
* TomTom devices featuring Lifetime Map and Traffic Updates are only available in North America.

The addition of the new services pretty much replicates the services found in TomTom’s GO Live models. Now users can get traffic reports along with local searches within the app, while dedicated iPhone apps can already get local fuel prices and weather. The dedicated GPS units still offer a bit more navigation goodies, along with larger screens, but the iPhone is nipping at their heels with the latest update.

TomTom App for iPhone Update to Include Real-Time Services and Other Enhanced Features

~ TomTom Traffic and Local Search Powered by Google

among New Features Coming Soon ~

Concord, MA – March 2, 2010 – A number of new services and features are coming soon to the TomTom app for iPhone, including TomTom Traffic for real-time traffic speed and incident reports, and Local Search powered by Google. The latest update to the TomTom app for iPhone (version 1.3), which has been submitted to Apple for review, will offer these and other soon-to-be-announced enhancements to ensure an optimal, and even more intuitive, navigation experience.

“TomTom is fully committed to offering TomTom app users the services and features they demand most,” said Tom Murray, vice president of market development for TomTom Inc. “The latest update to the TomTom app for iPhone will offer our highly sought-after real-time traffic service option, enhanced point-of-interest search capabilities and a wide range of other features.”

- END –

Really the only difference between this special edition EASE and the standard model is the colored bezel. That’s it. It’s still a very basic, but still functional, GPS until with a MSRP or $149 but available online exclusively at Amazon for $119.

Actually it’s somewhat of a smart marketing move by TomTom. The company probably didn’t plan this from the start, but at least now there is some justification thanks to the international maps as to why the $99 app costs so much. It’s like the company is stating buy the cheap app if you don’t plan on leaving the States.

Even at half the price of the original app, $50 probably still carries a hefty profit margin and now more folks *might* be more likely to spring for the expensive mount. Although those people should still be reminded that standalone options can be had for less and come with a larger screen. Just saying. [App Store via Mac Rumors]

$219.94. The price says it all. The TomTom Car Kit is great; it works perfectly, and I loved using it. In fact, I wish I could keep the review unit that TomTom sent me. That said, would I ever spend 2 bills and change on it? Mayyyybe, but it’s unlikely. A standalone TomTom GPS unit can be as cheap as $100, which is half the price of the TomTom Car Kit ($119.95) + TomTom GPS App ($99.99) for the iPhone. Furthermore, it’s hard to justify buying both the hardware and the software when there are cheaper options for both (more on that later).

Of course, the product does serve multiple purposes as an in-car iPhone charger, Bluetooth speakerphone and GPS unit. All in all, I was fairly impressed with the device and think those that aren’t turned off by the price might consider its purchase. The convenience of an all-in-one device is compelling.

Hit the jump to read on…

Slightly Less Short Version

The TomTom Car Kit (as previously mentioned) was a blast to use. Super easy to install: I simply stuck the kit onto the dash, plugged the car charger into the cigarette lighter and popped in my iPhone. The first time around you have to pair the TomTom’s Bluetooth signal with your iPhone, but after that it automatically connects whenever you plug the iPhone into the kit. Then, I fired up the TomTom GPS application on my iPhone and it was just like any other TomTom GPS. You type in your destination and it provides turn-by-turn, voice-guided directions.

The directions were extremely accurate, and the TomTom kit corrected any problems with the iPhone GPS. On the iPhone, if I’m on a road parallel to another (e.g. driving on a highway and there’s a side-road right next to it), the GPS will go all over the place: one second I’ll be on the highway, the next I’ll be on the side-road. That problem was completely eliminated once I started using the TomTom kit. Moreover, the TomTom kit was quick to determine what direction I was going, which was another problem with the iPhone’s GPS system. Finally, I didn’t ever drop the signal of the GPS – I was pleasantly surprised that even if I was in a dead zone the GPS signal was rock-solid. Overall, the TomTom kit served extremely well as a GPS.

On top of the GPS features of the TomTom Car Kit, it was great as an all-in-one car kit for your iPhone. It charges your phone at a decent rate, so you’ll never run out of battery. The Bluetooth speakerphone is very valuable – it’s not quite as loud as I would have liked, but it’s way better than the iPhone’s abysmal speakers and provides a great hands-free calling option. The Car Kit’s suction cup sticks to the windshield extremely well, which is nice because you probably don’t want your precious iPhone to come crashing down while you’re driving along the highway.

Why the TomTom Car Kit Probably Isn’t Worth It

Ultimately, though, the fact that the kit worked is only part of the puzzle. The other major decision point for me was if I thought it was an overall good buy – and if I was satisfied with its value proposition vis-a-vis other options for navigating with your iPhone. Here are three reasons why I’m fairly uncertain as to whether I’d ever buy the TomTom GPS Kit for the iPhone:

First, Google Maps Navigation. When Google announced that their maps product for Android OS 2.0 was going to be completely free, and provide turn-by-turn voice-provided navigation to all, it spelled the end of for-pay GPS applications. It is only a matter of time before this comes out for the iPhone – absolutely free – and when it does, there would be no reason to buy the TomTom GPS application, or any others for that matter.

Second, the current Google Maps software is sometimes a better option than a TomTom-augmented iPhone solution. I don’t understand why GPS companies are so dumb. Google Maps has been out for years, yet search on the GPS devices still sucks. In fact, it’s so bad that I am sometimes too lazy to use the TomTom device because of all the buttons I have to press to enter my final location. There are three simple reasons. First, TomTom’s search is awful. It doesn’t have nearly as many cached locations as Google (“In-N-Out Burger” in Fremont, CA yielded zero results). Searching for categories (“grocery” or “restaurant”) is unusable. And I can’t do specific searches such as “chinese food” or “movie theater.” Second, I have to type in the address part-by-part. Instead of “43349 Pacific Commons Blvd., Fremont, CA” I have to type in “CA” >> “Fremont” >> “Pacific Commons Blvd” >> “43349″. Last but not least, I can’t cut and paste in an address. So if I use Google’s far superior search, I can’t simply cut and paste the address from Google into TomTom. Instead, I have to memorize the address and plug it in. Hands-down, Google Maps is easier to use for finding locations and directions than TomTom.

The third reason I’m uncertain about the TomTom GPS Unit is that the price is way too high. If a GPS unit costs $80-$150 for both the hardware and the software bundled together, why the hell would I pay more than $200 for ONLY half the hardware and the software? Them’s crack prices. Seriously, it is ridiculous: my iPhone is far more powerful than any TomTom hardware is, and all I need on top of that is a speakerphone and an improved GPS signal.

The Bottom Line

If you’ve got cash to burn and like the convenience of the iPhone as a true all-in-one full-featured device, then go ahead and buy the TomTom Car Kit. It is great as a Bluetooth speakerphone and the GPS actually works (unlike the iPhone’s native GPS, which is shoddy). If you’re cash-conscious, however, I’d stay away. Be patient, wait until Google Maps Navigation comes out, and then buy a $30-50 speakerphone so you can talk in the car.

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.

AppleInsider is reporting “that although the Car Kit dock is compatible with all iPhone models, the TomTom application will only work with the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G – even with the dock connected to a first-generation iPhone or iPod touch.”

You’ll recall that the hardware dock features its own built-in GPS chip and speaker to amplify GPS signal strength and the volume of turn-by-turn directions, so it appears that if you were to dock an iPod touch or older iPhone that you wouldn’t be able to take advantage of those enhancements. Basically, you’d have a $120 car charger.

AppleInsider further reports that “When asked whether the application could be updated to allow it to work with the iPod touch and first-generation iPhone, a company spokesman simply said that TomTom has not made any ‘public announcements.’”

It doesn’t seem like it would be rocket science to add the extra compatibility, and TomTom would theoretically benefit from the expanded hardware base of potential customers but, suffice to say, it’s best to hold off for now.

TomTom Car Kit, navigation software will not work with iPod touch [AppleInsider]

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.

Aside from secure windshield docking, the kit also includes a secondary built-in GPS chip for “a truly reliable signal – even in high-rise urban areas,” according to the product description. There’s also a built-in speaker and microphone for hands free calling and a 3.5mm audio out connector that allows you to feed it directly into your car stereo’s audio-in jack.

TomTom Car Kit for iPhone [Apple Store via SlashGear]

TomTom is here with yet another GPS device. The 335S packs a 4.3-inch touchscreen and text to speech functions into a small package with a somewhat competitive MSRP of $239. But like most other GPS units, that MSRP will probably be undercut by retailers as they try to push these GPS units onto holiday shoppers. Thankfully, the XL 335S seems to be decent for that price although I couldn’t tell you the difference between this $239 335S and the $249 340S. (K.I.S.S)

Not only does it have the text to speech functions, but it also comes equipped with TomTom’s suite of software like Map Share technology that allows users to modify the maps and share with others, and the TomTom HOME desktop application that keeps the maps up to date. TomTom also loaded this PND with a redesigned UI that makes it a bit easier to use than previous TomTom menu systems.

The exact release date hasn’t been announced yet, but you can bet that it will be available before the holiday shopping season starts.

You didn’t think that this AT&T data service was going to be free, didja? The XL 340S LIVE comes with three months of the service, but after that, it will cost $9.95 per month. To some folks it might be worth it, but if your GPS stays in your glove box most of the time like mine, you should probably get the non-connected XL 340S for $249. But if you will use the data services, the LIVE version is set to come out soon at $299.