The new phone system will cost users $99 and is much more expensive than the current GPS devices on the market which retail for around half of that price.

While the price may be hefty, the system will does not charge any monthly or additional downloads fees.

While the application is fairly similar to the current vehicle version, there are a few extra and specified features for the iPhone. One of theses is the Meet a Friend function, where users can find an entry on their iPhone contact list and the Tom Tom will navigate you to their location.

Thee is an optional car mount, which charges your phone, offers amplified speaker for turn-by-turn instructions, lets you dial hands-free, flips to offer both horizontal and landscape orientations and adds an antenna to boost GPS reception. A price for the mount has not yet been announced.

So far the reviews have been positive with many saying they are pleased with the new system, and only a handful reporting negative reviews.

With the dominance of iPhones’ in the public, there is belief the growing number of GPS applications signals a death to the standalone versions.

But while the new Tom Tom GPS system is a fairly good representation of the original stand alone device, it is still fairly overpriced and compared to competitors’ versions, it is hard to say it is worth the extra cash.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqKD2aKdE18

iGO My Way 2009 is now available for iPhone users in the Apple AppStore with three versions currently on offer. Western Europe (70 Euro’s), Europe (90 Euros) and North America ($70US) are now all available for iPhone users.

Nav N Go are currently in the process of expanding their map coverage and hope to add Australia to their list by the end of the year.

Users of the iGO My Way will experience a more efficient, faster and easier to use GPS system than ever before.

One of the best features of the system are the beautifully rendered maps which can be viewed either vertically or horizontally. The graphics and imaging are accurate, realistic and vivid in colour, highlighting the user experience.

The voice over is clear and easy to follow and users are able to choose from up to four different ways to route to destination: fastest, shortest, economical and easy.

When an incoming call arrives while using either application, you can answer the phone like usual. The moment you hang up, the apps will automatically re-launch and continue with the existing navigation.

With every application, improvements can be found, and iGO My Way is no exception. The biggest disappointment in the system is that it does not offer real-time traffic updates and while it does offer speed alerts, it does not warn for speed cameras or safetycams at this stage.

Overall, the iGO My Way 2009 GPS application is a great addition to any iPhone and perfect for any user who drives or travels a lot. While there is some room for improvement in the application, it is only its initial release and new update and features are sure to be added.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymdZGw74V_I

The iPhone 3G’s built-in GPS chip makes it not only one of the best mobile phones, but one of the best GPS devices on the market. It uses Assisted GPS, or A-GPS, to lock on your position and give you an approximate location if it can’t find your GPS signal.

Despite the inclusion of the GPS chip, there still isn’t a sat nav turn-by-turn voice navigation application for iPhone users. It seems Apple have pre-empted possible litigation stemming from route guidance by the iPhone, but it does seem odd they haven’t included the feature. That said, iPhone users can still get directions to and from destinations by means of Google Maps. They won’t be vocal directions but are most certainly an improvement on the back seat street directory.

Directions on Google Maps
Finding where something is located is easy on Google Maps. Once in the Google Maps application of your iPhone, you can find virtually anything you like.

When you press the Directions tab at the bottom of the screen, you’ll be prompted to enter the location you wish to begin and end your journey. You can type the location in manually or use the Address Book to automatically input the field. To do this, press the X, then press the blue Book icon to open your contacts list. If the contact you wish to find has more than one address, you’ll be prompted to choose which one you wish to navigate to.

By default, the Directions entry will have your Start position as your current location, which is worked out by using the iPhone 3G’s A-GPS. After you’ve entered the Start and End points on the interface, select the Route button to begin the process.

Google Maps calculates the best route to take between the two locations. It will tell you the difference between the two points and how long it is likely to take and show you a map with the planned route. Simply press Start and you’ll be given a set of instructions on a marked map of each step of the journey, including where to turn and how far to travel. To move to the next part of the journey, press the right arrow in the top right hand corner.

What about Bluetooth GPS receivers?

Even before the iPhone was released, many people speculated that it would include GPS. After it was clear it did not have such a feature, many thought it would be possible to get a GPS Bluetooth receiver to use via the iPhone’s Bluetooth connectivity. However, as it turned out, the iPhone could not connect with a GPS Bluetooth receiver, moreover there is no suitable working software. It seemed Apple did not initally give support for this third-party application, leaving many iPhone owners disgruntled that the device did not meet their expectations.

So what next?

In September 2007, it seems Apple finally succumbed to consumer demand and Navizon released a virtual GPS navigation app for the iPhone which relies on Wi-Fi and cellular tower triangulation. Although some would say this kind of localisation cannot be as accurate as a real GPS receiver, this is as good it could get for iPhone owners. Navizon initially offered the app for a free 15-day trial period after which users would be required to pay $25 to continue using the software.

Rumours that a GPS feature would appear on the most recent iPhone 3G were also turfed on its release, with no dedicated GPS feature included then either. However, since then Apple has allowed for third-party applications to be downloaded for use on the iPhone if sold through the iPhone App Store in iTunes. Nowadays there are many different GPS app products, both free and premium, for iPhone owners to add to their iPhone at their discretion.