ATT provides Turn by Turn iPhone application

[viewfly]

Today sees the addition of a new GPS app for U.S. customers, this time from AT&T. AT&T Navigator [App Store, Free plus $9.99/month subscription] offers full-featured turn-by-turn GPS navigation with traffic data, automatic map updates, and advanced search functions. Features include:

- Voice-guided and 3D onscreen GPS navigation keeps your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road
- Automatic rerouting will get you there even if you miss a turn
- Regular map updates are automatic and included so you never have to purchase updates.
- Real-time traffic updates and one click rerouting saves you time on your daily commute
- Searching for gas by price saves you money at the pump
- Enter an address from your iPhone or from the convenience of your computer before leaving home. Search AT&T Navigator for the closest coffee house, ATM or Wi-Fi hotspot along with ratings from a listing of over 10 million business listings.

AT&T Navigator is unique in that, rather than utilizing in-app purchasing via the iTunes Store, the subscription is automatically added to the user's monthly AT&T wireless bill. The technique sidesteps Apple's policy of taking a 30% cut of sales taken through the in-app purchasing method.

http://www.macrumors.com/iphone/2009...-turn-gps-app/

P.S. 3 other companies now offer GPS turn by turn for the iPhone, with Tom Tom expected soon - along with a nice iPhone holder for using it as a GPS in the car.

[viewfly]

Personally, my Garmin is cheaper to use! Although I don't have traffic updates etc

[Critic]

Originally Posted by viewfly

Personally, my Garmin is cheaper to use! Although I don't have traffic updates etc

Very true - if you keep the AT&T Navigator app long term, you'll end up paying more than if you had a standalone GPS device. But if you only need GPS short-term (say, for a month in which you have many business trips scheduled), the AT&T app is very attractive because it can be cancelled at will.

I downloaded the application at the beginning of July, used it for a road trip to Gettysburg PA and two business trips later in the month, then deleted the app and cancelled the option at the beginning of August. And since I didn't need to buy a dash mount (I still have the mount from the Treo 700 GPS kit), the total cost for the month was $10.

I'll agree that the AT&T Navigator app has some downsides - the built-in POI database isn't fantastic, location 'favorites' can only be created in a web browser (not in the app itself), no spoken street names, muffled audio, etc. But the interface is generally clean and the app itself works well - I used it out in LA and it kept up me, even on the freeways.

The most damning thing I can say about the Navigator app is that it drains the battery like crazy. But then, so will any app that uses the screen continuously AND is downloading data off the cell network.