Google have just announced that they have been working on a GPS for the iPhone and iPod Touch and want to release a beta version on the AppStore as long as Apple let them.
The GPS which was originally for the Android 2.0 phones will be released once the phones are released next week. But for Apple fans, we want to see it come to the iPhone!
This GPS feature will include the following features:
- Search in plain English. No need to know the address. You can type a business name or even a kind of a business, just like you would on Google.
- Search by voice. Speak your destination instead of typing (English only): “Navigate to the de Young Museum in San Francisco”.
- Traffic view. An on-screen indicator glows green, yellow, or red based on the current traffic conditions along your route. A single touch toggles a traffic view which shows the traffic ahead of you.
- Search along route. Search for any kind of business along your route, or turn on popular layers such as gas stations, restaurants, or parking.
- Satellite view. View your route overlaid on 3D satellite views with Google’s high-resolution aerial imagery.
- Street View. Visualize turns overlaid on Google’s Street View imagery. Navigation automatically switches to Street View as you approach your destination.
- Car dock mode. For certain devices, placing your phone in a car dock activates a special mode that makes it easy to use your device at arm’s length.
Here is a video showing how the GPS is on an Android phone. It will most likely be very similar on the iPhone:
I’m not sure Apple will get to release this. There are too many companies that would loose out from this. Chances are Google will release this for free meaning that TomTom and all the other GPS companies will have huge competition as Google has Google Maps behind it. But regardless, I would love to have this on my iPhone.
