Wayfinder is a European wide (soon to be extened to North America) navigation program. The program allows you to specify a route which is then sent to a server which returns a map and instructions. When packaged with a GPS receiver the instructions are automatically updated as you drive along. The software intelligently moves on to the next direction once you have passed certain points. Instructions are read out by the software giving you audio commentray on which turns to take, in addition to the onscreen directions. Wayfinder can be purchased withs a bluetooth GPS option or as a service only plan.
gpMobile is a similar product for the American market. It is priced at $12.95 for a subscription that supports GPS or at $5.95 a month for a non GPS support version.
TomTom City Maps are aimed at a different market. Each program costing just $5 is one city or town in Europe (full list below). Intended as street navigators the programs help you find you wat round a city street. All the necessary data is on the phone and no server connections are required (the data for each city if approximately 1MB). You can use the products either as a pedestrian (in which case pedestrian shortcuts are highlighted) or as a car user (in which case pertinent road information is indicated).
From the Wayfinder website:
Features:
- The map is always up-to-date.
- The solution gives access to personalised databases such as favourite destinations and points of interests.
- The solution also gives access to company information such as yellow pages and other types of points of interests. (Not available on all markets)
- The solution provides the widest map coverage.
- You can enter the destination in many ways, both inside and outside the car and through a call-center.
- Traffic information is taken into consideration when routes are calculated. (Not available on all markets)
- The route is calculated and downloaded extremely fast compared to traditional systems.
- The solution is completely portable and versatile and can be used inside the vehicle as well as while walking or biking.
- The solution can easily be integrated with other existing business systems for professional users.
- The service is operator independent.
- The solution can use GSM, GPRS as well as future 3G networks.
- The product can easily be upgraded for additional functionality such as a drivers journal in the future.
- The solution has substantially lower cost of ownership than traditional navigation systems.
Features from gpMobile site:
- Smart Navigation
- Handy GPS navigation and directory service on your cell phone
- Bluetooth-connected GPS receiver integrates seamlessly
- Nationwide GPS navigation in your pocket using the most complete mapping data sources
- Clear spoken prompts for each maneuver with an intuitive display
- Maximum safety: no distraction for manual address entry
- Simply speak commands to create a route
- Recognizes street names and cities with precision
- Turn your appointments and contacts from MS Outlook® into destinations
- Extensive directory lookup centered around your stops
- Plan your trips by inserting additional stops along your route
- Send all your routes to your phone with just one click
Features from the TomTom website:
- CityMaps is your personal guide around the city.
- Quick & easy trip planning, whether you're driving or on foot.
- Choose map view, step-by-step directions view, or both at the same time.
- CityMaps works out the route which is quickest or shortest.
- Plan a route over preferred road types.
- Displays total distance and estimated travelling time.
- Get the inside track on handy pedestrian shortcuts.
Roads, paths and landmarks are easy to distinguish. - Useful location checking features like areas of housing, parks and water are all clearly marked.
- Choose to avoid certain roads or areas.
- View places of interest like museums, theatres and tourist information offices.
- Find useful nearby facilities like petrol stations, hotels and cinemas.
- CityMaps remembers your recent trips and important locations like home, office, and others you add to maps.
- Plan a trip by car and let CityMaps tells you about the rules of the road, such as the direction of traffic.
The available cities / towns are:
Amsterdam, Antwerp (Antwerpen), Barcelona , Berlin, Birmingham, Bochum, Boston, MA, Bremen, Bristol, Brussels (Bruxelles / Brussel), Cologne-Ruhr Area (Köln-Ruhr), Copenhagen (København), Dortmund, Dresden, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Edinburgh, Essen, Frankfurt, Genoa (Genova), Glasgow, Gothenburg (Göteborg), Hamburg, Hannover, Helsinki, Las Vegas, NV, Leeds, Leipzig, Lisbon (Lisboa), Liverpool, London, Lyon, Madrid, Malaga, Manchester, Manhattan, NY, Marseilles (Marseille), Miami, FL, Milan (Milano), Munich (München), Naples (Napoli) , New Orleans, LA, Nice, Nürnberg, Oslo, Palermo, Paris, Philadelphia, PA, Rome (Roma), Rotterdam, San Francisco, CA, San Diego, CA, Sevilla, Sheffield, Stockholm, Stuttgart, The Hague ('s-Gravenhage), Toulouse, Turin (Torino), Valencia, Venice (Venezia), Vienna (Wien), Washington, DC, Zaragoza, Zurich (Zürich)