Will Google Maps Navigation Come with iPhone OS 3.2?

Google Maps Navigation With the built-in GPS and Google Maps, iPhone can always show you the current location and the direction to your desired destination. However, there is one big problem with it. When you’re driving, Google Maps can’t show you the turn-by-turn direction in realtime.

There is no shortage of car navigation applications (e.g. TomTom) in App Store. But, all of them are quite pricey and not iPhone user can afford it. Say, for TomTom (US & Canada), it’s selling at US$99.

On Wednesday, Google told us a good news and announced the release of Google Maps Navigation (Beta). Google Maps Navigation is an internet-connected GPS navigation system with voice guidance and is part of the Google Maps for mobile. When combined with an Andriod device with GPS, it can provide you with turn-by-turn directions powered by Google Maps.

Here is the complete feature list as published by Google:

The most recent map and business data
When you use Google Maps Navigation, your phone automatically gets the most up-to-date maps and business listings from Google Maps — you never need to buy map upgrades or update your device. And this data is continuously improving, thanks to users who report maps issues and businesses who activate their listings with Google Local Business Center.

Search in plain English
Google Maps Navigation brings the speed, power and simplicity of Google search to your car. If you don’t know the address you’re looking for, don’t worry. Simply enter the name of a business, a landmark or just about anything into the search box, and Google will find it for you. Then press “Navigate”, and you’re on your way.

Search by voice
Typing on a phone can be difficult, especially in the car, so with Google Maps Navigation, you can say your destination instead. Hold down the search button to activate voice search, then tell your phone what you want to do (like “Navigate to Pike Place in Seattle”), and navigation will start automatically.

Traffic view
Google Maps Navigation gets live traffic data over the Internet. A traffic indicator light in the corner of the screen glows green, yellow or red, depending on the current traffic conditions along your route. If there’s a jam ahead of you, you’ll know. To get more details, tap the light to zoom out to an aerial view showing traffic speeds and incidents ahead. And if the traffic doesn’t look good, you can choose an alternate route.

Search along route
For those times when you’re already on the road and need to find a business, Google Maps Navigation searches along your route to give you results that won’t take you far from your path. You can search for a specific business by name or by type, or you can turn on popular layers, such as gas stations, restaurants or parking.

Satellite view
Google Maps Navigation uses the same satellite imagery as Google Maps on the desktop to help you get to your destination. Turn on the satellite layer for a high-resolution, 3D view of your upcoming route. Besides looking cool, satellite view can help you make sense of complicated maneuvers.

Street View
If you want to know what your next turn looks like, double-tap the map to zoom into Street View, which shows the turn as you’ll see it, with your route overlaid. And since locating an address can sometimes be tricky, we’ll show you a picture of your destination as you approach the end of your route, so you’ll know exactly what to look for.

Best of all, like other Google services, Google Maps Navigation is completely free. As long as you have Internet connection and GPS, you can use it at no cost. Presently, however, the Google Maps Navigation is only available for mobile devices running on Android 2.0 and only U.S. is covered for the initial release.

So, when will the service come to iPhone? Google said they are in talk with Apple to bring the navigation service to iPhone and integrates it into the existing Google Maps app. As usual, they do not mention any specific timeline. But I’ll expect the navigation service will come with the next update of iPhone OS (v3.2?). It’s truly a great service that many iPhone users are awaiting.

To learn more about Google Maps Navigation, check out the video and see it in action:

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