Menlo Park (ip-192.com): Garmin and TomTom, two companies that manufacture devices for satellite navigation, went into a tailspin yesterday after Google revealed details of its new Maps Navigation service. Google said that the new application will provide turn-by-turn directions and other features usually found on high-end navigation systems.
Motorola’s Droid phone will be the first mobile phone equipped with the system. Google Maps Navigation will combine services including a search engine to find an address or a business by name, Google Street View for photos of the location, and live traffic data.
Wireless carrier Verizon will start selling the Droid in the US on November 06 for $199 with a two-year contract. The phone will also be the first on the market that features Google’s new Android 2.0 software. The touch-screen Droid has been designed to challenge Apple’s iPhone. At a news conference earlier in the week, Google executive Vic Gundotra said the company is talking to Apple about bringing the navigation system to the iPhone.
Motorola had to license the smart phone's name from Lucasfilm Ltd. The company owns the trademark to Droid.
Google’s Maps Navigation system will be available for free.
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