This past October and January, XRoad Co. launched its GPS turn-by-turn app on Apples iTunes App Store known as G-Maps with very little applause. They actually received 1 star reviews due to the simple fact that it didn't work very well. 1.0 version was a bust, but that didn't stop XRoad Co. They have bounced back with a 1.2 version that was released in early February. We are happy to tell you that it is a much better version, and is receiving reviews ranging from 3-5 stars.
There are two versions of this App for download, the warm sunny U.S West, (where everything great in the world lives... like Mac|Life and In-N-Out) and U.S East (where you can find a Piggly Wiggly and more Chick-Fil-A's than you can shake a stick at). G-Maps pretty much does what it's supposed to, it provides turn-byturn directions, distance count downs to each turns, points of interest, specific desinations via address, and you can edit routes and add detours. It even says that the app has a fancy 3D images of major intersections. What it doesn't have are voice prompts telling you when it's time to turn, but that's due to Apples strict app restrictions.
The app costs $19.99, and will take up about 800-900MB on your iPhone/iPod touch due in part to the maps that you will be downloading onto your phone, requiring no internet connection. So unlike Google maps, you wont be absolutely lost if you are in an area with no network.
XRoad Co's G-Maps are the first GPS turn-by-turn map out right now on the App store, but there will soon be a GPS navigation app by Sygic, we will see if Apple drops some of their restrictions and allows Sygic to work in some voice prompts.
Maps for Europe are on their way, but who really needs a map of Europe, they have neither In-N-Out nor Chick-fil-A.
amaeda3144
March 04, 2009 at 10:42am
It's a shame that apple doesn"t get it. Voice navigation would be a big plus to the 3G Iphone. There are a number of people jailbreaking the iphone to install the XGPS voice navigation which pretty good. It's Apples loss. jailbreak iphone and get XGPS
Imagine Engine
February 22, 2009 at 10:25am
Apple's restrictions are hurting innovation to develop apps that users would actually need and that Apple is at this time unable to provide. Such as voice navigation, copy/paste, background push, tethering, etc. An iPhone user shouldn't need to jailbreak to have features that other consumers already enjoy on their non-jailbroken competitor smartphones. So it's nice to see G-Maps listed in the App Store which is accessible to everyone but it's frustrating to hear they still can't offer voice navigation without Apple's approval. It's just another example of why it's necessary for users to jailbreak just to have things they need in their daily lives. I believe we've all given Apple enough time to come up with these features which has me feeling they are either to lazy to provide or are to paranoid they'll upset a carrier for providing the feature.
YoshAndStan
February 21, 2009 at 10:00am
And why are we still unable to sync Mac Mail notes and to-do's? GPS, notes, and to-do's are the major features I want in my iPhone and for some unexplained reason, Apple won't provide them.Frustrating.
Quayzar
February 21, 2009 at 10:17pm
Shouldn't you have added flash or copy and paste to the "what the iPhone needs", rant that is required with ever post of a new feature. It's OK I forget to do that sometimes too.
YoshAndStan
February 22, 2009 at 10:38am
Quayzar, obviously there have been a lot of similar comments that I've been unaware of. I wasn't trying to rant.The question I was trying to raise, which I think was relevant to the article, was this: What is the business rational for Apple to withhold functions that so many people obviously want? What is the benefit for them to disappoint so many customers?
