With all the Droid talk, I started to think about all the perks owning one entails:
Android 2.0
5 MP dual flash LED
3.7” multitouch capacitive screen
GPS
Android Turn by Turn
and many other features.
However, will the European courts view Google’s apps as a good thing or implementation of software that will create a monopoly and diminish competition?
Novell and Sun Microsytems complained a few years back that Microsoft controlled the market through anti-competitive practices. European courts deemed Microsoft‘s Internet Explorer (IE), Windows Media Player (WMP), as added on software that failed to create fair competition.
In short, a multi-million dollar Anti-Trust lawsuit ensued. Microsoft had to pay $794 Million dollars and create a separate version of Windows without IE and WMP.
This might be the reason why the Motorola Sholes, Droid, Milestone (am I forgetting one?) is running with MotoNav in Europe rather than Google Turn by Turn.
Google has stated Google apps are subject to the carrier’s discretion. It would be interesting to see how MotoNav will differ from Google Turn by Turn…and I’m not talking about the user interface (UI), but what’s powering it.
It would also be interesting to see what TomTom and Garmin LTD.’s next step will be. Especially since the Google navigation system is free and incorporated into a multifunction device.
Below is an example of what MotoNav looks like on a GPS device and a Phone Display
Google Navigation is only available in the US for one very good reason.
They have recently begun providing their own proprietary map data in North America. Elsewhere they use data from 3rd party digital map suppliers, most notably that of Tele Atlas.
Google are unable to use Tele Atlas or their rival Navteq’s data for turn by turn navigation as the licenses provided to Google by these organisations will not allow them to apply their data in this way.
I believe Google have an agreement with another map provider AND, to provide some map data for Europe, which crucially allows turn-by-turn navigation within their licence.
This is likely to be supplemented by some other sources including their own Google Street View data to provide full Euro map sets.
You can be sure that when news breaks that Google have discontinued Tele Atlas data in Europe or elsewhere, Google Navigation will quickly be launched in that market.
It is yet to be seen whether any monopoly/competition legislation may be brought into the equation, but i’m sure Google will implement the software in the near future.