What GPS Apps do you want to see?

[burnsaa]

Originally Posted by cmaier

My wife has asked me to write an application that would enable us to locate each other on the map. Also to write an application that enables one to set a location "bookmark"; for example, before walking into a mall or airport, one could hit an on-screen button and save the location of one's parked car so one can easily re-locate it later, or transmit the location to one's spouse (or other selected folks) to enable him or her to find it.

I like the idea you would never forget where you parked your car again. Also I'm sure my wife would love to know where I'm at at any given moment in the day hmm I'm not sure I'm to fond of that idea but I know she would be

I would like to see a program that would track my runs or bike rides and show it on google maps along with distance avg speed and time.

[nsquared]

I think a 'presence' feature would be really great. Basically it would show the location of all of your contacts on a map if they have this feature activated on their phone. I know it sounds a little "Big Brother"-ish, but you could easily turn this feature on and off as you wish. This would help greatly when planning a gathering of friends, or just to keep track of 1 or more people when out traveling.

Nokia had a similar feature on their phones a while back. It did not rely on GPS, but rather your contacts would type their location or status. Their status would automatically show up on your phone.

[Madpod]

I hope if the iPhone gets GPS, this will mean that Google finally includes the ability to save directions.

[inertialnav]

I think Google will use your searches and web activity to highlight nearby businesses you may be interested in.

I also see a moving map deal where the map constantly updates as you travel, again eating battery life as mentioned in an earlier post.

Traveling to an unfamiliar place is one thing but imagine this:

Google and your iPhone knows the route you normally take (to work, to the store, to your mother's house, etc.) and if there is a traffic alert ahead of you it could warn you well before you find yourself parked on the interstate waiting for some accident to clear that you can't even see.

[marcol]

Originally Posted by cmaier

If you are moving a large distance or at a pretty high speed, you are probably in a vehicle, and can probably plug your phone into the lighter to keep it charged.

True, but there's also a fair chance you'll move out of 3G coverage, possibly out of any network coverage at all. I might just be old an fashioned cautious type but I'd like to know that the map for my whole journey is on the device before I start.

[Muero]

After reading about some of the features that the Dash Express in-car GPS system has, I would love to be able to highlight an address in Outlook, Safari, Firefox, etc. and have it be able to send it to the GPS application in real time, over the air. I doubt Apple would be willing to write and release a bunch of plugins to enable this, however.

There is one application that has me drooling just thinking about it: a geocaching application. Having real-time updates, never having to plug in a GPS receiver to the computer, being able to log finds while out in the field . . . the iPhone could end up being the best geocaching tool ever devised.

[gadgetluva]

I'm a fan of GPS on my phone - my Tilt and Blackjack 2 have internal GPS, and it works great. I travel frequently for business, so having GPS is a great tool when I'm in an unfamiliar city. I'm not a fan of data-required apps that download maps OTA as you progress like the carrier navigation software such as TeleNav. I'm hoping for TomTom or similar to be released that I can load onto the internal memory so I don't have to rely on the network to download maps.

[Muero]

You said you don't like downloading maps over-the-air as you go. But Google Maps on the iPhone is free (other than the $20 a month for data). Purchasing maps for GPS receivers (on DVD or SD card) usually cost over $100, they only get updated once per year, and you have to pay every year to upgrade. Having free, continuously updated maps from Google is incredibly useful and a great value!

[gadgetluva]

Originally Posted by Muero

You said you don't like downloading maps over-the-air as you go. But Google Maps on the iPhone is free (other than the $20 a month for data). Purchasing maps for GPS receivers (on DVD or SD card) usually cost over $100, they only get updated once per year, and you have to pay every year to upgrade. Having free, continuously updated maps from Google is incredibly useful and a great value!

Google maps is not a good turn by turn navigator. I like using it to locate stores or addresses, but for driving, I prefer actual software. Also, when did I ever say cost was an issue? Google maps is not suitable for turn by turn navigation IMO.

[Madpod]

I'd like to see the weather widget tie into GPS, so when you start it, it gives the weather based on your current location.