I mean... WHAT??!? They honestly expect me to pay $10/month to use this "free" app?? I don't know why this surprised me though, it is AT&T. If the Tom Tom app doesn't have maps I'm gonna go get a little Garmin for $100 and be done with it. Sheesh...

from what i'm hearing, TomTom and other GPS vendors might be charging a high premium for the iPhone software and/or a monthly fee due to cannibalization of their hardware sales (Navigon's offering a special deal at $95!). so how does the AT&T solution differ? the arguments above don't make any sense. you're paying $10/month for auto updating GPS maps, real-time traffic, wi-fi hotspots and gas price searches. and one can add it to a bill you're already paying. please enlighten me as to why this is so horrible.

there's a more informative discussion going on at TUAW on this.

and MacNN missed the fact that maps are not stored on your phone, so this app became a whole lot less valuable...no phone signal, no work.

applenut1, sorry dude. You are wrong. The only restriction of free apps and subscriptions and paid content is if the content is coming thru Apple's App store. If the subscription is a service independently billed such as what AT&T is doing then it's ok. There are already a bunch of apps that do this.

Nothing to add.

Just go buy a $100 nav system and be done. Dumb move.

Nothing to add.

Just go buy a $100 nav system and be done. Dumb move.

I don't know what you people remember, but apple made a big deal about having sales through the app store (like books and such).

Also, in case you missed it, this is no different than the xm radio app, which requires a subscription.

Oh, and maybe all you forgot that if it were a violation,Apple wouldn't have approved it!!!

When the iPhone was released, people talked how it allowed them to not have to carry seperate devices, the combination was worth the cost.

So now you wouldn't pay extra for the convenience of not carrying around a gps?

It seems the developer who created the "I Am Rich" $999 App has been hired by AT&T!

It seems the developer who created the "I Am Rich" $999 App has been hired by AT&T!

I hope TomTom doesn't follow AT&T's lead...

I don't understand, if there is a GPS chip in the iPhone which connects to a satellite then why would i need AT&T subscription? Does this app use cell phone tower triangulation not GPS triangulation?

What about Google Maps? We took a trip recently and brought a cheap Garmin unit to put in the rental car. Others are right, who needs AT&T for turn by turn at $120/year when a cheap Garmin goes for ~$100.

h***, you could lose one a year and still be ahead.

Do you have to be on the data network to use this? What about using it in Europe or anywhere else outside the US?

I just went to the App store and searching with "navigate" it changed the query line to "AT&T Navigator: Monthly fee....". Etc, but no app displays to read about, let alone load. $10/month? Are they serious? Should be free! Fail! Big fail!

Why are iPhone owners always expecting something for nothing? It may be that $10/month is too much for turn-by-turn navigation, but it's what all the carriers charge, not just ATT. Thus, it seems to be what the market will bear right now. Check out the Sprint and Verizon web sites. No one offers it for free (unless you get one of Sprint's "Everything" plans, which are pricey). And no, turn-by-turn navigation is not free on the Palm Pre, either.

$10/month??? Plus taxes, fees and the usual extras for a total of probably well over $150 per year.

This is an outrage. AT&T should sell their apps on the App Store just like any other company.

I just realize that I actually hate that company. I urge everyone to boycott that app.

Okay, go out and buy your cheap $100 Garmin. Those maps aren't going to last. Not sure what imaginary country you live in, but here roads and businesses change. Eventually you're going to have to pay $100 to upgrade the maps in that once "cheap" Garmin of yours, and if you don't want to find yourself saying "why isn't this newly constructed [road/business] on my map!" you're going to have to do it yearly. Your cheap Garmin isn't so cheap any longer.

Additionally you are also getting traffic information, which last time I checked, can only be done on your cheap Garmin with an additional accessory costing almost as much as the unit itself.

Anyway, I find that $10/month for maps and POI's that are continuously updated as well as traffic and gas price information, is actually not bad when you compare it to your "cheap" Garmin alternative.