Smartphones versus Car GPS navigation devices

With the introduction of the NAVFone Navigation app on leading smartphones, voice guided turn-by-turn navigation is simply a download away from online app stores. As smartphones get better and better at doing navigation, does this mean the end of the road (no pun intended) for the dedicated car navigation device?

Coming from the mobile phone world, I’ve had a front row seat in seeing the introduction of the digital camera in phones some 10 years ago. Initially, the images captured on phones were blurry at best, but now clear images captured on phones are a given. Despite the proliferation of embedded digital cameras on phones, the dedicated digital camera market is very much alive and it isn’t going away. It’s a similar situation with digital music players. Although most mobile phones can play music, the dedicated music player market is still relevant.

This leads me to the conclusion that the dedicated navigation device will continue to be relevant with a strong following of users who understand that the dedicated car GPS device is engineered and optimized to perform navigation, and hence it is likely to perform its specific function better than a multi-function device.

One thing is for sure, the availability of smartphone apps like the NAVFone will result in an increase in the number of people experiencing the added convenience that navigation technology can bring to their lives. With the increase in people using digital maps and navigation, new opportunities abound for companies like Agis who are at the forefront of creating compelling navigation experiences and location based services on leading smartphones and dedicated car navigation devices.