iPhone may be king, but there are plenty of people who rely on their iPod Touch to get things done and entertain themselves on the road. Unfortunately, iPod Touch does not work with those top GPS applications without an add-on. That’s what those premium iPod car kits are good for. Magellan not only has a very decent iPhone application, but it did release a car cradle early on to give iPod Touch owners the chance to navigate on their devices without having to pick up an iPhone. Magellan has now stepped up its game by releasing a hybrid tough battery GPS case for iPod Touch and iPhone. Magellan Portable GPS & Battery ToughCase does not only aim to protect your iPod or iPhone against somewhat extreme conditions, it turns your device into a navigation handheld.

Magellan’s car cradle was an effective solution for iPod Touch owners, but it was not portable and was mainly for those planning to use their devices in their cars. ToughCase boosts your iPhone’s GPS capability (and adds navigation to iPod) and is still easy to carry around. It has an embedded SiRFstarIII GPS chipset that improves reception accuracy to 3-5 meters or 10-15 feet leveraging SBAS systems. ToughCase meets IPX-7 standards, which means you can technically take your case next to a pool or on the beach without worrying about those splash or wet accidents.

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It would have been ridiculous for anyone to expect GPS companies to offer their mobile applications for free on iPhone or other platforms. In fact, you’d be lucky to get your hands on a premium GPS app for less than $50. TomTom, Navigon, and Magellan all have GPS apps that cost in the $70-$100 range. Add the additional GPS kit you can get from TomTom and Magellan, and you are looking at a $200 bill for the privilege of using a top GPS app on your phone.

TomTom has recently announced a new special for the holiday season, offering the U.S. version of its GPS app for a more affordable price (less than $50). That’s $50 more than what you’d have to pay for Google Maps Navigation, that is if it was available for use on iPhone. For a while, GPS companies such as TomTom looked destined to dominate the mobile GPS market, but Google’s new (and free) GPS app has put a serious dent in that plan. The trouble is Apple and Google can’t get along, and that’ll remain the case for the near future. Nevertheless, is it really worth investing in a pricey GPS app when you may get Google’s innovative GPS app on iPhone in the future?

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Don’t we all wish that the iPod Touch came with the GPS functionality all along. iPod Touch may not be a phone, but it is a decent mobile gaming device and beats most mobile handheld devices on the back of Apple iTunes and the apps available there. The iPhone has many advantages over the iPod, and while Apple is poised to add video-capture capability on iPod Touch in the near future, the iPod Touch will continue to play second to iPhone.

The iPhone has become quite popular among GPS manufacturers. These companies may have lost some of their market to mobile apps on iPhone, but they are able to offer their technology on this tiny device without having to manufacture their own hardware. So the margins could potentially be higher for these companies. It’s no wonder that almost all top GPS companies are now offering their service on iPhone. Whether it’s Magellan, TomTom, or Navigon, there are plenty of “premium” GPS apps available for iPhone. A few of these companies made the mistake of only targeting iPhone owners. The iPod Touch may not have the GPS capability available on iPhone, but it’d be a mistake for any business to discount that market. Read the rest of this entry »

So you have finally decided to invest in a decent GPS application for iPhone? Or maybe you just want to enhance your phone’s functionality. Whatever the case, there are some decent options available on the market. TomTom may have been the first company to develop a GPS kit for iPhone, but it won’t be the last, and while we are waiting for Navigon and maybe even Garmin to come up with their own GPS kits, here are 4 kits you shouldn’t miss:

Magellan Premium GPS Car Kit: just a few days ago, we heard about Magellan finally bringing its app to iPhone store. With this kit, you can use that app on your iPhone and iPod Touch (as the kit comes with its own receiver to boost your phone’s capability).

TomTom Kit for GPS: if you happen to own TomTom GPS for iPhone, you may want to invest in one of these mounts as well. It keeps your gadget secure and essentially turns it into a real GPS.

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One has to wonder what these top GPS manufacturers are thinking by resisting the temptation to enter the iPhone GPS market. It’s true that their business has been affected badly by the emergence of mobile GPS devices, and the hardware sales are not going as well as they used to. But it’s not as if these companies have a lot to lose by giving the software side of the business a look. Navigon is one of those companies that realized early on there was more money to be earned in the software side of things. That’s why it went back to its roots after a fairly short period of time to develop a GPS application for iPhone.

Garmin may be still struggling to cope with the fact that Nuvifone will not be its way out, but TomTom has already developed a decent app for iPhone and has added a mount kit to go with it. TomTom doesn’t shy away from charging a hand and leg for its app either, probably making much more money with its iPhone app that it ever did through TomTom’s hardware business. Magellan is the latest company to enter the iPhone app market. The company may be a bit late in the game, but it’s better late than never. Magellan is known for developing affordable GPS units, but it’s margins will be much higher as far as Magellan GPS app is concerned.

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