Sygic has launched the first turn-by-turn GPS navigation app for Android-based smartphones, Mobile Maps 2009.
The Android application is a similar version to its Mobile Maps 2009 for iPhone, which was the first turn-by-turn GPS navigation app to be available on Apple's App Store.
Sygic Mobile Maps 2009 for Android includes lane guidance and the ability to edit and add your own points of interest (POIs). The Australian and New Zealand version includes more than 600,000 points of interest, including content from the Yellow Pages and UBD street directory, as well as speed and red light alerts. It also offers instant rerouting, speed restrictions and a number of other safety alerts.
As well as covering Australia and New Zealand, Sygic's Mobile Maps 2009 for Android is available in other versions too with maps of 44 countries, including the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Unlike the iPhone version, Sygic's Mobile Maps 2009 for Android isn't downloadable through the Android Market. Instead, the app is available directly on Sygic's e-shop Web site.
According to Sygic, the decision to open an e-shop was based on "intense customer feedback" requesting a simple and easy experience to get the latest version of software.
"We are very excited about being among the very few companies offering a navigation solution for the Android platform globally at this moment. As far as we know, we are currently the only provider of on-board turn-by-turn navigation for Android OS devices," said Anna Hurbanic, PR Manager Sygic.
Sygic has also partnered with three major mobile carriers in Singapore to launch Mobile Maps 2009 for Android as part of a bundle with the HTC Magic.
Sygic's Mobile Maps 2009 for Android is available in Europe (EUR $79.99), North America, Canada and Mexico (EUR $59.99), and Australia and New Zealand (EUR $62.99). Sygic has stated that further regions will be "added and announced gradually".
