Google Maps Navigation? Droid Does

Could the rejection of Google Voice from the App Store imminently be coming back to haunt Apple?

Later next month, when the Droid phone is 'unleashed' upon the Verizon Wireless network, Google and Motorola could witness a massive market success. The Droid seems to be aesthetically on par with the iPhone, as early reviewers are commenting on its appearances and functionality (it features a gorgeous display screen and a slide-out keyboard). The phone runs Android 2.0, the second version of the open-source OS that not only looks much better than its original inception, but has a user-interface that accommodates both easier access and use of the phone. Additionally, Verizon Wireless' network is purported to be almost absurdly more capable than ATT's (we have all seen the blue map/red map commercial...plus, there are nearly endless (ubiquitous) complaints about poor iPhone service).

The biggest question surrounding the Droid could be its battery life (which proved to be the bugaboo for the first Google phone)...

And, yes, the Droid will be the first smartphone to support Google Maps Navigation. This feature is HUGE. Nearly everything you love (and more importantly, trust) about Google Maps will be readily accessible on your cellphone via this application.

As payback for the whole Google Voice kerfuffle, Google naturally may be reluctant to 'give away' this feature to Apple and the iPhone. Techcrunch goes so far as to say that they should "make Apple beg..." for it. In making the comparison between what each phone has to offer, the free Google Maps Navigation application is exponentially more appealing than the pricey TomTom App is for the iPhone.

The bottom-line is that any competition in the smartphone market is positive for consumers. The more that the cellphone makers and the service providers have to battle for our dollars each month, the better.

Initial hype surrounding the Droid phone suggests that it could quickly replace the Palm Pre as the most viable and preeminent contender to the iPhone in the smartphone market. And, the addition of the Droid to Verizon's lineup could stifle the biggest complaint about Verizon, its lack of quality phone models. The showdown appears to be set. iPhone and ATT vs. Droid and Verizon (and oh yeah, Palm Pre and Sprint)...