TomTom arrives on Android, reaches its destination

One of the world’s biggest providers of maps has parked at Android, with TomTom taking its navigation technology to smartphone users on Google’s mobile OS.

Launched this week, the TomTom Navigation app can be found on Google Play, supporting phones with at least 800×480 resolution and eating up between 200Mb and 3.7GB of space (depending on the map).

Much of the intelligence and programming that has made TomTom successful in the GPS navigator market is included here, with intelligent routing, advanced line guidance, spoken street names, and high resolution maps that don’t require you to be online to use, skipping the problem that some mapping solutions have which force you to download and pay roaming, especially overseas.

“TomTom has a history of making great navigation applications, and our existing iPhone app has received fantastic customer feedback,” said TomTom’s Chris Kearney, Vice President for the Asia Pacific division of the company. “For the first time, we are now bringing this world-class navigation experience to millions of Android smartphone users in Australia.”

The app works directly Android’s phone and multitasking, allowing you to make and stay on a call while you’re still receiving turn-by-turn directions, and a hands-free car kit will be made available with this providing slightly louder audio with a 2 watt speaker and Bluetooth connectivity.

TomTom’s celebrity voices are currently not compatible with the product, but new to the package is free lifetime maps, with TomTom providing four free map updates per year, at least until the app is discontinued.

Currently, TomTom for Android can be found on the Google Play store for $51.99, though that price is expected to rise within the next few months.