Disqus
It only makes sense when you think about it. Once we reach some service quality level, no one would want to carry more devices if they don’t have to.
In a not that distant future, we’ll see the portable navigation device (PND) makers like TomTom and Garmin either dying or changing. Both companies are obviously already working on the latter, hence you can get their software for all the major smartphone platforms. However, by integrating GPS receivers in more models in the future – it’s the handset makers, and the end users, which will benefit the most.
According to Telematics Research Group, the worldwide portable navigation market is set to grow from 50 million units in 2007 to more than 500 million units in 2015. TRG estimates 30M dedicated PNDs were sold last year and about 20M navigation-enabled mobile phones for a total of 50M units. Both segments will grow rapidly over the next few years but navigation-enabled mobile phones will start outselling dedicated PNDs next year… Full release is available from here (PDF).
About The Author
Dusan Belic
Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The "convergence" is what he's most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do. In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it's an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he's there to try it out. He admits though, he's still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which "sings" perfectly with the mobile PIM application. Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis.
