I am glad that free mobile apps are putting a cap on GPS makers' profits!
But since a mobile app depends on a mobile data plan I could never use it when I need the GPS the most: when I'm abroad.
Within the US I guess it would make sense to start using you phone and your data plan as a GPS, but within EU it would get really expensive really fast. That's why a dedicated GPS unit seemed to me like a better idea.
My point is that the fact that the app exists is the reason you didn't pay 250 euro plus 99 euro every year for the privilege of getting updated maps for that unit.
Google is doing with their Android platform what Microsoft did when it decided to bundle IE with Windows. Funny how MS got blasted by every geek in existence back then, but nowadays it's so commonplace that companies are lauded for it.
I am not sure I understand - Microsoft was blasted because it destroyed the commercial browser market by offering a superior product for free?
No.
Microsoft was blasted because you had no choice in the matter, even if you wanted to use a different browser than IE, there was no way to make anything but IE behave well with the rest of the OS.
But since a mobile app depends on a mobile data plan I could never use it when I need the GPS the most: when I'm abroad.
Within the US I guess it would make sense to start using you phone and your data plan as a GPS, but within EU it would get really expensive really fast. That's why a dedicated GPS unit seemed to me like a better idea.