Location-based services market 'shaken up by Google'

The mobile location-based services market could be shaken up by the launch of a free satnav application from Google, an expert has suggested.

Conrad Longmore, editor at the Mobile Gazette, said that more established players in the GPS market such as TomTom and Garmin could be damaged by Google's mobile internet application for smartphones.

It is similar to when Microsoft gave away Internet Explorer for free, he noted, which took virtually all of previously dominant rival browser firm Netscape Corporation's market share.

"Free is always an attractive proposition to customers," he said.

However, he pointed out that Google's mobile internet application does come with disadvantages, as the search engine giant is "still playing catch up when it comes to interface design".

Other satnav providers have spent years developing their products, he added.

Google Maps Navigation was specifically designed to take advantage of mobile internet connections on smartphones.

It is initially only available in the US.

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By Neil Hill