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Comment by 0xTJ | Hacker News Reader

I used to wonder how companies like TomTom stay in business, given how big products like Google Maps have become. More recently I've seen some media that showed off one of those stand-alone GPS devices (I don't remember which brand, but likely TomTom or Garmin), and I was blown away at how far they've come in capabilities and user interface. (I'm sure it's not just that, looks like they've got a lot of other products like car in-dash navigation.)

They also tend to have features that aren't available on Google Maps, like being able to avoid roads that might not be doable with certain vehicles/tows.

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Google maps is exceptionally limited to the point where it’s very easy to beat on mapping features so there is a lot of room for competitors to survive in various niches.

- The offline experience is garbage. Default behavior should cache large routes offline immediately when I’m on WiFi.

- partial connectivity experience is garbage. Stalled map loads, freezes, etc while driving through a 1x cell service area, even if map was pre-downloaded.

- ads for places I don’t care about.

- unable to automatically show places I do care about.

- searching for exits sucks

- searching for rest areas sucks

- measuring distances requires interrupting the navigation

- no way to view current speed, elevation

- filtering for restaurants with drive throughs very frequently ignores the “with drive through” part of the query.

- gas prices come and go on gas station display. No way to filter on price.

- why in the world can’t we filter based on restroom cleanliness?

- trailer towing friendly parking lots?

- enter max range between drives, give me fuel stops optimizing for gas cost or cadence of stops. Mapquest did this in the early 2000s FFS and you printed out the result.

- overlay recent breadcrumb history on map without it getting blown away any time navigation is interrupted.

- search map without interrupting navigation in a way that doesn’t assume something should be added as a waypoint. (Sometimes people use phones for more than one thing at once on a 12 hour road trip.)

The list goes on and on. There are like 4 use-cases that work with google maps and they are all for basic users and nothing else.

And still, even though I pay for the TomTom app on my phone I have switched back to using google maps as default: It loads way quicker, and I only have to type a few letters and it suggests what I meant (even if i made a few typo's). Search is almost instant. Traffic information is good enough. And I can quickly load a satellite picture if the destination is unknown and it is e.g. unclear which side of the lot the entrance is on.

TomTom has better traffic information, way better guidance on complex roads (google maps will tell me to take the exit, and it small font it says 2400m, which is the next exit). It has better traffic cam warnings, shows max speed more reliably etc.

But also it is slow and clumsy to search for a destination, especially if you do not have the exact address (like a shop by name).

As I have practically unlimited data and good coverage everywhere I go, offline maps are more of a drag than a plus. Just saw amigo mentioned, will check that out now

It's the old "You're not the customer, but the product" thing.

Google doesn't make Maps because you pay them for it, but because they want to know where you are, where you're going and how long you look at what. So they're not going to care much about how well it works for you without an internet connection, and the offline map probably only exists to check the checkbox and stop people from going to the competition.

Routing is a pretty deep problem. I don't know whether Google actually puts all that much effort into it. For example I prefer to use bbbike.de for cycling routes in my area because it usually provides better routes than Google, even though it's maintained by just one person.

I've been using Komoot and have been pretty happy with it. Crowd-sourced routes and points of interest, smart-enough routing, free* for most uses. What's really missing for me is being able to set a target distance/time and then add waypoints and it would fill in the rest.

* Unless you live somewhere where the "one free region unlock" doesn't work like I do, but I was happy to pay

What google did with maps is amazing, but for me a lot of my friends it's becoming a second choice. Coverage with data in my area is impressive, traffic jams info is amazing, but in general algorithms became way "too smart".

With google maps I am being dragged through streets that barely have any asphalt because someone with a tractor went through there. I have a tiny road nearby that is more of a sidewalk for locals, goes tightly between buildings. Google proposes it as a route for a few years now, but only Uber drivers try that - most cars have to fold mirrors to get through. But if someone tries, google treats it as a success and proposes it for everyone. It's painful because all the data about that road and surroundings is there, and when in offline mode it would never let me drive through there.

A lot of friends went for smaller map suppliers, I'm using Osmand~ on longer trips, or that new TomTom app "amigo", as these work like maps used to work 10 years ago - prioritize for typical routes, not the crazy ones. If Osmand had a database with speed cams as big and dynamic as the competition I would never look back. But now I just use two maps - one for route, one for speedcams and warnings.

Yeah, the company has moved further from the consumer market (the devices you talk about), and is now looking much more at B2B markets, providing maps, traffic, routing etc to car companies for their integrated systems. Somewhere on its website it also talks a lot about enterprise so ride hailing services stuff like that.

I personally prefer having the navigator stuck in my cars CD player permanently. No need to pull phone out and try to connect it or mount it each time. Just turn on the car and navigator starts.

I use TomTom GPS on my phone and the user interface/map view is so much better than google maps. Waze could be a possibility, but requires a constant mobile data signal.

Tomtom is selling data to businesses that require raw map data to build their own apps like ride haling service, delivery service, etc..

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