AMSTERDAM--Dutch satellite navigation system maker TomTom NV said Wednesday it will launch a mapping tool for smartphones running on Google Inc.'s GOOG +1.52% Android operating system in October.
The Amsterdam-based company already offers mapping applications or "apps" for Apple Inc. AAPL -0.06% iPhone and iPad costing between EUR50 and EUR90 and is signed up to deliver maps and navigation for Apple's new operating system, likely to be launched later this year.
"Initially we focussed on our partnership with Apple," Gerard Hinds, director of mobile at TomTom, said in a telephone interview from Berlin, where TomTom showcasing products at the IFA consumer electronics fair. But now TomTom wants to participate in the growing popularity of smartphones powered by Android, he said. Android phones make up 64% of the global smartphone market, compared with Apple's 19% market share, according to latest figures from research firm Gartner.
Mr. Hinds said the Android app would provide turn-by-turn navigation and include added-value services like real-time traffic information and speed camera warnings, subject to additional subscriptions. He declined to give any details on a selling price.
"TomTom should not be too greedy here. I think that there are enough people out there that would pay a small premium for the TomTom solution because it is in my view more sophisticated than the free Google Maps," Gartner analyst Annette Zimmermann said.
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