Scheduled for release in October, TomTom's Android app will feature onboard maps to avoid the need for a mobile signal or a data plan.
This is becoming increasingly common - even the Android version of Google Maps allows maps of selected areas to be downloaded to the smartphone or tablet to ensure navigation is possible in the absence of connectivity.
We don't know how much the app will cost, but TomTom officials said the price will include 'lifetime' map updates.
(Just make sure that mobile data is switched off when you're taking advantage of international roaming - an automatic over-the-air update could prove very costly.)
Other features of the app include advance lane guidance, spoken street names, the choice of 2D and 3D representations, and TomTom's 'IQ Routes' that the company says provides reliable journey times regardless of the time of day.
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"We want to make TomTom content and services available to as many devices and platforms as we can," says Chris Kearney, vice president at TomTom Asia Pacific.
"Bringing TomTom navigation to Android smartphones is, therefore, a significant milestone for us."
TomTom recently updated its iOS navigation app, which costs $74.99.


















