Two Jordanian companies, GenieSoft and Reborn Industries, have created a joint venture dubbed InsideJo and are set to launch the first PND in Jordan in January 2009. Dubbed the GNav, it will have the first (fairly) comprehensive maps of Amman, Aqaba, and the Kingdom’s national road network. Initially it will also include a database of 8, 000 points of interest eventually expanding to 30, 000 points sometime next year.
This is a brave move by the two companies. To my knowledge, Nokia has enough mobile market share in Jordan to have recently debuted Amman maps as part of its Nokia Maps service. The maps are free to ESeries and NSeries Nokia phone owners, and can also pair with turn-by-turn voice navigation–though that requires payment. I find it unlikely that a single PND would be able to beat out the world’s leading cellphone provider.
InsideJo’s maps aren’t up to par with Nokia’s either. Street names overlap with each other making them difficult to read and zooming in and out can’t be done with a single click, but I suppose InsideJo still deserves kudos for being a homegrown innovator.
You can check out InsideJo’s maps, available on the web in beta, at the company’s website.
