The iPhone may not have a turn-by-turn navigation option yet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t stay up to date with the latest traffic information on your iPhone. The SUNA traffic channel – the same company behind the TMC traffic updates on all the high-end satnavs in Australia – has recently launched a version for the iPhone called Traffic Australia, which offers real-time updates on traffic for Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.Early reviews on the app in the iTunes Store have been less than complimentary, although quite a few reviewers seemed to make the mistake that it was a nationwide service. The app costs $3.99 for a 12 month subscription, which isn’t too bad a deal if you spend a lot of time on the roads.
The only potential problem we see with this solution is the lack of voice notifications, meaning that people may be inclined to check the service on their phone while driving. And unlike the satnav solution, this one won’t reroute you around the traffic congestion, it merely informs you about it. Although it will be very intersting to see whether this app will be integrated with any of the turn-by-turn navigation apps that will come out post iPhone 3.0 software. I for one, truly hope so.