MapQuest Launches Navigator iPhone App

Update: MapQuest has now issued a pricing update on the official blog:

Some of you may have noticed that when we initially launched MapQuest Navigator for iPhone, we offered a $.99 price for a 14-day trial. Unfortunately, due to App Store restrictions, we are now unable to support this offer. The application is now initially available for one month at $3.99.

After the first month for $3.99, users can choose the subscription model that best suits their needs: one month at $3.99, three months at $9.99 or one year at $29.99.

Original Article: MapQuest has released the MapQuest Navigator for the iPhone. This is a voice-guided "turn-by-turn" navigation application that includes local search capabilities. Features include:

- 2-D and 3-D moving maps to help people follow the route as well as spoken directions with street names

- Route optimization to avoid areas with accidents, construction or other events affecting traffic

- Full route corridor download at the beginning of the journey enables the application to quickly re-routes in case of a missed turn, regardless of network coverage

- One-tap search for businesses along a route via a palette of on-map widgets in categories such as hotels, shopping, gas stations, coffee shops, parking garages and more

- More than 16 million points of interest and maps for the U.S. and Canada

The Navigator feature is available via the Apple App Store for  99 cents for a 14-day trial. After that, the service runs one month at $3.99, three months at $9.99 or one year at $29.99.

MapQuest has also launched a GeoRSS embeddable map feature this week, which allows bloggers and website owners to share location-referenced content on a MapQuest map within their blog/site. The feature requires users to have access to an online service that provides a feed with location data (like Flickr, Brightkite, Yelp, etc.).