TeleNav IPO: If Google starts a free navigation service, we’re doomed. Whoops

November 2, 2009 | Paul Boutin | Comments | |

battleshipsTeleNav, which provides voice-guided navigation services on mobile phones, filed for an IPO today. The company’s offering, though, goes head-to-head with Google’s recently announced Google Maps Navigation offering.

Did Google rush its announcement to block TeleNav, or did TeleNav rush its IPO to block Google?

Probably both. TeleNav’s public S-1 filing with the SEC today has a lengthy Risks section that includes this clause:

“Google recently announced that it would offer free voice guided, turn by turn navigation as part of its release of Google Maps Navigation for mobile devices based on the Android 2.0 operating system platform. Competition from these free offerings may reduce our revenue and harm our business.”

The company’s currently in a quiet period after its IPO filing, so they’re not able to comment. But here’s the question I’d like to ask the founders and funders: Had you known Google would launch today, would you still have started TeleNav?

Sunnyvale, Calif.-based TeleNav offers a paid service, whereas Google Maps Navigaton is currently free. It’ll be interesting to see if TeleNav finds a better way than that to differentiate itself going forward.

Next Story: Utilities to deploy 250M smart meters by 2015
Previous Story: Link_A_Media takes $18M for data recovery

Bookmark and Share

Photo of Paul Boutin

About the Author, Paul Boutin

Paul (paul@venturebeat.com) covers Apple & the iPhone, social networks & social media, digital music & video, and any crazy Internet story. Paul wrote and edited for Valleywag from 2006-2008, after several years with Wired magazine and Slate. He writes regularly for The New York Times' technology section and sometimes for Wired and The Wall Street Journal. He studied computer science at MIT in the early 1980s, and worked as a software developer and network administrator for 15 years before becoming a professional writer. Follow him on Twitter at @paulboutin, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.

  • Hastey
    This could be an interesting discussions. But, from the glass houses and stones department, you've got some stuff upstairs that needs to be fixed, and elaborated on, and discussed.
  • "Google Voice IPO" <-- what?
  • Someone has the case of the moooondays.
  • Why do you refer to Google Voice? What does that have to do with Nav?
  • Sorry to say, but Google's going to win this race. I've been using Google Voice for at least a year and a half and now I pretty much rely on it. Once they make it a little bit easier-access it's game over. I haven't tried the turn by turn directions... but I don't know how I'll be able to drive, txt, sing/dance along to music and follow voice directions all at the same time.
  • eanalyst
    You mean Google Navigation? Google Nav is a much better product than Telenav while it's free. I predict Telenav will die soon.
    The reson is simple, why would anyone pay much more for a worse product?
    Look at Google Nav video at Google Mobile Map Navigation site to see detail.
  • Fast Eddy
    It's funny how this Venture beat article is the only one from a "Google" search. Try Bing or others and see what you find.
  • Jan
    Did it ever occur that Google could be infringing on TeleNav's patents? Also, Google is turning into the evil empire giving this stuff for "free". My father always told me there is no free lunch in America. Google is not doing this for free; there is always a reason...maybe world wide web dominance. Anyway, let the best product win!