Wednesday 27 April 2011

Homer Simpson comes to the Tom Tom app

The voice of cartoon character Homer Simpson, as performed by actor Dan Castellaneta, is now available as an in-app purchase in Tom Tom's US-based GPS apps for the iPhone. For US$5.99, you too can have Homer say "[Annoyed Grunt]" when you make a wrong turn, or "Woo hoo!" when you reach your destination. Pricey? Maybe so, but considering the apps already cost about $50 (not to mention a subscription charge for other services), you're all-in anyway, right?

This isn't that big a deal -- celebrities (and impersonators) have been doing GPS voices for a while now. But Tom Tom says that this is the first time a celebrity's voice has been released for a GPS system via an in-app purchase. And considering that even Tom Tom admits that smartphones are a huge part of the navigation market, this could make for a big change in the way people download and use add-ons like this. Previously, you had to update the GPS unit's firmware, maybe take it out of your car and sync it up with a computer to get a voice like this working.

But now, you only have to click a button on an iPhone app, and use your Apple account to pick up the voice for a few bucks. That's much easier, and depending on how Homer does here, navigation companies may have a whole new market for these add-ons.

Homer Simpson comes to the Tom Tom app originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.tuaw.com/2011/04/26/homer-simpson-comes-to-the-tom-tom-app/

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