Since the last Apple event, when Scott Forstall (SVP iPhone Software) told us that turn by turn GPS would be coming for iPhone 3.0, developers have been working hard at producing the best possible app. Their efforts were hampered slightly because Apple couldn’t allow them to use Google Maps as a base for their GPS software, so they needed to either find a replacement or design their own.

Since the day I first got my iPhone, the maps feature has taunted me. It can find businesses, identify locations unknown to me, visualize traffic and give decent directions. More recently, even my original iPhone can figure out where I am within a reasonable distance without any GPS. But there’s one thing Maps doesn’t do, and with the GPS built into the iPhone 3G, it’s a big deal. It doesn’t do turn-by-turn voice prompted directions.

When GPS was announced as a feature, the picture instantly in everyone’s mind was that of the iPhone 3G in the car directing you around town, speaking every direction along the way. Needless to say, I was a little let down when I found out this was not what GPS was for. GPS only allows you to find your location accurately, and use that information in creative ways. But the omission of true GPS navigation may soon be filled.