With the availability of APIs in the 3.0 firmware allowing application developers to create true turn-by-turn navigation apps, iPhone users have been anxiously awaiting the appearance of new navigation apps in the App Store. TomTom and Navigon have already announced that turn-by-turn navigation apps are already in the works, with releases planned some time this summer. Additionally, TomTom showed off a car mount accessory for the iPhone at the WWDC keynote that will augment the GPS sensitivity of the iPhone to improve navigation, though it is not required to use the TomTom navigation app.

The Gokivo navigation app was mentioned briefly by Walt Mossberg in his review of the iPhone 3G S, published yesterday. User reviews in the App Store are mostly negative at this time due to the $9.99/month fee required to get voice-guided navigation.

Networks in Motion’s press release notes the following features of the Gokivo app:

• Robust hyper-local search and discovery powered by Yahoo! Local. One-click searches for bars, restaurants, gas stations, ATMs and many more local points of interest
• Access to the most robust real-time traffic notification on mobile devices, giving users plenty of advance notice to avoid traffic snarls and road work slow downs
• Syncing with Bluetooth in the car or via headset, providing output for music and turn-by-turn navigation audio prompts
• An embedded iPod control, which allows you to listen to music while you are navigating with Gokivo – the music automatically fades (or pauses, if changed in settings) for voice prompts
• The ability to simply “shake” the iPhone to immediately receive alternate route suggestions when encountering things such as traffic congestion
• Find address information directly from any contact in the iPhone and get immediate one-click navigation to the specific address

Networks in Motion is based in Orange County, California and provides a number of navigation and trip-planning products for companies around the world, including AAA and Verizon. A Gokivo navigation app is already available for the Blackberry platform.