Has anyone heard anything regarding turn-by-turn navigation apps now that 3.0 is available? I was under the impression that the store would be flooded with them once the update was live...apparently not.
Yes, it is! MobileNavigator Europe by Navigon is out since Saturday and although it costs 75 Euro a huge success (no. 2 in paid apps of most of the European countries). I used it at the weekend and it works great.
Thanks for the info, although I don't live in Europe, so no luck there, and although I know stand-alone units can be pricey, I don't see paying that much for an app. Hopefully this will be the start of many apps of this kind, which will lead to competition (better titles, less money). Thanks again for the info, however.
75 Euro is the introduction price for the version with maps for 40 countries. In July the price for this version will be raised to 100 Euro. There will also be a version for 50 Euro with fewer maps. These prices are absolutely normal (compared to the prices of the Windows Mobile versions) and no one expects the TomTom solution to be cheaper.
No one decides what prices are "normal" except for the consumer. I'll be very surprised if they sell many apps for these prices. As more turn-by-turn apps come out, the prices will drop dramatically. There's no way I pay this much for an app that adds turn-by-turn directions to already existing technology in my 3G S.
MobileNavigator is currently No. 1 in Germany and many other European countries. There are 209 reviews in the German store - after two days of selling! Obviously it sells like crazy.
Navigon GPS Turn-by-Turn Review I downloaded the Navigon app for US and Canada yesterday at the intro proce of $69. It's awesome. I had originally purchased the XRoad - West app and it was ok (the voice was too soft)....but I have to say Navion is awesome! I debated buying another one (waste of $), but I have to say it was well worth the upgrade! Here's some things I found that separate the 2: 1) Voice directions are much louder 2) GPS signal is acquired much quicker 3) interace can be used in portrait or landscape mode 4) POI's are more accurate and has icon support 5) interface is more detailed (shows interchange detail, lane specifications, buildings, etc) 6) In 3D mode the angle is better allowing you to see more of what is coming up. 7) You can access you iphone contacts with Navigon. 8) Finally, it has the entire US and Canada...not just 1/2 of the country. This is a great app.
There's also this one... Sygic Mobile Maps North America http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=319354212&mt=8 Don't have it and don't plan on being an early adopter yet so have no idea how it is. I did email them and they stated that right now there is a "free" update but in later this year a new version is coming with Text to Speech which will cost another $69.99 if ya want it. I personally am still concerned that were gonna buy an app and then all of a sudden it will expire after a year and more money will be needed.
Are the directions accurate in these programs? Are the calculations smart (no excessive turns and confusing directions that leads to extra time spent driving around nowhere)? Is the detection/animation smooth? These are some doubts I am having, as my friends say that the iPhone will never be capable of even nearly matching the processing power of a regular GPS. Also are there any navigators for Asia? I've yet to find one for China and Japan...
Those questions are precisely why I'm not going to be an early adopter. Real GPS's are cheap... I think it would be in our best interest to wait for Tom Tom and see what they bring to the table and specifically in respect to the cost.
I decided after much deliberation, to get Navigon (UK version) today. Spent a lot of time researching the two options, this and sygic. Considered waiting for TomTom, but I'm off on hols in a few weeks, and really needed it for that as we'll be doing a fair bit of driving around unfamiliar roads. It will also come in handy for me next weekend. I tried it out on my journey home from work, taking numerous deviations from the initial route to test out the recalculation times. And I was very impressed, both with the app's ability to keep an accurate position all the way, and the very quick recalculations (seconds). Interface is very easy on the eye while driving, and it's very intuitive to setup routes and change settings. Also, the speed camera warnings in this latest version are a useful addition. All in all I'm happy I made this choice, having been very nervous about spending >£50 on an app. The only issues it had were a couple if dubious "bear left/right" at questionable moments. But hopefully it will only improve in future updates. TomTom was ultimately too slow in releasing their app for me, and the complete lack of information on it other than the WWDC announcement, makes me wonder if Apple have a strong hand in the app's development, as this kind of silence is a real trait of theirs. I'm basing this also on "The TomTom navigation application for iPhone; an Apple version of TomToms award-winning turn-by-turn navigation software," taken from the WWDC announcement. Does this mean Apple themselves are developing it?
How is the app on your battery. I'm assuming your running on 3.0. 3G or 3GS? It does look like this may be the better of the two options now. Please keep us informed as to it's performance if you could. I'm poking around the website. The problem that I have is the data roaming while in another country... does it work strictly on GPS or does your data need to be activated?
it depends. many of the navigation apps download the maps to your phone, so all it uses is the gps chip. AT&T's navgator, however, uses a signal to retrieve map information, which IMO is a bad choice. Sucks up more battery and can result in roaming charges.
http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-250-3-5-Inch-Portable-Navigator/dp/B000OH4942/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1248724379&sr=1-1 This is the standard a smartphone GPS must measure up to . . . $90 bucks and no subscription costs for a seriously polished product from the market leader (US anyway). In the long term, Garmin is not going to do well...they are totally botching their smartphone strategy. In the short term, I would not be a guinea pig for a smartphone GPS that is not proven as effective as a Garmin.
i dont know you you peoples out there saw this already but...you can get a free trial of the at&t navigator here you go... http://appmodo.com/1976/free-trial-att-navigator-for-the-iphone/
Just thought I'd throw in my 2 cents I also opted for the Navigon UK edition. Seems to work well, as previously said, however, I only did this as my Garmin got stolen 5 days ago from my car Personally, I do think it's very good, quite accurate and clearly shows the routes. I tried it on an awkward run where you need to know the best route, and it figured it out. However, I did find that it seriously drained the battery, and half way there, turned it off for fear of loosing the battery completely. If using, I would strongly suggest some "Dashboard mount" with a cigarette lighter power connector built in. I've seen a couple, but would appreciate peoples thoughts. For £15 seems like a good deal, but let me know please I'll do a separate post for this
I bought the Navigon for North America. I was hesitant to say the least to spend 70 bucks on an app, but I decided to take the plunge. To cut to the chase, I'm really glad I did. This is smooth as silk, and has been very accurate so far. I must say up front that I have a 32gb 3GS iPhone, so my experience may not be the same as everyone else's. The app loads in approx 10 sec., and almost always hits the GPS signal. If I change from portrait to landscape, it is an instant rotate...no lag like someone else experienced. I live in a fairly small town in Indiana, USA and find that the routes are detailed, accurate, and nicely presented. When I tried to throw it a curve by making a turn off of the specified route, it handled the adjustment right away. It has a nice amount of POIs, and even the voice is pleasant...that may seem petty, but it's not. All in all, I'm very satisfied with this purchase, thank goodness since it wasn't cheap. However, it was 30 bucks less than it will be in a few days, so I don't feel too bad about it.
