Just a few years ago, handheld personal navigation devices (PNDs) from Garmin, TomTom and Magellan were all the rage. But no company in high-tech can rest on last year's product. PNDs that were $300 just two years ago are less than $150 today and some may be selling for as little as $49 by Christmas.
What's caused the prices to plummet? Software and cell phones. There are a slew of apps for iPhones, Blackberrys and other phones that offer much of the same functionality for a lot less money. Cell phone apps also offer the convenience of having it with you wherever you go, and always being connected for up-to-date information. These apps cost $3-$10 per month or from $35 to $100 for a one-time purchase.
I've been trying a number of navigation products for cell phones. Most are for iPhones, but a few make apps for the Blackberry.
Co-Pilot
This is a full navigation app for the iPhone with detailed maps in 2-D and 3-D for the United States and Canada. The maps are stored on your iPhone, rather than downloaded as needed, a practice followed by some apps. That means, in theory, you can still get instructions if you lose cellular strength. It has a clear user interface, text-to-speech, and provides accurate directions most of the times.
Co-Pilot strikes a good balance of functionality and cost. It has many of the features found on PNDs for just $35, making it one of the best grossing apps in the iTunes store.
All was not perfect, however. I ran into trouble downloading the huge program to my iPhone when it stopped midway and wouldn't restart. I contacted the company and heard back one week later, well after I managed to purge the application from my iPhone and iTunes library.
Aha
Aha is not a true navigation app, but one that provides you with useful information while driving (see illustration above). That information includes snippets of information of what's ahead traffic-wise, based on information that's generated by other drivers and information obtained from the Web. It has a simple interface with large buttons and text that the company says is optimized for driving at 65 mph. You also can request that it alert you of upcoming restaurants, a bathroom, gas station, and even traffic cameras. While it doesn't tell you how to avoid traffic jams, it lets you know what might be slowing the traffic ahead and when it's freed up. Available on the iPhone. ahamobile.com.
GoKivo from Networks in Motion
This navigation app for the iPhone is from Networks in Motion, the company that provides the extra-cost navigation app for Verizon phones. It has a clear interface with turn-by-turn visual and voice-guided directions using text-to-speech that pronounces the actual street names. It provides real-time traffic updates and will route you around congestion. It's based on Navteq maps, the same used by Garmin, but can be updated over the air. Cost for the app is $4.99 for a 30-day pass. Additional months cost $4.99. But unlike others where you need to subscribe, you choose to buy additional 30-day increments by making a purchase in the App store. This is a quality product with no disappointments. networksinmotion.com
Waze
Waze is a navigation app that relies on other users to generate traffic and mapping data. For those locales that are well-mapped, it provides excellent turn-by-turn directions. Waze encourages users to drive on streets where it has little information by turning your car into a Pacman and munch dots along these less-traveled routes. It needs to do this because the map data is not yet accurate everywhere and is dependent upon its customers to improve it. It's a free app for many phone types with strong potential -- if they get enough users. Waze.com.
TomTom
This is TomTom's new long-awaited iPhone nav application designed to closely replicate their PND. I found it to work reasonably well, but it has no spoken street names and offers no traffic information -- two major limitations. It stores all the maps on your iPhone. On a couple of occasions it provided spoken instructions while driving on an interstate highway urging me to stay left when approaching an ordinary exit. I found its map's icons too small and it often reverted to the menu when I tried going to the map. It costs $99, one of the most expensive of the iPhone apps, and not a particularly good value.
Motion-X GPS
This app is a pretty face with little substance, but costs an appealing $2.99 per month. I found this app to be particularly buggy. There were no spoken street names and the written street names were displayed upside down at times. It was slow to update directions and you need to pay extra for voice.
Bottom line: Among those I tried, I liked Gokivo the best. It's the most polished and feature-filled, likely a result of the company's many years of experience in making apps for cell phones. While I still prefer my in-car navigation system with its large screen, I use this app when I'm in a car without a GPS or in a rental car.
What's next?
Last week, Motorola introduced their new Droid smart phone ($200 with a new subscription), the first to run Google's Android 2.0 operating system. It comes with a free 2.0 version of Google Maps that's as powerful as many of the navigation apps. It includes spoken turn-by-turn directions and displays actual images of your destination. While only available on the Droid, it should eventually find its way onto other phones.
One caution to note is that Google Maps does not normally shut down when you exit the application like other apps. It continues to track your location and report that back to Google's servers. (It's noted in their terms of service.) What does Google do with this data? I've asked Google PR repeatedly, but have not received a response.
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