Filed under: iPhone, App Store, App Review
Another turn by turn app with voice for the iPhone
Many months ago I received a review copy of G-Map for the iPhone. It had its own maps and turn by turn directions, but no voice guidance, and North was always up. Apple was limiting nav apps at that time, and I had real trouble with G-Map. I couldn't load it on my iPhone. It kept locking up about halfway through the process. Extensive back and forth with the developers in Japan came to nothing, so I gave up. Finally, last April, my colleague Steve Sande was able to load it, and reviewed it for TUAW.Now, with iPhones having new hardware and new software, G-Map [App Store] works and is certainly a competitor to the subscription-based AT&T app. You buy G-Map in one of several editions. G-Map West, at US$34.99, covers the Western States, and G-Map East covers, you guessed it, the Eastern U.S. It is also priced at 34.99. It gets a bit tricky, because some states like Illinois, Michigan, Tennessee and Wisconsin are split. If you travel all around those states you will probably want both editions.
There is also a California edition for $19.99, and one at the same price for New Jersey and New York. Versions for Canada and Europe are coming. All the G-Map modules require iPhone software version 3.0.
So how does it work? Pretty well, but with some caveats. It's accurate at getting your position. The voice directions are quite audible, especially compared to the distorted AT&T app. The on-screen display gives you your speed limit, distance to your next turn, distance to destination and time to destination. It also plots major intersections in a very detailed 3D view, which is helpful. This works in the largest 185 metro areas.
Another plus is that all the maps are on your phone. If you slide out of AT&T's service area the maps are still there; in contrast, the Telenav-based AT&T Navigator app will not work if you don't have data coverage, as the maps are downloaded on-demand.
There are some downsides. The POI database is pretty thin in smaller towns. From Southern Arizona it couldn't find the Phoenix Airport. It probably would have found it when I was closer, but even a POI search didn't bring it up. As I was sitting at a long established car wash, it said no car washes were nearby. It did better with restaurants, banks, and hospitals. Like the AT&T app, there is no landscape mode, and you can't get access to your address book, which is just plain silly.
It looks like the database, which comes from Navteq, has some errors, as do all such systems. Navigating to a restaurant, G-map reported it was on the left, when it was actually on the right.
Unlike the AT&T Navigator, G-Map has no real time traffic, but it does provide info from Navteq's traffic statistics to predict trouble areas.
Even with some weakness, G-Map is a worthy competitor to the AT&T iPhone app. If you have the room on your phone (G-Map West is 824 MB), you can navigate without worrying about cell network access.
It's cheaper than a monthly subscription would be over time, although there is no word when maps will be updated and what the cost will be. If the G-Map developers clean up the POI database, and add a lot more to it, I think they may sell a lot of apps. As it is, for getting to places where you know the address, it works about as well as the AT&T Navigator at a fraction of the cost. Of course more choices are coming, including the much discussed TomTom app, so you may want to wait it out and see what other offerings come along.
Here are some screen shots that show some of the major features:
Gallery: G-Map screen shots
Get a WordPress.com Blog
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
inferno10 said 8:13PM on 7-07-2009
I've been using G-Map since version 1.2. I love the addition of voice in 1.3.1! It finally makes the app useful, since I don't have to keep my eyes glued to the iphone screen anymore. The voice guidance starts warning you about your turn at 2 miles, 1 mile, 0.5 miles, 0.2 miles, and 200 feet. With the older version, you'd only get an audible beep at 200 feet, which meant you missed your turn if you were in the wrong lane. It's SO worth the money (though a bit sad because it used to be priced at $24.99)
Check this video for a sample of the audio navigation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo_Wf9DCmMw
Reply
johnny said 8:39PM on 7-07-2009
a bit sad that is not $24 anymore? are u kidding me dude, navigons is $139 for basically this same service. tomtoms will probably be $100 also, and you complain about $35
bgg71 said 9:13PM on 7-07-2009
You forgot to mention it has no ipod integration, there is no in app map upgrade (why the heck would i have three apps instead of one), the street names, speed, etc are shown in a small print. There is no text to speach support, of course no landscape mode. To search for an address you have to input that exactly like on a cluncky GPS navigator by city, street, street number, etc, you know the drill: ridiculous!!! And even worse, no address book integration!!! Should we wait for apple to make us a GPS navigator for the XXIst century? I am not sure why you're saying it's a worthy opponent to ATT navigator? How much worse a GPS navgator could get?
Reply
ranova said 9:51PM on 7-07-2009
tuaw, you should review sygic, its out for North America\Canada\Mexico now - its pretty good
Reply
SteveH said 6:32PM on 7-08-2009
+1. I found it to be better than the other alternatives out now and there is a very nice landscape mode!
SD said 10:07PM on 7-07-2009
No iPod integration is a deal-breaker for me. If they add that in an update, I'll consider buying it.
Reply
alansky said 11:08PM on 7-07-2009
I read in another review that this app uses cell tower triangulation instead of real GPS and doesn't actually track your car's position on the map.
Reply
bwolfe said 12:53AM on 7-08-2009
You are incorrect. G-Map uses GPS and does do true turn-by-turn navigation with voice. The reviewer you mentioned was using Route Preview and not using the app properly. This is the case in many of the reviews on the App Store. They are simply written by someone who either doesn't know how to use the application or is trying to use the app on an iPod Touch, which doesn't even have a GPS receiver.
BOK said 11:48PM on 7-07-2009
Yeah, no. I'm not switching between two separate GPS programs to trek around Illinois. I'd pay the $70 for one program that covered the entire U.S., and I'm puzzled as to why that isn't an option.
Reply
imat77 said 2:31AM on 7-08-2009
I just bought the app since I'll be travelling in the US (live in Switzerland) from saturday on.
Positive?
- not having to depend on a data connection (I will be in roaming)
- cheap price for the maps (I would have never considered it if it was priced as Navigon)
- cheaper than renting a TomTom together with the car we rented (a LOT cheaper if I may add)
Negative?
- it has a really hard time finding smaller places (Bryce Canyon for instance)
- you cannot search a destination within a map (only providing coordinates, which are written in a different format than Google Earth's)
- I haven't tested POIs yet
Neutral?
- distances are provided in miles and feet. Being used to metrical that might be a problem (particularly feet :-) )
I put together all routes, and routes management could use some tweaking to make it easier to store them. I hope it works well and finds the routes quickly and correctly. Unfortunately in the swiss app store no one has bought it yet so there are no reviews for it. I'll check the US app store to see how it is reviewed.
Overall a nice looking app from what I have seen (I did some "preview" of the routes) and with a price tag that makes it interesting also for the holidays.
I hoped version 2.0 would appear before me travelling to the US but I guess I'll have to travel with 1.3
(I have seen a video on YouTube about the new version and found it much better and more interesting...)
Reply
grifmusic said 2:48AM on 7-08-2009
does it work on 1st gen iPhone?
CA version not updated yet to 1.31?
Reply
Grace said 5:36AM on 7-08-2009
..what if you wanted to travel, for instance, from somewhere in the east app to the west app, or vice-versa? that's annoying. :(
for example, i go to school in indiana but i live in louisiana. i'd have to get both and switch halfway through my trip to find poi's like restaurants or stuff. booooooo
i mean i get that it'd be a monstrously huge app if they were combined, but it could at least be an option i think.
Reply
creativenadir said 6:02AM on 7-08-2009
The first iPhone GPS program that allows wiki-style updates to incorrect information WINS.
Reply
Martin said 10:29AM on 7-08-2009
"Navigating to a restaurant, G-map reported it was on the left, when it was actually on the right."
To me that's a minor gripe because I've never had a GPS that consistently got it correct. So I always ignored that prompt anyway.
Reply
TonyP said 1:08PM on 7-08-2009
Does anyone have a guess when TomTom will arrive on the iPhone; that's what I'm waiting for.
Reply