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CoPilot Live navigates to more features

CoPilot Live [iTunes link] for North American roads is becoming the little engine that could. At only US$34.99 it is quickly adding new features, and in this latest update has added the coveted text to speech capability. For drivers, that means the nav app will say "turn left on Elm street" instead of "turn left just ahead".

Other new features include adding an iPhone-standard keyboard for entering destinations, instead of the one designed for the app (which was clunky). The maps have been updated, and the developer says there is better integration of the address book from the iPhone.

I took CoPilot for a drive. It acquired the GPS signal quickly and I was on my way. It looks like the POI database has been improved, and the text to speech worked as anticipated. It is a great addition, and even the TomTom still doesn't have that feature. Navigon and AT&T both have text to speech in their offerings.

I still find that the maps are way below the quality of every other navigator I have tested. Driving home it couldn't find my street so it just put me on some nearby street. That could be misleading to a driver at best, and dangerous at worse.

The developers say the maps will continue to improve, but maps are what navigation is all about and they need to be up to date. I've talked to some users of this software, and they say their region is very accurate, so it depends where you are.

At a fraction of the cost of the 'big boys' and with text to speech, CoPilot Live is becoming a very competitive driving companion.

User ratings continue to improve, and I think it is very worthwhile at the low cost (if the map coverage in your area is adequate). If you have your own experiences to share, we'd love to hear from you.





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CoPilot Live [iTunes link] for North American roads is becoming the little engine that could. At only US$34.99 it is quickly adding new...
 

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soop

Shame about the UK being behind with these updates. I feel like I'm missing out :)

October 06 2009 at 10:56 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Richard hart

There are instructions on the Copilot app screen on how to activate text to speech.

October 01 2009 at 11:28 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Richard hart's comment
Richard hart

How to switch-on TTS

CoPilot Live for iPhone now includes detailed Text to Speech (TTS) voice directions. To make it work you'll need to follow these instructions:

Go to iPhone Settings
Select "CoPilot NA"
Change "License Reset" to "ON"
(leave the other settings "OFF")
Exit Settings
Start CoPilot Live on your iPhone
Enter your CoPilot ID and Password
Follow the instructions on-screen to Activate
Switch on TTS in CoPilot by going to Menu > Settings > Language & Voice > Select a Voice. The Voices with a star (*) next to them are the TTS Voices.

October 01 2009 at 2:48 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
St3phen

Same here. Page shows .421 but iTunes continues to download .417

October 01 2009 at 10:35 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
marcouns

two updates on tuaw &still no sign in uk.
why?????????

October 01 2009 at 6:39 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Kelmon

OK, serious question for those who know: which GPS solution provider (iPhone or otherwise) has the best quality maps and overall navigation success?

I honestly could not care less about "text-to-speech" functionality. All I want is something that can find where I am quickly, get me to where I want to go well, and can clearly show me my route and what needs to be done next. A natural sounding voice that is loud enough would also be useful.

October 01 2009 at 4:56 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Fitzsy

The software is very good, and I like using it, but here in the UK the maps are very out of date. My street has existed for 9 years on the edge of major city and give yet it does not exist in the CoPilot maps.

October 01 2009 at 4:27 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Fitzsy's comment
James Marshall

I have to agree with you there mate. I live in an apartment complex that has been here for 15 years and the roads don't appear. I have also noticed other places that are 10 years old and the roads still don't appear.

In contrast though, there are places where the CoPilot maps are better than TomTom's and actually contain the correct traffic routes (one way systems, etc) and better speed limits for roads.

I can't wait for the update to reach the UK as some of the issues that have been fixed are really annoying. Let's hope ALK can update their maps quickly to catch up with other satnav apps.

October 01 2009 at 12:09 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Frequent Traveler

I'm having a heck of a time getting the GPS to lock on -- some trips it works great, sometimes it doesn't. I'm off to the apple store tomorrow to see if maybe there is something wrong with my phone.

That being said, I really like the UI. It feels like a mature program. It's easy to nitpick some missing features, but the company seems committed to upgrades early and often.

One negative -- their tech support seems non-exisistant. No forum as far as I can find. There's an email address for issues, so I guess I'll try that next.

September 30 2009 at 10:33 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
george

if the maps arent great than its worthless i would think. maps are most important. sounds like you get what you pay for and if you have somewhere important to be at a certain time id rather have my navigon app so i know im getting there

September 30 2009 at 6:25 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Quadrant

Live = Live weather and live notification of where your copilot 'buddies' are!

It hasn't been updated in the UK store yet, grrrr. The non qwerty keyboard drives me mad, also it's a pain to try and press the '123' change-to-number-input button as it's so small but apart from that it's awesome.

Also Live Traffic will be available via yearly subscription for about £20 extra 'soon'. Fair price I'd say.

September 30 2009 at 6:18 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
R2B2

I can't seem to find anywhere if CoPilot shows current traffic conditions. I assume that is what the "live" part means, but it's not spelled out in the bullet points on their website or in the iTunes store. Can anyone who has this tell me if it shows current traffic conditions on the map or not? Thanks!

September 30 2009 at 5:39 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to R2B2's comment
Tom

it is a 20 dollar add on. And it only warns you of the traffic incidents on your route. Does a good job of routing around and telling you the increase in time the new route will take. 20 bucks sucks but you also get live gas prices. I figure this alone will save 20 bucks over the year.

September 30 2009 at 6:10 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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