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turn-by-turn posts

Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

European nav app first out of the gate for iPhone

by Mel Martin (RSS feed) on Jun 20th, 2009

It looks like our European friends will get first crack at an advanced turn-by-turn navigation app for the iPhone/iPod touch. MobileNavigator Europe [App Store] requires the 3.0 software, and looks to be fully featured:
  • 2D and 3D map displays
  • Can be used in portrait and landscape format
  • Branded UI features such as Reality View Pro, Lane Assistant Pro & "real signpost display"
  • Speed Assistant with adjustable audio-visual warning
  • Direct access and navigation to contacts saved in the iPhone's address book
  • The latest NAVTEQ maps, 2M+ European POIs (points of interest)
  • Navigation is automatically resumed after an incoming phone call
  • Quick access to user-defined POIs in the area and along the route
  • Take Me Home function with a single click
This software is the first of several apps coming for the iPhone. The TomTom app that will work in the U.S. has been demoed and coming soon. Garmin, one of the premier GPS manufacturers is going the other way, and will release their own phone with navigation built in, but the project has been troubled and much delayed. Telenav has pre-announced its iPhone offering and suggested that customers keep an eye on the company's Twitter feed.

The Navigon app is US $94.99 (!) this month only, then the price goes up (!!!). The Navigon website doesn't yet show a list of the supported countries, but it's displayed in iTunes and is quite extensive (Albania to Vatican City with Estonia, Macedonia, San Marino & Slovenia + more in between). The app supports ten different languages and will automatically switch based on the selected language for the iPhone itself. The download weighs in at 1.65 GB.

This quick release of high quality navigation software should set mouths watering for a release over here, but I'm a bit troubled by the pricing, as you can buy a pretty fully featured low-end navigator for only a few more dollars.

Update: Our readers have also mentioned Gokivo, with a continuing US$9.95 a month subscription, and Sygic, which provides turn by turn navigation in Austrailia and New Zealand.

Thanks to Gaspare for the original tip and our alert readers for more suggestions!

Tags: Europe, gadling, GPS, iPhone, iPod touch, map, maps, MobileNavigator, navigation, Navigon, travel, turn by turn, turn-by-turn, TurnByTurn

Filed under: Software, Reviews, iPhone, App Store, Road Tested, App Review

TUAW Review: XRoad G-Map US

by Steven Sande (RSS feed) on Apr 9th, 2009

During the discussion earlier in the year about why Apple was blocking turn-by-turn GPS navigation apps for the iPhone 3G (it will be "legal" in iPhone 3.0), a reader pointed out that there have been a pair of turn-by-turn navigators in the App Store for quite a while.

Upon following the reader hint, I was surprised to find that XRoad G-Map US West (click opens iTunes) and East have the United States covered for navigation. These apps, US$24.99 each, don't have the voice prompts that most of us appreciate, but they do provide surprisingly accurate directions and a 3D navigation view that rivals the more expensive Garmin, TomTom, and Magellan dedicated navigators.

European and Canadian versions of the app are expected to be released by the end of this quarter, while Central / South America and Asian versions should arrive by the end of 2009.

Since I am the resident GPS geek at TUAW, I decided to give XRoad G-Map US West v1.3 a test drive and see how it performed compared to my Garmin nüvi navigator. While the XRoad product has some shortcomings, it's still worthy of a look if you're thinking about purchasing a navigation app. Click Read More to see how G-Map worked...or didn't.

Continue reading “TUAW Review: XRoad G-Map US”

Tags: gps, gps navigation, GpsNavigation, iphone, turn by turn, turn-by-turn, TurnByTurn

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