Wait for Tom Tom, or just go with Navigon? [Archive]

Mad Mac Maniac

Aug 7, 2009, 01:19 PM

Ok, so I don't know about anyone else, but I am quite disappointed that we haven't heard ANY new information about the upcoming Tom Tom app in the last two months. We are days away from the navigon app price hike. We don't even have a clue how much the Tom Tom app will cost.

What is your thougths on this? Who's waiting for tom tom?

jmann

Aug 7, 2009, 01:19 PM

I personally think the wait for Tom Tom will be worth it.

Scooterman1

Aug 7, 2009, 01:23 PM

I like G-Map, and the price. Navigon's got quite a few of the same complaints about not working.

AppleMatt

Aug 7, 2009, 01:28 PM

Navigon price hike?

I'm waiting. I know it's frustrating, I'm annoyed too because I sold my sat nav. At least if you wait you'll definitely know which is better; rather make an informed choice.

If they're putting the price up again, that just seems like pressuring people into buying now and doesn't show confidence in the quality of their app. I'm going to avoid purchasing that now purely out of principle.

Plus TomTom will have enhanced GPS receiver etc.

AppleMatt

ct2k7

Aug 7, 2009, 01:50 PM

I'd like to introduce another TBT app.... CoPilot Live, ap poop!

iArrudaG

Aug 7, 2009, 01:55 PM

Wait for Tom Tom. I personally have navigon, it never works :( you can barely ever get a GPS signal. When you finally get one it goes away after like a minute. Wait! :D

gloss

Aug 7, 2009, 01:58 PM

No problems with Navigon here.

Mad Mac Maniac

Aug 7, 2009, 02:00 PM

Navigon price hike?

Yeah they were selling them for $69 for a limited time till August 15th, then the price goes up to $99

TSX

Aug 7, 2009, 02:19 PM

I have the navigon app, its not a bad app at all. To me it works really well, i was really suprised how well it worked. I like how on the map it shows points of interest (gas,food,ect), and the maps are stored on the phone itself and they wont have to be downloaded as you go like some other naigation apps. It has voice turn by turn that's loud so you can hear it. Unless tom tom is going to be released real soon id get the navigon.

sam3020

Aug 7, 2009, 02:31 PM

you dont want to wait for navigon and you definately dont want to buy navigon because it is a pile of crap. you want to buy sygic or copilot

xseshawn

Aug 7, 2009, 02:42 PM

Dont wait for the overpriced tom tom, get the navigon it is way way cheaper and works just exactly the same if not better. At 200 bones for tom tom, there is no way i will buy it.

http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/05/tomtom-for-iphone-pricing-leaked/

digbyp

Aug 7, 2009, 02:46 PM

If it's UK, take a look at CoPilot for £25.99

IBradMac

Aug 7, 2009, 02:57 PM

I like Navigon so far. Take it for whats its worth because I have only ever used G Maps beforehand.

londonmystery

Aug 7, 2009, 03:04 PM

If it's UK, take a look at CoPilot for £25.99

I second that, if in UK CoPilot is great been using it all day and no faults so far. What a bargain for £25.99. :):)

steviebe

Aug 7, 2009, 03:24 PM

I'm holding out for the TomTom app as well. I bought the software for my HTC Tytn II and it worked really well so I'm a convert.
I need it before my hols on the 31st!

pooryou

Aug 7, 2009, 03:25 PM

Navigon is great, I'm glad I bought it...it works very well.

I see no reason to wait for something else which I have no reason to believe will be better.

curly14

Aug 7, 2009, 04:50 PM

No problems with Navigon here.

me too:D works great

death to TomTom:eek:

mikeb13

Aug 7, 2009, 04:53 PM

I read that Tom Tom will be $199 for their app and mount.

http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/05/tomtom-for-iphone-pricing-leaked/

I have the Navigon app and it works great. It gives perfect directions and the maps look really good.

Kyeris

Aug 7, 2009, 04:53 PM

If you need it grab Navigon, because from what I've heard about it, it seems great. If not, wait for Tom Tom and check the reviews on it and make your decision (by then there will probably be a few contenders to add in).

MBHockey

Aug 7, 2009, 05:07 PM

Navigon is great, I'm glad I bought it...it works very well.

I see no reason to wait for something else which I have no reason to believe will be better.

+1

sapporobaby

Aug 7, 2009, 05:39 PM

For the Navigon complainers.

If you go to their website, there is a fix for those having reception problems. Second, Navigon makes the software, not the receiver. The two work together to form a GPS system.

army91c

Aug 7, 2009, 05:42 PM

For those of you that say Navagon doesn't work..... well it worked 100% for me so you must be "special". You have to have it on the dash or where it can see the sat for it to work well.... NOT in you lap.

I tried both Navagon and Sygic and went with the Sygic. If other companies can put out a quality product that works awesome then why give your money to TT if they can't get it together? I say don't give them your money esp if the price point that is out is true.

bildio

Aug 7, 2009, 06:06 PM

The iTunes Store has Navigon version 1.0.0. The Navigon website talks about a software release 1.2. Can we get 1.2?

m3coolpix

Aug 7, 2009, 06:06 PM

If you don't want to spend $80-$100 on a TBT app, get Navigon now, it works.

If you have GPS Signal issues, follow their FAQ about how to get better reception. Everyone (who I've either worked/talked with in person, or traded forum posts with) who has thoroughly and genuinely followed those steps has no problems with GPS reception with Navigon thereafter.

For the past two weeks, the 1 & 2 star reviews of Navigon has leveled off, and the 4 and 5 star reviews are continuing to grow. Navigon put the FAQ link on the App Store description.

All that said.....IMHO, TomTom 'may' turn out to have better features, but they are known to charge a premium for it. I'm going to follow their launch closely, at least with regards to using their Software App's functionality WITHOUT the cradle (if they offer it that way). I don't need the cradle's functionality (I'm all setup for in car over the stereo setup), and I don't need the external GPS chip (Navigon works 99.9% perfect for me). But, if their software can function better/prettier/more features than Navigon's v1.0, I WILL contemplate purchasing the TomTom software. But....that also depends on how Navigon reacts with upgrades to their software package. Unfortunately, most of these apps are then going to be in the $80-100 range (for good rounded out map coverage, and not just a country by country/state by state version).

If TomTom's app comes out and has a ho-hum release/feedback/feature set, (or Navigon reacts with similar upgrades because TomTom moves the GPS TBT sector on the iPhone), I'm still going to be quite happy in saving the $$ for being an early adopter of Navigon.

HTH.

sapporobaby

Aug 7, 2009, 06:16 PM

The iTunes Store has Navigon version 1.0.0. The Navigon website talks about a software release 1.2. Can we get 1.2?

How did you get 1.0 in the first place? From the App Store right? Well, what do you think would be the next step in the upgrade to 1.2? App Store maybe?

Uhhhh..... Where does it say: 1.2? On the site, I see 1.1.0 which is on my iPhone.

m3coolpix

Aug 7, 2009, 06:21 PM

The iTunes Store has Navigon version 1.0.0. The Navigon website talks about a software release 1.2. Can we get 1.2?

It has to go through the App approval process all over again. This is part of why developers complain (and rightly so), because they can fix issues pretty quickly, but it gets held up in the approval process, sometimes a couple of days, sometimes much longer. All the while the app gets smashed with reviews....

bildio

Aug 7, 2009, 06:25 PM

It has to go through the App approval process all over again. This is part of why developers complain (and rightly so), because they can fix issues pretty quickly, but it gets held up in the approval process, sometimes a couple of days, sometimes much longer. All the while the app gets smashed with reviews....

Thanks, I understand now. Are point upgrades, i.e., 1.0 to 1.2 typically free?

Chi 1080

Aug 7, 2009, 06:28 PM

Thanks, I understand now. Are point upgrades, i.e., x.0 to x.2 tyically free?

Yes.

I'm waiting for TomTom to release their app and dock, or at least release a confirmed pricing for it. I would have bought Navigon by now, but the TomTom's Dock looks like a nice and neat solution to keeping it in the car. As long as the price is right.

bildio

Aug 7, 2009, 06:31 PM

Yes.

I'm waiting for TomTom to release their app and dock, or at least release a confirmed pricing for it. I would have bought Navigon by now, but the TomTom's Dock looks like a nice and neat solution to keeping it in the car. As long as the price is right.

Does the dock have any features besides being a holder & possibly a connector for charging the iPhone?

m3coolpix

Aug 7, 2009, 06:32 PM

Thanks, I understand now. Are point upgrades, i.e., x.0 to x.2 tyically free?

Most software apps, yes. Navigon has it on the iTunes description that a free update is coming, but we don't know what that includes (V1.0 to v1.1 only, or v1.0, v1.1, v1.2 and then what ???). Other TBT GPS software has said their software and maps will be free til Dec 2010.

But, with 3.0 iPhone OS software came the capability of doing an in-app charge. I think we'll find out soon that the TBT software apps will be some of the first to utilize this capability for enhanced features (or maybe updating maps), while some of the games apps use it to entice users for advanced levels of play.

m3coolpix

Aug 7, 2009, 06:38 PM

Does the dock have any features besides being a holder & possibly a connector for charging the iPhone?

TomTom for iPhone (http://iphone.tomtom.com/index.html)

There hasn't been an official announcement on pricing, nor the range of options of how it will be sold (App/Cradle combo is a given, but will they allow each item to be sold individually). Add in that they haven't even announced a release date other than 'Late this Summer', they are being very Apple like with it's release (which they aren't very good at, IMHO).

bildio

Aug 7, 2009, 06:44 PM

TomTom for iPhone (http://iphone.tomtom.com/index.html)

There hasn't been an official announcement on pricing, nor the range of options of how it will be sold (App/Cradle combo is a given, but will they allow each item to be sold individually). Add in that they haven't even announced a release date other than 'Late this Summer', they are being very Apple like with it's release (which they aren't very good at, IMHO).

The web site states that the car kit offers enhanced GPS performance. I wonder if this is just because it's a windshield mount which will provide a better view of the satellites, or there's more to it than this?

vemulasri

Aug 7, 2009, 07:21 PM

I have been using Navigon almost 10 days now and i have not had any issues. It does take a while to acquire GPS but, once it is there i never lost any signal. Re-routing has been phenomenal. Actually, it is faster than my acura rerouting. I have no complaints. As the navigon suggests if you have any issues just do a fresh install and that seems to be working fine for lot of people.

Thanks:)

Jethrotoe

Aug 7, 2009, 07:27 PM

TomTom for iPhone (http://iphone.tomtom.com/index.html)

There hasn't been an official announcement on pricing, nor the range of options of how it will be sold (App/Cradle combo is a given, but will they allow each item to be sold individually). Add in that they haven't even announced a release date other than 'Late this Summer', they are being very Apple like with it's release (which they aren't very good at, IMHO).

In following the link, it appears that the dock will only handle the phone without a case (look like that to anyone else?). Which would mean that I have to take mine out of my case every time I want to use GPS? Not reasonable.

AppleMatt

Aug 7, 2009, 07:37 PM

The web site states that the car kit offers enhanced GPS performance. I wonder if this is just because it's a windshield mount which will provide a better view of the satellites, or there's more to it than this?

The mount includes its own GPS receiver chip.

AppleMatt

Chi 1080

Aug 7, 2009, 07:54 PM

Does the dock have any features besides being a holder & possibly a connector for charging the iPhone?

As others have mentioned, the dock includes a GPS module inside to enhance GPS performance, allow charging of the device when the supplied [presumably] cable is connected, and a built in mic and speaker to make phone calls and to make the voice directions louder and clearer. That's about it for the dock as far as I can remember.

In following the link, it appears that the dock will only handle the phone without a case (look like that to anyone else?). Which would mean that I have to take mine out of my case every time I want to use GPS? Not reasonable.

Yep, looks that way to me as well. I have an Incase Slider, so I highly doubt it's going to fit, even with the bottom half removed. Taking the phone out the case to be docked is a hassle, but the Incase Slider isn't too much of a hassle to remove and put back on anyway. I could always go without it at times as well.

Jethrotoe

Aug 7, 2009, 08:10 PM

As others have mentioned, the dock includes a GPS module inside to enhance GPS performance, allow charging of the device when the supplied [presumably] cable is connected, and a built in mic and speaker to make phone calls and to make the voice directions louder and clearer. That's about it for the dock as far as I can remember.

Yep, looks that way to me as well. I have an Incase Slider, so I highly doubt it's going to fit, even with the bottom half removed. Taking the phone out the case to be docked is a hassle, but the Incase Slider isn't too much of a hassle to remove and put back on anyway. I could always go without it at times as well.

I use the Casemate leather number, which by the way I'm very happy with because the holder protects the whole screen from damage and leather is cool. I'm in and out of the car and need to take my phone with me for every stop. This would present a serious problem if I have to take it in and out of the case. Assuming that I have my phone up on top of my dash (or very close) for coverage, and assuming that the chip in the phone is good enough, I think I have to go with one of the software versions of GPS.
Sounds like the Navigon is the best (and most expensive) of them all. Maybe I should take advantage of the price break.

Chi 1080

Aug 7, 2009, 08:51 PM

I use the Casemate leather number, which by the way I'm very happy with because the holder protects the whole screen from damage and leather is cool. I'm in and out of the car and need to take my phone with me for every stop. This would present a serious problem if I have to take it in and out of the case. Assuming that I have my phone up on top of my dash (or very close) for coverage, and assuming that the chip in the phone is good enough, I think I have to go with one of the software versions of GPS.
Sounds like the Navigon is the best (and most expensive) of them all. Maybe I should take advantage of the price break.

Completely understand your problem due to the poor design of the dock not allowing iPhones with cases to be used with it properly.

It's just one of those things that we'll have to live with I'm afraid. It's worth mentioning though that the TomTom dock does seem to be a tidy and neat solution to cradle, charge, loud speaker, and mic - GPS chip not so necessary, all put together in a compact cradle. This is the only reason I'm waiting out for it, I would have gone with Navigon as well.

On the other hand, the dock might not be a snug fit as imagined, so there may be a slight glimmer of hope that people with thin cases, Incipio Feather comes to mind, may get away with using the cradle with no problems. We'll see when TomTom finally release it :mad:

Any of us reckon that the additional features with the dock would work with other TBT apps? :D Highly unlikely I know, but the mic, speaker phones etc. should... surely.

Jdub23

Aug 8, 2009, 08:51 AM

Navigon is worth the ! Better hurry before the price goes up! 

TSX

Aug 8, 2009, 01:16 PM

Surrix

Aug 8, 2009, 01:30 PM

I'm going to wait till near the end of the Navigon sale, and then buy if TomTom hasn't announced anything by then.

brop52

Aug 8, 2009, 01:45 PM

I still think it is a ridiculous amount of money for something you can get a 3.5" TomTom for $67.98 (http://www.amazon.com/TomTom-3-5-Inch-Portable-Navigator-Refurbished/dp/B001OAT9MU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1249753408&sr=8-2) with speakable street names and a free map update.

avaloncourt

Aug 8, 2009, 02:21 PM

They're saying Tom Tom is going to be 200.00 in the us WOW. They have released the pricing inthe uk: http://www.handtec.co.uk/product.php/2126/tomtom-for-iphone-inc-mount

And that's just for the mount.

You need to read the current TomTom thread in the apps section. TomTom has stated that the prices haven't been released and Handtec isn't even an authorized dealer.

Randman

Aug 8, 2009, 02:36 PM

A review (http://www.jacksonville.com/interact/blog/rand_miranda/2009-08-07/miranda_writes_iphone_app_review_mobile_navigator_north_americ) of Navigon from the Florida Times-Union newspaper.

chox99

Aug 8, 2009, 04:26 PM

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A341 Safari/528.16)

I've tried them all. G-map, Sygic, Navigon, I-Go. Navigon is by far better than first two but pretty close with igo. I like Navigon the Best. Tomtom's gonna be expensive. I'd get Navigon while it's still cheap.

Applejuiced

Aug 8, 2009, 04:34 PM

Cant go wrong with Navigon.
It does what its supposed to and price is reasonable.

Pattycerts

Aug 8, 2009, 04:41 PM

It all depends how much TomTom is, remember the mount is OPTIONAL and will only allow you to charge the ohone and increase GPS reception. I already have a charging mount for my phone and if the GPS on the phone itself isn't good enough then neither is the app.

morphalex

Aug 8, 2009, 04:45 PM

F tomtom I was waiting for tomtom for along time since I have a car tomtom and like it quite a bit but this wait without any news is ridiculous so I bought the navigon. Well guess what the navigon works extremely well and is more accurate than my in car tomtom! So if you guys want to wait go ahead but if not navigon offers the same performance.

Chi 1080

Aug 8, 2009, 05:20 PM

Nothing to lose for us in the UK. Navigons pricing has already gone to normal, introductory offer ended on 31st July, so I see no reason not to wait.

Pika

Aug 8, 2009, 06:58 PM

Navigon FTW!!! TomTom developers are just a bunch of incompetent fools for being late on this summer's vacation travelers.

avaloncourt

Aug 8, 2009, 07:40 PM

Does the dock have any features besides being a holder & possibly a connector for charging the iPhone?

It has its own GPS chipset, Bluetooth speakerphone for call handling, a mini-USB connector/cigarette lighter adapter for car charging, an audio output jack for connecting the dock to the "Aux In" of a car's audio system.

dudeitsvan

Aug 9, 2009, 12:10 AM

TomTom has addressed that the 200 price tag is indeed false so please get your stories straight. Check the main TT thread for the link.

Pika

Aug 9, 2009, 08:51 AM

TomTom has addressed that the 200 price tag is indeed false so please get your stories straight. Check the main TT thread for the link.

How do you know that it's not going to cost 200 bullets ?

AppleMatt

Aug 9, 2009, 09:24 AM

How do you know that it's not going to cost 200 bullets ?

He doesn't, what he knows is that the price released wasn't official. So it could be more, less or the same. So...there's no news; we no nothing more today about pricing than we did at the keynote.

http://smartphones.about.com/b/2009/08/06/tomtom-denies-iphone-app-price-leaked.htm

AppleMatt

avaloncourt

Aug 9, 2009, 11:00 AM

How do you know that it's not going to cost 200 bullets ?

TomTom's paraphrased point in their response is that Hantec is not a valid TomTom distributor and, since they're the only one with any price online, why would they have anything accurate. They wouldn't have access to anything official at all.

TSX

Aug 9, 2009, 01:58 PM

Heres a navigon review http://www.theiphoneblog.com/2009/08/09/app-review-navigon-mobilenavigator-north-america-iphone/#more-10368

donm527

Aug 9, 2009, 08:32 PM

I posted my thoughts on the Navigon on the other thread

http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=8251997&postcount=190

Didnt want to just cut/paste the same thing but wanted to say though that being a GPS newbie, for the sale price, it's a solid app. The performance of the other apps will have to be pretty huge for me to justify spending more... and i will if that is the case.

atiffarooq

Aug 10, 2009, 09:05 AM

I've just bought CoPilot Live for £25.99 and it's brilliant. There was no way I was going to pay what the rumoured cost of the TomTom software and gear is.

I'd recommend checking CoPilot out ... has tons of options and works flawlessly.

Vinny1967

Aug 11, 2009, 02:30 AM

I bought iGo My Way last week and it's outstanding. Very good at locking on to a GPS signal, very quick to recalculate routes, excellent quality maps, and free map upgrades until end of 2010.
Really is a fantastic App.

eaglesteve

Aug 11, 2009, 03:56 AM

Wait for Tom Tom. I personally have navigon, it never works :( you can barely ever get a GPS signal. When you finally get one it goes away after like a minute. Wait! :D

That happened to me during one of my trips. I did'nt have signal for 1/3 of the journey under bright blue sky. However, my old iPHone 3G was having full signal. Just the 3GS was having problem.

I then did a firmware restore on my 3GS. Problem completely solved with that.

Edit: I'm sorry, my experience was with Sygic, not Navigon.

I also have bought Navigon, but the signal is not as good as Sygic. The database (Navteq) is really old and outdated. Sygic uses the same Tele Atltas map as Tom Tom, which is really very good in Australia. I understand that in US Navteq is not bad, but not in Australia. Therefore, I guess Navigon would be good in US, although it fails to deliver in Australia. I'm getting a refund for my Navigon purchase as it is simply unacceptable for me.

Mr Baldman

Aug 11, 2009, 05:59 AM

Ive decided not to bother with iPhone satnav at all.

I like using the iPhone in my car for music so would most likely just be a royal pain in the backside having music, phone and navigation all on the one device.

lets not even get started on battery life... :p

ddrueckhammer

Aug 11, 2009, 06:36 AM

^
True

My car already has an iPod connector so I'm just gonna use an old Nano for music and use my iPhone for Nav/Calls over my car's built-in bluetooth, but if I didn't already have those connections I would probably just get a Garmin Nuvi.

eaglesteve

Aug 11, 2009, 07:10 AM

eron

Aug 11, 2009, 07:23 AM

Navigon FTW!!! TomTom developers are just a bunch of incompetent fools for being late on this summer's vacation travelers.

A cook took 30mins to prepare a soup. Another cook took 14 days. Which soup do you think will taste better?

If a person rushes to drink the 'instant' soup, he might be satisfied, as long as he doesn't even come across a whiff of the 14 day soup.
Good things are worth waiting for.

ct2k7

Aug 11, 2009, 07:35 AM

tsvb

Aug 11, 2009, 08:55 AM

Navigon works great!

gloss

Aug 11, 2009, 08:57 AM

ddrueckhammer

Aug 11, 2009, 09:01 AM

Why would you want to carry so many devices around? If you leave it in the car, it can attract thief and broken into.

Battery is never an issue in the car as we would normally take the opportunity to charge up the phone while SatNav is used.

If you purchased the folder with careful thoughts, you will be able to get one with music control, so that you can effortlessly control the music while the Satnav is used. I don't see that as an issue.

Well in my case, my car has a hidden compartment where the iPod goes so I just leave it in there since 95% of theives wouldn't know to look there.

Also, I already have more effortless control of music directly from my head unit or steering wheel. I certainly don't want to have to actually look at (or touch) my iPhone to control the music.

I am going to carry my iPhone with me of course. The TomTom mount (most likely) won't let you use it with a case on so that is a major hassle. Many other mounts will let you keep your case on though.

So basically, I'm leaving an iPod Nano in my car at all times in its little hidden compartment and just going to dock my iPhone while driving for calls/sat nav. It is actually pretty beautiful how the calls already integrate over bluetooth...

Now for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why someone would want a stand alone GPS unit unless they depend on it heavily and it isn't that big of a deal to carry around a GPS unit.

ddrueckhammer

Aug 11, 2009, 09:08 AM

A cook took 30mins to prepare a soup. Another cook took 14 days. Which soup do you think will taste better?

If a person rushes to drink the 'instant' soup, he might be satisfied, as long as he doesn't even come across a whiff of the 14 day soup.
Good things are worth waiting for.

Well there is no way in the world I would wait 14 days to eat when I could have just eaten the soup after 30 minutes. The soup that took 14 days to make might be godly but I'm not going to practically starve to death to get it.

Why do you think fast food became popular in America? McDonalds has billions and billions served not because it is good but because we are impatient.