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Garmin Launches 'Viago' Navigation App for iOS with Speed Limits, Lane Assist, and More

Product Line Confusion

This is certainly a much cheaper alternative to Garmin USA (for example) but I wonder what that bodes for that product… which it appears to be very similar to, in terms of features.

This does allow for not having the maps resident, which Garmin USA requires… and so I have to wonder whether they'll continue to support that older, more expensive app.
 
Brief review

I went to a local grocery store in my area using the app; Here are some thoughts, where I compare it to Waze and Google Maps, without buying any in-app options:
1) Searching for a place to go is just like the Garmin Nuvi, you have to either have a specific address, or find it in the point of interest; I prefer Google/Waze's way of just searching the closest thing you mean; this means playing around with the different categories to find the place you're looking for by name.
2) Waze is pretty nice when you're in a parking lot, it can route you intelligently out of a parking lot, the garmin was okay once i was on a major roadway.
3) The voice directions were not satisfactory; it just says turn left, or turn right, keep right; without stating the street name; Waze at least says the street name or sign post info. Looks like you have to spend 20 bucks to get "Maps on the Go" and "Real directions".
4) Speed limit indicator is nice but like on the Nuvi I used, usually wrong by 5mph; but that's okay; it's helpful when there are no speed limit signs
5) Nice iOS 7 design in the app; feels intuitive to use.
6) The lane symbols are nice in Viago; Waze doesn't have this.
7) Options are similar to a Nuvi, so you can customize the display; it's a nice touch
8) You can plan routes, which I really like if you want to go through an unconventional path or plan multiple destinations.

This is my initial impression so far. I may checkout the in app stuff later.
 
If the App was that good it would have been featured in the linked Ad rather than the artistic interpretation. I'd be real surprised if this was worth the buy-in.
 
dude-x said:
I went to a local grocery store in my area using the app; Here are some thoughts, where I compare it to Waze and Google Maps, without buying any in-app options:
1) Searching for a place to go is just like the Garmin Nuvi, you have to either have a specific address, or find it in the point of interest; I prefer Google/Waze's way of just searching the closest thing you mean; this means playing around with the different categories to find the place you're looking for by name.
2) Waze is pretty nice when you're in a parking lot, it can route you intelligently out of a parking lot, the garmin was okay once i was on a major roadway.
3) The voice directions were not satisfactory; it just says turn left, or turn right, keep right; without stating the street name; Waze at least says the street name or sign post info. Looks like you have to spend 20 bucks to get "Maps on the Go" and "Real directions".
4) Speed limit indicator is nice but like on the Nuvi I used, usually wrong by 5mph; but that's okay; it's helpful when there are no speed limit signs
5) Nice iOS 7 design in the app; feels intuitive to use.
6) The lane symbols are nice in Viago; Waze doesn't have this.
7) Options are similar to a Nuvi, so you can customize the display; it's a nice touch
8) You can plan routes, which I really like if you want to go through an unconventional path or plan multiple destinations.

This is my initial impression so far. I may checkout the in app stuff later.
Click to expand...

Thanks dude-x for testing it out and posting your impressions. It helps a lot :)

pxbr said:
holy in-app purchases batman.. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/garmin-viago/id853603997?mt=8

Maps to Go North America$9.99
Traffic Live North America$9.99
Safety Kit$9.99
Sound & Buildings$9.99
Garmin Real Directions$9.99
Maps to Go Europe$9.99
Urban Guidance$4.99
Panorama View 3D$9.99
Mobile Alert Live North America$9.99
Maps to Go Latin America$9.99
Click to expand...

Meh, the only two that really matter to me are highlighted above. Not that expensive.
 
pxbr said:
holy in-app purchases batman.. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/garmin-viago/id853603997?mt=8

Maps to Go North America$9.99
Traffic Live North America$9.99
Safety Kit$9.99
Sound & Buildings$9.99
Garmin Real Directions$9.99
Maps to Go Europe$9.99
Urban Guidance$4.99
Panorama View 3D$9.99
Mobile Alert Live North America$9.99
Maps to Go Latin America$9.99
Click to expand...

These IAPs are laughable. Safety Kit? Urban Guidance? Mobile Alert Live? What in the world do those things even mean? Garmin clearly doesn't get it. If they were smart, they'd give away the app for free and charge $30 a year for everything they currently have listed as an IAP.

Edit: The way Garmin is headed, you'll see a pop up prompting you to make an IAP to get continued directions when you're 50% done with your trip.
 
In my experience garmin is absolutely pointless device. Ever. Few years ago I've got one - it calculated completely useless routes. For example - for doing just 40 miles, garmin made me to go 67 miles… and then… very proudly announced to make a u-turn. After third such like surprise I just pulled over at parking place, ripped that useless piece of junk off windscreen and thrown it into the bin. With no regret. The very next day I bought a TomTom. I am still using it even with 100 years old maps.
Maybe garmin is not too bad for USA, but it DEFINITELY is completely useless for UK and you must be a local and for sure know where you are going.
 
avanpelt said:
These IAPs are laughable. Safety Kit? Urban Guidance? Mobile Alert Live? What in the world do those things even mean? Garmin clearly doesn't get it. If they were smart, they'd give away the app for free and charge $30 a year for everything they currently have listed as an IAP.

Edit: The way Garmin is headed, you'll see a pop up prompting you to make an IAP to get continued directions when you're 50% done with your trip.
Click to expand...

This page has all the details on the features...

http://sites.garmin.com/viago/
 
darkfiber said:
This page has all the details on the features...

http://sites.garmin.com/viago/
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link. The fact that they had to create a site to explain to people what the various IAP options give the end-user tells me that Garmin doesn't understand the psychology of how IAPs should work for the end-user.

They need another lesson on the KISS principle, it seems. If I have to visit a website in order to understand why I should consider giving them more money via IAP, it is extremely unlikely that I am going to be giving them more money via IAP.
 
dude-x said:
I went to a local grocery store in my area using the app; Here are some thoughts, where I compare it to Waze and Google Maps, without buying any in-app options:
1) Searching for a place to go is just like the Garmin Nuvi, you have to either have a specific address, or find it in the point of interest; I prefer Google/Waze's way of just searching the closest thing you mean; this means playing around with the different categories to find the place you're looking for by name.
Click to expand...
No, "Local Search" does what you want. I don't know exactly how good their data base is (it's based on Nokia HERE), but it did find local Starbucks and a partial address that I tried.
3) The voice directions were not satisfactory; it just says turn left, or turn right, keep right; without stating the street name; Waze at least says the street name or sign post info. Looks like you have to spend 20 bucks to get "Maps on the Go" and "Real directions".
Click to expand...
Agreed, the voice directions without "real directions" are just the bare minimum.
4) Speed limit indicator is nice but like on the Nuvi I used, usually wrong by 5mph; but that's okay; it's helpful when there are no speed limit signs
5) Nice iOS 7 design in the app; feels intuitive to use.
6) The lane symbols are nice in Viago; Waze doesn't have this.
7) Options are similar to a Nuvi, so you can customize the display; it's a nice touch
8) You can plan routes, which I really like if you want to go through an unconventional path or plan multiple destinations.
Click to expand...
Agree with all these.

----------
avanpelt said:
Thanks for the link. The fact that they had to create a site to explain to people what the various IAP options give the end-user tells me that Garmin doesn't understand the psychology of how IAPs should work for the end-user.

They need another lesson on the KISS principle, it seems. If I have to visit a website in order to understand why I should consider giving them more money via IAP, it is extremely unlikely that I am going to be giving them more money via IAP.
Click to expand...
All the options are clearly explained in the purchase section in the app, so I'm not sure what you are asking for.
 
I've got TomTom and Navigon, had 'em for years and I can't call either of them perfect. When one lets me down I use the other. I dread to think how poor the free apps are.
 
dude-x said:
3) The voice directions were not satisfactory; it just says turn left, or turn right, keep right; without stating the street name; Waze at least says the street name or sign post info. Looks like you have to spend 20 bucks to get "Maps on the Go" and "Real directions".
Click to expand...
Their website says, you need "Sound & Buildings" for street names. "Real directions" seem to be for directions based on non-street names such as landmarks. I am not sure if S&B requires the Maps on the Go, but even if it does not, it would still make it $10 (soon to be $20) just to get the same functionality of the built-in Maps app or Google's app.

I like that Navigon's app lets me download just the maps of the states I need, rather than the whole US or North America to save space on phone. On the other hand, entering an address to Navigon has stayed as impractical as GPS gadgets from 15 years ago and a few annoying bugs with the sound keep popping up, so I use it only as a back-up option, just in case. I don't think I need another plan-B (or C) option that seems to be designed to nickel and dime the users.
 
Traffic rerouting

What I want to know is, and it sounds like it does it, will it update and reroute continually based on changing traffic conditions?

ie, if I leave NYC at 3am heading to DC, by the time I get to DC around 7am the traffic situation there is going to change a lot. Every GPS app I've tried will not reroute on the fly based on changing conditions.
 
theBB said:
On the other hand, entering an address to Navigon has stayed as impractical as GPS gadgets from 15 years ago
Click to expand...
Have you tried "Local Search" under POI in Navigon? I think it's based on Google's database. It's all I ever use these days as long as I'm online (of course it doesn't work if you have no Internet).
 
pxbr said:
holy in-app purchases batman.. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/garmin-viago/id853603997?mt=8

Maps to Go North America$9.99
Traffic Live North America$9.99
Safety Kit$9.99
Sound & Buildings$9.99
Garmin Real Directions$9.99
Maps to Go Europe$9.99
Urban Guidance$4.99
Panorama View 3D$9.99
Mobile Alert Live North America$9.99
Maps to Go Latin America$9.99
Click to expand...

And to think these are the introductory discount prices (till July 13). Still cheaper than a midrange standalone GPS unit.

I'm a fan of Garmin, have always used their Nuvis but the real question is how does their traffic data compare to Google Maps/Waze? The latter is fantastic, and free.

Also, how are the updates handled regarding map errors and POIs? If they're anything like how NavTeq/Garmin does it now then I'm not impressed. I find with my Nuvis (with LifeTime Map updates) that even the latest updates are still about a year behind Google Maps which updates in a matter of days (after an error report is submitted).

I still think Google Maps is very hard to beat and not because it's free.
 
ATC said:
I still think Google Maps is very hard to beat and not because it's free.
Click to expand...

Even though Apple Maps POI search isn't as good as Google Maps, I'd still go with Apple Maps every time due to it's ability to show the full panorama of upcoming turn on the lock screen. If I need to look up a POI I'll simply do so with Safari anyways.
 
Rigby said:
Have you tried "Local Search" under POI in Navigon? I think it's based on Google's database. It's all I ever use these days as long as I'm online (of course it doesn't work if you have no Internet).
Click to expand...
Local search is usually fine for POIs that are nearby, but usually returns no relevant results if the destination is further than 10 miles and in a different town. Besides, sometimes I need to enter an actual address, as I may be going to an address of a private home that does not belong to one of my contacts or the destination may have been sent by message and it feels pointless to run a five step search for a restaurant or hospital whose address I already know.

In any case, Navigon start-up (with splash screens that require acknowledgement taps) is far slower than Maps or Gmap apps, so there are more reasons to relegate it to back-up status.
 
Last edited:
nnacrumors said:
Even though Apple Maps POI search isn't as good as Google Maps, I'd still go with Apple Maps every time due to it's ability to show the full panorama of upcoming turn on the lock screen. If I need to look up a POI I'll simply do so with Safari anyways.
Click to expand...

That's a colossal understatement if there ever was one :) But the lock screen view and a couple of other things, such as aesthetics and fluidity, are also what I like about Apple Maps. However, for me, core functionality and effectiveness is what's paramount in a navigation app which is why Google Maps can't be beat.

Things like a solid POI database, traffic (from Waze which Google acquired), lane guidance, offline maps, street view, one-handed zoom operation and bike routing make Google Maps a standout but the one thing that really puts it in a league of its own is the timely handling of error reporting.

I've reported so many errors via Apple Maps and TomTom MapShare over the last 2 years and not a single one has been implemented. It's almost as though all my reports have gone into a virtual shredder right after pressing the submit button.

In contrast, when a major traffic circle was built last fall nearby I reported it to both Apple/TomTom and Google. No exaggeration, the very next day Google emailed me saying that they've received my report. 3 days later another email confirmed validity, and inside a week the traffic circle was on their maps. To this day I haven't heard a peep from Apple or TomTom and the intersection is still depicted entirely wrong in Apple Maps.

One cannot take a mapping/navigation product seriously if the company behind it doesn't.
 
Rigby said:
All the options are clearly explained in the purchase section in the app, so I'm not sure what you are asking for.
Click to expand...

He is asking for people to listen to his complaining and clearly believes if he doesn't need the IAPs, no one does.
 
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