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'Garmin StreetPilot' Debuts in App Store
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Wow, all the critical reviews to pay or not to pay, pre installed or dl on the fly. As I see it, both have draw backs as mentioned, but my general pref, is that it should dl at least your surrounding area. So Garmin (39.99), Tom Tom (39.99), Navigon (44.99), Google (free), Motion X ($2.99) etc. for US major apps.
And yet not one sole mentions Map Quest 4 Mobile (free), dl on the fly and I have never had an outage issue.
I do prefer a stand alone gps though. Therefore I don't see spending more for a secondary gps/backup on my mobile.
And for what its worth, currently using a Garmin 265WT, with traffic. I do have some slant toward Garmin as I use a eTrex Vista. On the iPhone I have all the bold apps. I prefer the Map Quest of all the boldfaced ones.
Changing gears on subject, GPS IIF, SV-1 launched end of May 2010 and SV-2 soon, accuracy will only get better!
And yet not one sole mentions Map Quest 4 Mobile (free), dl on the fly and I have never had an outage issue.
I do prefer a stand alone gps though. Therefore I don't see spending more for a secondary gps/backup on my mobile.
And for what its worth, currently using a Garmin 265WT, with traffic. I do have some slant toward Garmin as I use a eTrex Vista. On the iPhone I have all the bold apps. I prefer the Map Quest of all the boldfaced ones.
Changing gears on subject, GPS IIF, SV-1 launched end of May 2010 and SV-2 soon, accuracy will only get better!
I'll agree that their Mac support has been poor but their GPS routes/accuracy have always been the best.
I don't get what's the problem with Garmin's view. Garmin decided to go live and have upto date maps and traffic alert. I can imagine they also have some sort of cash so you only have to d/l the map once and then it lives in your iphone. It also has an amazingly small footprint - weighs in at only 8mb and this is another cool feature of the program!
Besides, none said you cant have garmin for live updates and news + navigon or tomtom as a standalone gps.
I like Garmin's approach, wish they make it for Europe as well
Besides, none said you cant have garmin for live updates and news + navigon or tomtom as a standalone gps.
I like Garmin's approach, wish they make it for Europe as well
That's exactly what i was thinking, makes perfect sense to me. Have a download of the standard maps, and have them update themselves as you travel.
Not smart
If you live in the northeast I can tell you definitely there are many places where data coverage goes out - it's just a fact of terrain. There are many places where you would need a cell tower every hundred feet to have complete coverage - and that ain't happening. I'll give you and example - Greenwich, CT has terrible data coverage - this is a rich area, maybe 35 miles from NYC and data coverage is terrible. I've seen it first hand, this not speculation.
I use TomTom - it has all the maps of the US and Canada - it works in the middle of nowhere in the backcountry even without cell or data coverage.
Now - to be out in the middle of nowhere and have the app say it needs data - and that you can't get your street or turning info - well that is just profoundly stupid. They need to have the option to download at least your full region within 200 to 500 miles - otherwise I just would not trust it as my gps system. No way. Case closed.
If you live in the northeast I can tell you definitely there are many places where data coverage goes out - it's just a fact of terrain. There are many places where you would need a cell tower every hundred feet to have complete coverage - and that ain't happening. I'll give you and example - Greenwich, CT has terrible data coverage - this is a rich area, maybe 35 miles from NYC and data coverage is terrible. I've seen it first hand, this not speculation.
I use TomTom - it has all the maps of the US and Canada - it works in the middle of nowhere in the backcountry even without cell or data coverage.
Now - to be out in the middle of nowhere and have the app say it needs data - and that you can't get your street or turning info - well that is just profoundly stupid. They need to have the option to download at least your full region within 200 to 500 miles - otherwise I just would not trust it as my gps system. No way. Case closed.
Well, that's the real question, isn't it. If it turns out this is the case, and it can cache the maps for an entire region, and if it's smart enough to grab the maps for the entire region that you're currently in and/or going to, for some appreciable radius, AND if it can keep the maps in the cache for as long as you need it (which might be "forever" for maps of your home city), then I'm willing to give it a try.
But others in this thread have already talked about driving through backcountry areas with no 3G access, and not having any access to maps. They've talked about travelling down a highway and "running out of map" and having to pull over so that the 3G can connect and refresh the maps. If that's the sort of user experience I should expect, then I'd rather stick to a standalone GPS receiver. Or buy one of the other GPS apps that have built-in offline mapping.
Garmin touts the ability to get the latest map updates and real-time traffic. Definitely useful for navigating within big cities with major highways, constantly-expanding suburbs and major road expansions in the works. But without map prefetching and caching, they are making their GPS app ONLY useful for these areas.
Eagerly awaiting real-world reviews...
I'm national, I've driven all over the UK this year. My cell phone is on O2, and the 3G coverage is very poor. I've opted for Orange on the iPad as their 3G is much better.
Always good to see more options. But my Android friends relying on Google navigation find themselves up a creek due to this same issue of network dependence. While my pre-stored Navigon MyRegion for iPhone keeps on navigating! 3G has small dead spots even in major cities, and that’s enough to miss a turn.
In fact, my old iPhone 3G that doesn’t even have phone service anymore still works great as an in-car voice-guided GPS with Navigon. (Just don’t put it into airplane mode—that saves power but seems to shut down the GPS as well as the other radios.)
MyRegion is cheap (it’s regional but upgradable) and it even goes on sale sometimes—I’m really happy with it. Very slick iOS UI, but in a non-distracting black-and-brown. (Unlike the cluttered, garish UI that Garmin app seems to have.) And it multitasks nicely with Pandora AND any other GPS app I want! Sometimes I run Navigon MyRegion in the background for the voice guidance, while Google Earth is in the foreground showing me the real photographic landscape. Two GPS apps running at once can be the best of both worlds
In fact, my old iPhone 3G that doesn’t even have phone service anymore still works great as an in-car voice-guided GPS with Navigon. (Just don’t put it into airplane mode—that saves power but seems to shut down the GPS as well as the other radios.)
MyRegion is cheap (it’s regional but upgradable) and it even goes on sale sometimes—I’m really happy with it. Very slick iOS UI, but in a non-distracting black-and-brown. (Unlike the cluttered, garish UI that Garmin app seems to have.) And it multitasks nicely with Pandora AND any other GPS app I want! Sometimes I run Navigon MyRegion in the background for the voice guidance, while Google Earth is in the foreground showing me the real photographic landscape. Two GPS apps running at once can be the best of both worlds
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As a long term Garmin user I cringed when they tried doing the phone thing with Asus, this doesnt fill me with any confidence either.
As mentioned above, signal where I am in the UK is just too patchy to rely on, or indeed fast enough (even when signal is good).
When iPhones only had 4/8gb storage then it kind of makes sense but as later models are all 16gb+ whats the big deal?
I like to holiday in the US, often driving long distances. OTA maps would cost me a fortune in roaming fees, if indeed I got signal out in the sticks.
For me buying copilot outright (£25/$40) for the UK and (£10/$15) USA (Thanks Black friday sales!) made a lot more sense and a fixed budget. I get quarterly updates too so I'm never that out of date!
Before NDrive were given the boot I recall I got their USA/Canada maps for about $5 all in. Unless you really need all the available space for music/games/etc why would you want to risk it all on the chance of a good signal?
As mentioned above, signal where I am in the UK is just too patchy to rely on, or indeed fast enough (even when signal is good).
When iPhones only had 4/8gb storage then it kind of makes sense but as later models are all 16gb+ whats the big deal?
I like to holiday in the US, often driving long distances. OTA maps would cost me a fortune in roaming fees, if indeed I got signal out in the sticks.
For me buying copilot outright (£25/$40) for the UK and (£10/$15) USA (Thanks Black friday sales!) made a lot more sense and a fixed budget. I get quarterly updates too so I'm never that out of date!
Before NDrive were given the boot I recall I got their USA/Canada maps for about $5 all in. Unless you really need all the available space for music/games/etc why would you want to risk it all on the chance of a good signal?
TomTom was here
Apart from the streaming fail, Garmin are way too late to the party. Even when everyone was criticising TomTom, I went and bought it and it (for me) is the ultimate GPS navigator. Free map and service updates, no streaming involved, full multitasking support, been flawless in its navigation, accurate in its info (time of arrival is almost always spot on) and there's traffic when I want it for longer journeys, albeit not free.
The mapping display also doesn't look like a Scooby Doo 'toon unlike the Garmin app, judging from these screenshots...
Apart from the streaming fail, Garmin are way too late to the party. Even when everyone was criticising TomTom, I went and bought it and it (for me) is the ultimate GPS navigator. Free map and service updates, no streaming involved, full multitasking support, been flawless in its navigation, accurate in its info (time of arrival is almost always spot on) and there's traffic when I want it for longer journeys, albeit not free.
The mapping display also doesn't look like a Scooby Doo 'toon unlike the Garmin app, judging from these screenshots...
So, any first-hand feedback yet? Any reviews?
Edit: Ah, here's one:
http://www.tuaw.com/2011/01/06/driving-around-with-the-garmin-streetpilot-iphone-app/
Edit: Ah, here's one:
http://www.tuaw.com/2011/01/06/driving-around-with-the-garmin-streetpilot-iphone-app/
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8B117 Safari/6531.22.7)
Not a good move. I travel around the us and for rural (Ennis, TX 2G or none) or too many users , not enough bandwidth areas (south beach, Miami ) this would be a disaster. I'll stick with my navigon. Not to mention overseas when you shut off your DATA access to not get billed $1000 for data usage. MTS
Not a good move. I travel around the us and for rural (Ennis, TX 2G or none) or too many users , not enough bandwidth areas (south beach, Miami ) this would be a disaster. I'll stick with my navigon. Not to mention overseas when you shut off your DATA access to not get billed $1000 for data usage. MTS
I drive 5000+ miles worth of road trips each year. AT&T 3G is available for maybe 5-10% of that, and EDGE is mostly useless otherwise. I use Navigon and it works great. A GPS program that relies on live downloads would be a comlete disaster for me.
Mapquest has a really nice google style that gives you turn by turn with voice for free.
New StreetPilot in app store ... fast update to app, must have known of all these issues before CES release ... step in the right direction, and encouraging to see their commitment to updates
What's New in Version 6.5.3
Improved audio quality - Voice instructions are now clearer and easier to understand
Map storage size increased - browse even more maps offline that you've previously downloaded
Listen to music without interruptions - New setting toggles voice instructions on/off during navigation
New volume control added to navigation map menu for quick access
Faster map downloads
Minor bug fixes
What's New in Version 6.5.3
Improved audio quality - Voice instructions are now clearer and easier to understand
Map storage size increased - browse even more maps offline that you've previously downloaded
Listen to music without interruptions - New setting toggles voice instructions on/off during navigation
New volume control added to navigation map menu for quick access
Faster map downloads
Minor bug fixes
I bought TomTom, too. Relatively happy with it, even though I was a big Garmin fan before.
Agree with everything you said. If they port over an exact copy of the Nuvi GPS, heck even the basic one, I'd pay for it.
I would never buy a true GPS app that needed to stream, regardless of the price.
Garmin made their fortune with standalone GPS devices, it's a shame they didn't have the forethought to know that everyone but older people would be looking to integrate GPS into their mobile.
Bummer
Like my Nuvi for the Garmin interface and have been waiting for an iPhone app to take its place. Have used Google maps and like others stared at the blue dot in a field of grey where no map has loaded due to slow or no cell coverage. Garmin dropped the ball on the decision to not load the map data as a package. All of North America is around 1GB on my Nuvi and I'd gladly devote that space on my iPhone. Whats more our iPod 4G could have been a nice GPS in my wife's car with the maps loaded. No cell connection for the iPod means no maps and no way to use it for a second Garmin purchase. Lost revenue from our two devices Garmin but if you guys in Kansas fix that problem and have all of the map data included you've got two more sold!
Like my Nuvi for the Garmin interface and have been waiting for an iPhone app to take its place. Have used Google maps and like others stared at the blue dot in a field of grey where no map has loaded due to slow or no cell coverage. Garmin dropped the ball on the decision to not load the map data as a package. All of North America is around 1GB on my Nuvi and I'd gladly devote that space on my iPhone. Whats more our iPod 4G could have been a nice GPS in my wife's car with the maps loaded. No cell connection for the iPod means no maps and no way to use it for a second Garmin purchase. Lost revenue from our two devices Garmin but if you guys in Kansas fix that problem and have all of the map data included you've got two more sold!
You know, I have had good enough experiences with Garmin that this app would have tempted me to consider buying despite the fact I already have Navigon (and am on a budget so I should just stick with what I have) but the fact you don't get downloaded maps is a total deal buster.
I can get that for free with Mapquest including voice instruction to tell me when to take the next turn. Sure, Garmin may have better routing, maybe their interface is better (don't know), but that's not worth 40 dollars more.
On top of that, if I am going to pay for a navigation software (since even if Mapquest didn't offer turn by turn for free I can at least use google maps that comes on my phone for free), one of its uses better be good for travel. And while Garmin's app probably would be fine for around town for me (as is the free google maps), trying to drive out of town would be an issue cause I live in a mountainous area... there will be plenty of areas around me without cellphone coverage that I might want to take a drive through. And I don't want to pay 40 dollars for a navigation app that won't help me in those areas. Especially when I can pay less than that (Navigon is now 35 for all of the US) and get a program that isn't crippled that way.
Personally, I think it was a *huge* mistake for Garmin to rely on downloading only. Even if you don't have a need for the maps to be on your phone, you can get the same function for free from other apps. And if you are willing to give up voice instruction, you don't even have to download any apps, you got google maps that comes with the phone. And from what I understand from reviews, this isn't download a map and it caches it, this is pretty much like google maps where you have to have cellphone connection to have a map.
I can get that for free with Mapquest including voice instruction to tell me when to take the next turn. Sure, Garmin may have better routing, maybe their interface is better (don't know), but that's not worth 40 dollars more.
On top of that, if I am going to pay for a navigation software (since even if Mapquest didn't offer turn by turn for free I can at least use google maps that comes on my phone for free), one of its uses better be good for travel. And while Garmin's app probably would be fine for around town for me (as is the free google maps), trying to drive out of town would be an issue cause I live in a mountainous area... there will be plenty of areas around me without cellphone coverage that I might want to take a drive through. And I don't want to pay 40 dollars for a navigation app that won't help me in those areas. Especially when I can pay less than that (Navigon is now 35 for all of the US) and get a program that isn't crippled that way.
Personally, I think it was a *huge* mistake for Garmin to rely on downloading only. Even if you don't have a need for the maps to be on your phone, you can get the same function for free from other apps. And if you are willing to give up voice instruction, you don't even have to download any apps, you got google maps that comes with the phone. And from what I understand from reviews, this isn't download a map and it caches it, this is pretty much like google maps where you have to have cellphone connection to have a map.
Roaming fees?
There ia another HUGE drawback in the decision to have over-the-air maps: the roaming fees. If I travel in my country downloading a map can be a boring stuff but you can live with it (although I have to admit that I would not rely on hoping to have cell service in the area where I have to go), but if you go outside the country downloading anything can really boost your cell fees. Imagine to plan a trip from Milan to Münich (a 5 hour one, not so long) where you have to download data from (in sequence): Italy, Switzerland, Lichtenstein and Germany cell networks...I imagine that a single trip like this can boost your bit up to several hundreds of Euros...
REALLY BAD!
Not buying this...
There ia another HUGE drawback in the decision to have over-the-air maps: the roaming fees. If I travel in my country downloading a map can be a boring stuff but you can live with it (although I have to admit that I would not rely on hoping to have cell service in the area where I have to go), but if you go outside the country downloading anything can really boost your cell fees. Imagine to plan a trip from Milan to Münich (a 5 hour one, not so long) where you have to download data from (in sequence): Italy, Switzerland, Lichtenstein and Germany cell networks...I imagine that a single trip like this can boost your bit up to several hundreds of Euros...
REALLY BAD!
Not buying this...
I purchased the App to compare it to Navigon and TomTom. While the app is fairly new, you would have to wonder how much testing they did before submitting it to app store.
I would say the app has some potential but needs a lot of work. No need to name all the issues since they are obviously already mentioned in the thread.
As of now, my trust with an Iphone GPS App would have to go to TomTom.
I would say the app has some potential but needs a lot of work. No need to name all the issues since they are obviously already mentioned in the thread.
As of now, my trust with an Iphone GPS App would have to go to TomTom.