Navigation

[BiggAW]

Me too..and you're right...not long ago at all. It's crazy how fast technology is moving. I couldn't even consider a stack of paper for directions today.

Yeah, I remember that. And before that, it was an actual map! Oh my!

Google Navigation caches routes and "surrounding" areas (not sure how much surrounding area. You are limited in that you can't change destination without an active data connection, but if you are are staying on the same route taking a call is not an issue. I did this often with my android phones on Sprint.... Take a call on speaker while navigating.

You also can't do "travel via" or put in waypoints like on TomTom, which was one reason it wasn't the be-all-end-all to navi.

One thing that was fun with Google Maps was to put it on satellite mode while driving, and let it slurp data in the middle of nowhere (Connecticut, so the middle of nowhere has 5 bars of HSPA+). It was a real data pig though.

 

[SurferMan]

Well I would say Google Navigation does "well" because it is the default on all Android phones. From the free on contract special to the $600 flavor of the weak (pun intended). Since Android users aren't known for spending much (if any) on apps, they are content with whatever is pre-loaded on the device for the most part. Apple users think a bit differently.

I have used Google Nav in the past myself but that requirement of a data connection is a real killer...unless you are in the big city and stay there. Once you get outside it becomes pretty worthless and having a navigation app with maps and POI on-board becomes a necessity.

I also prefer Navigon for my iPhone navigation needs, though I also have used Motion-X (requires data, though you can preload maps) and TomTom in the past.

I have Navigon and Telenav on the iPhones, and I still love Google Nav. And I never had trouble in poor/no reception areas, I've driven through the Carolinas and Mountains almost middle of nowhere especially in Boone where AT&T has basically no coverage and had no issues with Google Nav, the maps are cache'd. I think it's 10 miles in advance, and I travel all over for business and have yet to drive more then 10 miles without at least a blip of service even for a split second (enough for it to keep downloading the maps as the vector graphic'ing makes it easy on data), even through the country sides of Michigan where there's nothing around. 100% GPS based is still best, but for being free and in beta form still Google Nav is beyond impressive, and even GPS based can still have issues. I've had factory units in a Ford truck and BMW X5 have little hiccups here and there where it loses the GPS signal, can happen even on the portable ones like TomTom's.

However I still don't think Apple will make a free Nav setup like Googles, maybe they'll tweak maps but that's it. Why? Well why would they alienate their own App store partners that sell a ton of Nav app's at high $ for the most part where Apple profits from also. Majority of users I bet go to something else from Maps b/c well Maps is basic and sucks for the most part, others have nicer UI's, 3D graphics, smooth zooming and scrolling, voice guide directions, integration with Google services, I personally love motionX UI over the others. If Apple does all that in a stock App very few people would buy the App Store Nav apps for the same reason that almost all Android users don't go elsehwere and why there's very little choice for Nav apps in the market, no need to.

If someone wants waypoints you can use BestRoute which uses the Nav part of Google Maps.

 

[SporkLover]

Yeah, I remember that. And before that, it was an actual map! Oh my!



You also can't do "travel via" or put in waypoints like on TomTom, which was one reason it wasn't the be-all-end-all to navi.

One thing that was fun with Google Maps was to put it on satellite mode while driving, and let it slurp data in the middle of nowhere (Connecticut, so the middle of nowhere has 5 bars of HSPA+). It was a real data pig though.

Google could certainly add some features that would round out its usefulness, but I would be willing to bet that it's a solid enough solution for most users navigation requirements.

le sigh.....too bad

 

[cynics]

If it was on LTE then it wouldnt matter cause it could pull data and still allow you to talk on the phone.
On a long trip it would be a problem with a cdma only phone I imagine cause it pulls data as it goes, I doubt it would have pulled that much data for a 20 minute phone call.

Not this weekend but next I'm going on a trip a couple hours away. I'll use my tablet for navigation a turn off mobile data to see what happens and how far I can go before I don't have a map. I'll try it with and without a destination to see if that makes a difference.

 

[BiggAW]

Google could certainly add some features that would round out its usefulness, but I would be willing to bet that it's a solid enough solution for most users navigation requirements.

le sigh.....too bad

It's fine for short trips, where you just need to get there, and don't care how you go, but for longer trips, the travel via is hugely useful, and is the one thing that Google should really add to Google Maps. I prefer Google Maps for walking around and navigating, although the iPhone Google Maps can do this, albeit, it's not as good looking as the Android version.

 

[Sunsean]

I have Navigon and Telenav on the iPhones, and I still love Google Nav. And I never had trouble in poor/no reception areas, I've driven through the Carolinas and Mountains almost middle of nowhere especially in Boone where AT&T has basically no coverage and had no issues with Google Nav, the maps are cache'd. I think it's 10 miles in advance, and I travel all over for business and have yet to drive more then 10 miles without at least a blip of service even for a split second (enough for it to keep downloading the maps as the vector graphic'ing makes it easy on data), even through the country sides of Michigan where there's nothing around. 100% GPS based is still best, but for being free and in beta form still Google Nav is beyond impressive, and even GPS based can still have issues. I've had factory units in a Ford truck and BMW X5 have little hiccups here and there where it loses the GPS signal, can happen even on the portable ones like TomTom's.

However I still don't think Apple will make a free Nav setup like Googles, maybe they'll tweak maps but that's it. Why? Well why would they alienate their own App store partners that sell a ton of Nav app's at high $ for the most part where Apple profits from also. Majority of users I bet go to something else from Maps b/c well Maps is basic and sucks for the most part, others have nicer UI's, 3D graphics, smooth zooming and scrolling, voice guide directions, integration with Google services, I personally love motionX UI over the others. If Apple does all that in a stock App very few people would buy the App Store Nav apps for the same reason that almost all Android users don't go elsehwere and why there's very little choice for Nav apps in the market, no need to.

If someone wants waypoints you can use BestRoute which uses the Nav part of Google Maps.

Thanks for the tips - I think I am going to check out motionX drive for my driving navigation...$.99, much preferable to the $40-50 for the big boys. Waze seemed a bit too inconsistent in my brief test to be reliable. Didn't seem to track my car very well either.

 

[SurferMan]

Thanks for the tips - I think I am going to check out motionX drive for my driving navigation...$.99, much preferable to the $40-50 for the big boys. Waze seemed a bit too inconsistent in my brief test to be reliable. Didn't seem to track my car very well either.

I tried Waze numerous times, and it sucked imo, either inconsistent directions, or it would map out a route that made no sense to get to the destination, traffic/police updates were almost always wrong. It may work well elsewhere but sure as hell not in South FL or other states I tried it in (travel a ton for biz).

With motionx you have to pay for the voice if I recall, think it was 9.99 a year? To some not a big deal but it's nice when connected to your car and your just cruising along and will say the directions over the speakers.

 

[BiggAW]

I'd have to say... Google Maps can be great. I like TomTom for the highway, but it got us rather lost in Boston today. Google Maps on Android saved the day, and we found where we were going. TomTom was missing a street, and it was so laggy, that I kept getting confused. Once we were on the highway, it was great though, as it shows the lane configurations.

 

[SurferMan]

I'd have to say... Google Maps can be great. I like TomTom for the highway, but it got us rather lost in Boston today. Google Maps on Android saved the day, and we found where we were going. TomTom was missing a street, and it was so laggy, that I kept getting confused. Once we were on the highway, it was great though, as it shows the lane configurations.

It is weird how there's no set standard for map navigation with multiple companies. For example I never cared for Telenav and one thing it did frequently was show you driving off the grid with the road on one side but showed "you" driving through houses and woods and whatever lol, same exact glitch on the new Ford Explorers which are Telenav based, would show you driving offroad through the map grid though they had a recent update after so many complaints, not sure if Telenav fixed that. Or once I pulled out Nav on the GSII as the unit in the Explorer got confused with wrong directions in an area in Miami.... Google Nav for the win lol.

Waze was flat out screwy as well, punch the same directions into Navigon and it would give me different directions and route taking that made no sense, even at times telling you to get off the highway way earlier and drive through city streets and turns that made no sense to the destination unless you wanted to add a ton of time to your trip, or getting off the highway, drive through city, and eventually get back on highway... wtf?!?! lol. Every once in awhile I would pull it out on the iphone just to see what it would say, vs Google Nav, same thing... generally a route that made no sense.

 

[BiggAW]

It is weird how there's no set standard for map navigation with multiple companies. For example I never cared for Telenav and one thing it did frequently was show you driving off the grid with the road on one side but showed "you" driving through houses and woods and whatever lol, same exact glitch on the new Ford Explorers which are Telenav based, would show you driving offroad through the map grid though they had a recent update after so many complaints, not sure if Telenav fixed that. Or once I pulled out Nav on the GSII as the unit in the Explorer got confused with wrong directions in an area in Miami.... Google Nav for the win lol.

Waze was flat out screwy as well, punch the same directions into Navigon and it would give me different directions and route taking that made no sense, even at times telling you to get off the highway way earlier and drive through city streets and turns that made no sense to the destination unless you wanted to add a ton of time to your trip, or getting off the highway, drive through city, and eventually get back on highway... wtf?!?! lol. Every once in awhile I would pull it out on the iphone just to see what it would say, vs Google Nav, same thing... generally a route that made no sense.

It depends on who licenses what from who. I just can't believe TomTom doesn't have a street in Boston. It's not like I was in the middle of nowhere, and if there's place you NEED GPS, it's Boston.

I am also pissed (again) at TomTom. We had a TomTom hardware GPS, and they wanted $70 to update a several-year-old GPS, which was completely ridiculous, so I said forget it, and now the thing is becoming less and less useful, especially with highway interchanges that have been rebuilt.

Now, I looked at the app, and I have the USA one, which is $50. There is a USA and Canada one for $60. Turns out there is no way to upgrade the USA one to USA + Canada for $10-$15 or something, you have to buy a whole new one, like Canada + Alaska for $50. I have pretty much had it with TomTom and their antics. Also, they charge for traffic data on the iPhone app, but it's free for life on the standalone units. A standalone unit that costs them a bunch to actually make and ship, sells for like $120, and uses data they paid for, includes lifetime traffic, but the iPhone version that costs them nothing to make and ship, uses data I paid for (not that traffic uses a lot of data, it's just the principle of it), and costs $50 doesn't. WTF TomTom???

They make generally good products, but their little antics are just pissing me off to no end. I am definitely going to keep using TomTom on the iPhone, but the chance of me buying another product from them are decreasing steadily.

Google Nav seems to actually be the best, except for it's inability to do travel via, and it's lack of pictures to show lane changes. I wish Google would port the turn-by-turn part over to the iPhone.