Best deals on iPhone navigation apps for Black Friday

With our coverage of the best GPS deals for Black Friday, and our GPS picks among the deep-discount offers, we’d be remiss if we didn’t also take a look at an increasingly popular segment, the iPhone apps. Some apps have special pricing right now, but just like with traditional navigators, there is more to making a selection than dollars.
 
Since iPhone OS 3.0 hit the market, there has been a wave of navigation applications from small companies and corporate giants. Most will get you from Point A to Point B, but there is definite variation in how easy they are to use, what features they include, and how well integrated into the iPhone they are. These differences can be very hard to track, as the software in many cases is routinely updated with greater frequency—like every few weeks—than portable navigation devices.
 
iPhone app updates
The biggest names in iPhone apps have recently updated their software, including Navigon, Sygic, and TomTom.
 
Navigon has the highest grossing app in the iTunes store with its Mobile Navigator. Despite fierce competition, the $90 Mobile Navigator remains one of the best navigation apps available for the iPhone, serving as a viable alternative to a traditional PND. Adding to its appeal is the new Traffic Live information, available for an additional $25 one-time fee.

Sygic Mobile Maps was updated this week with freshened maps and several detailed tweaks that should improve the user experience. Priced at $40, it is an affordable alternative to the more feature-rich, name-brand offerings. (See our Sygic Mobile Maps review.)
 
TomTom recently added spoken street names, lane guidance/reality view, help menu, iPod player control, and updated maps. Further, it has launched a dedicated iPhone mount with a built-in speaker and GPS receiver for improved performance. At $100, the TomTom app is not an inexpensive solution, though thanks to the latest updates, it does effectively replicate the guidance found on the company’s PNDs. The complete combination is a significant $220, however. (See our TomTom app review.)

All three apps performed well in our formal tests.
 
Black Friday pricing
Navigon is offering its Mobile Navigator for $70. In addition, the traffic package is just $15. Combined there is a potential $30 savings, with the complete cost being just $85 – less than even the best deals on portable navigation devices. 

CoPilot Live is also discounted for the shopping holiday, priced at just $20. While we have found the CoPilot is not on par with the better apps, it is a good value at $20.

The cheapest nav app is called Waze, and the price is free. An intriguing concept with real geek appeal, Waze is based on the open-source United States Census Bureau Tiger Map and it is depending on users to build and correct maps. It is in an early build phase. Though it was updated just this week, it should not be considered a primary navigation aid, yet. (See our Waze review.)

See our Black Friday survival guide for tips on making the most of the shopping holiday.

Bottom line
Looking across the growing offerings, there are many choices for iPhone users interested in adding true turn-by-turn navigation to their all-in-one device. We recommend reading our reviews, based on formal laboratory and real-world testing, as well as scanning the user reviews in the iTunes store of the latest software version.
 
For those looking to purchase a gift for an iPhone owner, an iTunes gift card may be a good choice, though do understand, the offers mentioned here will soon expire.

See our full reviews of AT&T Navigator, iGo My Way, Navigon Mobile Navigator, Sygic Mobile Maps, TomTom iPhone application, Waze, and X Road G-Map for iPhone. And our Motorola Droid navigation review.

For more information on portable automotive GPS navigation systems, see our Ratings, first looks, and buying advice and watch our video guide. Discuss GPS devices in the forums.

  —Jeff Bartlett

By the numbers: How many apps are there?

98,750

The marketing phrase “There’s an app for that” has become ingrained in our popular culture, and over time, it rings increasingly true. So, just how many smart-phone applications are available? Consumer Reports Information Services found that as of October 23rd, there were a total of about 98,750 applications available for the top-selling smart phones.
 
The GPS team has been busy since this summer evaluating iPhone applications and recently the free Google Maps Navigation on the Motorola Droid. And no wonder, prolific application development is creating an exponential increase in available software, expanding in both quality and diversity. We have seen early navigation apps designed for iPhone OS 3.0 evolve quickly since August, with new features helping them to better work with the phone and more closely replicate the experience using a portable navigation device (PND).
 
That said, the distribution isn’t equal across all platforms.
 
We found that apps break down as follows:

iPhone/iPod Touch – 85,000
Android – 10,000
Symbian – 5,500 (“content items”)
BlackBerry – 3,000
Windows Mobile – 550
Palm – 200

The Apple iPhone touts a huge quantity advantage over competing operating systems, and more recent figures show it has since crested the 100,000 mark. (This is made more impressive by the fact Apple approves each app!) In reality, you may just need a few targeted apps for your needs, plus maybe a couple for pure entertainment.

Another piece of trivia: The top grossing app is the Navigon Mobile Navigator.

As significant automotive applications become available, we’ll be taking them for a test drive, between evaluating the latest portable navigators and hiking devices. Looks like we’ll have our work cut out for us!

What apps have you used that are worth testing? Submit your suggestions in the comments field below.

See our full reviews of AT&T Navigator, iGo My Way, Navigon Mobile Navigator, Sygic Mobile Maps, TomTom iPhone application, and X Road G-Map for iPhone. And our Motorola Droid navigation review.

For more information on portable automotive GPS navigation systems, see our Ratings, first looks, and buying advice and watch our video guide. Discuss GPS devices in the forums.

  —Jeff Bartlett

Test Drive: Live traffic data on Navigon Mobile Navigator iPhone app

Navigon was the first major GPS maker to offer a downloadable iPhone navigation app, porting over its graphic interface and features to the popular cell phone. Today, the Navigon Mobile Navigator stands as the top-grossing application in the Apple iTunes store, though until this week it has lacked one key feature: traffic information. (See our Navigon Mobile Navigator review.)
 
Navigon has pioneered many features on portable navigation devices (PNDs), such as reality view and free, real-time traffic data. Now no longer offering devices in the United States, Navigon is focused on applications, Navigon continues to innovate by offering Traffic Live as a premium iPhone app with a one-time fee. Navigon Mobile Navigator is now a $90 application. Traffic Live adds another $25, though no monthly or annual fee is required. The costs do add up, but the total price is still significantly less than purchasing a comparable PND. This add-on is purchased through the Mobile Navigator application, rather than from the iTunes store.
 
As with past Navigon PNDs, the Traffic Live information is aggregated from road sensors and traffic cameras, and supplied by Clear Channel’s Total Traffic Network. Navigon claims to supplement this traffic information with real-time speed data from commercial fleets, as well as regular GPS users. The most exciting development is adding crowdsourced data from Navigon application users who choose to share their current speed and location.
 
The traffic information is neatly integrated into the iPhone application, which has a similar look and feel to the traffic menus on the discontinued Navigon PNDs. Traffic Live provides information such as the start and end point of an incident, the average speed of traffic, a description of the traffic type (construction, accident, road closed, etc.), an expected time delay, the distance to incident, and length of the traffic incident. Users can decide if they want traffic information to be automatically included when calculating a route or upon request. 
 
Traffic incidents can be viewed in a list and can be sorted a number of ways.  For example, surrounding traffic can be displayed or only incidents on the current route. Incidents can be further filtered by distance to event, road, or expected delay time. When selecting a traffic incident from the list, it is displayed on the route with an overhead view, along with related information, such as traffic speed.
 
In our initial tests, we found a Garmin Nuvi 1690 found more traffic incidents, though it is hard to say which system is better. Remember, more alerts isn’t the goal. Timely, accurate reports are more valuable. Due to the variables in testing, we do not rate traffic services on accuracy. However, we expect the crowdsourcing aspect to significantly aid Live Traffic as more users download the add-on application.
 
We can say, the traffic integration is well done, though there remains room for improvement regarding color coding, especially on the main map screen. (Many competitors overlay traffic conditions in different colors on the main map screen so a user can see upcoming incidents at a glance.)
 
Bottom line
The Mobile Navigator remains one of the best navigation apps available for the iPhone, serving as a viable alternative to a traditional PND. For $25, Traffic Live is a natural choice for users looking to add traffic information. However, our long-standing advice remains that any traffic information can be inaccurate or outdated, as is the case with other competing products, whether apps or PNDs. Navigon’s edge is in tapping users to be mobile traffic sensors, and given the popularity of the iPhone and this software, the company has a better chance than most of making good on the promised benefits of crowdsourcing traffic info.

See our full reviews of AT&T Navigator, iGo My Way, Navigon Mobile Navigator, Sygic Mobile Maps, TomTom iPhone application, and X Road G-Map for iPhone. And our Motorola Droid navigation review.

For more information on portable automotive GPS navigation systems, see our Ratings, first looks, and buying advice and watch our video guide. Discuss GPS devices in the forums.

  —Jeff Bartlett and Frank Spinelli

TomTom to update, improve iPhone navigation app

TomTom has just announced improvements to their iPhone navigation app, some of which address shortcomings we have criticized in the past. (See our TomTom app review.) The upgrade adds three key features routinely found on TomTom stand-alone navigation devices, including:

• Text to speech, which announces proper street names and locations rather than simply saying “turn right” or other generic instruction.
• Lane guidance/reality view, providing a realistic view of complicated interchanges and indicating the best lane choice as the driver approaches an exit or intersection. Works in vertical and horizontal modes.
• Help menu, which provides emergency phone numbers and directions to the nearest hospital, police, or other emergency help.

Music fans will be glad to hear the upgrade also now enables control of the iPod from within the application. Previously, users could not adjust volume, change selection, or make other adjustments to music while navigation was in use.  

Customizable audio warnings are also included to warn when the driver exceeds the speed limit or approaches safety cameras. A safety camera map and free database update are also included.

TomTom says the upgrade has been submitted to Apple for review, and once approved will be made available free to users who have already purchased the app. Once available, we will evaluate this new app version, along with the TomTom iPhone mount.

See our full reviews of AT&T Navigator, iGo My Way, Navigon Mobile Navigator, Sygic Mobile Maps, TomTom iPhone application, and X Road G-Map.

For more information on portable automotive GPS navigation systems, see our Ratings, first looks, and buying advice and watch our video guide. Discuss GPS devices in the forums.

—Jim Travers  

2009 SEMA Show: New iPhone apps for auto diagnostics

New iPhone apps seem to be appearing daily in the Apple iTunes store, if not by the minute or even second, and car-related ways to utilize the popular convergence device are no exception. (See our iPhone navigation application reviews.)

Two exhibitors at the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) show brought devices that can turn an iPhone or iPod Touch into a vehicle diagnostic tool, maintenance minder, mpg meter, and provide performance-oriented drivers with customized gauges and track mapping for weekend racers. In fact, they offer many additional features, too numerous to list here.
 
The Kiwi Wifi from PLX devices and goLINK Protocol Converter both connect to the On-Board Diagnostics II (OBDII) system in your car to transmit all sorts of vehicle data and information. The big difference is the Kiwi Wifi (you guessed it) transmits the information to the phone wirelessly, and goLINK uses a cable to link directly to the iPhone. Both are compatible with passenger vehicles built after 1996.
 
The Kiwi Wifi and goLINK offer similar menus for iPhone users, partly because they work with some of the same software providers. They’re also priced the same, at $150 each. A number of add-on software options are available at the Apple apps store to take advantage of the connection. One such app is Rev by Devtoaster ($39.99), which records and displays real-time vehicle data like horsepower, torque, fuel consumption, and myriad powertrain details to aid tuners and racers (shown here).
 
The Kiwi Wifi module is available now. The goLINK device comes on the market in January 2010. Details can be found at gopointtech.com and plxdevices.com.

—Jim Travers with Liza Barth

Also see from the 2009 SEMA show:
Better than expected, future looks greener
Tire testing and the transformation of the tire industry
Our favorite modified Chevrolet Camaros
World's fastest Honda Civic circa 1976
All shades of green project cars
Surfrider Toyota Camry hybrid CNG
Kustomizing the Toyota Prius
Hot rodders turning green
Auto aftermarket prepares for show time in Las Vegas

Free Google navigation for Android 2.0 phones

The mobile navigation offerings continue to evolve and expand, with Google announcing that it will offer Google Maps Navigation in beta form for Android 2.0 devices when they hit the market next week. Previously Google Maps on cell phones, including the Apple iPhone, had limited-functionality indicating just current location on a map. Starting next week, Google will be able to provide turn-by-turn guidance, along with several other features that will add unique appeal.
 
The Droid has a 3.7-inch screen, giving it an advantage over the 3.5-inch iPhone screen. It also has the ability to run multiple applications as once, unlike the popular Apple phone. Perhaps the greater advantage is that it is on the Verizon network, rather than AT&T, which as been higher rated in our national cell phone surveys. (See our iPhone navigation app reviews.)
 
Verizon has the exclusive on the Motorola Droid, and it will be the first phone using Google Maps Navigation when it goes on sale November 6th for $199, after a $100 rebate. Nationwide cell-phone voice plans begin at $40 a month, with e-mail/Web data plan adding at least $30.
 
Google claims its app does seven things you may not be able to do with your current device:

Search in plain English, rather than stick with specific points of interest categories and specific addresses. Google allows these, as well as approximate addresses and business name, and it can resolve misspellings.
 
Voice recognition allows the user to speak the address, or query a specific search such as ask for the museum with a certain exhibit. Android is able to perform the search online, as you would with Google at your desktop, and integrate the findings into the navigation app.
 
Live traffic data is displayed with green, yellow, and red overlaps on the route. Android can provide alternative routes.
 
Points of interest can be found along the route, though this function is common among current portable navigation devices (PNDs).
 
Satellite view as popularized online is available to provide the context for routing, though this may not be the preferred mode when driving.
 
Street view gives a photo-based take on reality, overlaid with the colored route guidance. When you arrive at your destination, the address may be shown with a photograph, when available.
 
Car dock mode reacts when the phone is put in a mount to provide easy access to voice command and navigation.

Whether these nifty features hold up against the ease of use and travel information provided by other applications and dedicated portable navigation devices remains to be seen. Both our telephone and GPS experts will evaluate the Droid and this software for a full report in the coming days.

The Droid will also face competition from the Garmin Nuvifone G60.

  —Jeff Bartlett

See our reviews of AT&T Navigator, iGo My Way, Gokivo, Navigon Mobile Navigator, Sygic Mobile Maps, TomTom iPhone application, and X Road G-Map for iPhone.

For more information on portable automotive GPS navigation systems, see our Ratings, first looks, and buying advice and watch our video guide. Discuss GPS devices in the forums.

Images courtesy Motorola and Google.

Garmin Nuvifone 2.0 – The road it should travel

The long-awaited Garmin Nuvifone has arrived, and it may be too late. When Garmin puffed out its chest a year ago that it was boldly entering the smart-phone arena with a touchscreen device that promised to navigate as well as a PND, it seemed quite exciting. After all, most cell phones offered just server-based navigation solutions for a fee that were wrought with compromises and the mighty iPhone did not have turn-by-turn navigation.. Oh, how the world has changed in the months since. (See our full Garmin Nuvifone G60 review.)
 
As we have chronicled over the summer, Navigon withdrew from the portable navigation device (PND) market in the United States to focus its efforts on software, and it delivered one of the first nav apps for the iPhone. TomTom diversified its portfolio with an increased emphasis on connected PNDs and the most ambitious iPhone nav solution to date, complete with a receiver- and speaker-fitted cradle. And Garmin? Oh, they are just bringing to market what would have been big stuff last year.
 
In fairness, Garmin continues to evolve its PNDs, but the Nuvifone is underwhelming and mistimed. We have completed our testing, and while the Nuvifone G60 provides excellent basic guidance, it is expensive and short on features. On the business side, the most unfortunate element is that it will be sold alongside the iPhone; both devices are sold exclusively through AT&T. Adding further insult, AT&T ranks low in most cities in our latest cell-service ratings.
 
At an AT&T store, a customer can choose from the $300 Nuvifone G60 (factoring a $100 rebate) with 4GB of memory or an iPhone 3GS with 16 GB for $200. For that price, the Nuvifone includes a mount and nav software. Both devices need a car charger. But the iPhone has the app store, with several good applications to choose from, with prices ranging from $5 to $100. And we have seen these apps improve rapidly, providing free upgrades to customers. Plus, there are a few thousand other cool apps readily available, as well.
 
The Nuvifone of tomorrow
What I’d like to see is Garmin rapidly move the Nuviphone into a unique niche, tapping its broad GPS-device experience and appeal to its core, active-lifestyle customer base.
 
My recipe for surviving in this obscenely competitive market:

• The Nuvifone needs to not mimic the basic Nuvi 265, but the Nuvi 885T. Aim high. Throw in all the software features like reality view, then go further with voice recognition.
• Having add-on maps for other countries is nice, but the core Garmin audience is in the United States. Port over maps for hiking with topography and blue water maps, as illustrated above.
• Offer a ruggedized version that is water and scratch resistant.
• Embrace geographic-based social networking with Ciao!, as on some other recent Garmin devices.
• Push geocaching to the next level, tying together the “guided tour” concept explored on other devices, with geo-tagging. Geocache instructions could include tagged images as clues, and the electronic treasure hunts can be larger in scale.
  
• Tie into sports, allowing data to be gathered, transferred, and shared with running, bicycle, and motorcycle-focused devices.
• Develop an add-on application for measuring automotive performance, such as acceleration and braking. Bonus points for an OBDII code reader, especially a wireless system that uses a Bluetooth transmitter.
• Sell the Nuvifone with other carriers with better service and thereby eliminate the side-by-side comparison with the iPhone in stores.

Where the iPhone benefits from the creative third-party software developers, Garmin can leverage its internal strengths. There is no larger consumer-focused GPS company in the United States. Garmin is the Microsoft of GPS, and the Nuvifone is its Zune (MP3 player). In this sector, Gamin runs the risk of being outdone by Apple in like fashion.

Well, that's my take. What do you think Gamin could do to compete?

  —Jeff Bartlett

See our reviews of AT&T Navigator, iGo My Way, Gokivo, Navigon Mobile Navigator, Sygic Mobile Maps, TomTom iPhone application, and X Road G-Map for iPhone.

For more information on portable automotive GPS navigation systems, see our Ratings, first looks, and buying advice and watch our video guide. Discuss GPS devices in the forums.

Test Drive: Gokivo GPS iPhone navigation app

Gokivo is the latest iPhone navigation app that our GPS team has evaluated. We have spent hours in the lab and in the real-world in the New York City metro area putting the software through our paces, judging ease of use, features, and usefulness. It has proven to be an effective navigator, though its limited feature set and pricey service plan limit its appeal.
 
Gokivo is made by Networks In Motion (NIM), who provides the similar VZNavigator service for Verizon. The program is just 2.7 MB. Pre-installed databases, like those used with the Navigon and TomTom applications, typically use more than 1 GB of memory.
 
It is a server-based solution, meaning the maps and data are downloaded as need, akin carrier-based services from AT&T and Verizon. Consequently, this model carries a monthly service charge, $5. Well suited to seasonal usage, the Gokivo is a less-expensive choice for year-round navigating than some competitors.
 
Navigating with Gokivo is much like using VZNavigator, found on many Verizon cell phones. It provides good verbal directions with a typical map layout, displaying the current road, next road, and distance to next turn. Further, it is one of the few GPS applications we have tested on the iPhone that provides text-to-speech for spoken street names--a valued feature. However, it lacks some helpful features found on many GPS products, such as multi-destination routing, reality view, and lane assistance.
 
We feel there are better iPhone solutions available, such as Navigon Mobile Navigator, Sygic Mobile Maps, and the TomTom iPhone application.

Read our full Gokivo review.

See our reviews of AT&T Navigator, iGo My Way, Navigon Mobile Navigator, Sygic Mobile Maps, TomTom iPhone application, and X Road G-Map for iPhone.

For more information on portable automotive GPS navigation systems, see our Ratings, first looks, and buying advice and watch our video guide. Discuss GPS devices in the forums.

 —Jeff Bartlett and Frank Spinelli