The folks at the Consumer Reports Cars Blog have compiled a list of Black Friday GPS deals they've found from various retailers.
Check it out: "Countdown to Black Friday: Best GPS deals"
Also see our GPS buying tips and Ratings (available to subscribers).
Two items of note from our friends at the Consumer Reports Cars Blog:
TomTom has just announced improvements to their iPhone navigation app, some of which address shortcomings we have criticized in the past. The upgrade adds three key features routinely found on TomTom stand-alone navigation devices. More...
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. More...
A fight has broken out over last Friday's boxing-themed preliminary head-to-head comparison of the brand-new Motorola Droid and Apple's iPhone. The post has drawn scores of comments, and more readers continue to weigh in.
The overwhelming majority of commenters feel our review gave short shrift to the Droid, though one reader, Robinson, noted, "this is a blog comparison not a formal CR review. So, don't trash what CR still does so well."
Our testers continue to evaluate the Droid and our in-depth review will be posted in the coming days. In the meantime, some thoughts on the issues raised by commenters:
Critics: The Droid's display is clearly better. Commenters are puzzled by why I called the display comparison a tossup even though I acknowledged that the Droid's display is bigger, boasts higher pixel density, and appears sharp and bright. (When comparing two identical Web pages side-by-side, text on the Droid's screen was noticeably sharper.) A key reason for my judgment: I wasn't able to test the Droid's display in the myriad of different lighting conditions, modes, and apps that our testers used to arrive at their scoring of the iPhone 3G S display (available to subscribers), the highest they've awarded to a phone screen. We'll see what our testers have to say about the Droid's display.
Critics: The Droid's camera is the better-equipped. I called this feature for the iPhone 3G S, in large part due to the camera's appealing interface and rich features. In addition to describing the Droid's camera as "well-equipped," I should have also have cited its flash and 16x9 (widescreen) video recording, both missing from the iPhone.
Critics:
The iPhone's GPS isn't demonstrably better and costs more. On the first point, our Cars colleagues, who test GPS on all its platforms, demurred in their first impressions of the Google Maps Navigation found on the Droid, as I wrote. Since my post, there's now a full review on the Cars blog, which calls GMN only "adequate," and says the app should not be "the leading reason to purchase" an Android 2.0 phone, such as the Droid. But the review also acknowledges that the free software does "eliminate the need to pay for GPS and traffic services," including the cost of buying the pricey iPhone navigation apps and services. A couple of parting observations about the passion of the comments about this phone:
[Update: See the author's response to commenters in his follow-up post: "Droid vs. iPhone: Them's fightin' words'" —Ed.]
The Motorola Droid, available today from Verizon for $200 after rebates, is the latest in series of phones, including the Blackberry Storm, T-Mobile G1, and Palm Pre, to be floated as a potential threat to Apple’s iPhone, the undefeated champion of the smart-phone world. Other media who’ve weighed in on the showdown include Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal, Gizmodo, and Engadget.
I liked what I saw when I put a press sample of the Droid through its paces. (See the Droid review here.) Now, as our testers complete their extensive tests on the Droid, here’s my 10-round preliminary take on how the new Verizon smart phone fares against the iPhone 3G S, which remains—at least for now—the highest-rated smart phone in our Ratings (available to subscribers).
Ding ding:
Round 1. Touch screen. Advantage: iPhone. Both phones have highly responsive touch screens. But the iPhone's is multitouch for all functions, allowing you to zoom in and out of photos and Web pages by pinching or spreading your fingers. The Droid has such multitouch functionality only when running certain applications, according to Engadget.
Round 2. Interface. Advantage: Droid. A tough call, since both phones have a terrific icon-based interface that makes finding and launching their many features a snap. However the Droid, which employs the latest 2.0 version of Google’s Android operating system, allows a higher degree of personalization via widgets and other tools, and you put all of your e-mails from different accounts (except Gmail) under one view.
Previous navigation applications for smart phones have usually fallen short when compared to dedicated navigation units. But the new Google Maps Navigation program for Android 2.0 that's just been announced is worth watching as a possible game changer.
Why? Because Google has lots of experience working with data-intensive map applications and has built both web and mobile applications that work when the user is online or off. Even more importantly, the Google Maps Navigation app will be free to own and use on any Android 2.0 phone–such as Verizon's soon-
to-be-released Motorola Droid. (Note: We recently acquired a
Droid from Verizon and will be testing and reporting on it here in this blog soon.)
Google Maps Navigation for Android 2.0 includes all the features you expect from stand-alone portable GPS units, including turn-by-turn voice guidance, automatic rerouting and visually appealing 3-D views. But, it's also designed to take advantage of your phone's Internet connection. According to Google, the app will have:
It’s amazing how quickly the market for bundled GPS applications has exploded, as my colleague Jeff Bartlett notes on the Consumer Reports Cars Blog. If the Garmin Nuvifone had been released when it was first announced two years ago, it would have been a mobile marvel. A full GPS unit and a phone? Inspired! Unfortunately for Garmin, similarly inspired apps for phones such as the iPhone, Blackberry, and Android came out while it put the finishing touches on the Nuvifone, which is now making an unfashionably late arrival to its own party.
Taken piecemeal, we so far found nothing terribly wrong with the device’s functionality. Our tests of the Nuvifone found it performs commendably as a GPS, on par with standalone units and very similar to the Garmin 265T. It boasts a number of features: spoken street names, a trip computer, pedestrian mode, a higher-end mount, and a “Where am I” emergency option. Premium features such as real-time traffic, gas prices, and weather are available for $5.99 a month. (For the full Nuvifone review from a GPS perspective, see "Garmin Nuvifone G60: First Look.")
On the other side of the Nuvi-coin, there seems to be nothing particularly wrong with its phone. Early tests show it to have very capable phone performance, though it lacks some features common on most phones such as voice command and multimedia messaging. It also runs only on the AT&T network, which has a less-than-stellar rank in our Ratings of wireless carriers (available to subscribers).
And therein lies the Nuvifone’s flaw—it’s just not robust enough as a dual-purpose device to compete with a now saturated smart-phone/GPS market. Its price—$400 (or $300 with rebate)—is another disincentive. Sure, it may do a better job than many of the current iPhone navigation apps out there (many of which we’ve reviewed), but it also lacks the diverse multimedia capabilities of the iPhone, plus the aforementioned basic features that plenty of simple cell phones have offered for a while.
GPS software for smart phones just keeps rolling off the virtual conveyor belts at companies that develop navigation software. We’ve tested a bunch already—here’s one more, freshly reviewed: the Gokivo Navigator app.
Gokivo is a subscription-based navigation application for your Blackberry or iPhone. We tested the iPhone version, which cost $5 for the initial download plus $10 per month (a non-recurring charge) after a free 30-day trial period. The original download is small, at 2.7 MB. Unlike larger apps that charge a higher one-time fee to download all the maps onto your phone, Gokivo is server-based—like the AT&T Navigator—and loads maps and points of interest dynamically, as you need them.
The Gokivo version we tested, 4.4.2, has text-to-speech (a useful feature increasingly seen on GPS apps), real-time traffic, and the ability to play music while running the app on your iPhone, something not every iPhone app can do.
From our testers, here’s the bottom line:
Gokivo is a viable option for iPhone users seeking navigation guidance, especially those looking just for a short-term solution. But the monthly fee can quickly dwarf the cost of competing applications and even rival the prices of traditional [standalone units] after a year—but without all the features or ease of use. There are benefits to the always-current database, especially with businesses closing or changing hands during the troubled economy. But many users may not find the differences compared to the data in downloaded applications to be worth the monthly charge.
Check out the full review of the Gokivo Navigator. —Nick K. Mandle
It may be a tad early to start your holiday shopping, but there’s a good chance you’ve at least been thinking about it. Maybe you’ve had a big-ticket gift—like a new TV or home theater—in mind for a while now, but are putting off the purchase till November or December. If it’s sales you’re waiting for, you probably know what you want and how much you’re willing to pay. On the other hand, you might just a teeny bit leery of throwing so much cash at something you know very little about. Which is better: a plasma or LCD TV? Should you upgrade to a Blu-ray player or stick with standard-def DVDs?
If you find yourself in need of expert advice, consider the newest edition of the Consumer Reports Electronics Buying Guide. Inside you’ll find a wealth of information on everything from televisions and computers to smart phones, GPS units, and much more. For each product, the Consumer Reports editors walk you through the basics, explaining what’s available, which features matter, brand profiles, and offering tried-and-true shopping tips.
In addition to product information, the guide offers advice on how to shop smarter, including:
Consumer Reports has tested numerous standalone GPS units as well as a number of navigation applications for phones. The options are many, and you may be torn between which to spend your money on: a downloadable app integrated into your iPhone or other smart phone, or a device dedicated solely to getting you to your destination.
Our new video comparing the two may help steer you in the right direction. The bottom line: If you’re a heavy GPS user, opt for a standalone unit. For context, check out the video at right. —Nick K. Mandle
Since the summer, Consumer Reports GPS testers have focused their attention on the latest navigation development, iPhone applications.
In general, we’ve found iPhone GPS apps to be crisp and colorful on-screen, but also less reliable than standalone units when it comes to pinpointing your actual location. Poor sound quality and low volume are frequently a problem. And anyone purchasing one of these apps should remember that a car mount and charger adds to the overall price.
The good news is that because these are software applications, rather than manufactured devices, flaws can be fixed and new features added with frequent, often free updates. A number of the apps we’ve tested—highlighted below—have themselves seen an upgrade since we reviewed them.
CoPilot Live, $35. The most recent model we’ve tested, the CoPilot has some useful features, like multi-destination and detour routing, but our version lacks others like lane assistance, reality view, speed limit icons, and spoken street names. Integration with the iPhone isn’t great—reminiscent of earlier GPS apps. (Read the full CoPilot review on the Consumer Reports Cars blog.)
Sygic Mobile, $60. This rather large downloadable app (almost 2 GB) is intuitively structured and easy to use. Like other apps, its maps are downloaded to the phone so you can navigate even without 3G service. The text-to-speech function is available in over 30 languages. (Read the full Sygic Mobile review.)
iGo My Way, $80. This app offers four ways to get to your destination: Fast, Short, Economical, and Easy. One neat feature is the display’s 3D renderings of famous landmarks. According to the app’s Web site, free map updates are available only through December 2010. Also, the phone lacks multi-destination routing, spoken street names, and the ability to exclude a road. (Read the full iGo My Way review.)
Navigon Mobile, $90. Navigon has updated its GPS app—the first to hit the market—to allow Navigon users to share information with each other, like locations and points of interest (POI). This month, the company is introducing Traffic Live; users can download traffic live for a one-time $25 fee—and only $20 in the first four weeks after its October release. (Read the our original Navigon Mobile review.)
Our testers put 100s of products through their paces at our National Testing and Research Center. Learn more about how we test for:
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