Navigation Apps

[glimited]

What navigation apps are others using and liking (preferably in the US)? I've used Nokia Drive and like having an offline mode but testing it for my daily commute and short trips within the city I find it giving me directions to dead ends so I don't feel confident using it if I'm traveling out of the city. There doesn't seem be that many quality navigation apps right now in the marketplace. Has anyone used the apps by Navigon, Garmin, Turn by Turn, etc. and have experiences to share? I was still using my iPhone 4 for navigation with great free/cheap nav apps like Waze and Skobbler until I recently sold it.

 

[George Ponder]

I like Navigon simply for the downloadable maps. Features are comparable to Garmin, Turn by Turn and Nokia. We've covered just about all of them and you should be able to find a coverage through this link.

 

[eeewing]

I've bought and used them all -- which was really kinda silly, but for the longest time I wasn't happy with any of the navigation apps and kept trying out new ones. Of the paid apps, my favorite is Garmin, mainly because of the automatic re-routing based on traffic conditions. I also enjoy the lane guidance (which is also available on Navigon) and the fact that on WP7 and WP7.5 it could be launched from within a Bing search (that is, I could search for a location in Bing, thumb over to the APPS section in the detail page, and launch directions via Garmin).

Since upgrading to WP8, my go-to app has been Nokia Drive. I've always preferred the way it looked, the directions have been nearly as good as Garmin (though not quite -- sometimes it does advise me to do nonsensical things), and the addition of spoken street names finally makes the app usable. Plus, it seems to be the only navigation app to support the "drive to" API. On the downside, it's not nearly as customizable as Garmin or Navigon, but that's a trade-off I've decided to make for the smaller footprint and better OS integration.

 

[glimited]

I've bought and used them all -- which was really kinda silly, but for the longest time I wasn't happy with any of the navigation apps and kept trying out new ones. Of the paid apps, my favorite is Garmin, mainly because of the automatic re-routing based on traffic conditions. I also enjoy the lane guidance (which is also available on Navigon) and the fact that on WP7 and WP7.5 it could be launched from within a Bing search (that is, I could search for a location in Bing, thumb over to the APPS section in the detail page, and launch directions via Garmin).

Since upgrading to WP8, my go-to app has been Nokia Drive. I've always preferred the way it looked, the directions have been nearly as good as Garmin (though not quite -- sometimes it does advise me to do nonsensical things), and the addition of spoken street names finally makes the app usable. Plus, it seems to be the only navigation app to support the "drive to" API. On the downside, it's not nearly as customizable as Garmin or Navigon, but that's a trade-off I've decided to make for the smaller footprint and better OS integration.

Thanks for the first-hand experiences. I tried out the Garmin demo today and personally I wasn't really a fan of the interface and it didn't seem to track my position as quickly/well as Nokia Drive does. Still debating on whether I should buy Navigon to test it out. Other than the sometimes inconsistent directions from Nokia Drive, I do like the interface/display and general performance of it. Maybe I'll have to give another chance and hope they improve it in future updates.

 

[danwanna]

Navigon works well for me and I like that you can download individual maps for offline use.

It is missing background or screen off mode as far as I can tell and the lack of Drive To integration is a bit of a pain. It does have a nice Google Local Search option that works well but it is a bit more of a pain to get to.

 

[E Lizzle]

I have both Navigon and Garmin Street Pilot and Navigon is a little more polished. It also gets features added reasonably frequently, which is not the case with SP.

-E

 

[prestonalan]

Navigon USED to be my go-to. Then I found out that the maps I downloaded long ago are NEVER updated. Ever. New device? Same maps. Living in Tampa Bay where's there's literally never ending road construction in some parts of Clearwater and Tampa, this is a HUGE problem. I purchased both Navigon and Garmin, about $100 worth of navigation. I've used them both for over a year for trips long and short. Garmin, by far, is more accurate. Especially when it comes to ETA. It's almost scary how well it predicts traffic (another big issue in Tampa Bay). When I ABSOLUTELY NEED to be somewhere and make sure I'm there on time, it's Garmin no contest. However, Navigon has the single best lane guidance on earth. The real-time lane guidance showing your movement in relation to confusing turns is unreal and far more helpful than I ever thought it would be. So, in conclusion, I use both. Garmin is my Go-To when I need to be somewhere on time, Drive+ is what I use to get directions quickly without BS, and Navigon is what I use when I need detailed lane assistance or may be driving through bad signal area.

Hope this helps someone.

(For the record, my girlfriend SWEARS by the "Navigation" app that sells for $4.99. I don't prefer it but there ya go)