Apple's iPhone doesn’t only serve to provide all da functionalities of a mobile phone with computers; it also helps users at the time of need, when they need to know the direction.
With its GPS features with include manual and written driving directions built into its standard Maps application makes it a multi-tasking device.
Apple has just started the application, now, a number of companies have launched, or will soon launch, iPhone apps that do offer voice-prompted, automated, turn-by-turn navigation.
This service is not at all new; many other cellphones have long offered such services. But the iPhone's large screen, decent mono speaker and large selection of car mounting kits make it a tempting navigation device...
There is one problem: Because Apple doesn't allow third-party iPhone apps to run simultaneously with the device's core functions, any incoming or outgoing phone call will interrupt all these apps during routing. When the call is over, the apps will automatically resume and continue your route. And none of these apps work on the original iPhone, only the 3G and 3GS. Some of the apps take up a large amount of space on your iPhone, because they store all their maps locally. Others are much slimmer, because they download the apps on the fly, but these require you to have good cellular or Wi-Fi coverage at least at the start of a navigation session.
This new apps out performs many others at navigation, though they have different styles and features.
Let us have a closer look at the similar application provided by other cellphone makers:
1) TomTom: The U.S. and Canada navigation app costs $100 and takes up 1.2 gigabytes of space on phone. But there is no subscription fee and the maps are always present like a stand-alone navigation device. The drawback being, TomTom's app doesn't have live traffic information, doesn't provide a text summary of your planned route doesn't announce street names and doesn't integrate control of the iPhone's music player.
2) Navigon MobileNavigator: This app costs $90, and it takes up 1.3 GB on the iPhone because it also stores all the maps. There is no recurring fee. The app barks the word "caution" when you are speeding. But the Navigon voice was the least distinct. It also lacks a route summary and live-traffic report.
3) MotionX-GPS Drive: This app cost $1.99 and includes a 30-day free trial. After that, it's $25 a year. This one looks and works most like a typical iPod app, and least like a navigation program ported from another device. Its main screen has a clever menu arranged in a circle. It's also fairly small—just 10 megabytes or so. But it must download maps and other info each time you start a route. This also allows it to update the information on the fly. It is packed with features, including live traffic, a route summary, and integrated music control, but it doesn't announce street names, and its function buttons are very small and labeled with tiny type.
4) AT&T Navigator: The iPhone version of this existing service, like Drive, downloads maps and info on the fly, but it takes up even less space on the phone—just 2.3 megabytes. That means you need a good connection at the start of a trip. Its interface is clean, and it has a route summary, live traffic and announcement of street names. And it synchronizes saved addresses with a Web site. But it is potentially the priciest. The app itself is free but usage costs $10 a month.
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