After months of speculation, the Google Maps Navigation which is part of Google Maps for mobile, finally got released. The navigational application unfortunately is available too only those smartphone that run on the Android 2.0 platform, so not all of us will be able to witness its goodness. So we here at iSmashPhone wanted to make the best of the situation and hence decided to do an impromptu comparison of the Google Maps Navigation and the apps available for the iPhone. So if you fancy some GPS love and want to know how the apps fared in this face off, grab a cup of coffee (or whatever your poison is) and continue reading.
Our review will be based on “Head to Head Comparison of the 5 Most Popular iPhone Turn by Turn Navigation Apps” post we did earlier. See summary review table below.
click to enlarge or click here for full size table
Turn by turn navigation on a mobile phone can always be tricky and hence its imperative that any navigation app has a comprehensive feature set and boasts of an intuitive user interface. All mobile GPS applications make use of the internet connection available on a mobile phone and the the Google Maps Navigation is no different.
The Google Maps Navigation doesn’t have POIs but instead offers you something better by supporting searches in plain English. So next time you are cruising the streets in search of your destination, just type in a business name (e.g. Walmart), or a type of business (bookshop) and hit search like you would do on Google. The application then lists all the appropriate options and you can then select your destination. None of the iPhone GPS App support this feature though applications like CoPilot Live North and the Tom Tom app does have a comprehensive POI database.
Typing and driving don’t necessary mix and Google knows it. Hence it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that the Google Maps Navigation supports Voice Search (voice search is flawless on iPhone’s Google Mobile). You can speak any destination instead of typing. Since the application is connected to the “Cloud”, it is always in the loop of current events and hence one can also command it to find, say a museum according to an exhibit.
Another nifty feature found on the app is “Traffic view” which gives you live traffic data. The data is updated after every few minutes courtesy Google Maps and the on board screen indicator glows green, yellow, or red accordingly to the traffic conditions on your particular route. For the iPhone something similar is offered by AT&T Navigator and INRIX Smart Driver Network app which is a crowd-sourced application that gives up-to-the-minute traffic information. The Navigon Mobile Navigator lacks a traffic feature which is unfortunate since its one of the best iPhone apps out there.
The Search along route feature lets you find your favorite hotspots on your route, be it burger joints, hotels or even gas stations. Where as the satellite view offers a high fidelity view of your route. Of course for this one would require an extremely fast mobile internet connection, so realistically speaking loading satellite imagery may be slow and even a little painful! No iPhone navigational app offers high-resolution aerial imagery but there is always tomorrow (take the hint Apple).
When it comes to features, Google has gone the whole nine yards! The Street View Feature is one the most useful tools, we have ever seen on a navigational device. Courtesy this feature, one can actually access actual photographic imagery of the desired street, so you know how a turn, or a landmark actually looks! Brilliant we might add and wish this on an iPhone app. Maybe the AT&T Navigator?
Google also gives you a new reason to dock your mobile phone as the Google Maps Navigation has a special Car Dock mode. Once this mode is activated, using the application is further simplified. TomTom GPS app for the iPhone also has something similar however the catch being that those special features get only activated if you buy a Tom Tom holder!
While there is no denying that there are some great iPhone GPS apps available however nonce can hold a candle to the Google Maps Navigation Beta. So lets all hope together that Google this time takes the higher road and maybe releases the google Maps Navigation for the iPhone as well as other platforms. We know its wishful thinking but stranger things have happened!
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screw the iphone, google should focus on the Android OS and just blow iphone out of the water even more.
You folks left out a very cheap alternative, that has great POI and other info. I just picked up GPS Drive from MotionX, it was 2.99 or something cheap like that. I use their GPS program for trail hiking and GeoCaching, and they’ve come out with a very nicely featured driving application, which is what I think you should add to your comparison chart.
Cheers,
Darin
you forgot to mention NDrive for Iphone. it’s just the best mobile gps app available for the iphone..and traffic data is a reality already..
“Courtesy this feature, one can actually access actual photographic imagery of the desired street, so you know how a turn, or a landmark actually looks!”
Actually? I mean… orly?
I think you’re all insane.
This requires a fast-ish Internet connection. i.e. only in built-up metropolitan areas.
But satnav is most useful in places you don’t know that are remote (and probably not well-served by EDGE/3G etc.)
Also, not even Google Maps works well when travelling at high speed on a freeway. So how’s this gonna work?
Seems to me there’ll be a lot of frustrated drivers shouting at their Android phone as they miss the correct exit.
Poorly researched article that glosses over the biggest point of differentiation. As DH pointed out, Google Nav will be useless in areas without 3G coverage (e.g. resort areas like ski destinations). Also, the car dock detection is a feature of a specific device (the droid and its dock use a series of magnets to determine dock type) which DOES require specific hardware, so it’s hardly an advantage over the TomTom system.
Wow thats some pretty cool stuff dude!
RT
TROLL WAS HERE
screw the iphone, google should focus on the Android OS and just blow iphone out of the water even more.
you will always need dedicated GPS in areas without reliable internet access, no dispute.
But:
1. Market voted that Cloud navigation option is good enough buy dumping TomTom and Garmin’s stock by 20%
2. A lot of users have positive experience already using cloud based GPS options (Sprint navigation is awesome).
3. at the end it’s a choice of the consumer what navigation option to pick, based on their need and infrastructure availability.
Bottom line, Google changed GPS market place and it will not be the same again.
Another I’d like to see compared in the list is Waze @ http://www.waze.com/
This is a great feature, I’ll be able to use the Maps a lot.
I am definitely looking to get an Android phone when its time for me to upgrade.
actually, several sites have already reported that google is working with apple to release this as an application for the iphone and that it would just need apple’s approval. remember that it benefits google to release this on as many platforms as possible. google is not necessarily in the business of competing with apple and the more exposure they have, the more it will help their current and future advertising strategies which is where the majority of their revenue is created.
yes, we did review of waze on android and iphone
iphone review
http://www.ismashphone.com/2009/05/reverse-gps-waze-is-on-a-quest-for-maps.html
android review
http://www.ismashphone.com/2009/07/drivergenerated-live-maps-waze-review.html
Google gps maps is going to revolutionize the whole game. The world is getting closer and closer and with gps on eveyrones pocket who knows what will happen. Pretty exciting folks!
A poorly researched article. It states that CoPilot Live for North America only has English language when it in fact has 25+ (you choose the language when installing). It also states that it doesn’t support offline viewing which it does and that you can’t play iPod in the background, when you can.
And Google couples your travel information to everything they know about you, Nice thought
You forgot to mention VoxTrek turn by turn GPS navigation with speed cameras on the iPhone.
It works world wide.
Contact integration?? Not sure what they mean by that in the comparison… this is what I am looking for in contact integration:
Let me see my contacts like I view gas stations.. Show them all on the map so I can see who is closest….
Thanks for the review as it was very useful. After the launch of NexusOne I was really confused to keep iPhone or not as I am impressed by Google maps navigation.
Rohit
How about one single screenshot of these iPhone GPS apps? Bias much?
That’s not true… you can enter mobile mode by pressing a button.
In my opinion if iPhone were a little cheaper I’d probably go for it but I like the free developer tools that come with Android. (e.g. Java)