Best GPS Apps

[jon6535]

I flash my phone alot, always trying the latest and greatest roms. Which gps would save my stored addresses and self added points of interest. I dont want to have to add them all everytime I flash

[nobrakes]

I have tomtom nav6 and garmin xt on my phone. I like garmin better because it's just easier to use and the user interface is better imo. Connecting from a bluetooth or internal gps is better than tomtom. Tomtom is more customizable, ie use different voices and icons. Btw, I searched for a Blockbuster video store near me and for some reason tomtom couldn't find one, but garmin did. I'm still playing with both, but for now garmin is better

[kbl]

Ok, i've tried Garmin, TomTom, and iGuidance. Here's what I think:

Tested on ROM built with ppckitchen.org on the Bell network:

iGuidance:
- seemed outdated, didn't like the display of street names.
- voice guidance (tts) was choppy but accurate.
- biggest problem, slow position updates usually didn't work at all (iGuidance v4)


GarminXT:
I owned a Nuvi 350 so this was my natural choice. The interface and display are nice. Features are good, recent maps, and I don't need to prime the GPS to use it. However, I had some major beefs:
- slow position updates and sluggish interface. I'm sure that if I were driving downtown (Toronto) I'd miss turns.
- phone and app interaction. For some reason XT just doesn't seem to like to operate with other apps. New e-mail notifications (visual) would take over the screen requiring me to confirm before XT would come back to life. Another issue (didn't seem to bother TomTom) is MS-Voice command refused to launch. I hope that's somehow related to my ROM, but it launches normally without XT running.

TomTom:
The maps in TomTom are a little outdated, but for the most part it runs great. I do have to prime the GPS before it'll work but there are launchers, GPStoday, and whatnot to solve that problem. The position updates in comparison to XT and iGuidance are night and day.... much faster. The phone and app interaction are much more seamless.

Conclusion:
So my current vote is for TomTom. I really really want to use XT but the slow position updates and MSVC problem are holding me back. I've never noticed any time problems with XT as others are finding... so maybe I'm lucky on that front.

That's my 2 cents... take it for what it's worth. I hope it saves someone a bit of time in comparing the 3.

i'm addicted to rom updating.

[eduardmc]

Originally Posted by kbl

Ok, i've tried Garmin, TomTom, and iGuidance. Here's what I think:

Tested on ROM built with ppckitchen.org on the Bell network:

iGuidance:
- seemed outdated, didn't like the display of street names.
- voice guidance (tts) was choppy but accurate.
- biggest problem, slow position updates usually didn't work at all (iGuidance v4)


GarminXT:
I owned a Nuvi 350 so this was my natural choice. The interface and display are nice. Features are good, recent maps, and I don't need to prime the GPS to use it. However, I had some major beefs:
- slow position updates and sluggish interface. I'm sure that if I were driving downtown (Toronto) I'd miss turns.
- phone and app interaction. For some reason XT just doesn't seem to like to operate with other apps. New e-mail notifications (visual) would take over the screen requiring me to confirm before XT would come back to life. Another issue (didn't seem to bother TomTom) is MS-Voice command refused to launch. I hope that's somehow related to my ROM, but it launches normally without XT running.

TomTom:
The maps in TomTom are a little outdated, but for the most part it runs great. I do have to prime the GPS before it'll work but there are launchers, GPStoday, and whatnot to solve that problem. The position updates in comparison to XT and iGuidance are night and day.... much faster. The phone and app interaction are much more seamless.

Conclusion:
So my current vote is for TomTom. I really really want to use XT but the slow position updates and MSVC problem are holding me back. I've never noticed any time problems with XT as others are finding... so maybe I'm lucky on that front.

That's my 2 cents... take it for what it's worth. I hope it saves someone a bit of time in comparing the 3.

i'm addicted to rom updating.

if don't have a software like gpsgate to create a virtual com for the gps, it will give you problem with the touch (and mogul) with internal gps. i have use iguidance for years and after trying many different gps software and unit i find i guidance to be the best of all. the street announcement is very clear, so well announce that i don't even have to look at the screen to confirm it. i have never had a problem with iguidance and it takes me everywhere . i guess is all preference, that's your opinion and this is mine, to me tom tom was garbage, had to return to iguidance.

[dukenightvision]

Originally Posted by kbl

Conclusion:
So my current vote is for TomTom. I really really want to use XT but the slow position updates and MSVC problem are holding me back. I've never noticed any time problems with XT as others are finding... so maybe I'm lucky on that front.

That's my 2 cents... take it for what it's worth. I hope it saves someone a bit of time in comparing the 3.

i'm addicted to rom updating.

I agree with you. TomTom works well and updates quickly. I like Garmin XT, but the slow position update is a deal breaker.

I also like using iGo My way 2006 Plus software. It's accurate and updates your position quickly.

[mike98fatboy]

Originally Posted by eduardmc

i'm using iguidance 4 with the touch and build in gps, it works excellent but only using gpsgate 2.5 or 2.6 (i have full version 2.5) to create a virtual port to com 2. otherwise u will have a problem with iguidance because it will not refresh your location. also try using holux gps viewer to get a fix on the satellites. the built in gps works just has good as my external BT gps.

Can you please tell me how to startup internal gps. I've just got my Touch. Thanks.

[andyandmarlys]

I have tried Iguidance, Google Navigator, TomTom, Google Maps, MS Live, and Nav4All and Sprint Nav..

Head and shoulders above all is Tomtom... close second would be sprint Nav.. (sprint fails though as I live and work 3 miles from the Canadian border, and cross frequently... can't be depending on data for GPS functionality)..

Iguidance was high on my hope list... due to it announcing the street names and not being data intensive.. but it is soooooooooooo sluggish... I could drive miles without it updating... and it has sluggish animations.... and it isn't relaible...

Tom Tom is the winner so far.. I just hope they can 1... improve their maps... and 2... add text to speech for street names...

Originally Posted by kbl

Ok, i've tried Garmin, TomTom, and iGuidance. Here's what I think:

Tested on ROM built with ppckitchen.org on the Bell network:

iGuidance:
- seemed outdated, didn't like the display of street names.
- voice guidance (tts) was choppy but accurate.
- biggest problem, slow position updates usually didn't work at all (iGuidance v4)


GarminXT:
I owned a Nuvi 350 so this was my natural choice. The interface and display are nice. Features are good, recent maps, and I don't need to prime the GPS to use it. However, I had some major beefs:
- slow position updates and sluggish interface. I'm sure that if I were driving downtown (Toronto) I'd miss turns.
- phone and app interaction. For some reason XT just doesn't seem to like to operate with other apps. New e-mail notifications (visual) would take over the screen requiring me to confirm before XT would come back to life. Another issue (didn't seem to bother TomTom) is MS-Voice command refused to launch. I hope that's somehow related to my ROM, but it launches normally without XT running.

TomTom:
The maps in TomTom are a little outdated, but for the most part it runs great. I do have to prime the GPS before it'll work but there are launchers, GPStoday, and whatnot to solve that problem. The position updates in comparison to XT and iGuidance are night and day.... much faster. The phone and app interaction are much more seamless.

Conclusion:
So my current vote is for TomTom. I really really want to use XT but the slow position updates and MSVC problem are holding me back. I've never noticed any time problems with XT as others are finding... so maybe I'm lucky on that front.

That's my 2 cents... take it for what it's worth. I hope it saves someone a bit of time in comparing the 3.

i'm addicted to rom updating.

[mindfrost82]

Originally Posted by andyandmarlys

I have tried Iguidance, Google Navigator, TomTom, Google Maps, MS Live, and Nav4All and Sprint Nav..

Head and shoulders above all is Tomtom... close second would be sprint Nav.. (sprint fails though as I live and work 3 miles from the Canadian border, and cross frequently... can't be depending on data for GPS functionality)..

Iguidance was high on my hope list... due to it announcing the street names and not being data intensive.. but it is soooooooooooo sluggish... I could drive miles without it updating... and it has sluggish animations.... and it isn't relaible...

Tom Tom is the winner so far.. I just hope they can 1... improve their maps... and 2... add text to speech for street names...

The way to fix iGuidance is to use an app like GPSGate. This has been discussed a few times. iGuidance has a problem with using the built-in GPS COM ports, so it needs a COM Port Emulator, then it works great. I had the same problem as you until I used GPSGate.

I have a new favorite though. Garmin Mobile XT!!!!! TomTom had out-dated maps for me, which is the whole point of using a GPS system. Like you, I didn't want to rely on data for my maps either.

Garmin has such a nice interface, closely resembling their standalone GPS units. Their newest maps are dated 2009, which are even newer than iGuidance. You can load custom POI's, which is a huge bonus for me. You can get them from poi-factory.com. I just loaded over 200,000 POI's yesterday.

I do miss the TTS street names, but hopefully they will add that feature soon. There is a small issue with it changing the system date/time until it gets a GPS lock. That can be annoying if you have reminders or alarms setup.

The maps are much prettier than iGuidance, and the whole interface is much cleaner.

[andyandmarlys]

Thanks for the GPSGate tip... I'll give that a try...

Regarding text to voice... So far as I can tell, Iguidance is the only one that announces street names... but are there any other software choices out there that are not data intensive that have plans to add the text to voice? ( I can't imagine other companies not implementing it soon, but I don't have any knowledge of anyone announcing an update...)... ie.. would tomtom v7 or the next garmin update include text to voice?

Originally Posted by mindfrost82

The way to fix iGuidance is to use an app like GPSGate. This has been discussed a few times. iGuidance has a problem with using the built-in GPS COM ports, so it needs a COM Port Emulator, then it works great. I had the same problem as you until I used GPSGate.

I have a new favorite though. Garmin Mobile XT!!!!! TomTom had out-dated maps for me, which is the whole point of using a GPS system. Like you, I didn't want to rely on data for my maps either.

Garmin has such a nice interface, closely resembling their standalone GPS units. Their newest maps are dated 2009, which are even newer than iGuidance. You can load custom POI's, which is a huge bonus for me. You can get them from poi-factory.com. I just loaded over 200,000 POI's yesterday.

I do miss the TTS street names, but hopefully they will add that feature soon. There is a small issue with it changing the system date/time until it gets a GPS lock. That can be annoying if you have reminders or alarms setup.

The maps are much prettier than iGuidance, and the whole interface is much cleaner.

[kbl]

Originally Posted by mindfrost82

I have a new favorite though. Garmin Mobile XT!!!!! TomTom had out-dated maps for me, which is the whole point of using a GPS system. Like you, I didn't want to rely on data for my maps either.

Garmin has such a nice interface, closely resembling their standalone GPS units. Their newest maps are dated 2009, which are even newer than iGuidance. You can load custom POI's, which is a huge bonus for me. You can get them from poi-factory.com. I just loaded over 200,000 POI's yesterday.

I do miss the TTS street names, but hopefully they will add that feature soon. There is a small issue with it changing the system date/time until it gets a GPS lock. That can be annoying if you have reminders or alarms setup.

The maps are much prettier than iGuidance, and the whole interface is much cleaner.

I have to say... I didn't know there was an update for my GarminXT PPC client. I updated to the latest version and the map updating is faster (still not as fast as TomTom) but is now acceptable. Search the forums for a link.

So now I'm using Garmin again... I pray for TTS. That would be sweet!