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Pros

• Best map interface we’ve seen
• Info Bar wealthy on information
• User configurable Voice prompting at turns
• Contact search for addressing
• iPod pausing during voice instructions
• Facebook integration

Cons

• Lackluster iPod interface and controls
• Generic highway badges
• Limited POI database
• No Internet look-up for POIs

The Bottom Line
With a slew of GPS offerings for the iPhone it is becoming difficult to find the right navigation software for your Apple device. CoPilot’s expertise and years of experience is evident in its mobile app version. While odd routing issues crept up during the review, CoPilot Live proved itself to be a nice offering with some rough edges. With a free 30-day fully functioning version to try before you buy, CoPilot is something every traveler should download to their iPhone.
Recommended
Yes

Full Review
CoPilot has been around for years and it’s version 8 number boldly indicates this. I still remember the first version it released for laptops almost a decade ago and now, it’s been shrunk down to the little iPhone screen. CoPilot Live handles the reduced screen real estate quite well placing important information in clear and easy to read parts of the screen while never cluttering it up. Of all the navigation applications I have reviewed, iPhone or stand-alone, I would say CoPilots map interface is the best. But does it get you to your destination the best?

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• Crisp, bright screen
• Loud external speaker
• Responsive multi-touch screen
• Excellent camera
• Free turn-by-turn GPS with Street View
• Solid and speedy Verizon network

Cons

• Flash crashes often and drains battery excessively
• Multi-tasking slows down system and drains battery
• Difficult pin-point cursor control in text
• Navigation not fluid and intuitive as iPhone
• App selection good but needs improvement
• Difficult to view screen in sunlight

The Bottom Line
Let’s face it, the iPhone has set the standard for smartphones and the first question asked while reviewing the HTC Droid Incredible was, “Is it better than the iPhone?” That question is not a yes or no answer, read the full review, but I will say this much: the HTC Droid Incredible is a stunning phone and does many of its functions superbly and if you are stuck on Verizon or do not wish to leave it, then the HTC Droid Incredible is the phone you should get.

Recommended
Yes (Strong)

Full Review
Google’s Android operating system has come a long way since the first device, the T-Mobile G1. Playing catch-up is never easy and that’s what Google has been doing for the last 18 months with its LINUX mobile OS it acquired a few years ago with the iPhone. Out of the gates, Google didn’t look to be a threat to Apple’s superior phone but just after a few seconds on the HTC Droid Incredible one realizes quickly that this Droid isn’t your father’s Oldsmobile.

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• Motoblur very functional
• Consolidated or separated messaging
• Slide-out QWERTY keyboard
• Multi-Touch screen
• Decent battery life for light users
• Never froze or bogged down

Cons

• Awkward in your hand
• Price is too close to much more capable phones
• Screen still slightly in the way of top QWERTY row
• Unacceptable battery life for moderate to heavy users
• Screen could be larger

The Bottom Line
While this phone did all I asked it to, I did not ask that much of it. And I am certain that I would spend a few extra bucks to get a much more capable phone, like the HTC Incredible.

Recommended
No

Full Review
Motorola is marketing the Devour as a less-expensive alternative to it’s big brother, the Droid. It has lower camera resolution, no flash, a smaller display, and less memory. The operating system is also not as speedy, but that did not bother me with what I was doing. The Devour does have the pull-out keyboard, which is a plus for those who don’t using a touch screen for typing.
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• Pleasant looking interface
• Excellent iPod player
• Google Maps integration for POIs
• On-screen speed limit indicator
• Logo-based POIs for easy identification
• Superb traffic alerts and up-to-date information

Cons

• Pop-up notifications takes GPS off-line
• No Google or Internet search integration
• Lack of podcast support in Music Player
• Does not support suite numbers in Contacts and mis-routes

The Bottom Line
Magellan RoadMate ignores the iPhones sleek user interface in favor of its own look-and-feel which will help owners of Magellan’s dash mount PNDs jump right into the iPhone application. For first time Magellan users, the simply layout will be a quick learn for any experienced GPS user. Once on the road, RoadMate wraps up its well defined experience into a tightly knit package that will get your to your destination quickly, easily, and accurately.

Recommended
Yes

Full Review
Magellan went a, um excuse the pun, different route with its iPhone navigation application. Instead of using many of the familiar iPhone menu items and other common iPhone attributes, Magellan stuck with its interface from its Personal Navigation Device (PND) units found on the windshields of thousands of vehicles across America. This twist helps those going from the PND to the iPhone to minimize the learning curve while keeping the user experience satisfying.
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• Best interface we’ve seen
• Excellent iPod player
• Google Maps integration for POIs
• On-screen speed limit indicator
• Logo-based POIs for easy identification
• Superb traffic alerts and up-to-date information

Cons

• Worse routing we’ve seen
• POI and highway icons too small to easily view
• Limited internal POI database
• End-point address not display
• Does not support suite numbers in Contacts and mis-routes

The Bottom Line
Navigon MobileNavigator has everything going for it from a beautiful interface, to a well integrated iPod player, to top notch traffic information, down to Google Local Search. The irony is its failure, routing! Time after time, MobileNavigator failed to route us to our destination in the quickest manner. Until Navigon can correct this, for $90, we can’t even begin to recommend this for your iPhone.

Recommended
No

Full Review
SvenOnTech first came across Navigon about three years ago with its stylus — yes stylus! — based PND unit and gave it a try after seeing its pleasing interface with POI icons that were logo of the place of business. What we found after a week of use was some odd routing behavior. Most of the issues were in the country and we wrote it off to that fact. Improvement would surely come in the coming years. So when SvenOnTech receive MobileNavigator for the iPhone, I was curious to see how it would take me home, literally. Was Navigon able to fix its PND deficiency or would I roll my eyes and ask, “Why?”

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Pros

• Best routing we’ve seen
• Great menus system
• Fast start-up
• Wealth of information on navigation screen
• iPod pausing during voice instructions

Cons

• Horrible iPod interface
• Dated map interface
• Limited POI database
• No Internet-connectivity for POIs

The Bottom Line
TomTom has a strong history of being one of the best in the GPS industry and as the first to the iPhone, it took the market lead. But with a dated interface and lack of Internet look-up of POIs that the other guys have, TomTom may have a tough sale at $60. It’s saving grace may be the fact that it routed us better than any other GPS app we have tested.
Recommended
Yes

Full Review
I’ve been a fan of TomTom navigation products way back to the start of the millennium dating to our first review of its Palm OS navigator in 2002. Yes, this isn’t the first time TomTom has brought GPS to a “PDA”. (Remember that acronym?) We all first learned of TomTom’s navigator when the second generation iPhone, the 3G, came to the world with the ability to run third-party applications. Unfortunately, it would take over a year before one was able to download it from the App Store. Now that we have it, is it as good as a TomTom dedicated device or is just a little better than the nearly decade old Palm OS version? Truthfully, there is no short answer as to how good TomTom for the iPhone is. Like all the other GPS applications for the iPhone, it has it’s lacking and it has its strengths. Take a ride with me as we make a turn-by-turn review of TomTom’s navigation for the iPhone.

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Recommended
No (Too Expensive)

Full Review
In-car navigation systems are nice to have due to giving you a large screen and keeping that dash clean. In-dash systems also are free of inviting thieves into your car. Full integration into your audio system is another nice feature as well. But how do they stack up and compare to dash-mount devices? Specifically, how does the Alpine NVE-M300 compare? Read on and be sure to see our video reviews below, too.

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Yes (Conditional)

Full Review
When I first heard about the Dash Express and it’s ability to communicate to the Internet and other Dash Express GPS devices for a more accurate look at traffic, I was fascinated with it. GPS devices for the most part have lacked any leaps in features and this was the jump I had been wanting to see for some time. You can imagine how excited I was when the unit arrived a week later at SvenOnTech headquarters. After registering the Dash online, would it rise to the heights I had been waiting for or would it be just another well crafted marketing campaign?

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Yes (Strong)

Full Review
SvenOnTech has tested many TomTom’s all the way back to its Palm offering nearly six years ago. We’ve always loved its easy to read interface and have been impressed with the features offered by the Holland-based navigation company. Always trying to do something different than the other guys, TomTom has continued to improve its devices from integration to Eclipse radios to including hands-free Bluetooth speakerphone. So what did the Dutch come up with for the GO 930? Address voice input. Oh ya, now we’re talking…literally.

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Recommended
Yes*

Full Review
SvenOnTech has seen many GPS units and for the most part, GPS is GPS. What separates the boys from the men is interface, accuracy, and volume. Yes, men speak much louder. Accuracy has been pretty spot on for many manufacturers we’ve tested with only poor address placement being the real major problem in this area. When it’s time to turn in a complex intersection, Harman Kardon, like most others, do this well. For the most part, addresses on the GPS-310 were pretty much spot on with the actual location.

The only dismal aspect to accuracy we found was that Harman Kardon thought it not prudent to tell us if our end point was going to be on the left or right side. When you’re in a large busy city and you’re in the left lane of four, and then you notice when it’s too late that you need to be in the right lane, well, that sucks. In one instance when this happened to us, it took us ten minutes to get back to where we had to be due to the no u-turn signs everywhere. What a frustrating thing when the whole idea of a GPS is to get you to your destination without worry. This is why you see an astrek next to our recommendation. If you can live with this limitation, then yes, we recommend it. If not, move onto another brand. (According to our contact at Harman Kardon, all three models do not give street position of your destination.)

We took the GPS-310 all over the Bay Area and Central Valley of California. We put in over 40 hours of testing into this unit, and did so side-by-side with a competitor we’ve tested (and reviewed here on SvenOnTech.) We found the GPS-310 to be more accurate and quicker, when we missed a turn, to re-route us than the other unit. In all fairness, the other unit was about a year old and a lot can happen in this industry in just twelve short months. From San Francisco, to San Jose, to Fresno, to Stockton, to Manteca, to Elk Grove, to Sacramento, to Oakland, to Pittsburgh (CA), to Walnut Creek, and beyond, the GPS-310 just did an excellent job of getting us to our destination. Again, outside of the lack of telling us, “Hey, it’s going to be on your left side,” we couldn’t have been any happier with the GPS-310.

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