Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
My Navigon Review - North America
- Thread starter bbplayer5
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
PROCLIPS! hands down! They are on the expensive side but you will be very pleased with it.
One question though, I asked this in another thread but figured I could pop in here too.
When taking a call, does Navigon quit (Im sure it does)? Upon hanging up, does Navigon automatically kick back in? If so, does it have to recalculate?
One question though, I asked this in another thread but figured I could pop in here too.
When taking a call, does Navigon quit (Im sure it does)? Upon hanging up, does Navigon automatically kick back in? If so, does it have to recalculate?
I think someone said in the other thread that it starts back up and picks up again without any intervention from the user. It would have to recalculate because it wasn't tracking you while you were on the phone.
Yeah, I noticed that also. I guess thats to be expected though. Unless you are jailbroken that is!
Backgrounder FTW!!i support the **** out of the appstore, ive spent well over $2000 since getting the orginal iphone 3g. im not bragging about doing anything.
isn't 70 bones a bit steep?
My friend bought a dedicated Navigon unit for 60 bucks! but there web site does not show anything but the iphone version - did they shut down production of dedicated units?
And does anyone know how much they will charge for map upgrades - you all know they will charge since the 3.0 has that ability?
My friend bought a dedicated Navigon unit for 60 bucks! but there web site does not show anything but the iphone version - did they shut down production of dedicated units?
And does anyone know how much they will charge for map upgrades - you all know they will charge since the 3.0 has that ability?
That would be because Navigon has pulled out of the North American hardware GPS market. They've discontinued all models. Comparing a clearance item to a new product isn't exactly fair, wouldn't you say? I bet your friend could have got a really great deal on Dash Express GPS as well. Lately they've been going for as little as $50. (They started out at $400).
OP, I read your review at the App store and I have to say, you really like MacRumors a lot to post a long review compared to one sentence at iTunes
Pretty much. I dont care much for reviews on the app store. It just gets lost in the clutter.
As others have said, a brand leader like TomTom will probably cost more, not less. But hey, Google Maps is free...
So what happens when you go into an area with no coverage or EDGE only? Is it still able to work properly?
My addition to the review
Hi,
I just wanted to add my two cents on this app. I went ahead and bought it (tired of waiting on TomTom). So far, I like it a lot. I don't have any experience with stand alone units, so I can't make that comparison.
My setup is an iPhone 3GS hooked up to my stereo via headphone jack to RCA inputs on the back of the unit. Also have a car charger, of course. The unit is (currently) mounted on the air vent at the top of the dash, just off to the right of the steering wheel.
I bought the app just before heading home from Columbia, SC to Anderson, SC (2 hour trip by interstate). I decided to test the unit out more thoroughly by avoiding the interstate and 'scenic route' in the route profile. I get bored with interstate travel, which is one of the reasons I wanted this app (or one like it).
No interstate driving added about 30-45 mins to the drive, and not once did I lose a signal or have it show an inaccurate reading on the display. It was excellent the whole time. The only (slight) problem was on one country road, the route took me to veer off to the left, but i was never verbally prompted to. I would have expected it to, since veering off to the left was actually moving off the road I was on and onto another even though the road itself was the same road number (I'm not sure if I'm making sense, but there ya go.).
Other than that possible glitch, everything was perfect. And even without the music muting, I could still hear the sound very clearly as it was being sent to the stereo over the headphone jack anyway. And you can independently set the voice volume from the main ipod volume, so it allowed me to tweak it as necessary.
I would also hope they would allow the option of having the ipod pause rather than just mute, as it would help more when listening to an audiobook. While listening to music, it's perfectly fine to mute for a few seconds, but with a book or maybe a podcast, you might miss something important. Good thing 3.0 added the 30 second skip back (or whatever it's called).
I also tested it just this morning on the interstate to Greenville, and again, all went well. I love the signs for the exits on the interstate. That would have been a huge help if I wasn't familiar with the area (and the bizarre exit I have to take from 85 to 385). Very nice.
So I give it a big thumbs up so far (hopefully, it stays that way). I do plan on getting a windshield mount, as I know it would probably improve my signal more (even though again, I didn't have any problems yesterday or today), and I know the compass on the GS gets all wonky where it is currently placed. I think it's the metal in the car or something. If I hold the phone up to above the dash, the compass works great. I don't know if Navigon currently or in the future will use the compass to show the orientation of your car from a still position (didn't really test that), but I'd like to know the compass is functional anyway.
Also, is there a manual for this thing yet? I checked Navigon's site, but all the user guides I saw was for stand alone units. I may have missed it, of course. I just wanted to know exactly what the difference is between fast and optimum in the route profile and exactly what the routing AI does for 'scenic' route vs. the other modes.
I think that's about it. If anyone wants to know anything else, just reply back to me.
Carl
P.S. One other quick thing... I do have my phone jailbroken, which enables me to use backgrounder to jump out of the app and do other things without quitting the app altogether. Works great on the GS. My old 3G was somewhat flaky with backgrounder, probably due to the lack of memory. I finally jailbroke (if that's the word) after reading a post here about how well the GS works with the extra memory and better processor, etc.
Hi,
I just wanted to add my two cents on this app. I went ahead and bought it (tired of waiting on TomTom). So far, I like it a lot. I don't have any experience with stand alone units, so I can't make that comparison.
My setup is an iPhone 3GS hooked up to my stereo via headphone jack to RCA inputs on the back of the unit. Also have a car charger, of course. The unit is (currently) mounted on the air vent at the top of the dash, just off to the right of the steering wheel.
I bought the app just before heading home from Columbia, SC to Anderson, SC (2 hour trip by interstate). I decided to test the unit out more thoroughly by avoiding the interstate and 'scenic route' in the route profile. I get bored with interstate travel, which is one of the reasons I wanted this app (or one like it).
No interstate driving added about 30-45 mins to the drive, and not once did I lose a signal or have it show an inaccurate reading on the display. It was excellent the whole time. The only (slight) problem was on one country road, the route took me to veer off to the left, but i was never verbally prompted to. I would have expected it to, since veering off to the left was actually moving off the road I was on and onto another even though the road itself was the same road number (I'm not sure if I'm making sense, but there ya go.
). Other than that possible glitch, everything was perfect. And even without the music muting, I could still hear the sound very clearly as it was being sent to the stereo over the headphone jack anyway. And you can independently set the voice volume from the main ipod volume, so it allowed me to tweak it as necessary.
I would also hope they would allow the option of having the ipod pause rather than just mute, as it would help more when listening to an audiobook. While listening to music, it's perfectly fine to mute for a few seconds, but with a book or maybe a podcast, you might miss something important. Good thing 3.0 added the 30 second skip back (or whatever it's called).
I also tested it just this morning on the interstate to Greenville, and again, all went well. I love the signs for the exits on the interstate. That would have been a huge help if I wasn't familiar with the area (and the bizarre exit I have to take from 85 to 385). Very nice.
So I give it a big thumbs up so far (hopefully, it stays that way). I do plan on getting a windshield mount, as I know it would probably improve my signal more (even though again, I didn't have any problems yesterday or today), and I know the compass on the GS gets all wonky where it is currently placed. I think it's the metal in the car or something. If I hold the phone up to above the dash, the compass works great. I don't know if Navigon currently or in the future will use the compass to show the orientation of your car from a still position (didn't really test that), but I'd like to know the compass is functional anyway.
Also, is there a manual for this thing yet? I checked Navigon's site, but all the user guides I saw was for stand alone units. I may have missed it, of course. I just wanted to know exactly what the difference is between fast and optimum in the route profile and exactly what the routing AI does for 'scenic' route vs. the other modes.
I think that's about it. If anyone wants to know anything else, just reply back to me.
Carl
P.S. One other quick thing... I do have my phone jailbroken, which enables me to use backgrounder to jump out of the app and do other things without quitting the app altogether. Works great on the GS. My old 3G was somewhat flaky with backgrounder, probably due to the lack of memory. I finally jailbroke (if that's the word) after reading a post here about how well the GS works with the extra memory and better processor, etc.
While I didn't lose my edge coverage, I would say yes. As long as you have a GPS signal, you should be fine. That's the whole advantage of having the maps loaded on the phone.
Carl
You can turn Edge and 3G completely off and the device will work exactly the same.
Hi,
I just wanted to add my two cents on this app. I went ahead and bought it (tired of waiting on TomTom). So far, I like it a lot. I don't have any experience with stand alone units, so I can't make that comparison.
My setup is an iPhone 3GS hooked up to my stereo via headphone jack to RCA inputs on the back of the unit. Also have a car charger, of course. The unit is (currently) mounted on the air vent at the top of the dash, just off to the right of the steering wheel.
I bought the app just before heading home from Columbia, SC to Anderson, SC (2 hour trip by interstate). I decided to test the unit out more thoroughly by avoiding the interstate and 'scenic route' in the route profile. I get bored with interstate travel, which is one of the reasons I wanted this app (or one like it).
No interstate driving added about 30-45 mins to the drive, and not once did I lose a signal or have it show an inaccurate reading on the display. It was excellent the whole time. The only (slight) problem was on one country road, the route took me to veer off to the left, but i was never verbally prompted to. I would have expected it to, since veering off to the left was actually moving off the road I was on and onto another even though the road itself was the same road number (I'm not sure if I'm making sense, but there ya go.
Other than that possible glitch, everything was perfect. And even without the music muting, I could still hear the sound very clearly as it was being sent to the stereo over the headphone jack anyway. And you can independently set the voice volume from the main ipod volume, so it allowed me to tweak it as necessary.
I would also hope they would allow the option of having the ipod pause rather than just mute, as it would help more when listening to an audiobook. While listening to music, it's perfectly fine to mute for a few seconds, but with a book or maybe a podcast, you might miss something important. Good thing 3.0 added the 30 second skip back (or whatever it's called).
I also tested it just this morning on the interstate to Greenville, and again, all went well. I love the signs for the exits on the interstate. That would have been a huge help if I wasn't familiar with the area (and the bizarre exit I have to take from 85 to 385). Very nice.
So I give it a big thumbs up so far (hopefully, it stays that way). I do plan on getting a windshield mount, as I know it would probably improve my signal more (even though again, I didn't have any problems yesterday or today), and I know the compass on the GS gets all wonky where it is currently placed. I think it's the metal in the car or something. If I hold the phone up to above the dash, the compass works great. I don't know if Navigon currently or in the future will use the compass to show the orientation of your car from a still position (didn't really test that), but I'd like to know the compass is functional anyway.
Also, is there a manual for this thing yet? I checked Navigon's site, but all the user guides I saw was for stand alone units. I may have missed it, of course. I just wanted to know exactly what the difference is between fast and optimum in the route profile and exactly what the routing AI does for 'scenic' route vs. the other modes.
I think that's about it. If anyone wants to know anything else, just reply back to me.
Carl
P.S. One other quick thing... I do have my phone jailbroken, which enables me to use backgrounder to jump out of the app and do other things without quitting the app altogether. Works great on the GS. My old 3G was somewhat flaky with backgrounder, probably due to the lack of memory. I finally jailbroke (if that's the word) after reading a post here about how well the GS works with the extra memory and better processor, etc.
You're in Anderson? I'm in Greenville.
I tried to use the Google maps to navigate from Garden City to Greenville and had a lot of trouble in areas with EDGE only service. Some places didn't even have service. So it's nice to know this app doesn't require an internet connection.
Can someone who has the app try using it in their cup holder and see if it is as accurate. Even the car seat. Just somewhere not mounted. That would be a big help!
Im going to use this to find a Dicks Sporting Goods on my lunch break.. ill try it then while on my lap.