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Navi App (Sygic, Navigon, TomTom) Comparo by LA Times
- Thread starter Maverickster
- Start date
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A couple questions before I make my decision....
1. Is there a difference in voice volumes between Navigon and TomTom? I will not be playing my car audio through my iPhone, so I am a little worried about being able to hear the directions.
2. Can anyone post pictures of the names of streets to compare how illegible Navigon's streets are?
3. Will Navigon's app be compatible with the TomTom car kit if I choose to purchase that upon release?
1. Is there a difference in voice volumes between Navigon and TomTom? I will not be playing my car audio through my iPhone, so I am a little worried about being able to hear the directions.
2. Can anyone post pictures of the names of streets to compare how illegible Navigon's streets are?
3. Will Navigon's app be compatible with the TomTom car kit if I choose to purchase that upon release?
Except in current price. Navigon is nearly 30% less, in North America, than TomTom.
Statements like the above do nothing useful to advance the discussion. The fact is that I bought both apps, and have used both apps extensively. I used Navigon on a driving vacation for a week, and have used Tom Tom to do a lot of driving around the major city where I live since it came out this week. I like Tom Tom better and it is the app that will stay on my iPhone for the near future.
But I guess that means I'm not in my right mind or sane.
1. Both apps have similar maximum volumes and are understandable. Personally, I find the Navigon lady a little grating and appreciate having other choices but that doesn't decrease functionality.
2.
Navigon
TomTom
They certainly aren't totally illegible but going down the road at 70, mph mounted a couple of feet away on the dash, they take more concentration than they should to read. They need to take the white borders off of the text and make it more bold or bigger. I also hate the grayish brown background but that is personal preference.
3. We don't know. They said that it will be compatible with 3rd party apps but that may not mean competing GPS apps... It could mean that it has a portal to the Google app or something. Time will tell. I have read that the cradle could be as much as $150 which would be too much if compared to standalone units but when compared to other cradles for iPhone out there it isn't too bad considering no other cradle out there has similar functionality.
If you took it in the context with which I applied that statement (which was really a personal response to another post), then the exaggeration is clearly evident.
I am glad some people like TomTom over Navigon, I think that's fine and it's to be expected. I just don't understand paying more for something that, all things considered, really isn't up to par with a competing product right now. Will TomTom get better? Sure, most likely. Will Navigon get better as well? Sure, most likely. But if that's the case, it seems like Navigon is going to stay one step ahead of TomTom for the foreseeable future, unless TomTom manages to bust out an update that's just completely overflowing with features to stay up to par with Navigon; and even if that were the case, you'd have to believe that an update of that caliber would take quite some time.
Had both apps been released at the same time and both offered the same feature set, then my vote would undoubtedly go TomTom's way; but again, they dragged their feet in the beginning, and have probably lost a lot of revenue and potential customers because a competing product has come out with an app that does more than their current, more expensive app does. I am not really taking the future into account too heavily here, I just believe that, for the umpteenth time, there is CURRENTLY no comparison between the two apps. Not in feature set, and most certainly not in price.
Your questions were already answered, but I honestly don't get the whining about the street names. (you aren't whining, but lots of other people are) The only street name I care about is the one that I have to turn on to next and how far away it is. The road you need to turn is very legible at the bottom. I know that people might want to check to see where they are relevant to where they have to turn, but that is what the mileage countdown is for.....
That being said, Navigon could easily make that better just by making the font black, hopefully a future update will solve that. They seem to be working hard to continually improve and update the app, so we'll see.
severe said:
Agreed.
Some of these posts are stated with such conviction it is fascinating. Look, yes some people say this or that to justify their purchase while others truly believe one app is clearly better than the other. Its SO dependent on how you use it, where you use it, when you use it that what I care more about is a well thought out post on the comparison between the two. This is what is truly helpful even if i do not agree.
Anyways...
I posted this the other day after having used both TT and Navigon for a few days.
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/8300108/
Having now used both for longer, I have the following observations:
1) The clear lag TT has in routing (vs the built in compensation of Nav) is not as bad as I perceived. It is slightly more "choppy" than Nav but it always announces the turn before it comes up and the clear legibility of the street names, including the one you are turning on to, makes navigating almost as easy using Nav.
2) Two navigating features on the Nav which are heads and shoulders above the TT, for now, are the navigation arrows and the frequency of voice announcements. TT has one simple arrow showing you which way to turn. The navigon can display two arrows at once for those tricky turns where you need to turn right and then a quick left. I find this very helpful as it give me visual forewarning. The arrows are also overlaid on what the intersection looks like. If its a fork, there will be an extra white line (compared to an orange arrow) showing you which way to go in the fork. If its a 4 way intersection, you will see 3 white lines and then the arrow overlaying the 4th white line which is the way you are turning. Simple yet very effective and helpful. Frequency of announcements is also superb. Navigon will say things like "Proceed for 6 miles on current road", then "turn right in 2 miles", then "turn right in .5 miles", then "turn right in .1 miles". I find the less I have to look at the GPS the better and i have to look less with Nav than TT. TT's warnings are not as frequent. They could easily improve this. Side note: These apps will both eventually have TTS but right now, the fact that Nav will announce all major highways by name is also extremely helpful. TT does not do this.
3) Lane Assist/Reality Pro is great eye candy and it certain instances helpful. I was driving in upstate PA and kept switching to different state routes "PA this or PA that". Showing the lanes, which I have to be in, the overhead signs, and including information like the exit number is no doubt a nice, helpful feature and I see no reason why every GPS app should not have this. That said, i do not think this would be a "deciding feature for me". Its a nice to have but not a have to have.
4) The ability to pinpoint a location on the map when you do not know the address is MUCH easier on TT than on Nav. On Nav, you click Show Map, and then you can set and move a destination to exactly where you want - the problem is that getting the map to even show a location near where you want to pinpoint is a hassle and then when you are close, the Nav does not show many if any street names. This makes setting the location difficult. On the TT, its easier (although still a hassle) to get the map close to where you want to pinpoint but its very easy to pinpoint. The TT uses a magnifying glass through which you can see all the street names. You can even target a POI which is also shown on the map instead of searching for it. Much better implementation on TT. I have had to use it many times up here where addresses are less frequent. I think the reality is 8/10 places i will ever travel will be found via address or POI, but nonetheless I have appreciated TT's ability to make this easy for me.
5) Where TT shines for me is in the routing features. The ability to see the route instructions, which is more important for using the Avoid Part of Route feature then necessarily just seeing the route ala google maps, is a huge plus. I love being able to choose a certain road on the fly as I am driving, tell TT to avoid it, and then it quickly recalculates a new route for me. Simple, elegant and a must for all GPS apps. The ability to always, easily recalculate your original route again is a nice feature that I use. Easy access to a Route Demo is very helpful (on Nav, you can only get to it by creating a new route with 2 waypoints or if the GPS signal is not available). Although for both, I hate that you can not speed up the simulation like you can in Gmaps.
6) I find the voice more clear with TT on the loudest setting than I do with Nav. Nav on the loudest setting is very tinny. However, I hate the way TT handles overlaying a voice prompt when playing a song or podcast - it stops it completely whereas Nav lowers the volume gradually. This should be fixed.
If you read my original review, I think you will see I was a Nav fan. However, having used the TT more, I really like it more than I thought originally. Its really a tough choice as I still prefer the 3D view on the Nav but at the same time, i like the cleaner look of the TT. As these apps are still in their infancy, I am certain i will be jumping back and forth as each adds new features. And my bet is on Nav to add/fix features more quickly than TT. They have already announced some great new updates that I am looking forward to.
Sorry for the novella but hopefully this is helpful for people trying to decide.
Anyways...
I posted this the other day after having used both TT and Navigon for a few days.
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/8300108/
Having now used both for longer, I have the following observations:
1) The clear lag TT has in routing (vs the built in compensation of Nav) is not as bad as I perceived. It is slightly more "choppy" than Nav but it always announces the turn before it comes up and the clear legibility of the street names, including the one you are turning on to, makes navigating almost as easy using Nav.
2) Two navigating features on the Nav which are heads and shoulders above the TT, for now, are the navigation arrows and the frequency of voice announcements. TT has one simple arrow showing you which way to turn. The navigon can display two arrows at once for those tricky turns where you need to turn right and then a quick left. I find this very helpful as it give me visual forewarning. The arrows are also overlaid on what the intersection looks like. If its a fork, there will be an extra white line (compared to an orange arrow) showing you which way to go in the fork. If its a 4 way intersection, you will see 3 white lines and then the arrow overlaying the 4th white line which is the way you are turning. Simple yet very effective and helpful. Frequency of announcements is also superb. Navigon will say things like "Proceed for 6 miles on current road", then "turn right in 2 miles", then "turn right in .5 miles", then "turn right in .1 miles". I find the less I have to look at the GPS the better and i have to look less with Nav than TT. TT's warnings are not as frequent. They could easily improve this. Side note: These apps will both eventually have TTS but right now, the fact that Nav will announce all major highways by name is also extremely helpful. TT does not do this.
3) Lane Assist/Reality Pro is great eye candy and it certain instances helpful. I was driving in upstate PA and kept switching to different state routes "PA this or PA that". Showing the lanes, which I have to be in, the overhead signs, and including information like the exit number is no doubt a nice, helpful feature and I see no reason why every GPS app should not have this. That said, i do not think this would be a "deciding feature for me". Its a nice to have but not a have to have.
4) The ability to pinpoint a location on the map when you do not know the address is MUCH easier on TT than on Nav. On Nav, you click Show Map, and then you can set and move a destination to exactly where you want - the problem is that getting the map to even show a location near where you want to pinpoint is a hassle and then when you are close, the Nav does not show many if any street names. This makes setting the location difficult. On the TT, its easier (although still a hassle) to get the map close to where you want to pinpoint but its very easy to pinpoint. The TT uses a magnifying glass through which you can see all the street names. You can even target a POI which is also shown on the map instead of searching for it. Much better implementation on TT. I have had to use it many times up here where addresses are less frequent. I think the reality is 8/10 places i will ever travel will be found via address or POI, but nonetheless I have appreciated TT's ability to make this easy for me.
5) Where TT shines for me is in the routing features. The ability to see the route instructions, which is more important for using the Avoid Part of Route feature then necessarily just seeing the route ala google maps, is a huge plus. I love being able to choose a certain road on the fly as I am driving, tell TT to avoid it, and then it quickly recalculates a new route for me. Simple, elegant and a must for all GPS apps. The ability to always, easily recalculate your original route again is a nice feature that I use. Easy access to a Route Demo is very helpful (on Nav, you can only get to it by creating a new route with 2 waypoints or if the GPS signal is not available). Although for both, I hate that you can not speed up the simulation like you can in Gmaps.
6) I find the voice more clear with TT on the loudest setting than I do with Nav. Nav on the loudest setting is very tinny. However, I hate the way TT handles overlaying a voice prompt when playing a song or podcast - it stops it completely whereas Nav lowers the volume gradually. This should be fixed.
If you read my original review, I think you will see I was a Nav fan. However, having used the TT more, I really like it more than I thought originally. Its really a tough choice as I still prefer the 3D view on the Nav but at the same time, i like the cleaner look of the TT. As these apps are still in their infancy, I am certain i will be jumping back and forth as each adds new features. And my bet is on Nav to add/fix features more quickly than TT. They have already announced some great new updates that I am looking forward to.
Sorry for the novella but hopefully this is helpful for people trying to decide.
^
I found that the 3D view on Nav is better than TT because I think it is slightly more zoomed out by default. Next time you use TT, hit the minus icon in the corner and zoom it out 1 notch and see if it looks better... You will be able to see further down the road then..
I found that the 3D view on Nav is better than TT because I think it is slightly more zoomed out by default. Next time you use TT, hit the minus icon in the corner and zoom it out 1 notch and see if it looks better... You will be able to see further down the road then..
The primary reason that I chose Navigon myself over TT just yesterday was that Navigon is already on version 1.1 of their software and their 1.2 update is out before summer's end.
1.2 is confirmed by them to include;
1. TTS (yes!)
2. iPod controls
with rumored to be coming;
3. TRAFFIC SUPPORT!
Tom Tom being such a giant in the GPS space I held off on Navigon expecting them to bring the thunder with advanced features like real time google look up of POI, traffic data, etc.
It was quite a let down to see them not include many features that Navigon had in their 1.0 update let alone 1.2 coming out really soon.
The final thing for me was that Navigon uses Navteq maps. I have found them to be more accurate in my area than the Teleatlas maps that Tom Tom uses.
Oh ya, $30 saved helps too!
1.2 is confirmed by them to include;
1. TTS (yes!)
2. iPod controls
with rumored to be coming;
3. TRAFFIC SUPPORT!
Tom Tom being such a giant in the GPS space I held off on Navigon expecting them to bring the thunder with advanced features like real time google look up of POI, traffic data, etc.
It was quite a let down to see them not include many features that Navigon had in their 1.0 update let alone 1.2 coming out really soon.
The final thing for me was that Navigon uses Navteq maps. I have found them to be more accurate in my area than the Teleatlas maps that Tom Tom uses.
Oh ya, $30 saved helps too!
I really struggle to understand why someone buys Navigon for the sale price of $70, and in addition purchases TomTom for the full price. Must be made of money I guess. Maybe one system for odd days of the month, another for even days?
I really struggle to understand why someone buys Navigon for the good price of $70, and in addition purchase TomTom for the full price. Must be made of money I guess. Maybe one system for odd days of the month, another for even days?
Gee, maybe some people have a valid reason. Maybe it's because the text used to show street names is to small on Navigon? Maybe it's because the ugly olive green map background makes the already small street names impossible to read till the map shading changes back to the lighter shade?
Lots of reasons. Navigon is impossible to use for me right now. TomTom is the winner.
You are right, everyone has their own reasons. I am very pleased with Navigon and I feel that Navigon is the clear winner, for many reasons. Already released a nice update, with TTS coming out this summer, along with real time traffic at a later date. It's nice to see they have a healthy product lifecycle planned for us. I also think $70- is an excellent price. No buyers remorse here!
Maybe Garmin will provide an iPhone app as well, then you can buy your third GPS application.
Maybe Garmin will provide an iPhone app as well, then you can buy your third GPS application.
Took Navigon on a 1.5 hour trip up the NYS thruway into the middle of nowhere upstate new york and it didn't miss a beat. Really liking it.
I'm very happy with Navigon, but there is some room for improvement...including additional voices.
Had CoPilot but caved in last night and got Navigon UK, tried it briefly today and so far really pleased with the accuracy. I had my iPhone sat down in the middle near my handbrake so relied mainly on the voice prompts which I have to say were excellent. Very please so far with this purchase, been weighing TomTom and Navigon up the last few days, think I've made a good informed decision
Very please so far with this purchase, been weighing TomTom and Navigon up the last few days, think I've made a good informed decision
Congrats.