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Navigon Vs TomTom: GPS Lag?

V

Vinny1967

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 22, 2009
57
13
I currently have the TomTom app installed and for the most part it's great.
However, I am finding it increasingly difficult to live with the GPS lag issue: I am constantly shown around 30 to 100 feet behind my actual position.
This is bearable (just) on straight roads, however on roundabouts it's impossible to deal with.
I assume that because TomTom are going to release the cradle with the extra GPS chip in, that they have no intention of trying to address this issue within the app.
I have tried contacting TomTom about forthcoming plans, but they remain as tight-lipped as ever.

Does Navigon suffer with the same issue?
 
I know this doesn't help much, but I rode with someone for a few minutes who has Navigon. It seemed to be right on point. I don't know where you are located(if that even really matters), but we were in the middle of LA.
 
navigon

Regarding Navigon, I agree it seems to be right on point. My girlfriend commented the other day that the timing of the turn directions was "spooky & uncanny".

Happy Navigon user at the moment.
 
Sorry - bit confused.
Are you saying that the screen icon is 'on point', or the spoken directions (turn right), or both?
The TomTom spoken directions seem to be OK, it's just the screen icon is way behind
 
Vinny1967 said:
Sorry - bit confused.
Are you saying that the screen icon is 'on point', or the spoken directions (turn right), or both?
The TomTom spoken directions seem to be OK, it's just the screen icon is way behind
Click to expand...
I have Navigon, and both the screen and the voice are on point. And when I go "off route," it reroutes within a couple of seconds. I'm very happy with it.
 
same, i don't know how they have done it but the navigon is spot on - i have noticed lag on google maps
 
All moving GPS units (not just the iPhone) suffer from some lag since it takes time to decode and process the signal. Navigon seems to always have you at the spot you are though. I believe that Navigon predicts ahead so it can stay more in sync.
 
That's true, but my stand alone Magellan is a bit slower the the Navigon app. OTOH, the Magellan is closer to my real actual location than my mother's stand alone TomTom, so I'm guessing TomTom's code is just altogether slower, i.e. less predictive.
 
I have both TomTom and Navigon. The TomTom is extremely laggy compared to Navigon, the difference is night and day, honestly. With the Text to Speech and iPod Controls on Navigon, it makes it SOOOO much better. Seriously, if you can ditch TomTom and get Navigon.
 
My first experience was using the iGo which also had a noticeable lag. Then I tried the Navigon, and surprisingly, there is no lag whatsoever. The GPS arrow is spot on! Although I suspect they are compensating for the iPhone's GPS lag with some sort of predictive programming. Works for me.
 
I use Navigon daily and it is always on point. I think the others are right, it HAS to have predictive code written into it or something, because it is always SPOT ON for me, and knowing the GPS chip in the iPhone is probably a POS, Navigon anticipated this and wrote for it in their script. I notice every time I am right at a turn it is at 0 feet, every time. And it locks on pretty quickly too, only a few rare times does it take 15-20 seconds to re-lock (my daily trip to work includes go through a tunnel for 5 seconds and it always looses signal; some days it will regain in less than 5 seconds, some days it takes 5-15 seconds.)
 
It's been acknowledged that Navigon did do just that - compensate for the iPhone's GPS lag in reporting the coordinates by moving the marker slightly ahead of the actual reported position. The lag is said by developers to be sometimes as much as 2-3 seconds and is an iPhone thing and not specific to software. This strategy does have its flaws, too though if you stray from the 'predicted' route it takes longer to correct.
In my experience, the lag even when uncompensated for is not significant enough to create anything more than a nuisance on being aware that there is a lag.
 
My Navigon is spot on as well with my 3GS. I'm actually used to GPS lag as I just switched from an HTC Touch Diamond running Garmin Mobile XT and the Diamond (and Touch Pro) are well known to have pretty awful lag. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the Navigon software is working and the TTS upgrade in 1.2 is the proverbial icing on the cake. VERY pleased with the Navigon purchase so far (other than I can't put in my own POI's.... grumble, grumble..) Cheers!

James
 
tomtom jumps all over the place.... navigon is pretty on point...

I think navigon probably has some calibration to account for the gps being a little laggy on the iphone... tomtom is probably relying on you getting frustrated and buying their dock with gps chip in it when it comes out so they they left it laggy and pathetic.
 
zenoran said:
tomtom jumps all over the place.... navigon is pretty on point...

I think navigon probably has some calibration to account for the gps being a little laggy on the iphone... tomtom is probably relying on you getting frustrated and buying their dock with gps chip in it when it comes out so they they left it laggy and pathetic.
Click to expand...

I think you are right on here, they want to sell car kits, so why would they bother to make it work without it.
 
Bought Navigon last week and am now waiting for Apple to consider my refund request for TomTom.
Saw the announcement today about the next Navigon update including live traffic, and this really is the icing on the cake. TomTom is trailing way behind Navigon. Don't see how they can ever catch up now.

Found this amusing TomTom review on an iPhone 3G: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z4FSR-nC1E

Same guy, next day, iPhone 3GS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHFtUhDh71s

This is the kind of results I was getting with it, although the lag with me was only about half as bad.
 
Ntombi said:
How's Navigon working for you? I love it, and I can't wait for the traffic add-on.
Click to expand...

It's in a different league to TomTom and iGo My Way.
TTS, lane assistant, reality view, and absolutely no GPS lag - all make the process of navigating a pleasure.
As I said before I really don't see how TomTom can catch up now without a MAJOR update, and previous experience says that will not happen.
 
I have the Navigon and TomTom apps. Navigon is clearly superior to TomTom. The lag with TomTom can be very disorienting while you're driving. I wish street names were more readable in Navigon though.
 
I returned Tomtom a week or so ago, refund from Apple, and purchased Navigon. Having used both, I can say I am much more pleased with the performance of Navigon. I have an older 3G and I experience pretty much zero lag for routing me around. Going off course, recalculation occurs in seconds. I am very, very happy at this point with my decision to "switch".

Also, and I'm sure this can vary, the POI database, as well as roads in general, appear MUCH more up to date with Navigon for me. The Tomtom unit wasn't even aware of a Walmart a mile away from me that has been there for years now. I have yet to find something, I'm sure it's out there, that Navigon is not aware of in my area.

Big thumbs up from me for pretty much everything at this point.
 
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