Gokivo GPS iPhone navigation app: First Look

Dynamic app best suited for short-term travel needs

iPhone applications come in two flavors: complete map/software download and server-based, on-demand service. Gokivo falls into the latter camp, requiring a small program download and a monthly subscription. Maps and points of interest data is dynamically loaded as needed. The maps are produced by Navteq and supplemented by Google.

Gokivo is made by Networks In Motion (NIM), which provides the similar VZNavigator service for Verizon. The program is just 2.7 MB. Pre-installed databases, such as those used with the Navigon and TomTom applications, typically use more than 1 GB of memory.

Gokivo costs $5 to download from the iTunes app store. Service is free for the first 30 days, and then costs $5 a month. We installed and evaluated version 4.4.2.

Key features include:

• Text to speech
• Real-time traffic alerts
• iPod integration, allowing music selection from user's library

Initial impressions

Navigating with Gokivo is similar to navigating with VZNavigator, which is found on many Verizon cell phones. It provides good verbal directions with a typical map layout, displaying the current road, next road, and distance to next turn. The user can choose to display an additional data point, selecting from ETA, distance remaining, time remaining, direction, and speed.

Gokivo is one of the few GPS applications we have tested on the iPhone that provides text-to-speech for spoken street names—a valued feature. (Some competing applications are adding text to speech in updated versions.) But it lacks some helpful features found on many GPS products, such as multi-destination routing, reality view, and lane assistance.

Gokivo's user interface has a learning curve, particularly for those users accustomed to operating other navigators. Entering a destination is very similar to using Google maps online—just type it in. But it is not the typical linear method found on most portable navigation devices, where you progress through screens for street, city, and state. After getting acquainted with this entry method, a user may prefer this approach, but we found it less intuitive.

Because it's server-based, Gokivo accesses a dynamic database with abundant and up-to-date points of interest via Yahoo Local search. We found the Yahoo search to be current, but not flawless. One of the nicer features of the Yahoo-based search is that it can provide smart suggestions for misspelled POIs. For example, if a user typed "McDonolds" it would ask, "Did you mean McDonalds'?"

Gokivo provides integrated traffic data, but it does not include weather or gas price information. Traffic integration is simplistic compared with other real-time traffic services. Gokivo will alert a user to traffic found on a route with an estimated time of delay, but it does not provide detailed information, an aerial traffic view, or list surrounding incidents. It does indicate traffic severity with a color code on the directions list, which is easy to interpret at a glance.

Gokivo is one of the few GPS applications on the iPhone that allows a user to access the iTunes library, a key attraction of the iPhone. Gokivo users can change, select, and skip songs, plus use master volume control, fast forward, and rewind. Contact integration is also a nice feature that is provided with the Gokivo software.

Although Gokivo requires a monthly fee, it is not automatically billed, as with AT&T Navigator. Instead, a user must purchase another 30 days after the previous 30 days expire, making it easier to contract the service on an as-needed basis, such as during a summer travel season.

CR's take

Gokivo is a viable option for iPhone users seeking navigation guidance, especially those looking just for a short-term solution. But the monthly fee can add up and dwarf the cost of competing applications. There are benefits to the always-current database, especially with businesses closing or changing hands during the troubled economy. But many users may not find the differences compared to the data in downloaded applications to be worth the monthly charge.

Our advice remains that a PND would be a better option for regular use, as it is more accurate and reliable, plus it is ready to work right out of the box and includes a car mount. If a user is adamant about having one device, it would be wise to consider other apps, such as Navigon Mobile Navigator, Sygic Mobile Maps, and the TomTom iPhone application. All apps are expected to evolve rapidly, but these other competitors currently have key advantages.

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