We have often said that the navigation industry moves quickly, with new innovations advancing the state of the art every three to six months. The companies that lag behind can be left in the dust with the passing of a single holiday season. Well, iPhone navigation apps are measured on a whole different scale. As evidenced by Sygic, software developers are working full throttle on their applications and competition is fierce.
We recently completed our full evaluation of the
Sygic Mobile Maps U.S., version 7.71.1, putting it through our comprehensive battery of tests. And already Sygic has introduced an update, free to current users, that addresses many of our criticisms, plus it has announced other near-future upgrades that will further advance the app.
Priced at $60, Mobile Apps undercuts its name-brand competitors with few compromises. It looks sharp, gives good verbal directions, and has an intuitive interface. Plus it has several built-in niceties such as lane assistance, multi-destination routing, speed limit icons, coordinate entry, and automatic day/night display modes. While our version lacked spoken street names, the feature also known as text-to-speech has since been added.
It is a large download, with our version using 1.43 gigs of memory—notably more than other apps. However, it does include a whopping 28 languages.
Like other iPhone applications we have tested, Mobile Maps is not well integrated and its accuracy trails that of dedicated navigation devices. That said, Mobile Maps shows promise and with the announced updates, it is a compelling choice for iPhone users seeking PND functionality in their mobile phone.
See our full reviews of AT&T Navigator, iGo My Way, Navigon Mobile Navigator, Sygic Mobile Maps, TomTom iPhone application, and X Road G-Map.
For more information on portable automotive GPS navigation systems, see our Ratings, first looks, and buying advice and watch our video guide. Discuss GPS devices in the forums.
—Jeff Bartlett and Frank Spinelli
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