So you've got yourself an iPhone, who hasn't I hear you ask, and you want to get from A to B, so what are your choices? Here are a couple of apps you should take a look at: TomTom Car Kit TomTom's navigation service on the iPhone via an app and bolt on accessory rumoured to be costing around £114 when it launches later in the year. The kit will come in the form of a new windscreen docking station that offers a loudspeaker so you can hear the directions, the ability to place the iPhone on your windscreen and a charging option so you aren't out of juice at the end of your journey. It will also enhance your GPS signal so you can see when to turn at the right moment rather than 50 yards to late. CoPilot Live for iPhone ALK Technologies' CoPilot Live is already available in the UK for Apple iPhone 3G and 3Gs for a one-off payment of £25.99 for UK/Ireland or £59.99 for European maps. The GPS software promises to bring full featured turn-by-turn navigation to iPhones, complete with automatic route calculation by post-code or street, 3D map displays in portrait or landscape mode and turn-by-turn voice directions. Features include lane assistance, "realistic" signpost displays, speed limit alerts and CoPilot's "ClearTurn" for a more realistic display of junctions. In addition, there's "Live" services such as a 5-day weather forecast and a location-sharing feature called CoPilot LiveLink that allows users to check the location of friends on-screen or online. CoPilot says real-time traffic information will also be available later this year as an option. Navigon MobileNavigator Available in both Europe and the US, the fully fledged GPS app for the iPhone costs £54.99 and includes 2D and 3D maps of Europe and doesn't need an internet connection to work, instead storing all the map data on the device. The software can be used in portrait and landscape format, offers "Precise voice announcements" and allows users to access contact details in the iPhone address book. The application does require the latest 3.0 software update. Sygic Promising turn-by-turn voice guided GPS navigation for £59.99, the software comes with full postcode search and a list of nearby parking areas within the usual array of Points of Interest. Like the other applications listed here you can opt for landscape and portrait views as well as getting lane assistance, 3D maps and no monthly fees. B.iCyle Who says you need to be in your car to use GPS. The difference here is that B.iCycle, has been designed for bike riders rather than automobiles. Doubling up as a bike computer at the same time, you get current speed, average speed, maximum speed, total distance, trip distance, current altitude, climbed attitude, burned calories as well as trip time in the package as well. But it's not just road users that get the benefit of a map to see where they are going. According to the developers, B.iCycle comes with support for the OpenStreetMap community maps that has over 70,000 people mapping trails around the globe. Impressive. And yes you do get to download your map into a spreadsheet afterwards so you can geek out. Google Maps It's not going to give you turn by turn directions on the fly, but it will give you a chance to have some notion of where you are heading by simply looking at where you are on the map. You can get directions, access public transport information and show traffic in some of the more major cities in the world. Oh and it's already on your iPhone. Compass Satnav, smapnav. What you need to do is go old school and just use the compass like a Boy Scout or Brownie. The 3GS has a digital compass built in, which means that as long as you have some vague idea of which direction you are supposed to be heading - north or south of the Watford Gap - then this will get you there in no time, well unless the road runs in the other direction of course.
0 comments:
Post a Comment