App review: MobileNavigator

review by Christine Chan

Since the announcement of iPhone OS 3.0, many have been anticipating the turn-by-turn navigation apps that are possible with it. While TomTom was the first to announce their software at WWDC, it then took a while to actually reach the App Store, and in turn, gave other competitors a chance to leap onto the turn-by-turn navigation market first. Navigon was one of the first to hit the App Store, and brings a pleasant experience to the iPhone 3G or 3GS (first gen iPhone not capable).

When you first launch Navigon, you’ll be presented with a main screen that will allow you to begin your journey with four options: Enter an Address, Search for POI, Take Me Home, and Show Map. The Enter an Address option works like most standalone GPS units, in which you enter city/zip code, street name, then address number.

Searching for a POI will allow you to look for businesses by category and either by specific city, statewide, or nearby. In addition to searching for POIs, there are three additional options at the bottom of the POI screen that allow you to search quickly for nearby gas stations, parking, and restaurants. It’s not going to be perfect, but it is fairly recent enough that most POIs should be listed.

The Take Me Home option will let you enter your home address for easy access to get home from wherever you are. With the Show Map, you can view your GPS location on a 3D map to find out where you are if you’re lost.

When you start a route with Navigon, the GPS signal locks on your location quickly, though if you aren’t getting an accurate GPS signal yet, the top will display a red bar. As long as you have a clear view of the sky, you should get a signal within a few moments. If you miss turns during the navigation, the GPS signal should reroute within seconds of missing a turn. It’s super fast and easy, and gives you peace of mind if you’re traveling to somewhere new.


The voice directions are clear and easy to understand, and are given at opportune times. In the latest 1.2 update, it is the first turn-by-turn app to give text-to-speech voice directions, so you will hear the names of the streets you are supposed to turn on. The voice is able to say street names accurately, even if they are difficult to pronounce normally.

When you are using the navigation, the display will be the 3D map that will reflect day or night in the background, to give a more realistic feel to the map. You can tap the 3D display to bring up the 2D map, which is pan-and-zoom. There is also a Reality View Pro, which will do a realistic display of motor way interchanges and exits, and you can also have street names appear on the regular display, as well as show route info in addition to voice directions. The map can also be viewed in Portrait or Landscape modes.

The time of arrival and distance to destination are now added on screen, so you don’t need to click it. The map can also display your current speed as well as the posted speed limit for the area, if it’s available in the database. It will also show you the distance to your next turn.

The app also does not require an EDGE/3G connection to work, as long as there is a sufficient enough GPS signal available. So if you are in spotty network areas, but can obtain a GPS signal from the sky, then you are able to continue your journey, since all the maps are stored on the device and do not require a data connection.

Another great thing with Navigon MobileNavigator is the fact that you can customize it greatly to your needs. You can select the type of vehicle you’ll be using with it, and tell it to avoid or even forbid certain paths (toll roads, highways, residential streets, etc) if you really need to.

The iPod Control in 1.2 lets you music from the iPhone’s iPod.app and integrates a music player within the app for your convenience instead of having to going to the iPod app or having to double click the home button (which, if you’re driving, can result in actually exiting Navigon if you’re not careful). To control the iPod in Navigon, there will be a small iPod icon in the corner, and that’s where you control playback and song queue.

Navigon also allows for direct integration with your Address Book, so if you have an address stored for contacts, it will directly access it. You can also directly call a POI from within the app, which will then return to Navigon after the call. You can even save the number to contacts for future reference (hold phone number in POI list down for a moment, then options will be prompted).

If you get an incoming call while running Navigon, you can take it, and then be returned back into the app from where you left off before you took the call. If you missed a turn, the app will reroute for you quickly.

Navigon’s MobileNavigator is a great turn-by-turn app for the iPhone, and with the latest 1.2 update (biggest feature being text-to-speech), it polishes what was already a pretty good app and makes it even better, and we can only expect even more features in future updates! Simple and intuitive user interface but paired with a robust feature set and great voice capability. Out of the current turn-by-turn GPS offerings for the iPhone, this one should definitely be considered.

Navigon MobileNavigator is available in the App Store.