Tags:
The death of sat nav?
Could smart apps spell the end for sat nav?
You’ll remember that in this week’s show I got to grips with the TomTom satnav app for the iPhone during my adventure in Paris and put it head to head with Go Explore for the PSP.
And on this week’s Web TV I pitch the TomTom against a similar satnav app for the iPhone from CoPilot. While it’s interesting to see how the services compare against each other, it also makes me think that the days of traditional satnav may be numbered.
After all, apps and add-ons are cheaper and you don’t have to clutter up your life with another piece of hardware. But can sat nav apps compare to a full-fat in-car kit? Is this a death-knell for expensive sat nav? Let me know below…
User comments (2)
Leave a comment
Andy Griffith27 November 2009
I've been using a Nokia E71 with Route 66 for a few months. It does a basic job but the GPS is not as good as a dedicated unit and will sometimes throw me one road away from where I actually am. I've not seen a dedicated unit doing this, as they generally have a more sensitive receiver. I guess the issue is that making a general purpose platform (iPhone, Andriod etc) means that some corners need to be cut in terms of the hardware to ensure portability.
Report as inappropriateDan28 November 2009
I don't use sat navs too often altough i do own a tom tom one. I would have to say that even though the app for the iphone was good, overall it's not worth the money. I wouldn't have given it 4Gs. To begin with you've got to remember you need an iphone, and they're not exactly cheap - and that's before the monthy contract requirements, then on top of that you need to pay for the app and cradle sepratley. So even though the aplicaitons are there on all items i would have to say there's still the place for stand alone units.
Report as inappropriateJoin Channel 5
Creating an account is free, will only take a few moments and will allow you to enjoy the full benefits of 5FWD and Channel 5:
Leave a comment