Getting more out of your iPhone to get around

If you own an iPhone but don't yet own a full-fledged dedicated GPS device - the kind that gives spoken turn-by-turn instructions, you may want to hold off on your that purchase. Navigon makes a GPS application for the iPhone and my friend Ernest graciously let me see it in action.

To start with, Ernest mentioned that there is a special $70 price, which is a great deal considering that it normally sells for $100. This deal will be over on August 15th.

On to the application. One reason why you might be interested in a dedicated navigation application is that the Google maps app built into the iPhone might be good for occasional navigation but it doesn't provide turn-by-turn instructions (by voice) or 3D view of the route. Also, using the Google Maps app for navigation requires a data connection to the internet for map data and as such will consume your precious data allotment. With the Navigon app, the maps are built-in.

One thing to note before you even consider getting this app is its size. It takes up a whopping 1.3GB of storage, so make sure you have the storage room left on your phone. If you've used a dedicated GPS navigation device before, you may find the Navigon app to be a bit slower, but not enough to be annoying. You'll definitely want auxiliary power available for the iPhone while using this too, as it does use up power fairly fast. Also, if you depend on your iPhone for a lot of in-car phone calls, you might want to look elsewhere - using the phone puts the navigation on hold and out of sight (or so I've read). Some nice features of this app include a 'take me home' feature, and 'reality view' and 'lane assistant' which displays highway signs and lanes in detail to assist with exiting a roadway(see Navigon site for a look). Other nice touches include navigation to contacts saved in the iPhone's address book and a Speed Assistant to alert you if you drive faster than a user-preprogrammed speed.

The bottom line is that if you've been hoping to maximize the convergence of your iPhone to include turn-by-turn navigation, Navigon is a great way to achieve that dream. At a $70 introductory price, it's much more reasonable than shelling out for a $300 dedicated GPS device.