In a new city and don't know where the nearest Starbucks is? With the search function in the iPhone's map it is easy to find where to go, how far away it is and how long it will take to get there whether you walk or drive. The biggest drawback has been trying view the map on the iPhone while driving. Well now there is a great application to solve that. The TomTom application is now available at the iTunes store. Downloaded to an iPhone 3G (with 3.0 OS) or 3GS, this is a turn-by-turn navigation system that gives you visual and voice commands while you concentrate on driving.
The TomTom app uses something called IQ Routes which give you the smartest route for a particular time of day. Sometimes the shortest route is not always the fastest or most efficient. Using the Tap and go feature you can search the points from A to B and view different routes available. Like most modern apps, by turning the iPhone sideways you get a landscape view of the route. 
This great app has a few other nifty features such as:
-map route to an entry in your iPhone contact list
-finding a restaurant, with contact info to make reservation
-ability to select alternate routes due to traffic changes
-day and night mode
-option to change voice
-mute
-save and clear routes
The TomTom contains maps of the US and Canada, and displays distances in either Miles or Kilometers. At $100 it is one of the more expensive iPhone apps, but compared to purchasing a comparable GPS system, the price is right. For getting through traffic and finding your way around an unfamiliar city, this app definitely Kicks Butt!
Holy bugger that is pretty expensive for an iphone application. I know the tomtom is suppose to be a great gps nav system with some good built-in logic. If the app is just as good I guess it's a reasonable price compared to buying a full system... but wow... $100!
ReplyDeleteI just saw the TomTom, full car GPS sytem, for over $200 when you add in the taxes. I don't know if it's any better than the iPhone application you've written about, but it's twice as expensive. I like the idea of having the system available when you might not even know you need it.
ReplyDeleteStill not sure i'd spend $100 for this app though.