GPS reviews, news, tips, tricks and deals
UPDATE: Looks like the ANT+ adapter for iPhone will be available later this week.
Garmin has announced the Garmin Fit app for iPhone and Android this morning, and an ANT+ adapter for the iPhone (that link wasn’t live when I posted this, but it probably will be later this morning). This is Garmin’s first fitness app, allowing users to track speed, pace, distance, time and calories. And at $0.99, it’s likely to gain a lot of users pretty quickly.
Okay, maybe it’s unfair to call out Google Maps Navigation for this error. After all, every GPS can give you faulty directions, no matter what database they are using for road data. But I’ve never seen this type of error on a unit using NAVTEQ or TeleAtlas maps. Fail!
According to All About Phones, a Dutch website, Google Maps Navigation will soon have a full-blown offline mode. Late last year, with the introduction of Google Maps 5.0 for Android, GMN moved to vector graphics and improved route caching. But this new capability would allow you to plug in a destination while outside of cell range, which means that some maps and associated data would always be cached on your device.
I imagine that a lot of our readers are trying out their smartphones in the backcountry, using mapping applications for navigation. One of the problems with this (and there are several), is that few things will drain your battery faster than your phone searching for a signal where there is none, or where reception is marginal.
The SPOT Connect
Here’s a brief video review of Navigon’s MobileNavigator Android app:
Wow, how much can the mobile navigation market change in just a couple of days? Following Garmin’s announcement yesterday that they will develop navigation apps for multiple platforms, Navigon reveals that they are bringing MobileNavigator to the US Android marketplace. I thought perhaps that TomTom had decided to take on the free Google Maps Navigation juggernaut last week, but (as suspected) it turns out that they are only providing maps for HTC, and not navigation. So Navigon becomes the first top-tier navigation app maker to go mano-a-mano with Google, to see if folks will pony up or settle for what the search giant gives us for free.
Peak.AR is a free augmented reality app for the Android and iPhone platforms, that allows you to identify distant peaks by simply pointing your phone’s camera at them. Pretty cool huh?
My Tracks is a free Android app that allows you to record and share GPS tracks. Incredibly easy to use, it layers your track onto Google Maps or satellite view (as shown above). Getting the track off your phone is as simple as saving the track, selecting the drop down More button and then Share with Friends, which gives you the options shown below at right. The GPX and KML options attach the file to an email; I love how easy it is to send a track to my computer this way. You can also create waypoints (“markers”) with the app. My Tracks is not a navigation app, but it is a great way to share locations and check the GPS accuracy of your Android phone. I’ve included the QR code below, so you can use a bar code scanner to download the app.
Not the nav app you’re looking for
Google Maps Navigation (referred to hereafter as GMN) is a free navigation app for Android version 1.6+ phones in the U.S. I bought the Motorola Droid
One important thing to be aware of — this is a beta application. Google has been known to keep their products in beta for a long time, but this one is pretty new and the beta label definitely applies.
The first part of my review is basically a tutorial, walking you through the interface, and offering useful tips. For my overall take, head on down to the conclusion.
