SatNav software roundup

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So since moving to Android I have been trying to find "the perfect satnav" - but so far I've not had much luck and I find myself chopping and changing between the several that are available.

I'm used to TomTom Navigator 7 on Windows Mobile, which although was very basic, worked very well and did most things I needed. Unfortunately I can't seem to find the right balance on Android.

In researching this, I thought it would be useful to write up a quick post on the pros and cons I have found with each - and maybe others can throw in their 2 cents and other ideas - as well as hopefully suggestions on how I can get the most out of it.

So lets get started!

1. Google Maps Navigation

This is my joint favourite at the moment. The very best feature is that I can google search for an address, postcode or even place name and it will find it and get me there (though sometimes it's not too accurate!). I also like that once you arrive at the destination it will load up a StreetView picture of what I am supposed to be looking for - which is a really neat feature.
Obviously the disadvantages are that it gobbles up data, and that it's not exactly the most advanced in terms of features. Basic SatNav stuff like Points of Interest, Favourites and Speed Cameras are missing - which makes me somewhat sad. Also the UI, while very clean and functional, is missing some key items I have come to expect.

2. HTC Locations

This had a lot of potential, but it's unfortunately completely ruined by a couple of issues. Better start with the Pros. Obvious one is cached maps. Also the compass support, ease of access to maps and the ability to use google search are big plusses. However, it's seriously hampered by the lack of Postcode Lookup. Such a basic and well-used feature lacking from a SatNav product is just plain unacceptable. Also the "Footprints" system of favourites is pretty horrible to use and I can't see why having a basic faves system that actually works isn't implemented.
The "online store" for obtaining new maps and features is flaky at best. I don't know if I have done it wrong, but traffic information is non-existent, speed cameras didn't seem to load properly and because of this I am reluctant to spend any more cash on it due to the risk that it might not work!

3. Sygic Aura

A relative newcomer, I quite like the menus and the road display. Has all the sort of support I would expect, with speed cameras and the like available if required. Postcode Lookup and an interesting POI system exist too.
However, the biggest issue I have with this is the fruity routes it tries to take me down. Again I don't know if I've done it wrong, but on a trip from Birmingham to Poole, it completely avoided the motorways and I could not find a way to get it to use them. Bit of a let down as this could have been a good one.

4. Navigon

I don't give this enough credit, and I think it's probably because of the UI. In reality this is a very capable SatNav solution. It has good points of interest, good favourites, contact search, built-in google search. It also has a very nice routing engine and offers you up to 3 choices for your route, along with a recommendation. The safety camera support, however, is pretty poor (and doesn't support popular 3rd party databases like a lot of others do). The UI, like I say, is the biggest issue though. A questionable black and orange scheme with randomly low resolution icons. The main navigation display is very bare and seems to only be able to display one piece of information at once, so to switch between speed and arrival time, you need to touch the screen, which is not good at all.

5. CoPilot

This is my other joint favourite. CoPilot has a pretty comprehensive UI, support for POI, favourites, postcode lookup and also web search (not sure what engine it uses though). It also does support external safety camera databases (though importing them is a bit of a headache - due to a bug in CoPilot it seems). The routing is average, and does tend to sometimes send me along a strange route. The navigation display is quite good, and is the closest to what I would like from a SatNav on Android, but still not perfect. In fact, it's a little too advanced. There seems to be a bit of clutter and the menus appear as overlays rather than whole screens which means things are a bit more fiddly to press. Again, you can really only display 2 pieces of information at once, which is better than most but still a bit annoying.
I have had it lock up on me a few times as well, which is horrible in busy city centres when you are taking lots of turns.
One other thing worth mentioning is that the keyboard entry is buggy, and does not support holding down on letters to get numbers (detects it as 2 presses of that letter instead) with the Sense keyboard.

Any comments, tips, amendments, ideas or suggestions are welcome!

news from htc

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Hi, I've had the same issue, trying to find a sat nav app... if it weren't for the fact that it gobbled data I would use google nav!

I've been using HTC locations which is nice apart from the fact that it won't let me use a postcode, becoming rather frustrated I fired off a grumpy email to HTC only to get a friendly reply advising me that postcode lookup is a feature that will be added in a future update.

Once we get this update I'll pay the full fee as it integrates so well with the phone when receiving calls etc.

Hope that helps

Thank your for your guide!

I am currently testing CoPilot Live 8.2, Navigon 3.5.3 and Sygic 2.0 (don't have the latest version unfortunately). Here are my initial views:

CoPilot Live 8
My impression of CoPilot is not that good. The user interface is way too advanced and complicated. Navigating through the menus takes a long time to learn (compared to the others at least), and is not very intuitive. There are several ways to reach the same settings, and it makes the configuration very complex. It has very annoying voice guidance in Norwegian. The voice starts almost every sentence with "Just ahead". Navigation interface is ok, but the information bar icons in landscape mode are too small. The deal breaker for me however is that, out of the three, it does the worst job in guiding you. I was unable to configure CoPilot to choose the optimal route from home to work. No matter which settings I tried I was always directed through downtown instead of using the ringways (No motorways allowed?). It also seems that the maps are a little imprecise. When driving home I arrived at my destination 500 meteres before I was home. (Navigon in this test was spot on, giving me notice as I'm driving into the garage.) On the plus side it has the best POI functionality of all apps I have tested!

Navigon
Navigon may lack some features, but it works, and even though the interface is simple, it is my preferred solution as of today. I like that it gives me a choice of which route to take before starting. Navigation seems reliable and instructions are given in good time so you don't miss your exit. Navigon is well integrated with contacts, so choosing a contact and navigation to him/her is easy. POI functionality is OK, but integration in navigation mode is not the best. It does however have good search functionality, which includes Google Search, and it gets positive remarks for reality scanner. Navigation interface is a little boring and there is no full screen view (status bars on top and bottom make the navigation window smaller than Sygic's full screen) Voice directions language is not configurable, it just uses system language, which is bad for me since I'm using English. It’s just to annoying to hear an english voice guide me thorugh Norwegian street names.

Sygic Aura
Sygic Aura has, by far, the best graphical interface in navigation mode. Menus are simple but functional, unfortunately it also has some issues with selecting the optimal route, but it does a better job than CoPilot. I don't like that I have to choose default route calculation in settings (Fastest, shortest or most economical), not for each trip, as it sometimes gives questionable route suggestions, and navigation through the city proved to be unreliable as it tried to guide me the wrong direction in a one-way street! Very good lane assistant, and information bar shows everything you need. Tunnel simulation is also very good. Voice guidance is the best of the three. Nice POI features, but slightly inferior to CoPilot. All in all it would have been my preferred solution, if it didn’t fail in route selection. (My hopes are that Sygic will solve navigation issues and add the possibility to choose optimum route before starting your journey) Please note that I used version 2.0 in this test. Latest version is 2.1.2.

Google Navigation is not available in Norway, besides, I don't have an unlimited data plan, so I am dependant on an offline navigation solution.

I have not tested extensively, so I cannot comment on how well these solution recalculates routes, integrates with phone features if you receive a call or performs over time. However, the short tests are done as similar as possible between the three, with the same routes, time of day, and with the same planned detours.

Conclusion
For now I will stick to Navigon, but I will not uninstall Sygic, as updates may fix the problems I experienced. The best from both would have been a perfect solution!

P.S. NDrive 10 was also briefly tested, first impressions was not good: User- and navigation interface was bad, even worse than Navigon in my opinion. Route calculation was similar to CoPilot, so not the best there either. I didn't like it at all, so I uninstalled after a short test drive.

P.P.S Heres is my other thread about SatNav software. No reviews here, but a nice poll
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=874988

Hello,
Why did nobody talk about iGo myWay?

For me the most important is map quality. I mean, lack of secondary roads or small streets.

I have tested Locations, iGo, Sygic and copilot. In Switzerland and France, copilot has very bad maps, a lot of streets missing. Locations has also incomplete maps. Sygic has good maps and iGo the most complete.

Second quality is the ease of reading :
Sygic Aura is the best (a little like TomTom on windows) . Important informations on one glance.
igo has a very big keyboard. it can be useful.

Betelgeuse74, I have Sigic Aura 2.1 and a lot of bugs has been corrected. You can program a very complicated itinerary. the problem is how to save it if you want to use it later : you have to use a file manager and save a file called "itinerar.dat" which is destroyed each time you create a new itinerary (I spoke about it in the other thread : here
it is very useful for me as biker. I never take highways. I organize complicated itineraries including beautiful sceneries.

I'm sure it must be possible to do the same with iGo, as I have not yet investigated the subject.

Thanks for your input.

iGo is unfortunately not available in Android Market in Norway, so I have not been able to test.

I'd like to try it too, but I can't see it in Market either...

I have tried Sygic Aura which I think has too low resolution in menus. The bad integration with contacts is pretty bad as well. Navigate to picture seamed nice, but didn’t work.

Navigon is what I’m using right now. Good contact integration is the best feature.
But I don’t like the low resolution, blurred maps and that I cant pinch-to-zoom.
(3.5.2 seems ti fix a few low resolution icons.)

CoPilot looks really nice and has nice UI. The minus here is that I cant change UI colour. RED/BLUE doesn’t feel right. Id like a black or a more "designish" colour. Seems

Used Sygic as a test today on my way to work, and decided to drive the route it suggested.
I have configured it to use the quickest route, but I ended up using double the time compared to the route Navigon recommends.

Sygic gets me where I want to go, and in the end that is what's important. Hopefully future releases will improve route calculation, because this is my only real complaint with Sygic.

Navigon is still my favourite, because in spite of lacking a few features, it is very solid and easy to use, and I agree with contact integration. Also I just love the Google Search integration. Yesterday I searched for a store I was going to, and it lead me right there, with no detours on the way (yeah, I knew where I was going )

So far it's seeming like Aura would be everyone's top choice if it wasn't for it's utterly obscure route-planning!

Hopefully someone from Sygic is paying attention and they can get it sorted!

Originally Posted by dazultra2000

So far it's seeming like Aura would be everyone's top choice if it wasn't for it's utterly obscure route-planning

...and the delay to choose contacts . about 45 sec. for 900 contacts... (it is instant with Google Maps!)