Nav4all is a recent app for the N80. Here it is. Like Wayfinder it is completely based on downloading maps and info via 3G/gprs only when you need it. It's not like Tomtom or Route 66 which have maps on the memory card.
Wayfinder costs about �149 for one continent (you only pay once though, even though traffic info may cost monthly if you want that) while Nav4all actually is free! They say that this is to get many customers and in the future you may have "to pay us a small annual fee" although not even that is 100% so. I haven't tried Wayfinder since S60 3rd v3 (where it of course was unusable because of the bluetooth bug). Nav4all in 3rd v 4 works perfeclty with the bluetooth/GPS and I suspect there's no bluetooth problem with Wayfinder either now.
In summary, Nav4all works and is free. You choose both display language and voice files language (those who direct you) and can change later. The Swedish male language is neutral so, as a Swede, you don't have to get upset with the Stockholm dialect. You can find where you are (on map and by lat/long, height etc) and you can calculate a route and will get (voice and graphic) directions.
There are some quirks. it has more than once a problem creating maps in different situations. I have had to restart the program and certain thing I have never succeeded in. If you decide to move the cursor on the map outside the current map, you are asked if you want to download next page. There is no fluent movement whatsoever. And if you want to go back, it has forgotten everything and you have to download again. If you follow navigation instructions on Wayfinder, the map will nicely gradually move also; I suspect this isn't the case with Nav4all...
Someone said that Nav4all uses Navteq information in maps. Well, with S60 3rd v4, you now have a Navteq map app in "Search" and those graphics and that smooth map cursoring is what Nav4all _should_ be. Also moving the cursor is much slower in Nav4all. Of course it (the Navteq app built into S60) doesn't have GPS capability though.
Both Nav4all and Wayfinder seem to have two graphic options while navigating the actual route. There is a demo on Wayfinder.com and it looks a bit nicer but does the exact same job, it seems. The simple arrow navigation mode looks really boring/crude on Nav4all with one big black arrow and distance in meters/feet below.
Nav4all doesn't have a helpdesk and it's that way that they can keep down their costs so that the app still is free. There's much more to explore (there are many functions and options in the menus) about the Nav4all, but this was a start.
Good comparison... I tried both 4, on friends phones and with trial of wayfinder and keep with Nav4all (on N70)..., but for me, the more user friendly of that 4 is Tomtom. Not the best maps of my area, but the program itself, is the most intuitive of all. Wayfinder, for me is the worst of 4. I don�t like at all.
I am also currently trying both Nav4all and Wayfinder. Bluetooth does seem to work fine now with v4 firmware.
I find Nav4all has numerous bugs (probably why it's still free), and is not very intuitive. Freezes, error messages, etc..
If wayfinder worked I'd quite like it, but it already tried to make me go right at a no right hand turn, and has frozen on several occasions over a one day period. If I'd paid for it I'd be very dissapointed, so will uninstall after trial period is over.
Will no doubt end up going for route66.....
"I find Nav4all has numerous bugs (probably why it's still free), and is not very intuitive. Freezes, error messages, etc.." I could have written that sentence myself. The good part is that the clearcut bugs are the things developers often work with quite early in the process. So I hope for solutions.
I tried Nav4all some more tonight and it really is a complete GPS navigation program (even with its faults). Wayfinder has to explain carefully what exactly we get for those extra €149. I might add that the GPS module I use is a Nokia LD-3W which is Nokia's latest, eg. using bluetooth 2.0 (we can only use 1.2 on our phones though).
I lost the bluetooth connection once tonight. Mostly, the problem instead seemed to be that at several occasions Nav4all didn't accept that the GPS module had any interesting GPS data to give Nav4all (and yes, I was outside!). And then all those maps that should have appeared but instead gave error messages... At one point I also had a problem with the GPS/Nav4all claiming that I was about 50-60 m from where I actually was. This was a consistent error over time in that particular street where I was. Some other surprising location errors (100-150 m wrong, took more than one minute to correct it) also occurred.
Finally, playing with GPS and Nav4all almost drained my N80 battery in about three hours. This could be a real problem in the future.
One more note: GPS really is very very cool. You can do so many fun things with it. In one place, I could pinpoint the bar and walk around and see how far I was from the bar. It was useful after a couple of pints. 😉 On my way home, I could see how fast the busdriver had gone when fastest. I tried to see the rivers that go under/close to the highway, which I've never thought of before. I've learnt several street names tonight. I could see how high up my busstop is and how many meters up I have to go to get from the busstop to my home which is clearly higher (almost a hill). GPS and navigation should always be truly mobile. Having it stuck in your car is only a limited use of this fun invention. Nav4all uses all of our 416 x 352 pixels and I thank them for that. I don't think I would want an ordinary 320 x 240 pixel phone (like the N93) again.
cmlewan wrote:"I find Nav4all has numerous bugs (probably why it's still free), and is not very intuitive. Freezes, error messages, etc.." I could have written that sentence myself. The good part is that the clearcut bugs are the things developers often work with quite early in the process. So I hope for solutions.I tried Nav4all some more tonight and it really is a complete GPS navigation program (even with its faults). Wayfinder has to explain carefully what exactly we get for those extra �149. I might add that the GPS module I use is a Nokia LD-3W which is Nokia's latest, eg. using bluetooth 2.0 (we can only use 1.2 on our phones though).
I lost the bluetooth connection once tonight. Mostly, the problem instead seemed to be that at several occasions Nav4all didn't accept that the GPS module had any interesting GPS data to give Nav4all (and yes, I was outside!). And then all those maps that should have appeared but instead gave error messages... At one point I also had a problem with the GPS/Nav4all claiming that I was about 50-60 m from where I actually was. This was a consistent error over time in that particular street where I was. Some other surprising location errors (100-150 m wrong, took more than one minute to correct it) also occurred.
Finally, playing with GPS and Nav4all almost drained my N80 battery in about three hours. This could be a real problem in the future.
With that kind of programs, it depends from to connections, network and bluetooth, we never now where is the fail, tha GPS antena, or the network coverage.
if a program like, Tomtom or Route fail in location, is a GPS fail, lost of coverture, because the correct maps are always there.
cmlewan wrote:Finally, playing with GPS and Nav4all almost drained my N80 battery in about three hours. This could be a real problem in the future.
Hi,
Every Nokia N series I have used so far only gets around 3 hours of GPS app use from a fully charged battery.
(Compare this with a Windows CE handheld device - my workmate only get around 90 minutes TomTom GPS use on a fully charged battery).
Considering all the complaints raised about the N80 battery, it's surprising that it lasts the SAME amount of time with GPS apps as all previous N series models.
This makes me wonder if the N80 uses a too much power in standby, but only uses the same amount of power as all previous N series phones when running apps.
Dez 😉