US tech blog Engadget has done a head to head of GPS navigation and maps of the leading contenders in the US, namely Google Maps, Ovi Maps and VZ Navigator for Windows Mobile and Blackberry. Google Maps comes out on top with some very strange caveats (“if you're staying domestic and won't need to be navigating out of any coverage gaps, its hard to find fault in Google Nav&rdquo😉 but its worth reading the whole article to get a balanced view.
Read on in the full article.
Has no-one realised that Google Maps does not need a continuous connection to provide route guidance? I have successfully negotiated the Scottish Highlands, with little or no internet connection en route, using only Google Maps.
Having a good connection at the start of my journey, Google Maps had no problem laying out my route as a purple line on the map. For most of the trip I had no connection, and hence the map was a blank, - but it still showed the purple line and it showed my position as a blue dot. All I had to do was keep the latter top of the former. No connection = no problem!
Golux
I only know OVI maps and Google Maps and have to say that I will stick with Nokia and Ovi maps on my 5800. Until Nokia announced free navigation, I was starting to look around at other device platforms but they have kept me because of this decision (and the hugely important offline maps). I can always use Google Maps for S60 as a secondary option (like the 'missing' public transport option). I'm impressed by Google's voice control but it's not a deal breaker for me.
The 5800 might stay with me more than the interim/second-to-N82 device it was intended. It's actually become my primary device. I do miss a movie player, internet radio app and a better camera, but overall I have a great bit of inexpensive but capable kit in my pocket.
Unregistered wrote:Has no-one realised that Google Maps does not need a continuous connection to provide route guidance? I have successfully negotiated the Scottish Highlands, with little or no internet connection en route, using only Google Maps.
Having a good connection at the start of my journey, Google Maps had no problem laying out my route as a purple line on the map. For most of the trip I had no connection, and hence the map was a blank, - but it still showed the purple line and it showed my position as a blue dot. All I had to do was keep the latter top of the former. No connection = no problem!
Golux
That's a really awful botch. Why don't they just do it properly?
You've gotta laugh at Engadget, those staunchly patriotic all-American boys. Blind to the reality that's out there in the world, they will fight to the death for their beloved American tech - iPhone and Android, even though these platforms are niche, very expensive, and limited in so many ways. I pity our poor American cousins who are led by the hype to believe that iPhone and Android are actually better at something in which Nokia has blown all the competition.
The fact of the matter is - the stark truth - is that a brand new Nokia touchscreen smartphone with full lifetime free Maps and Nav (etc) can be had for under �100 off contract. This puts this tech in reach of millions who could otherwise not afford the overpriced and limited iPhone and Android platforms. And ironically in all ways Nokia is superior, apart from slightly less availability of pointless apps, and a slightly slower UI responsiveness. Otherwise Nokia and Symbian beat all comers hands down.
I don't think they are being "super-patriotic." They appeal to an American audience, and therefore their recommendations are geared toward Americans. For the most part, Google fits the bill better. The fact of the matter is that Nokia has tried to sell phones for years in the US, and every time they say how they are recommitting to the US they keep on losing market share.
Notably, Google will provide public transportation directions to a location. That makes it useful in places like NYC for those who don't have a car. Ovi Maps has gotten better, and its offline maps are a huge bonus (one that hopefully Google will match with a future software update), but Google tends to have better information for those of us stateside who can get a decent connection.
Anyway, the Symbian^1 UI is more than just "slightly slower." It is very confusing, hence the reason it is being overhauled. The hardware is also underpowered, and the integration with other applications just isn't there (e.g. between contacts, calendars, and maps).
Here is a snippet of the Engadget conclusion:
"But, if you're staying domestic and won't need to be navigating out of any coverage gaps, it's hard to find fault in Google Nav. Its traffic and congestion avoidance is not the best, but it is by far the most intuitive to use, has the most comprehensive suite of destinations, and it presents the UI that we found easiest to parse at a glance -- important when you're driving. It isn't perfect, and we hope that side-loading maps and international navigation are features high on some Google engineer's to-do list, but when we had all three phones charged and we needed one to get us where we're going, the one packing Android was what we reached for."
I agree in particular with the UI comment. Using a GPS is a distraction in itself. The UI should not create a further distraction.
Unregistered wrote:You've gotta laugh at Engadget, those staunchly patriotic all-American boys. Blind to the reality that's out there in the world, they will fight to the death for their beloved American tech - iPhone and Android, even though these platforms are niche, very expensive, and limited in so many ways. I pity our poor American cousins who are led by the hype to believe that iPhone and Android are actually better at something in which Nokia has blown all the competition.The fact of the matter is - the stark truth - is that a brand new Nokia touchscreen smartphone with full lifetime free Maps and Nav (etc) can be had for under �100 off contract. This puts this tech in reach of millions who could otherwise not afford the overpriced and limited iPhone and Android platforms. And ironically in all ways Nokia is superior, apart from slightly less availability of pointless apps, and a slightly slower UI responsiveness. Otherwise Nokia and Symbian beat all comers hands down.
Bugger off, snotty Eurotrash! We have our N97 NAM, 5800XM, E72 here as well, and there's really a reason it does so poorly in the US - the phone experience was utter crap out of the gates. So crappy, that I'm positive that even if it's offered for free after subsidies, no one will pick it, because ppl who want a free phone simply wants a phone that actually work, and ppl who are willing to pay for a phone would have researched enough to find out that Nokia phones are utter garbage without heavy fixing! The E71 was probably the best S60 phone in recent times, but it's hardly representative of S60 offerings. And even that looks ancient.
I'm sorry if you Europeans still are taxing eachother to death on cell data usage across the country borders, but at least over here in the US, we have pretty awesome ubiquitous data coverage across state borders. Until Nokia announced free Maps, it was about to be laughed off the races. And after using Android and iPhone OS 3, I have to admit, my N97 looks like a dinosaur. I've only stuck with the N97 because I'm still waiting for the Android to reach AT&T, refuse to go to Verizon (but know many happy friends on it), and hate T-Mobile. The reason why we Americans are happy with the choices is our choices work best where ever we go in the US, which is a rather large area. When I was living in Europe, I started getting charged the minute I crossed borders out of London. The only reason Google hasn't put offline maps is obviously legal, not technical. The Linux and BSD based OS' and their clean UI beats the pants of off Symbian right now, and you know it!!! God, look at your 2nd to last line in your response. It sounds so pathetic and apologetic!! I still have faith in Nokia to get their act together, which is why I have their stock now, but not for the same snobby and irrelevant reasons you have!
When you 'crossed borders out of London'? To where? Wildest Surrey?? You do realise that's still the same country, right?
Brendan Donegan wrote:When you 'crossed borders out of London'? To where? Wildest Surrey?? You do realise that's still the same country, right?
a clueless fanboy as always brandon. I'm talking about when i goto paris, barcelona, salzburg, and other euro countries. All within those fun �1 deals from easyjet in the past or across the eurostar. All charge me on top of my plan in the past. At least when i went from NY to California or florida, I stay within in my plan.
I have several GPS nav devices at my disposal, and guess which one I reach for when I need "one to get me where I am going" (did they really write that!!?).
Answer: Yep, you guessed it, the TomTom. �50, pisses over any phone based satnav.
EVEN when there is a good connection with Google, I can see the map trying to keep up, and much grey screen. It is awful, Google Maps is the WORST nav software currently on the market bar none. Until the maps can be pre-installed then it is a lame duck.
KPOM, said that Nokia phone UI (Symbian^1) is confusing. I suggest that is only true to the already confused. If you are confused by an S60 phone then you are basically a bit thick to start with. S60 is not very good compared to later user interfaces, but it's not difficult to use or confusing. The reason it is being overhauled is because it has been left behind by much better UIs developed on other platforms and needs to catch up.
Unregistered wrote:a clueless fanboy as always brandon. I'm talking about when i goto paris, barcelona, salzburg, and other euro countries. All within those fun �1 deals from easyjet in the past or across the eurostar. All charge me on top of my plan in the past. At least when i went from NY to California or florida, I stay within in my plan.
Evidently you didn't do your research and get the right plan or bolt on for europe travel
Unregistered wrote:
KPOM, said that Nokia phone UI (Symbian^1) is confusing. I suggest that is only true to the already confused. If you are confused by an S60 phone then you are basically a bit thick to start with. S60 is not very good compared to later user interfaces, but it's not difficult to use or confusing. The reason it is being overhauled is because it has been left behind by much better UIs developed on other platforms and needs to catch up.
Having items buried deep within menus is confusing. Constantly being prompted to give the OS "permission" to do basic tasks (which happens all the time in S60) is confusing. Having certain navigation features within Ovi Maps and others within the phone setup menus is confusing. Not being able to click on an address in a Calendar entry or Contact to find directions is confusing. This is particularly true when using the phone as a GPS device.
Symbian^1 is the Vista of mobile operating systems. Nokia hopes that Symbian^4 is the Windows 7, but we don't know for sure whether they have succeeded until it actually comes out. Symbian^1 has a lot of flexibility, and sometimes I do miss it, but at the same time, its UI needs a lot of work.
Unregistered wrote:Having items buried deep within menus is confusing. Constantly being prompted to give the OS "permission" to do basic tasks (which happens all the time in S60) is confusing. Having certain navigation features within Ovi Maps and others within the phone setup menus is confusing. Not being able to click on an address in a Calendar entry or Contact to find directions is confusing. This is particularly true when using the phone as a GPS device..
I am not confused by any of that. It is not as easy to do as some other OSes, but still simple enough. People do have a tendency to exaggerate, but I would suggest being confused is a fault of the user not the phone. If an option is buried deep in a menu, it doesn't confuse, it's justs a bit harder to get to. I think a more appropriate word is "inconvenient".
What other OS is better at this?
An iPhone?
Home Screen -> Settings -> General -> Network -> Cellular Data Network
to get to your APN?
Unregistered wrote:An iPhone?
Home Screen -> Settings -> General -> Network -> Cellular Data Network
to get to your APN?
Indeed and on your way to finding the APN definition a user may have chosen to look down the WiFi and and Carrier menu paths looking for the APN definition on an iPhone.
if you're staying domestic and won't need to be navigating out of any coverage gaps, its hard to find fault in Google Nav
The best satnav app for a tiny minority of the world population (those in the US who never venture far along or off an Interstate). What a sucky self centred conclusion. That's almost nobody.
I can find fault, having tried it in a good coverage area in the US I can tell you that the map tiles don't always appear instantly and you frequently have to watch the map catch up with the route - especially if you are moving fast.
And in some emergency situations local cells often get overloaded. Relying on a connection is just not good enough. Google will acknowledge this, by fixing it in a later release.
Bugger off, snotty Eurotrash! We have our N97 NAM, 5800XM, E72 here as well, and there's really a reason it does so poorly in the US - the phone experience was utter crap out of the gates. So crappy, that I'm positive that even if it's offered for free after subsidies, no one will pick it, because ppl who want a free phone simply wants a phone that actually work, and ppl who are willing to pay for a phone would have researched enough to find out that Nokia phones are utter garbage without heavy fixing! The E71 was probably the best S60 phone in recent times, but it's hardly representative of S60 offerings. And even that looks ancient.
Yes, maybe in the high end, but we�re talking only about 3% of americans that bought an iPhone last year, what about the rest? And if the "phone experience" was everything, how do you explain why Palm has sold so miserably - despite I may add all the praise from tech bloggers etc? Maybe it has more to do with brand (Apple has a lot of loyal customers) and distrubition/carriers. And is the "phone experience" on the blackberries really that much better than on Nokia�s E-series? Sure in the US Blackberries are for various reasons more popular, but this is not so in the rest of the world.
I�d also like to mention that Nokia N97 on amazon.com (mostly US purchasers) has a 3.5 out of 5 star rating. This is a decent rating, somewhere between average and good. It isn�t excellent, and those that expected the device to be awesome was disappointed. But if the reception in the US was really as bad as you portay it to be, then you�d expect the 5800, N97 etc to have maybe 1.5 or 2 out of 5 star ratings. But this isn�t the case. Not on amazon, not on other review sites.
Also you have to separate tech bloggers, phone geeks, basement and garage dwellers and ... really to some extent people on the internet as a whole (which may not represent the average opinion among the population) - many of these people have been obsessed with the User Interface. But for a lot of people maybe simply good phone function/quality, battery, maybe some decent Map functionality, a good camera with flash, some web browsing, maybe a Facebook app etc, and especially price, may be what really matters. For some people simply the difference between a good and a poor camera may be the most decisive factor.
Also, on amazon.com, many Nokia devices are on the bestseller list for unlocked phones (N900 at present is number one).