Hi, I've decided to go with a GPS navigation app for my iPhone while driving in Italy. I can't get a GPS Unit from my Car Rental service due to non-availability at the pickup point and as I am not a resident of the US for other online suppliers. The options that have recieved positive reviews seem to be Navigon, TomTom and Magellan for the iPhone. (I need to be able to store the Maps on my phone so I don't have to rely on 3G, so the free Google Maps is off the table.) Two questions: (1) If anyone has used it, how does GPS navigation on Smartphones compare to a standalone device? (2) Has anyone used Navigon, TomTom or Magellan? Any recommendations? Hope someone can help. I'll post a review of my experience once I get back anyway if it may be of use to someone later on. Thanks! This is a followup from a previous question by me ( https://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm/rurl/topic/101276/possible-to-rent-only-a-gps-unit-to-be-picked-up-in-rome.html ). I hope it isn't against forum rules or etiquette, but I'm posting this under a new topic as it's a different area I think.
Posted by
Dallas
1022 posts
I used the TomTom UK app in England last year. It performed as well as a GPS unit. I would expect the Italian and European apps to work well, too. An advantage of the app is that maps are automatically updated at no cost.
Posted by
OP
Colombo
5 posts
Thanks fro your reply Tex. Actually I'm struggling to choose between Navigon and TomTom... The advantages of Navigon from what I can see are: * You don't have to download the entire Maps database with Navigon (1.5+ GB). It lets you download what you want. Very useful for someone with just an 8GB iPhone 4... * You can use google search to destinations. * Generally better reviews than for TomTom. The advantages of TomTom are: * Lots more POIs (at least from what I can gather.) * Free Map updates.
* Currently TomTom is offering a 20% discount which makes the TomTom App for Europe $5 cheaper than the Navigon App for Italy alone... (I won't be traveling to Europe again though in the near future so it doesn't make a huge difference to me)
Posted by
Gaston, Oregon, USA
931 posts
Anisha, why don't you buy a used unit on EBay (loaded with the maps you need), learn to use it at home, and sell it when you get home?
Posted by
OP
Colombo
5 posts
Steve, the problem there is that I'm not sure if it'll make it past customs after its shipped and how much I would have to pay as duty to get it released to me. Since I'm leaving in just over a week, I don't want to take a chance on it.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, US
8 posts
we used navigon and it was mostly fine. This was in 2011, so it might have gotten better. 2 things were annoying: 1. walking around the old cities, in between old buildings with very little line of sight to the sky, we found the GPS didn't always provide accurate location info. 2. we couldn't seem to get directions to a place from our current location. we always had to specify a city and then the GPS would first take us to the city and then on our way. that was actually pretty annoying. if you had a data plan, i would highly (HIGHLY) recommend Waze (http://www.waze.com). In fact, use it at home. It's free on ios. And it's awesome (and fun too). It's way better than google maps because it has turn by turn directions. AND it's crowdsourced, so a lot of the information on traffic, road hazards, etc. comes from the users in real time. It's a pretty damn cool app.