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Provides: Turn by turn GPS navigation
Developer: Navigon
Requirements: iPhone OS 3.0+
Compatibility: iPhone 3G or 3GS only
Size: 1.29 GB
Price: $69.99 though August 15th (regularly $99.99)
Availability: Now
Version Reviewed: 1.0.0

Ever since Apple added GPS as a feature of the iPhone 3G, consumers have (wrongfully) assumed that this meant turn by turn navigation. Finally, Apple is now allowing turn-by-turn GPS navigation apps on the app store with iPhone OS 3.0 and above. And it didn’t take long to find a real winner in this category. Navigon’s MobileNavigator is a superb choice for turn by turn navigation, even without waiting to see what others will produce in the future.

Navigon is not necessarily the most well known name is GPS navigation, but if you’ve been in a Best Buy or something similar in the past year or so, you may have seen one of their GPS units for sale.  They’ve taken the software present in those GPS units and ported it to iPhone OS 3.0.  It comes with all the standard GPS stuff, like a simple interface, voice guidance (no speaking of street names yet), 2D and pseudo 3D maps (using NAVTEQ map data), lane assist, tons of POIs and so, so, so much more.  Of course, you can set all kinds of settings too, like fastest or shortest route, avoid tolls, Home address, day/night map etc.

But what made me instantly fall in love with this app, is that it feels like more than just a port.  You can tell it was made with the iPhone in mind.  The menus and text input all make use of the standard iPhone UI elements.  Changing between sections of the menu, inputing text and tapping buttons all feels and looks the way it should on the iPhone.  It has access to your contacts, so you can find a person (in the app) in your address book and have the route calculated without having to type in the address the old fashion way.  Oh yeah, I feel like I have to mention that it supports both Portrait and Landscape display, though I hardly view that as a feature.  I always assume it’s broken if it doesn’t work in both landscape and portrait.

The app performs very well.  Routes are calculated very quickly, and if you don’t listen to its directions all the time, it will recalculate the route without skipping a beat and get you headed back in the right direction.  Routing is extremely accurate; you’d have to be very familiar with where you are to be routed any better, if that’s even possible.  The display of the map is quite beautiful.  POI pop up with appropriate icons all over the map.  They even have the logos of Walgreens and every fast food chain you can think of.  If you’re just cruising around trying to figure out what’s close by, this is a great feature to help you find something to do or eat.

The app even fails gracefully.  Instead of having your location jump all over the place (I’m looking at you G-MAPS), Mobile Navigator just turns the menu red and says GPS when its signal is essentially garbage.  Then, when the signal comes back, it starts navigating again.  It should be noted that this is not Navigon’s fault.  The iPhone does not receive the best or most reliable GPS signal, which may be one of the reasons that Apple was reluctant to allow GPS navigation.  That said, I’ve experienced little to no issues with MobileNavigator, so I wouldn’t worry as much as TomTom would like you to.

About the only thing this app doesn’t do is speak the names of streets.  It will do numbered highways, but not street names.  I’m not sure why they didn’t include this; it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, but never fear, it’s coming in a future update hopefully sometime this year (app updates are free, though I doubt that map updates are included).  Either way, the maps are beautiful, and the voiced directions are good enough that you don’t absolutely need to be told the name of the street you’re turning on anyway.  Heck, the thing even accurately displays what your exits look like, no matter how complicated, and tells you which lanes are safe for you to be in.  I was very impressed.

It’s amazing how this app really feels like a mature iPhone app even though it’s version 1.0.0 and it’s only been available for a short time.  I struggled to find much of anything I didn’t like about the app, although I managed to find a few nitpicky things.  I wish there was a way to paste an address that you may have found in Safari.  Actually, I wish Apple would allow you to change the app that handles addresses that are clicked anywhere in the iPhone OS.  Until that happens (never) you’ll have to either create a contact and use the contact feature, or just copy it and enter it in piece by piece into this app’s address entry.  Not horrible.

Overall, Navigon’s MobileNavigator is the best GPS solution I’ve yet tried for the iPhone.  The app feels and looks like it’s tailored to the iPhone.  It just works.  The navigation is trustworthy, and the app itself is beautiful.  There isn’t much more you could ask for in a navigation app.  The only real competitor to Mobile Navigator is the TomTom app and cradle that are due to the App Store in the not-too-distant future.  But even still, I would venture a guess that this app will be cheaper than TomTom’s, especially when you factor in the cradle, but just as functional.  Perhaps the cradle will increase GPS sensitivity, but this is app is awesome (and available now, a large selling point).

PS.  If you act quick, you can pick up Navigon’s MobileNavigator North America for $69.99 before August 15th, 2010.