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Provides: GPS navigation
Developer: TomTom
Minimum Requirements: iPhone 3G/3GS and iPhone OS 3.0+
Price: $99.99
Availability: Now
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Size: 1.21 GB

What’s the first name that comes to mind when you think of GPS navigation? Likely TomTom, after all, they are known for GPS devices. But what about iPhone apps? Let’s take a look at how TomTom’s iPhone navigation app compares to the other big names in navigation on the App Store.

TomTom’s main competition on the App Store is Navigon.  While there are others available, they pail in comparison to the features and performance of these two.  If you’ve been following my GPS reviews, you already know I’ve fallen in love with almost everything about Navigon’s iPhone nav app.  It’s only natural to expect TomTom’s app to perform better and have more features than Navigon’s to justify its price premium.  So, does it?

In short, no.  But before you think your app choice has been made for you, hold your horses.  There’s more to say; much more, especially if you’re considering a navigation app and haven’t purchased one yet.

TomTom’s app has all of the standard features that a navigation app should have.  It has tons of POI (points of interest), routing options, voice prompted directions, and most importantly, it will get you from point A to point B.  Actually, TomTom claims to have superior directions since they use something called IQ Routes.  This means that when TomTom calculates your route, it takes into account historical data about routes like average speed of travel, day of the week (depending on history), etc.  Basically, it should have you taking the fastest route from A to B, not necessarily the shortest (that’s a good thing).

The app obviously gives good directions.  It would be a complete failure if it didn’t, and honestly, good directions are just the start of an app like this.  I found the directions to be just as accurate as any other app I’ve tested, so no worries there.  There were a few areas where TomTom had a few minor hiccups, but the same thing happened on all other apps, which just goes to show you that this technology is not 100% perfect.  That said, every time it tripped, the directions that you should have taken instead were obvious.  So these minor flubs do not reduce my confidence in its ability to route.  And if you’re choosing an app solely based ability to route, you might as well flip a coin, because TomTom and Navigon both have that covered.

There are three main complaints I have about TomTom’s app.  First, it doesn’t have lane assist.  In cities with complicated exits, lane assist is an almost necessary feature for a navigation app to have.  Navigon had it from the start, so I’m wondering why TomTom still doesn’t.  Second, the user interface is a bit difficult to see on sunny days.  Sometimes the sun will shine onto your iPhone’s screen and wash it out, making it difficult to read everything on screen.  TomTom’s choice of colors for some on screen elements and lack of text-to-speech voice guidance only complicates thigns.  It was only a problem on a small number of occasions, but a problem worth mentioning.  And finally, it takes at least 3 taps to tell TomTom that you want to go home.  Most other apps only take one or two taps, and if you’re already driving (which you’ve agreed not to be when you first started the app;) then more taps just means more danger for you and everyone else on the road.  There should be a menu option for Home, and it should automatically start routing you home.  That’s an easy fix.

Other than that, TomTom’s app performed admirably.  Routing is quick, and rerouting when you disobey (or can’t obey because of conditions) is also very fast.  While I prefer the frame rate and visual style of Navigon over TomTom, TomTom’s app is still visually appealing.  Maps are rendered well, and are very easy understand, even when viewing complicated exits—though not as nice as Navigon’s exit renders.  Color schemes are customizable, so you can pick the set of colors you like the best.

But when you have at least two decent apps from which to choose, the battle between them is decided by extra features, not base ones.  And sadly, Navigon has beaten TomTom to almost all of them.  Navigon has text-to-speech voice guidance already (the first on the App Store), meaning it will speak the names of the roads that it’s routing you onto.  Navigon also just announced their intent to add real time traffic data to their app soon (another first).  What that means is that while TomTom has IQ routing based on historical trends, it doesn’t beat real time traffic data.

One last note about extra features.  TomTom’s app claims to be able to route directly to contact’s addresses, but I’ve had trouble getting this to work 100% of the time.  For instance, I tried routing to my apartment based on my address which was entered into my iPhone via my Mac’s address book.  It didn’t recognize the address format, though there were no errors in its entry.

But what Navigon and other navigation packages don’t have is TomTom’s iPhone car kit cradle.  The car kit is not yet available, but when it comes out (soon), it will provide a better GPS receiver, a speaker, a charger, and it mounts to your vehicle’s windsheild.  That’s a lot of useful features considering that at times the iPhone’s GPS reveals that it isn’t the best available.  The iPhone’s speakerphone also isn’t always as loud as you’d like it to be, so extra speakers are a welcomed upgrade.  Plus, no matter which app you use, you’re going to have to figure out how to mount it in your vehicle, and likely buy a car charger since using the iPhone’s GPS eats up battery quickly.  So no matter which app you choose, there are other costs associated with actually using it.  Pricing and availability for the car kit aren’t yet known, so we’ll have to wait an see how much more appealing this make’s TomTom’s whole package.

And speaking of missing features, here’s what TomTom has to say:

The ultimate goal is to add as many of the features and technologies that TomTom is renouwned for as possible to the TomTom app.
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TomTom will launch several updates by the end of 2009 that will include improvements on the general performance of the app, as well as additional features and technologies

I’m very anxious to see these updates, as I’m hoping they add lane assist, text-to-speech voice guidance and real time traffic data.  Perhaps they will refrain from charging an addition (one time) fee like Navigon is planning for the traffic data, but I’m not holding my breath.

It’s hard to say what TomTom will and to their app and when, but I have confidence that it will at least have the features of its main competitor on the App Store, Navigon, before long.  While I’ve been nitpicky in this review of some of the finer details of the app, it’s obvious that TomTom will reliably get you from point A to point B.  The app functions as advertised, and those who purchase it will likely not regret their purchase.

I still feel that Navigon’s navigation app for the iPhone is currently a much better choice.  They have the only app with text-to-speech voice guidance; they will soon have the only real time traffic data available for navigation and they’ve done this all before TomTom could offer similar features.  TomTom’s app costs $10 more than Navigons, so I think they’ll need more than just a good brand name to make up for the features it’s missing. But then again, the TomTom car kit cradle will be quite an appealing product when it’s released. Its enhanced features could be enough to sway many, though its additional cost will likely prevent most from investing in TomTom’s whole iPhone navigation package.