GPS Software: don’t expect perfection
My recent review of Co-Pilot for the iPhone caused a fair degree of discussion on 247 and the following comments sum up the different views people had-
“I wasn’t as impressed with this app on the way home as I was on the way to work this morning. Basically, there was a couple of times I went round a roundabout, and it thought I’d turned off early when in fact I hadn’t, and it was giving me instructions to turn around while I was still on my way round. Then when I came off the roundabout it corrected itself, but it shouldn’t do this- the Navigon doesn’t. Also, the Navigon found me a nice little shortcut through some side roads instead of waiting at some main traffic lights. The Copilot took me to the lights.”
“Hmm. Again, not too impressed now I have gone down to my mums using this. It was ok all the way till I reached my mums house. I reach a crossroads which I have to turn left at, then her house is on the right a couple of hundred yards down that road. I have set her address as a favourite in the exact spot it should be along that road.
What happens is when I get to the crossroads, instead of it telling me to turn left to go down her road, it simply says I have reached my destination BEFORE I even turn down that road and am at the crossroads!! The map clearly shows the crossroads, but the purple line that follows your route bends round it instead of following the road itself, and to tell me I have reached my destination before I am even on that road is unacceptable.
I haven’t had this issue with the Navigon. I therefore trust the Navigon a lot more than this Copilot app at the moment, and shall stick to the Navigon until an update comes out. The more I test this app out on the road, the more I get the feeling it was rushed out. I may have to knock my iTunes review down to a 3.”
“well i did it … after all the research and reading … i bought the mobile navigon for the iphone 3gs and am very pleased with it … i used it with my garmin nuvi 760 and they both did equally well the ability to use contacts was important … i read everything you guys and gals wrote about the gps and truly appreciate every comment …”
“Tried this out this morning for my journey to work.
Great! Far better than my old Tom Tom mobile set up on the Palm Treo/Centro. Not having a separate receiver is the first plus. The signal was great and quick. Route clear and concise, instructions fine.
Don’t know why but was expecting to see some battery drain after journey (only 25 min) but none as far as I can see.
Well impressed. I’m sure future updates will iron out the niggles that Barry (above) has identified.”
The main problem with GPS software is that we all use them in completely different ways and thus we will all have differing opinions. Some people love a title and others hate it and the same is true for every GPS solution on the market. I’m going to put my head above the parapet and explain why I think I am well placed to offer an opinion on this subject. Over the past few years I have reviewed and tested over 40 different GPS systems for magazines which use all of the GPS software solutions on the market today, and thus I am able to compare any new solution to what has been before. I drive a lot of miles each year and never leave home without a GPS system in my car and the thought of not having traffic management scares me silly now that I am reliant on it. I have tried countless systems which don’t offer the trust I need when travelling long journeys and they are quickly discarded from my mind, but two of them (TomTom and Co-Pilot) have served me very well over the years. TomTom has been used for 90% of my time with GPS and I have not run into a serious traffic jam when using it which is a huge bonus and it is fairly accurate with the navigation side. I say ‘fairly’ because it has had problems in specific areas, but these are relatively rare.
I have been testing Co-Pilot on the iPhone for the past few weeks and so far it has not put a foot wrong. I have driven from Gatwick to Southampton and back, Gatwick to Bournemouth, Bournemouth to Beaulieu, Bournemouth to Longleat and Bournemouth to Gatwick. Each time the navigation was perfect and on a couple of occasions I avoided long traffic jams (don’t ask what version I am running because I can’t answer that).
Compare this to the experiences of Barry above who was disappointed with the trips he took. His experiences mirrored the ones I have with Navigon’s solution. The fact is that there will never be a perfect GPS solution for everyone because they all have issues in certain areas. No reviewer can take account of every street in a country and they can only base their thoughts on the trips they take. For me, Co-Pilot is working superbly, but I cannot offer answers if others have issues. I have received many emails on this subject and most have been positive about Co-Pilot. I have also received many emails about Navigon and the same positivity shines through.
If you are expecting a satellite navigation solutions which works perfectly for every trip you make, then it is time to get out a map and take a step back in time. GPS software should be used with common sense in mind (admittedly something I never do) and the right solution for you will never be perfect, no matter how up to date the maps or how good the software is.
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