Monday, August 1, 2011

Hands On with GoGo Navigator App for iPhone – 3D Navigation on the Go!

Hands On with GoGo Navigator App for iPhone – 3D Navigation on the Go!
It’s been long you haven’t come across an exclusive navigation app. May be it’s time to learn about the GoGo Navigator app for iPhone that I stumbled upon a few days back. To begin with the review, I’d like to tell you that it’s a very deeply featured app with lots of functionality to offer. So what’s the [...]

It’s been long you haven’t come across an exclusive navigation app. May be it’s time to learn about the GoGo Navigator app for iPhone that I stumbled upon a few days back. To begin with the review, I’d like to tell you that it’s a very deeply featured app with lots of functionality to offer. So what’s the first point that makes it stand out? The 3D navigation! Yes, 3D navigation, that too, turn by turn. To put it on a platter, the GoGo Navigator app incorporates features such as live traffic, real time 3D navigation, signpost display, text-to-speech voice guidance, lane guidance, countless onboard Point Of Interests to name a few features.

Let’s first have a look at the main app screen that contains useful icons such as POIs (Point Of Interest), Address, Where Am I, Local Search, Point on Map and many more, apart from three fundamental buttons, “My Route”, “Traffic” and “Settings”.

The app gives you detailed options, so that the navigator can be optimized according to your needs. Have a look at the Routing Options, and within them, the Avoidance Options below.

Well, you might have started to like the app already for its detailed options, let’s take you to a superb option, which the app calls Where Am I. If you feel lost at any stage during a commute, hit this button! It translates your whereabouts according to your X-Y co-ordinates, providing you Nearest Address on Left, Nearest Intersection, compass, zoom-able map view, and many more interesting sub-options. Not to forget, that you can favorite your current location on this Where Am I option screen, which actually leads to the following transition:

Let’s now try the Local Search option. This option is powered by Google search and work son two fields, “What” you want to search and “Where” you want it to be. You can keep the “Where” field empty so that the app can make use of your current location coordinates and suggest places that are nearby, by default.

Let’s have a look at the 3D navigator functionality now.

The picture above might give you an idea of its 3D nature. As I mentioned, it’s a turn by turn navigator, which means that the navigator keeps adjusting and updating its route according to different road conditions and provides complete instructions on where to turn and when. Opting for Details gives you the following:

Lastly, let’s have a look at the Traffic and On My Route list options from the main screen. The app sends you in-app messages about the upcoming signpost displays and their distances etc.

The app makes use of the accelerometer, so feel free to make use of the screen width as per your liking.

This was more of a hands-on review, while there’s still plenty of stuff that can be dug out from app’s official iTunes location where it awaits your download. Here’s a list of all the naviigator fetaures:

  • Turn-by-turn voice directions
  • Real-3D
  • Live Traffic*1
  • Text-To-Speech (speaks street names)*2
  • Real Signpost display
  • Lane Guidance
  • Auto re-routing
  • Pedestrian Mode
  • Precise voice guidance with adjustable volume
  • Multiple routing options; faster time, shorter distance
  • Search by Address, Point on Map, ZIP and more
  • Intelligent POI searching: search by phone number, Address, Category, POI name, partial word
  • Ability to save and edit favorites
  • Recent destinations stored
  • Quick POI features (Home, Office, and Emergency POIs)
  • Auto zooming (at intersection & on speed)
  • Route Planning: create and save route itineraries
  • Fuel cost calculator (customizable)
  • Route summary for trip information
  • Speed Limit warning: adjustable audio/visual warning
  • Simulation control

GoGo Navigator supports the following languages: US, English, Latin Amer. Spanish, CA. French and Korean.

The app cost may be just a fraction high, but looking at the stand out 3D feature and the depth in functionalities, $29.9 may actually be a fair price, to be honest.

This article, Hands On with GoGo Navigator App for iPhone – 3D Navigation on the Go!, was originally published at simonblog.com.



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