After a long wait for most iPhone users finally the iPhone supports Turn by Turn navigation! No longer do we need to carry around Tom Tom's or a variety of other sat nav systems because it's easier just to use it directly on your phone. A number of applications have promised to have turn by turn in and the first of these to arrive on the AppStore was Mobile Navigator (Navigon).

At first I was dubious, I've always been a Tom Tom kinda guy and the thought of using a new Sat Nav system just seemed alien to me. However the fact Tom Tom seems miles away from being on the AppStore, Navigon won my purchase. Two versions of the App are available on the AppStore, a full Europe Version and a Britain only version. With plans to travel in the near future I chose the EU version.

First thing that struck me about the program was its rather hefty size, at 1.7GB it's rather large and this meant removing some music from my 8GB iPhone. I was a little upset about this at first but with the plans to get a 32GB iPhone 3GS in the near future it wasn't something that swayed my decision. After the 2 hours download time (I was on a slow connection at the time) it installed (in around 20 minutes) and then was up and running. In my office at work I managed to get a GPS signal with no problem and Navigon positioned me pretty much perfectly.

Navigon Menu

The Main menu system is much like you'd expect, large buttons and simple enough to press in a hurry. Obviously you wouldn't do this whilst driving but it made it quick and easy to do when you were pulled into the nearest layby.

Navigon gives easy navigation to anyone in your address book, simply clicking the 'Contacts' button brings up all your friends. Click a person and then you can select their address and instantly get directions there! The first thing I noticed here was the unfortunate fact that although you can set a Via by another address, POI and other items but not directly to another contact in your address book. Although not a major issue it's something I would have liked to see!

So, some of the simple features now.. 'Recents' simply holds the recent places you have visited so you can easily click them and be taken there, this is accessible directly from the Via menu. The 'Take me home' feature does exactly what it says, it plots the fastest route from where you are to the Home address you set on first use. 'Show Map' simply gives you a map you can scroll around, zoom in/out. All these items are pretty standard and expected features and they all work well.

Points of Interest (POI) are embedded into the program, what does this mean? Well it means there is an excellent selection of POI built into the App featuring everything from Petrol Stations and Cash Machines to Tourist Attractions. The display of them is excellent allowing you to easily display POI's that are close to you and navigate them using the Via Menu. This works exceptionally well and i've used it a number of times to go to the nearest cash point when in an unknown area. You can also select 3 POIs that will always display on the map, this is very convenient when you are on holidays and you want to easily see local Tourist Attractions, very handy for me

Now the important part, how does it handle navigation? Actually, exceptionally well!

Mapping with Navigon

At first I thought the mapping was rather simple, there didn't seem to be much displayed, however I think what was really missing was the pure colour that comes with Tom Tom. Colours on Navigon are much more pastel based and a lot easier on the eye, it has the obligatory Night Mode which darkens the colours. I have not experienced any problems with route finding at all, all routes have been perfect however it has been reported that a few roads have been missing or routes have taken people obscure directions.

One of the things I instantly noticed about navigation is the speed of updating. In other Sat Nav systems I have been plagued by "Calculating new route" and loading icons and actually meaning I was missing new routes while it was calculating. Navigon updated the routes almost instantly so much so that it took a false right turn followed by a left turn into a back alley (around 20yds after the right turn) to cause the App to get confused enough for it to have to think. Due to the way I drive this is an amazing thing because I spend way too much time ignoring directions until I actually need them.

There's a lot of other features that I like but don't really warrant their own section. So I'm now going to finish off with a quick Good and Bad bullet point view below. Thanks for reading and good luck with your chosen Navigation application!

Good

• Quick updates on route changes
• Voice navigation is clear and precise with good forewarning
• Plenty of POIs for all areas
• Nice Pastel colours
• Good GPS tracking
• Excellent system for motorway junctions
• The option to choose a "Scenic" route while using Navigation

Bad

• No custom POIs
• Can't set a contact as a via
• No built in iPod control
• You can't carry on navigation whilst talking on the phone

You can get Navigon on the AppStore now!

Europe Edition :

Britain Edition :