MapQuest entered the voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation iPhone app market today with their offering, MapQuest Navigator. What initially stands out about this app as compared to most of the other navigation apps is it’s cost. MapQuest Navigator is listed for only $0.99 which includes the first 14 days of service (yes, it’s a subscription-based app), but even a full year of service is only $29.99.
With such a significant difference in cost, I was interested to see how well it stacks up against other turn-by-turn heavyweights currently residing on my iPhone – AT&T Navigator, Navigon MobileNavigator, Gokivo GPS Navigator, and MotionX GPS Drive.
My initial reaction is positive, though I found the interface slightly awkward to navigate, but that may just be due to my expectations based on other comparable apps. The app doesn’t feel as smooth and polished as Navigon MobileNavigator, and actually crashed on me twice during a 45-minute drive (non-jailbroken iPhone that was rebooted just prior to testing the app for a clean test).
MapQuest utilizes a sliding icon bar at the bottom of the screen, with different icons for different pre-set destination searches – for example, nearby coffee shops, gas stations, hotels, etc. Because only a few icons fit on the screen at a time, unless you’re very familiar with icon location, you don’t know which way you need to swipe to locate the function you’re looking for.
Because this interface method is very different from most similar apps, it feels awkward and time consuming to perform simple functions. Of course, there is also a standard search bar at the top of the screen, where you can type in any address, business name, part of a name, contact, etc. to quickly pull up a location to navigate to.
I did notice some routing oddities within neighborhoods. For instance, in my neighborhood, the directions to get me from my house to the freeway take me out and around the neighborhood streets instead of just winding me through the neighborhood – like every other navigation app I’ve used. In this one instance, MapQuest’s directions will add a good 5-10 extra minutes to the drive, just because of traffic and lights.
Left: MapQuest routing – Right: AT&T Navigator routing
While I know these are only surface-deep reactions, I can’t help but stress how important a first impression is, whether it is a job interview, potential spouse, or even just a navigation iPhone app. Now don’t worry, I’m not tossing the bag at this app… yet. I’m actually working my way through an extensive test of all five of these turn-by-turn navigation apps over the course of this month, and plan to provide a more in-depth look of each app, including MapQuest, after I’ve had a chance to really put them through their paces – provided they don’t get me lost in the ghetto.
For now, I will say that MapQuest, being a trusted name in web-based maps and directions, has delivered a solid app that gets the job done, though perhaps not as slick as some of the other apps. But, for a dollar’s initial investment, and less than $25.00 per year in subscription costs, it’s a third the cost or less than some other apps, that when it gets right down to it, they’re all voice-navigation mapping apps.
For $26.00 out of pocket, MapQuest seems like it is a decent performer, worth a look or two if you’ve been on the fence about purchasing a navigation app for your iPhone 3G or 3GS because of the high cost of Navigon or TomTom.
You can purchase MapQuest Navigator on the iPhone App Store for $0.99 here, and then subscribe to ongoing service with the in-app purchase.
MapQuest provided a promo code to Just Another iPhone Blog for the review of MapQuest Navigator. For further information regarding our site’s review policies, please see the “About” page.
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TAGS: gps, Mapping app, turn-by-turn voice-guided GPS apps for iPhone
