Wow...$60 is a bit steep consider Google Nav is for free.
The promo should have made it half price at least, lol. I think all apps should be no more than $30.
Not really, a) the license fees on good up to date maps are quite expensive, probably on the order of $30 bucks cost to navigon and b) apps like this are 10x more complex than your average $5 app.
For those used to google maps here are my findings after a couple of days:
advantages Navigon:
1) entire interface is more elegant and informative
2) maps work off line
3) Navigon's routing algorithms are noticeably better than google maps. NOT as good as TomTom, but better than google maps.
4) Navigon's maps have speeds limits for highways and some major non highway roads. You are able able to set a speed alert for say 15 mph over the limt on the hghway and 10 mph elsewhere
5) Navigon lane assist and reality view make dealing with complex and unfamiliar interchanges quite nice.
6) I am finding Navigons the maps are more accurate and up to date than googles, which was a shock.
6) the European maps, from the usual places, work with the US software
7) night and day difference in text to speech
8) well integrated with other android functions
Advantages google:
1) cost
2) street names in 3d
*3) recovery from phone call, loses routing,
4) street view
5) infinite poi
6) Navigons very bad commitment and history with US market, which is shaky at best and they could simply abandon this product on a minutes notice.
I submitted a ticket about problem #3 and an it illustrated problem 6 as they denied it was occurring and as it turns out ALL support emails are routed to Europe and the people there know NOTHING about our US product.
I will say I had tried copilot, which in my opinion is a garbage product with what must be ten year old maps. I understand copilot's $5 offering with the garbage maps, if they duplicate what they are doing in Europe, will be to get people interested and they try and upsell proper maps and otehr features copilot has tuned off ont eh $5 version
One thing I didn't like about Navigon was that I bought the stand-alone automotive unit, and as soon as they launched the iPhone app, they not only stopped making the stand-alones, they also didn't have any mention of them on the website anymore, and just completely dropped support for them, no more updates or anything.
Yeah, I have owned Navigon 2100 and 7100, which were fun units because they ran wm5.0 underneath and were quite hackable. made for updating maps and upgrading software beyond what was intended easy.
I also agree Navigon US support was very poor. I had their proprietary mount break on my 7100 (this turned out to be common) and for six months they had no replacements. When I asked if they could not just break open a box and sell me a new mount they said no. they also had no spare chargers, which had a proprietary pinouts.
