Best Navi?

You don't actually define what features you think are "best" so the "best" thing to do is a simple 'search' on these forums as the subject comes up every few days and the threads get quite long sometimes. I'm sure you'll find what you want if you check these out.

Dave

Google Maps ... if you don't have to worry about mobile data availability and about roaming costs.
Navigon by Garmin for offline navigation ... if you've to worry

I use Waze almost exclusively now. The crowd sourced traffic and routing data is a killer feature. I still use Google maps from time to time too, mainly because of the street view integration. Now that Waze is a Google product, I'm hopeful that the crowd sourcing of Waze and the interface and street view of Gmaps can be combined into an even better product. What I really want is a car that uses either as a built in nav instead of the awful software that comes with EVERY built in nav unit I've tried.

Sygic is my go to Android Navi. Worth the few bucks. Can download data to SD Card so if you lose cell reception, it's not an issue. TONS of data in the app too. Easy to use. I downloaded the TTL Voices too. Sounds great.

TomTom is another that I use as a backup when/where needed.

elchucko said:

I've tested a few such as Waze, google maps and I have yet to find one that offers the following. Most if not all Navi software determines which roads and path to reach a destination. It may change somewhat if you select options such as fastest, most direct, 4 lane only and so on. You can't select a different route and end up at the same destination. An example would be a destination of Phoenix from Des Moines, IA. The Navi app may have me driving through Utah and Colorado. But let's say I wanted to drive through Liberal KS, Dalhart TX then Tucumcari NM without having to reset a route each time a reach one of those cities? I should be able to determine my direction with ending up at my same destination.

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Why couldn't you just put "stops" in each of those locations? I do that all the time, driving from A to Z but stopping at Points c-d-e on the way.

Just curious.

I tried a lot of these apps after Google messed up Google Maps/Navigation with their "upgrade." I concluded even with its deficiencies, Google Maps is still the best, based primarily on traffic data and the ability to toggle between close up and wide view maps, and also the ability to work with Chrome to Phone to transmit addresses from your computer (which surprisingly, not all Navigation apps can do).

It is starting to integrate some Waze features, such as incident reports. I'm not really crazy about that, but haven't tried to find a way to turn that off.

When I'm looking at a route at home Goggle Maps. On the road I'm now using Waze. You can build a route (add points along the route) with either.

elchucko;[URL="tel:6302138" said:

6302138[/URL]]I've tested a few such as Waze, google maps and I have yet to find one that offers the following. Most if not all Navi software determines which roads and path to reach a destination. It may change somewhat if you select options such as fastest, most direct, 4 lane only and so on. You can't select a different route and end up at the same destination. An example would be a destination of Phoenix from Des Moines, IA. The Navi app may have me driving through Utah and Colorado. But let's say I wanted to drive through Liberal KS, Dalhart TX then Tucumcari NM without having to reset a route each time a reach one of those cities? I should be able to determine my direction with ending up at my same destination.

Click to expand...

I'm using the older version of Google Maps Nav. and this is my first choice for Navigation. I use CoPilot V9, which has way more customizable features, then Google Maps Nav. Copilot has this feature were it will give you 3 routes to choose from, to the same destination, or you can create/drag your own route. (You can even add POI's while in route.) It does have live traffic updates, which cost $9 a yrs. The only thing I would change, is more attractive maps, like Google maps. Nothing beats Google maps when it comes to appearance, details and 3D images of buildings.

elchucko said:

I've tested a few such as Waze, google maps and I have yet to find one that offers the following. Most if not all Navi software determines which roads and path to reach a destination. It may change somewhat if you select options such as fastest, most direct, 4 lane only and so on. You can't select a different route and end up at the same destination. An example would be a destination of Phoenix from Des Moines, IA. The Navi app may have me driving through Utah and Colorado. But let's say I wanted to drive through Liberal KS, Dalhart TX then Tucumcari NM without having to reset a route each time a reach one of those cities? I should be able to determine my direction with ending up at my same destination.

Click to expand...

Do you really drive that far all at once? If I were taking a cross country trip, I would actually set up my destinations in advance and navigate to each one individually. It seems like a really long drive to do in a single leg.

Waze does allow you to add one stop to a destination. If you pick a destination, you can add one stop and Waze will take you to that stop first and then continue onto your destination. You cannot add a second stop.

Goodspike said:

I tried a lot of these apps after Google messed up Google Maps/Navigation with their "upgrade." I concluded even with its deficiencies, Google Maps is still the best, based primarily on traffic data and the ability to toggle between close up and wide view maps, and also the ability to work with Chrome to Phone to transmit addresses from your computer (which surprisingly, not all Navigation apps can do).

Click to expand...

I found Google Maps to be really poor at selecting good routes through traffic. Waze seems to recommend way better routes to bypass traffic. Waze will even change the route if the traffic conditions change and it finds a faster route.

I gave Google Maps a try last month after using Waze for almost a year. I absolutely hate it. I have to reset the zoom level every time I use it. I hate the auto zoom that is set as the default. I cannot see the traffic very well at all. I cannot even use the Navigation view without entering a destination. Often I want to drive and use the Navigation view to check the traffic ahead. I was going to try it for a week, but gave up after a day and went back to Waze.

It is starting to integrate some Waze features, such as incident reports. I'm not really crazy about that, but haven't tried to find a way to turn that off.

Click to expand...

I find it to be very useful to know areas of heavy traffic, collisions, road work and other incidents. I also like the traffic view in Waze more than Google Maps. Maps give you colour codes of traffic. Waze gives you colour codes and tells you the actual speed of traffic.

One really cool feature is the ability to broadcast your location. I use it quite often when picking up my wife. I send her a link and she can track me as I travel to my destination. The tracking is updated every few seconds.

Waze also allows you to edit maps. I find that Waze gets updated very quickly after constriction realigns roads throughout the city. I can edit some of the roads myself or I can request that someone with enough access update it in the forums. The speed at which maps are updated rivals the speed of Google Maps when roads change.

Stuntman said:

I gave Google Maps a try last month after using Waze for almost a year. I absolutely hate it. I have to reset the zoom level every time I use it. I hate the auto zoom that is set as the default. I cannot see the traffic very well at all. I cannot even use the Navigation view without entering a destination. Often I want to drive and use the Navigation view to check the traffic ahead. I was going to try it for a week, but gave up after a day and went back to Waze.

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I think it may just depend on what you're used to, because I would make similar comments about using Waze for a week. Also, the new Google Maps does take a heck of a lot of learning/getting used to. It really is a huge step backwards, but the old version was way ahead of everything else.

itsallgood said:

Spoiler

I'm using the older version of Google Maps Nav. and this is my first choice for Navigation. I use CoPilot V9, which has way more customizable features, then Google Maps Nav. Copilot has this feature were it will give you 3 routes to choose from, to the same destination, or you can create/drag your own route. (You can even add POI's while in route.) It does have live traffic updates, which cost $9 a yrs. The only thing I would change, is more attractive maps, like Google maps. Nothing beats Google maps when it comes to appearance, details and 3D images of buildings.

Click to expand...

I generally just use Waze for around town driving. For long distance trips, I would agree that CoPilot is pretty dang nice. I actually got it as a Free App of the Day on Amazon a long time back. I've only used it for REAL a few times. As I said, for around town driving, I just use Waze. If I were going to PAY for an app though, CoPilot is the first one I would choose.

Scout isn't bad for a freebie, though not as configurable, or user friendly as I would like. Well, not if you actually know WHERE you want to go and just want a route. I used it on a trip to San Antonio, where I had never been before. Scout was handy for just telling it I wanted some food, or whatever, and finding the routes.