whats your preferred navigation, Sprint or Google?

[drexappeal]

Okay, so this past weekend, I tested out both. Went to a few places I'd never been before. Google Nav is much better at instantly updating you're route if you stray from the directions it's giving you. Sprint Nav usually takes longer to re-route the path it's gonna take you on.

Still like how Sprint Nav sounds MUCH better. It's hard for me to play around with the settings while driving, so I figured I'd ask in here.
Does anybody know how to make Google Nav give you an "alternate" route while you have an address programmed in (and are moving)? With Sprint Nav, I'm very familiar with the settings, so it's easy for me to have the Nav search for an "alternate" route, but don't know how to do that on Google Nav.

Thanks in advance.

 

[J03]

So I have a bone to pick with my last google nav route. I was downtown and needed to go about 20 min over to a hotel I was meeting with someone at. I plugged in the hotel and hit go. Well the nav is telling me that it's going to take 45min! I check the route and instead of the clear highway that is 65mph, it wants me to take a jam packed back road the entire way and I didn't have "avoid highways" or "shortest route" or anything of the sort checked. Luckily I knew where I was going so I took the highway. Nonetheless, google navigation insisted I take every single exit off the highway in order to get to that other road despite the fact that every single time I avoided an exit my ETA went down. By the end of the trip, I had managed to shave 20 min off googles directions.

 

[Drew5150]

I can say YES to having an EVO

YES to having upgraded to Froyo

and a BIG NO to having Navigation that looks like yours above!


Have no idea why, but mine is a black background with white text on it. And the entire bar you have labeled "Choose Destination" (with M or Map on the right) simply doesn't exist on mine...

And on mine choosing the settings button (regular evo menu button) does nothing but bring up the keyboard.

I see no way to upgrade this app from the anything on the phone. It's not on "my downloads" list. I guess I could check for an upgrade on the marketplace, but it's only now I realize (from these conversations) it must be an older version?

Another thing I've realized from these conversations. If I just go into "Maps", it will call "Navigation". Really my icon for Navigation shouldn't even be there, imho. It's done nothing but cause a lot of confusion. The Maps application calls the Navigation application when I select "get directions"...

didn't realize that. Assumed the Navigation application was the... navigation application... who would a thunk?

alas...

Yeah I think you need to update your app as well. So what you need to update is Google maps. I have read in the past of the separate navigation app missing after an update firmware. It happened to me on 1.47 update. Search the market for Google maps, if it says update availbe update It. If it doesn't say update uninstall it and then re-install it. You should then see an app called navigation In your app drawer with a blue arrow icon.

 

[Drew5150]

Okay, so this past weekend, I tested out both. Went to a few places I'd never been before. Google Nav is much better at instantly updating you're route if you stray from the directions it's giving you. Sprint Nav usually takes longer to re-route the path it's gonna take you on.

Still like how Sprint Nav sounds MUCH better. It's hard for me to play around with the settings while driving, so I figured I'd ask in here.
Does anybody know how to make Google Nav give you an "alternate" route while you have an address programmed in (and are moving)? With Sprint Nav, I'm very familiar with the settings, so it's easy for me to have the Nav search for an "alternate" route, but don't know how to do that on Google Nav.

Thanks in advance.

Hit the menu button - route Info. This will zoom out your map. There will be 3 buttosn In the lower right corner. The middle one will search for alternate routes. Then hit the blue arrow on the left to get back to the zoomed in map. Clicking the settings button will give you access to avoid highways and tolls

 

[Cruecu]

Google. I had always used Sprint Nav until I installed Fresh Rom, which removed all the Sprint Apps. I tried Google once and never went back. The ability to hit the search button and say "navigate to ________" is incredible. It opens immediately and hasn't missed the mark for me yet. Sprint Nav was good, but it takes too long to load, and it was awful having to type the address every time. The integration and accuracy of the voice search with google makes this a no-contest.

 

[ecodangler]

I used to use Sprint navigation constantly with my old BB. but now I havnt even tried it cause Google navigation is the best....especially when you pull up to your destination and it shows the pick of the location you are searching for from the middle of the street..Sick...... its also an awesome way to piss on your Apple friends....LOL

 

[NicksGarage]

I can say YES to having an EVO

YES to having upgraded to Froyo

and a BIG NO to having Navigation that looks like yours above!


Have no idea why, but mine is a black background with white text on it. And the entire bar you have labeled "Choose Destination" (with M or Map on the right) simply doesn't exist on mine...

And on mine choosing the settings button (regular evo menu button) does nothing but bring up the keyboard.

I see no way to upgrade this app from the anything on the phone. It's not on "my downloads" list. I guess I could check for an upgrade on the marketplace, but it's only now I realize (from these conversations) it must be an older version?

Another thing I've realized from these conversations. If I just go into "Maps", it will call "Navigation". Really my icon for Navigation shouldn't even be there, imho. It's done nothing but cause a lot of confusion. The Maps application calls the Navigation application when I select "get directions"...

didn't realize that. Assumed the Navigation application was the... navigation application... who would a thunk?

alas...

Yes it is a confusing way to handle the Google Maps app and it's Navigation component. I personally like having the "navigation" shortcut to put on my home screen.

You need to go to the market and look for "Google Maps". The latest version is 4.5.0. Get that and you'll get the function you need in the Navigation portion.

 

[Msnay8907]

Google Nav....it looks prettier lol and works better

 

[Traceamount]

whats your preferred navigation, Sprint or Google?

i've opened both but i don't see the need for the sprint nav. google seems best. what do you guys think?

Because "opening both" gives you the right to make a worthy opinion? Just saying. Anyone who hasnt used both on a somewhat daily basis, or more then a 1 way trip, or 2, should probably just go and delete their post and opinion, just imo. Really though, how can you say 1 is better than the other just by "opening" them? Sure you can say 1 looks better, or sounds better, but at the end of your trip, isnt it more important that you got the most efficent route AND got to your destination 1st try?

 

[skitoolong]

For those of you looking for a map of where you are... it's in the home interface when you start the app. Top right, icon of a map with the word "Map" next to it. Hit it, and there you are.

I'm a pretty big fan of this application, having taken the time to learn it's capabilities, particulary the voice integration, I gotta tell you, for me this little program did for my EVO what Lotus 123 did for the PC (See who remembers that)

 

[dextherex]

google

 

[omegafiler]

I do like the interface and the way the google nav works. But there have been a few occassions recently where it directs me to the completely wrong street and address. It will have the pin on a completely different street name, even though it lists the name right there on the map. It's even confused highways for residential streets. This isn't an android app/os/GPS issue since I was able to get the same wrong results on maps.google.com from a PC.

Sprint NAV has been 100% accurate so far and the voice sounds MUCH better. On a long trip, that google voice gets quite annoying. I found myself muting it instead. So the Sprint NAV gets the job done just fine, if not a tad bit slower.

 

[msvnlu]

I go back and forth between the two, but find myself using google more. One reason for sure is that I hate waiting for Sprint Nav to LOAD. It takes forever as I turn my car ingnition on, and simply wait and wait for it to FULLY load. I just end up closing it, and start up google (no loading time)

 

[daddyd302]

One of these days, I might take a long trip and try both of them on my Evo and Epic. I usually just use Google as it's faster and easier to use.

 

[Steeler]

I use Google nav. Sprint takes too long to load....

 

[jayj2k1]

They both do the job but I do prefer Google just because of the way the maps & layers are well integrated. However, I notice with both that they take you the long way quite frequently. Ha

 

[AndroidSPCS]

I hate Sprint Nav, or I hate the fact you have to sign in / register for it? I don't understand why that is required, and I hate the fact it takes forever to log in and start up. I gave up on it.

Google nav works great.

 

[t1jordan]

whats your preferred navigation, Sprint or Google?

i've opened both but i don't see the need for the sprint nav. google seems best. what do you guys think?

I prefer Google! Even tho Sprint Nav. really helped me out in the past. So I will say Sprint Nav will get the job down. But Google Nav looks a lot better.

 

[Palmetto Fellow]

I know this is a Sprint vs Google thread, but I just wanted to chime in for a moment.

My Garmin does a better job than both of them most of the time.

I like to view traffic when leaving work. All three pick the same default route for me (I77 south to I485 east)...but everyone (and his mom) is taking this route to get to the south, so there is alwasy traffic on I485 and usually on I77.

I never go via I485, and as mentioned, all 3 try to make me go this way. The Garmin however is the first one to change the route on me when I decide to go the way I like best. Google and Sprint are telling me to turn around and get back onto I485 for miles. They eventually come around and pickup the new route...

This is just a single example. There are others as well...however, google is more up to date with the map than the Garmin. My Garmin map is from last year, and Google's is pretty much from the last 6 months or less.

 

[drexappeal]

I know this is a Sprint vs Google thread, but I just wanted to chime in for a moment.

My Garmin does a better job than both of them most of the time.

I like to view traffic when leaving work. All three pick the same default route for me (I77 south to I485 east)...but everyone (and his mom) is taking this route to get to the south, so there is alwasy traffic on I485 and usually on I77.

I never go via I485, and as mentioned, all 3 try to make me go this way. The Garmin however is the first one to change the route on me when I decide to go the way I like best. Google and Sprint are telling me to turn around and get back onto I485 for miles. They eventually come around and pickup the new route...

This is just a single example. There are others as well...however, google is more up to date with the map than the Garmin. My Garmin map is from last year, and Google's is pretty much from the last 6 months or less.

Are you trying to avoid the highway completely or just jump onto another highway?

Sprint NAV does have the option to tell it to avoid the highways. I think Google does that as well, but haven't quite figured out how to use that option.

 

[ninety9]

When I moved to college last year I started to use Sprint Nav a lot on my BlackBerry and seemed to always get lost. I then went out and bought a GPS because of those reasons. Now when I have to use my GPS on my phone (because my gf stole my GPS) I used Google Navigation. I really lost a lot of trust in the Sprint Nav simply because of how slow it is. Google's Nav is pretty reliable, Only thing I need is a dock in my car for my phone.

 

[Wifi-Naught Odin]

my vote's for google nav.

 

[Brian Rubin]

I've been trying Sprint Nav based on folks here who recommended it and...I just can't stick with it. The load times are too annoying, and I don't see it giving me different/better directions than Google.

 

[Palmetto Fellow]

Are you trying to avoid the highway completely or just jump onto another highway?

Sprint NAV does have the option to tell it to avoid the highways. I think Google does that as well, but haven't quite figured out how to use that option.

It's not about avioding the highway. It's about adapting to a change and re-routing efficiently.

Google and Sprint seem to always want to bring me back to the originally planned route longer than Garmin. When it is clear (after a few miles of driving) that I am not going to turn around, the Garmin is usually first to adapt and select a new route

 

[drexappeal]

It's not about avioding the highway. It's about adapting to a change and re-routing efficiently.

Google and Sprint seem to always want to bring me back to the originally planned route longer than Garmin. When it is clear (after a few miles of driving) that I am not going to turn around, the Garmin is usually first to adapt and select a new route