Navigon Wants an Extra $25 for Real-Time Traffic Data on the iPhone

[xultar]

resh off last week's free text-to-speech and iPod control updates, Navigon's back with a new feature announcement for their iPhone app. And hey, this real-time, crowd-sourced traffic data sounds pretty great! But is it $25 great?

Link to Giz

 

[igorsky]

Apparently it'll be $20 in the first four weeks it's on sale. So if you caught the $70 offer and then buy this for $20, that's $90 for a full featured navigation app with live traffic. Not a bad deal at all, and still cheaper than TomTom's app.

 

[Rene Ritchie]

I'm buying it. Navigon is working very well for me so far, though it scares the cr@p out of me when I forget it's on and suddenly it breaks in to warn me about an upcoming turn

 

[subie09lega]

TomTom's app that lacks many features and still costs more.

Did anyone else like the previous voice on Navigon better than the new one? The new one sounds too soft. The voice on 1.1 was more authoritative and easier to understand.

 

[whmurray]

My recollection is that traffic was available by subscription on TomTom on my Treo for $10 per month. This makes both Navigon and AT&T Navigator look very good on price.

I am disappointed in TomTom for the iPhone. While it includes all of the function that I had on my Treo, works a little better, and is cheaper, it is simply not competitive in features or price with the many other products on the market.

The car-kit might help but it appears to be vapor-ware.

 

[igorsky]

Is Navigon's current "optimum" route type some sort of traffic-based routing?

 

[taroliw]

No, optimum just tries to balance between distance vs time rather than completely basing route on one or the other.

I have also purchased the traffic add-on and it has proven very useful in unexpected ways. I've even had it take me /farther/ out of my way to put me on a highway route it calculated would get me there faster, based on traffic conditions in addition to my "optimum" setting. And it actually was faster than it would normally take me to sit in traffic on the usual route. I was pleasantly surprised. Now I tend to trust it's judgement more.

But even if you don't, you can access the list of traffic incidents and it offers a means for you to elect to ignore or force it to route around different situations. I've done this as well, just to try it (avoid problematic interchanges) and it performed admirably.

I've noticed in the 1.4 update that it's a bit more hands-off in the default display than 1.3 was. that is, it doesn't always show the traffic icon in the top left. But when it's there you can tap it to get at the traffic incident list. It displays an icon in the lower left, too, to indicate that the route is being adjusted for traffic issues. And even if the button isn't displayed, you can get to the traffic incident list via the Options button in the map display.

 

[touchyphone]

I just use my eyes to see if there is traffic.

However I love the Navigon app, its the best nav app. I have TomTom both since their release day. Navigon, just love it!!!!

 

[taroliw]

LOL Well, that's great except the VFR results in your being IN the traffic. Sometimes it's nice to avoid it entirely.. and sometimes the alternative route isn't an exit from the congested one. ;-) But, yes, as with all things sometimes just knowledge of existing patterns does 80% of the job.

 

[touchyphone]

LOL Well, that's great except the VFR results in your being IN the traffic. Sometimes it's nice to avoid it entirely.. and sometimes the alternative route isn't an exit from the congested one. ;-) But, yes, as with all things sometimes just knowledge of existing patterns does 80% of the job.

I was only jabbing, I actually use local radio for traffic updates. Hhahaha, here in Los Angeles you need to plan ahead with our traffic. It makes sense to those who want it though. I have XM Traffic with my nav in the car dash, but it is shakey