I have bought and tried AT&T Navigator, TomTom and Navigon. And just yesterday I finally tried MotionX GPS Drive.
Let me say I have no deleted all other navigation apps and have decided MotionX is the best app!
I just wished I had tried it before shelling out as much as I did for the others.
iPhone Apps
when using your device with motion x ,where do you have it mounted in the vehicle? -----
In my hand or a vent mounted holder.
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i tried the vented mounted holders and just dont like them.. I may try a windshield mount
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One thing you have to watch with windshield (& some dashboard) mounts is that even if you take it off when you leave the car it may leave a mark -- and there have been break-ins because of this "clue" that "there may be a gps in there!"
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thieves are lazy and they usually go for the easiest one to get into.
If you walk through any parking lot, you will probably find that up to a third have a windshield or dash mount for a GPS, radar detector, music player or cell phone. And probably a third of those still have the device in the holder or mount.
Yeah, some areas are worse than others, but if they want in, seeing goodies or not, they will get in. And it is always good to pay attention to your surroundings.
So how does this relate to the the subject of this list, the iPhone?
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I have Navigon, and I use Proclip from Proclipusa.com. Sturdier than a vent
holder. :)
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Another vote for ProClip.
Since I never take my iPhone 3GS out of my Griffen Elan case, I went with the rotatable adjustable ProClip holder.
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Exactly what I have. Adjustable and rotate-able so I can watch movies in landscape mode during traffic.
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I'm glad you found one you like, but WHY is it best for you, so we can compare
it to our needs.
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It's more accurate, latest maps, more features, more intuitive, all around netter. But don't just take my word for it. It's way way cheaper than the others too. So get it and try it for yourself.
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I have TomTom, MotionX GPS Drive, MotionX GPS, and G-Map US East.
I prefer TomTom, and consider it the best of these largely because of the interface. If I need a true "breadcrumb trail", I'll use MotionX GPS.
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MotionX GPS Drive does exactly what TomTom does and more. I am not talking about MotionX GPS.
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I've read a number of reviews of MotionX GPS Drive.
Some of the reviews noted that the app depended on 3G service. Does it not use
the sats for location?
With that caveat covered, I'm ready to give it a try.
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I just used MotionX extensively way up in Canada where there was no cell coverage and I was in airplane mode. I uses true satellite GPS
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not intending to doubt your comment or anything, but were you using MotionX GPS Drive, or just MotionX GPS? Also, what was your application?
Were you driving, or hiking? If driving, did the app offer turn by turn voice navigation? In looking in the app store, it appears that MotionX GPS (non-Drive) will do what you say, as far as using internal maps, but it doesn't appear to be geared toward driving. It looks like it is more for hiking and biking. Basically tracking where you've been rather than showing you where to go.
I would like your take on the "non-Drive" app. It may do what we need, who knows.
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I was using just motionX GPS, not the Drive version. I use TomTom for street/turn-by-turn navigation. The motionX GPS does allow you the "cache" maps when you have data coverage. Then it will use those maps when you don't have such coverage. That's what I did in Canada, but I doubt it would be useful for street navigation
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That's why they have the drive version. They are distinctly two different products.
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I have used MotionX GPS Drive for about 6 months now. It is a very nice app. There are a couple of things that are less than desirable about it, in my opinion, however. First is the fact that you are required to purchase (in addition to the price of the app itself) the voice navigation feature (after a complementary month). Otherwise, from my observations, it will not do actual turn by turn navigation. By this, I mean you have to manually step to the next turn, much like the map app included with the iPhone. I could be wrong on this, because I have only tried it once or twice without a voice navigation subscription, but that's what it looked like to me. The cost of the voice navigation is not extremely high ($2.99 per month, or 24.95 per year, as I recall), but the app is fairly crippled without it.
Secondly, and this is kind of a biggie, the app DOES need a data connection to download maps as you drive. This means you have to be in a coverage area, 3G or Edge. If you are not in a 3G area, you will not be able to place or receive phone calls while the app is using the data connection.
Also, because of this, it eats the battery up faster than the charger can keep up with. In other words, if you are on a long trip (4 hours or more), your battery will be depleted even if the phone is connected to the charger.
..in response to questions, yes it uses the GPS satellite system to determine your location, but it needs the data connection to download the maps to show you where you are. In my case, I really like the app and it's features for most applications, like finding new places around town or relatively close, but I am thinking of looking into the TomTom app or some other navigational app that uses internal maps, after my subscription to the voice navigation runs out.
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You wrote up a very accurate description of the app. I also have TomTom and Navigon and they do not need cell coverage as all the map data is ES on the device but I find they are not up to date and they aren't as accurate.
But MotionX GPS Drive has gotten me to everywhere I needed to go and I always have cell coverage. So this is the best app for me.
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Yes, I will say that the Bing Maps that MotionX uses are the most accurate and up to date that I have seen. It's definitely a good tool to have available.
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I was going to ask about what you meant by more accurate maps, but you seem to have answered it. Yes, an internet map should be more current than a static loaded maps. Is that what you mean by more accurate?
What I find very frustrating with Garmin maps is that they used to be 2 years behind, but currently it seems like they are closer to 4 years behind, but yet they still want to sell you a supposedly updated map each year. I know the restaurant and hotel info will be dated by at least a year, but when it is 4 years old I get mad. That is when I use a internet connection.
Without the map from a cellular connection, you will probably get the same as Maps or MapQuest will give you, a push pin in a grey grid. Or basically, "you are here, wherever the heck that is" and no written or verbal directions, since it does not know where you are in relation to the next turn.
That is why I asked for specifics on what you liked about it. It appears that Jeffery and I travel out of cell coverage areas, and need that loaded map to put behind the marker for where you are, even if the map may be dated.
Different needs for different folks.
I don't like applications that charge for every feature, like paying extra to get turn by turn voice instructions. And I don't like subscriptions, if I don't want to update the old version should still work, especially if you find some of the information is not updated, you can still use all the features of the app for several years. I can get current hotel and restaurant information without having to pay another subscription.
How's the total cost of Motion X GPS Drive for a year compare to the other GPS apps you have purchased?
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There are new roads around here and I don't see it with TomTom and navigon but I do see it with MotionX GPS Drive. The cost including the voice turn by turn is 25 dollars a year versus an investment of 50-80 dollars for TomTom or Navigon.
I don't recall the exact cost anymore.
But I would gladly pay that knowing it is more accurate and much better to use.
The other option with accurateaps is AT&T Navigator which works much like motionX but it costs 9.99 a month or 79 a year.
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