3 Cheap Voice Navigation Apps for the iPhone

Posted on March 11, 2010 at 7:00 am

It is no secret that the iPhone can replace 3-4 of our favorite gadgets all at once. We do not need to carry an Mp3 player; iPhone holds as many songs as an iPod Nano.

We do not need to carry an ebook reader; the Kindle app for the iPhone is free, as are several other ebook apps. And, we do not need to carry a turn-by-turn GPS unit—iPhone can do that too.

The major turn-by-turn GPS manufacturers offer iPhone apps, but the prices are outrageous compared to what we pay for other apps. TomTom’s app starts at $59.00…per country! Megellan’s app starts at $59.99.

Garmin just entered the iPhone market in January, but their app is only for pilots and costs $99.00 per year. Frugal geeks need not fear, though—there are plenty of cheap, voice-guided, turn-by-turn navigation apps.

1. MotionX GPS Drive (free-$3/month)

This was our favorite because it worked very much like the more expensive TomTom app. On a 7-hour trip from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Destin, Florida, MotionX’s program lost reception twice, and quickly found it again.

We were impressed the first time its directions came over the radio, since it first lowered the iPod’s music volume, instructed us to turn left, then raised the volume back the to original level. The voice was clear and easy to understand.

The free version of GPS Drive does turn-by-turn navigation, but it does not have voice-guided navigation. The voice service is $2.99 for 30 days, and does not auto-renew (so potentially, you could just pay the $2.99 during months where you travel and the program would sit on your phone free in months that you do not).

2. MapQuest Navigator ($1-4/month)

MapQuest’s program uses the MapQuest map set for voice-guided, turn-by-turn navigation. Compared to MotionX’s navigation program, the MapQuest Navigator does recalculate routes quickly when you make a wrong turn…if it has solid internet connection. It connects with traffic reports to help you avoid traffic jams, which is a nice feature.

This one tends to work best in urban areas where 3G coverage is abundant. MapQuest charges $0.99 for the first month, then $3.99/month for future months. The program is available for most Blackberries and other SmartPhones too.

3. G-map ($24.99)

If we had to choose one app on this list with the most clear and useful maps, G-Map would be it. In this way, it rivals TomTom’s Lane Smart feature, which is why G-Map’s price is higher than its competitors.

G-Map has all the bells and whistles, from real-time traffic to turning your contact list addresses into instant destinations. Like MotionX, G-Map can control the iPod volume.

The program is available by region, and costs $24.99 each for U.S. Eastern, U.S. Western and Canadian map sets. There are versions of G-Map for Samsung SmartPhones as well.

Google Maps??

Here’s our question: Why doesn’t Google Maps offer voice guided directions with its program? The Google Maps part of the Google App loads quickly, calculates directions quickly and even works when our GPS cannot see the sky…so why not add voice function too?

The satellite images in Google Maps are far more helpful than the MapQuest maps in their app or Bing maps in MotionX’s app. Certainly we would be willing to pay an extra $1 or $2 for voice functionality!

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