Map App End User Help

[Rhian]

Hey all,

If you could help me out, much appreciated. My friend is a developer for RIM and is doing a comparative project on map apps for similar phones to BlackBerry, iphones etc.

If you could take a sec and jot down some quick thoughts on the map apps, Pros/Cons, that would be great.

Thanks for helping me help him.

[Mikey]

they load slow over edge!!!

[TheGrundle]

con: iPhone GPS/Map is only useful if you're within range of a cell tower or wifi.

[jeffdrafttech]

I've never tried to navigate anywhere with one, but the phone nav systems I've seen are impossible to see when you study that absurd tiny screen.

I could see cell phone systems being useful when combined with google or mapquest text directions if they were simpler and didn't bother with the actual map. If the phone has GPS and gave an audible direction when approaching a turn, that could be useful. Download directions at home with a PC or while stopped with a strong signal, then download to the phone, then the phone reminds you via the speakerphone-speaker before making turns or exits, like "take exit ten in 1000ft, to I-70 east"

Looking at a map on a cell phone while driving should be illegal. That's worse than texting.

[thelastknowngod]

i have a Nokia N810. not really a phone at all but i find that the wayfinder navigator is really nice. the only thing i dont like about it is that it doesnt (or isnt obvious) how to see the turn by turn directions in advance. that and it takes a while to establish the connection with the sat.

[FreydNot]

I think that maps and navigation are two totally different styles of applications. I have both Google Maps and Mapquest Navigator on my BB 8900. They both work well for what they are intended to do.

Mapquest Navigator is about the best you can do when it comes to turn by turn navigating. It pre-loads all information so if you drive outside of the service area during your trip you aren't screwed. It deals with missed turns fairly gracefully. The main screen while navigating gives you good information (what street you are on, what street the next turn is on, distance to next turn, distance to destination. I would like to see time to destination on the screen all the time, but it is hidden in a pop up menu that goes away 5 seconds after bringing it up.

Things that could be improved in Mapquest Navigator include better search for places, a better way to back up your saved locations so that you can recover them when you move devices or wipe the phone, and better database of navigation (sometimes it just doesn't know where it is going - not very often through). A lower cost would be good also, but these things aren't free.

I would like a new feature that tells you your speed and also tells you the speed limit of the street you are on. I don't need it to nag me about speeding, but sometimes it is hard to figure out the speed limit of a road and the speed limit signs don't come around very often.

Google Maps is good to me for one thing - seeing a map of exactly where I am and having that map update in real time as I am driving around. I never use it for actual navigation or search. This is useful if you are driving around a new neighborhood trying to learn the lay of the land or watching the path that the ferry boat takes.

I never use the built in blackberry maps. It seems to duplicate the functionality of Google maps and it isn't as pretty.