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Best of Smarpthone Experts, 4 Oct 2009

(Goviko Navigator for iPhone Forum Review by cjvitek For more Forum Reviews, see the TiPb iPhone App Store Forum Review Index!)

Gokivo [$4.99 - iTunes link] is the next GPS application in the increasingly long list of iPhone GPS turn-by-turn apps. First off, when I started the app, I got a little confused because it looks almost exactly like Google Maps (in fact, it may literally be the same). But the interface expands beyond Google Maps. When you put in a term for searching, you get an expanded list of options – including using local Yahoo lists, categories, your contact list, etc.

To use the app, you simply choose your destination (either as an address, contact book entry, local business, etc). From there you can choose to “Bo Navigate” (which is the Gokivo app). Warning – don’t choose “directions” – this is the Google map directions. I had a slight problem once where I went into “directions” and actually got into Google Maps, and I couldn’t get back to the Gokivo app. There are no settings initially to choose route types or preferences – those can be adjusted later.

The directions provided seems pretty straightforward. It didn’t have some of the features that the other apps has (like speeding warning) but it did have traffic warnings. You can also view standard options like ETA, distance to arrival, etc. The POI database appears to be based on local Yahoo data, so it is pretty robust. I put in some obscure locations and it was still able to find them with relative ease. The choice of routes was pretty standard, no real problems or anything, although as with all the apps the ETA was slightly longer than I have seen in reality.

You can review your directions before you take the trip, either in a list form or in a simulated trip form. It does have text to speech, so it reads the road names for you (a feature that I think is great). Because the maps are (seemingly) based on Google maps, there is little footprint on your iPhone. So you do need to have a phone (or internet?) connection to use the app – the maps aren’t stored on the device. You can also play your music while in the app.

The app use is very nice – the voice is clear, the directions are announced in plenty of time before the actual turn, and the map itself is easy to read. There wasn’t any option I could find to add an interim destination, but all destinations are saved in recents, so you can easily reroute yourself if you change your plans. The maps are very clean – not a lot of clutter making them very easy to read while using the app.

So let’s discuss the pricing plan, which has it’s plusses and minuses. The price is only $4.99, and this gives you 30 days of access. However, unlike the AT&T Navigator, you don’t automatically get rebilled for a new month. You can choose to purchase a new month, or you can wait until you need it again, then purchase a new month. Each month that is purchased is $9.99 [Gokivo has announced this will soon drop to $4.99 -- Rene]. This is, IMO, better than the automatic billing of AT&T Navigator, but ultimately I still prefer to have an upfront cost and not be billed every month. But if you would be using a GPS app sporadically, this may be an ideal solution for you – provided you will have phone coverage where you are going.

Conclusion

All in all, I think Gokivo is a strong competitor in the GPS turn-by-turn market, giving it’s variation on the monthly pricing scheme. I still don’t like the fact you need to have a data connection, and I found the menus to be a little difficult to use while in the car (unlike the apps that have very large, easy to hit “buttons”). But for people who will only sporadically use a GPS app, this might be a top solution. Combined with their use of Yahoo for a POI database, it holds its own in the market. For a $9.99 initial price (for one month, too bad they don’t give you two months or something to start!), I give it four out of five stars.

Pros

• Text to speech
• Simple interface
• Pay as you go
• In app song control
• Uses Yahoo for POI

Cons

• Pay as you go
• Buttons for in car use not intuitive
• Need to have data connection (maps no on device)

TiPb Review Rating

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

App Review: Gokivo Navigator Turn by Turn GPS for iPhone

Every week a few of us from team TiPb, bloggers and forum crew alike, will bring you our current favorite, funnest, most useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they’re iPhone (or iPod touch) related, they’re fair game.

So who’s on deck this week and what are our picks? Find out after the break!

Chad’s Pick: Blades of Fury

If there is one game genre the iPhone is lacking in it has to be fighting games. Well, the wait is over folks, Blades of Fury is one awesome game. The best way to think of it is an amazing port of Soul Calibur; this game is really that good. The touch controls work surprisingly well and you can even play you own iPod music. What is it missing? Online multiplayer, but then again, so are many games If you like fighting games, especially using the weapons-based Soul Calibur fighting mechanic, you will love Blades of Fury! [$6.99 - iTunes link]

Chris’ Pick: PwnageTool 3.1.3.

For people who have a iPhone 3Gs (like me), who has been waiting for jailbreak (like me), this is great news. While there is a PC version (yet? opinion seems to be varied as to their intent, or lack of intent, to release a new PC version of redsn0w), this is still a great step forward for those of us who have patiently been waiting for a jailbreak of 3.1. Jailbreakers can now start to experience some of the fun of the 3.1 update. [Free - Web link]

James’ Pick: Newsstand

In my eternal search for the perfect Google Reader app, I find myself loving Newsstand. Reliable sync of all of my feeds and the storge of offline images make this my go to app! [$4.99 - iTunes link]

Matt’s Pick: Mailbox Find

Mailbox Find is an app that tells you were the closest mailbox for either USPS (or post offices), FedEx or even UPS. With my most recent job, I was asked to drop a letter in the mailbox. Not knowing the area real well, I was able to open the app and it gave me some of the closest mail boxes in the area. It kept me from spending too much time hunting for a mailbox in the area (or driving across the city to go to the one I actually knew of. If you want to search a certain zip code for mailboxes, you can also do that. [$0.99 - iTunes link]

Rene’s Pick: RedLaser

So I go to the book store with a friend, who sees many cute and wonderful and engaging books, and I see the full retail price quickly adding up in my brain like one of those old fashioned whirling cash registers. Luckily I had RedLaser’s barcode scanner and product finder on my iPhone, so I whipped it out, scanned away, and proceeded to add the books up in Amazon for quite a bit less. My friend saw how much less the total was, dumped the books back on the shelves, and everyone was happy (except for the book store, no doubt). Bottom line, I’ve been waiting for this on the iPhone ever since I saw the Android G1 show it off almost a year ago. And it works great. [$1.99 - iTunes link]

Your Pick?

You’re part of team TiPb too, so what’s your pick? What app was your absolute fav last week? Let us — and everyone — know in the comments!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Blades of Fury, PwnageTool, Newsstand, Mailbox Find, RedLaser – TiPb Picks of the Week