Comment: Can smartphones act as satnavs?

Satnavs have revolutionised the driving experience, making it easier for people to find their way to, from and through unfamiliar destinations.

Now manufacturer TomTom has made the same navigation technology that powers its satnav devices for cars available on the iPhone, meaning drivers can instead use their Apple smartphones to drive home.

But is iPhone navigation really good enough to replace the traditional in-car satnav? Mobilechoices.co.uk hit the road to find out.

TomTom iPhone app

When I opened the TomTom iPhone application it immediately began searching for a signal because the app uses the smartphone’s GPS technology* to find your starting location (which proved extremely accurate, I might add).

Planning my journey was then child’s play because available options were broken down into a series of simple “Navigate To…” categories, such as “Home”, “Address” and “Recent Destination”.

I set my destination as Soho, London and the app swiftly plotted my route. An overview of the journey was displayed on the iPhone’s screen (above) alongside the estimated journey time and total travel distance.

I was initially nervous that the iPhone’s screen size (3.2in) would make glancing at the app’s visual navigation instructions difficult (even the cheapest TomTom has a 3.5in screen).This wasn’t the case, however.

And because the app’s vocal instructions were clear, precise and accurate I navigated my way to Soho quite easily.

It’s worth noting that, while the TomTom iPhone app costs roughly half the price of a cheap TomTom satnav, you still need something to stick the iPhone to your windscreen with. TomTom’s branded version costs a whopping £100, though non-branded holders are available from around £10.

A Point of Interest tool of the app proved really helpful, finding me a petrol station and drive-through McDonald’s along the route.

A similar tool also plotted the site of the Tower of London and offered options for altering my route so I could drive past London’s famous castle before arriving in Soho.

Considering the app costs roughly £40 (for a version including UK and Ireland maps), I felt short-changed that traffic jam information wasn’t included as standard.

Traffic jam information is sold as a bolt-on feature and prices range between £1 and £23. The bolt-ons can be downloaded directly through the iPhone (read our Apple iPhone 4 review) over a wireless (3G or wi-fi) connection.

The TomTom iPhone app’s other notable benefits include:

• Automatic shut-down after roughly 15 minutes of inactivity to save your iPhone’s battery life (the app won’t shut-down while you’re driving)
• Speed camera warnings
• Options for taking calls and listening to iPhone music while the app is in use.

Overall I found the TomTom iPhone app very easy to use, helpful and a viable alternative to the traditional satnav. The app is quite expensive and you will need to buy a windscreen dock for your iPhone, but the software means you won’t need a bulky traditional TomTom satnav in your car at all times.

* To pinpoint your location the iPhone needs to get signals from at least four satellites, according to TomTom. Any less and the screen will go grey, meaning you won’t be able to plot a driving route. I did experience this when trying to plot my route before leaving the house (GPS signals often can’t penetrate thick walls), but never had a problem with poor GPS signals while driving.

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