While Navigon is certainly not the first GPS application in the AppStore (Gmap and Sygic beat out Navigon, not to mention the AT&T Navigator), it’s the first full-featured turn-by-turn GPS application to be released from a company who offers standalone hardware-based GPS units. Navigon is also not going be the last. TomTom any day now will be releasing their iPhone application, in addition to a hardware-based dock with an external GPS antenna (more on that later).

Navigon’s Feature Set

Out of the gate, Navigon released their iPhone application with a fairly decent feature set, offering:

• Maps of both North America and Europe (two different versions, sold separately)
• 2D and 3D maps
• Landscape support
• Day and night modes
• Lane assist (more on that later)
• “Reality” highway view (more on the later)
• Precise voice announcements
• Address book support
• Allows iPod to be played in the background
• Speed assistance (a database of road speeds and alerts if you’re driving too fast)
• A large database of POIs (points of interest)

What Navigon’s missing that a normal, high-end GPS supports:

• Text-to-speech of street names (turn left on Wyoming Street, not turn left now)
• Traffic information
• Multiple stops (currently only allows one destination to be entered at a time)

Thankfully, all of the above features have been promised by an update available at the end of summer. Hopefully this update will arrive on time.

Outside the feature set, Navigon is a hefty 1.29GB application for the US version (all maps are stored locally), and currently costs $79 until August 15th when the price will be increased to $99. Navigon’s promotional video can be found below.

Routing and Directions

For the last two weeks I’ve been putting Navigon to the test, using it everywhere I go, even if I know how to get there. Over the course of these two weeks I’ve driven from State College, PA to Allentown, PA (~180 miles) on a completely different route than I normally take, and done numerous city trips within the Allentown, PA area. I think I’ve given Navigon a fair enough test to see its routing capability.

Directions

Overall, I’ve been extremely impressed with the routes Navigon has generated for me. On the trip from State College to Allentown, Navigon had me take a completely different route than I normally took, and it turned out to be roughly a half hour faster, 15-20 miles shorter, and one less toll. The directions were clear and concise, and not once did I have the feeling I would miss a turn or become confused at the directions Navigon gave.

When the highways would split or merge (normally a confusing aspect for someone who has not driven the road before), Navigon’s Reality View would show exactly what lane I needed to be in to keep following the directions (example on the right). This feature could have come in a handy a month ago when I drove from State College, PA to Pittsburgh (Jesse Altman will tell you, I don’t take highway lane changes well).

Outside of the highway driving, the in-city routing has worked wonders for me as well. Tonight I took Navigon out on a test drive between several familiar locations in the Lehigh Valley, and Navigon generated an excellent route each and every time. Even though I have lived in the Lehigh Valley my entire life, Navigon was surprising me with shortcuts on almost every trip that in the end saved me a decent amount of travel time.

Despite generating some great routes, there were a few times I decided to go against Navigon’s suggestion. Each and every one of those times Navigon rerouted me within seconds, and started prompting me with new directions instantly.

GPS Signal

One of the major complains or worries that a lot of iPhone users have about Navigon and other iPhone GPS applications is the weak GPS signal of the iPhone. TomTom is looking to address this issue with an optional accessory dock that features a large GPS chip, while Navigon opted to just use the native iPhone GPS chip only.

From my testing, I found the iPhone’s existing GPS chip to be sufficient. Sometimes after starting Navigon it would take up to 30 seconds to get a GPS lock, but after that, the signal would remain strong. On my multiple trips I only lost GPS signal once, when I was downtown, in between buildings, under some trees, on a cloudy day. Other than that one time, Navigon has remained strong for me.

Now I do have to mention that you’ll want to make sure your iPhone is placed somewhere near your windshield, as setting it in the cup-holder most likely won’t do. I’ve been using a Kensington Dashboard Mount that has worked just fine.

POI Database

Knowing how to get somewhere isn’t going to help if you don’t know where you’re going. Thankfully, Navigon addresses that problem with a large points of interest database included within the application. For the most part this database is accurate, but I did find a few issues with it.

In State College, Navigon had me driving to a nonexistent Burger King. It should be mentioned that Google Maps also suggested there was a Burger King at this location, so one may have existed there at some point in the past.

Outside of pointing me to a nonexistent location, there was a few times Navigon couldn’t find something I knew existed. My bank (a small, locally owned chain) was not in their database, and a Panera Bread that has been around for a least five years was missing as well. In these cases, Google was able to find both locations.

Conclusions

For the most part, I’ve been extremely satisfied with Navigon. They seem to be promising more features available shortly, and their routing has been spot on. While their price is fairly steep, judging from what I’ve heard from TomTom, Navigon is in the ballpark. Maps aren’t cheap, and a stand-alone GPS with less features typically starts at $100. I just hope map updates are reasonable, as most GPS navigators tend to overcharge for those.

If you’re looking for a good iPhone GPS navigator, Navigon certainly fits the bill. While most people tend to be waiting for TomTom’s solution, if TomTom doesn’t announce anything by August 15th (the date Navigon’s price increase), don’t hesitate to pick up Navigon.

Despite the technical issues involved in a Twitter push client (low Twitter API limits, server infrastructures, etc.), several independent developers have managed to come up with some creative solutions. I’ve been following the slow rollout of Twitter push apps and have come up with a list of applications that support Twitter push now. While the ideal solution will come from a major app like Tweetie, Twitterrific, or Twitterfon, these apps should hold any Twitter addict over for now.

IM+

Cost: $10.99

Pros: Handles both DMs and mentions. Integration with an IM app, if that’s your thing. Being first to the game is worth something, right?

Cons: Not a true Twitter client. Interface is clunky and not the best Twitter experience.

Prowl with Growl Enabled Mac Twitter Client

Cost: $2.99

Pros: Supports whatever Growl notifications your Twitter client can handle. Doesn’t add extra API calls to your account if you’re using the desktop client anyway. Supports applications other than Twitter (download notifications, etc.).

Cons: Workflow between your regular iPhone Twitter app and the notification is non-existent. Requires the desktop client to remain open to receive notifications.

iTweetReply

Cost: $1.99

Pros: Handles most Twitter functionality in addition to push notifications. Adding integration support with other Twitter clients (Tweetie, Twitterrific, etc.) in an upcoming release.

Cons: Interface isn’t the best at this time. Lacks support for multiple accounts.

Twitbit

Cost: $4.99

Pros: Full-featured client. Support multiple accounts and nearly all of Twitter’s functionality.

Cons: Interface is plain and lacking compared to other full-featured clients. Other than push, the client doesn’t have anything special that draws you in over Tweetie, Twitterrific, etc.

Boxcar

Cost: $1.99

Pros: Integrates with your existing Twitter client; application is simply a push portal. Developer has many planned features they claim are in the pipeline.

Cons: Direct messages aren’t sent to your Twitter client and are instead viewed in a clunky in-app interface. No support for multiple accounts. iPhone Twitter client integration choices are currently limited to Tweetie and Twitterrific.

Tweet Push

Cost: $0.99 per month, per account

Pros: Handles notifications for DMs, mentions, and your timeline. Supports multiple accounts. Interface is extremely polished and includes a website to manage account settings. Interfaces with and supports nearly all Twitter iPhone clients. Does not count against your Twitter API call limit.

Cons: Notifications lack detail on the account they belong to. Interesting pricing model that may become expensive over time.

For those interested, the application I choose to handle my push notifications is Tweet Push. I’m keeping a close eye on Twitbit, though, provided Tweetie or Twitterrific never natively support push.

To read about what movie I saw last month, be sure to check out the May post.

Current Releases: June Edition

As always, these reviews are spoiler free, so feel free to read on if you haven’t seen the movie yet.

The Hangover

Heading into the theater for the release of The Hangover, I was really wondering if I even needed to see this movie. The commercials were fierce leading up to the release, and it felt like the whole movie was airing in 30 seconds chucks. Thankfully I was wrong, and The Hangover had much more to offer.

The Hangover was by far one of the best comedies I have seen in a long time. While completely unrealistic like most comedies, the situations the cast found themselves in was utmost hysterical. Everything about the movie was genuinely funny, and unlike some other comedy releases, this movie wasn’t trying to make a point or anything. Just 100 minutes of pure comedy gold.

Year One

Unfortunately, I can’t say the same thing about Year One. While the concept of sending Jack Black and Michael Cera on an epic comedic journey through the beginning of time sounded good in the trailer, the movie didn’t live up to its potential. Year One certainly did have its funny moments, but overall I felt the movie was a huge snooze. The plot was uninteresting, the acting was a bit awkward, and most of the jokes were just plain dumb. If you’re really bored, sure go out and see this movie, but if you have options, choose the alternative.

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

After not being impressed with the two big already released blockbusters of the summer, Star Trek and Terminator Salvation, I was really counting on Transformers 2 to be that great movie of the summer. Unfortunately, I was a bit let down.

While Transformers 2 certainly was not bad, I didn’t feel the movie did anything to make it stand out among the pack. Unlike movies such as The Dark Knight and Spider-Man 2, Transformers 2 was simply another sequel movie. It followed the same formula of the first – great action scenes, very little plot, and some funny jokes to break up the action. For an action movie, sure it was entertaining the whole way though, but its certainly was not one of those movies you can’t wait to get on Bluray or DVD after leaving the theater. Sure, go and see Transformers 2, but don’t expect to see anything more than a lot of explosions.

Upcoming Summer Movies

Still on my radar for upcoming movies I plan to see in theaters are Brüno and Funny People. After sitting through some trailers in the past month I now have a couple of additional movies to add to my list.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra looked to be pretty interesting, but I’m not expecting anything amazing from it. District 9’s sweet trailer got me interested in seeing this movie, but not knowing much about it, I’m hesitant. Maybe, just maybe, District 9 will be that must see movie of the summer.

My Thoughts

The clear theme of this year’s keynote, in my opinion, was refinements. Apple didn’t unveil any brand new products, or even upgrade any of their products radically. They simply improved on what they do best. That’s fine by me, as I’d rather have something work the way its intended than keep pushing forward on features, never reaching a point of stability.

That being said, I’m still excited for the new releases. Outside of the new iPhone 3G S and the upgraded MacBooks, WWDC contained lots of good news for me. Listed below are the announcements that mattered to me and why I’m excited.

Safari 4 Final

• Safari is my browser of choice, due to this its speed and operating system integration.
• The final version is a lot faster than the beta, and seems to have solved the lockup issue I experienced frequently in the beta.
• A final version is always better than a beta.

iPhone OS 3.0

More information about iPhone OS 3.0 can be found on Apple’s website.

• Release date is only a week and a half away, June 17th.
• Supports copy, cut, and paste – something that should have been included in 1.0.
• Enables Bluetooth on my existing second generation iPod touch.
• Apple claims the whole operating system is faster.
• Better syncing with MobileMe, which I actually use for my calendar, contacts, and bookmark syncing.
• Using my iPod touch at Penn State will be easier due to the new automatic wifi login feature. Opening the settings app constantly to connect to PSU’s VPN gets old after a while.

Snow Leopard

More information about Snow Leopard can be found on Apple’s website.

• Only $29 instead of the normal $129.
• Smaller operating system footprint. I only have a 128GB hard drive in my Mac mini, so the extra 6GB of space Snow Leopard provides will be welcome.
• Completely rewritten applications for 64 bit. Some of Leopard’s applications feel dated and slow, so a complete modern rewrite was needed.
• Completely rewritten Finder. Yes, this was technically covered in the last bullet point, but the Finder is currently really slow and truly needs this rewrite.
• Completely rewritten Quicktime (now Quicktime X). Again, yes, I covered this already, but Quicktime really needs this rewrite as well. Quicktime currently chokes with HD video, which I’ve been watching a lot lately, so the new version will hopefully run better.
• Faster Time Machine backups. Time machine takes forever to run a backup in Leopard (sometimes five minutes for just a few megabytes worth of data) and absolutely rapes the backup hard drive during the run, so I’m really looking forward to an improved Time Machine experience.
• A more reliable disk eject. This one sounds stupid, but I rely on external hard drives, and they occasionally don’t eject properly. Apple has claimed to fix this in Snow Leopard.
• Preview with scanning capabilities. If Apple can get OCR image scanning to PDF working in Snow Leopard, I may finally have my paper archiving system.

That about covers my list. What are you looking forward to from Apple? Do you even care about Apple’s WWDC?