The Best Navigation App for iOS: Magellan RoadMate (Gizmodo)
For $10 less than every other navigation app tested, the Magellan RoadMate does just about everything better. A single feature—OneTouch—makes a lot of the difference. This function, accessible on the main menu or (even better) on the map itself, is a customizable screen that can instantly load the destinations you routinely want the app to guide you to. You can also preset the searches you're always asking it to perform. In our case, the biggest help was a saved search for "Chipotle," which we could call up at any point along the trip, instantly accessing any tacos within striking distance. At the next exit, the saved search was ready with new data. (We also added a search for "taco" to the OneTouch menu as backup.)
The app is more customizable in other ways as well—you can easily configure your favorite icons on the main menu screen, and you can tap to switch between things like "distance to go," "ETA," and "heading" on your map's dashboard. Turn-by-turn directions are accessible via a single tap on the map, using an icon that actually looks like it would give you the turn-by-turn list. Your "history" not only shows the names and address of the recent destinations; it also shows the recent searches. And when you go back to the "point of interest" search list, your last search item remains called up, so you can easily browse the other options without starting from scratch.
The map itself is a clean design, even if it's not exactly beautiful. But it also has a nice detail—zoomed in, it uses the 3D perspective, but once you zoom out past a certain point, the orientation shifts to a clear 2D bird's-eye view. The other apps ask you to choose which view you'd like. But the RoadMate, with this feature and more, just knows what you need it to do.
via Gizmodo.
[ios_app id="350665169" more_info_text="open in App Store..."]
The app is more customizable in other ways as well—you can easily configure your favorite icons on the main menu screen, and you can tap to switch between things like "distance to go," "ETA," and "heading" on your map's dashboard. Turn-by-turn directions are accessible via a single tap on the map, using an icon that actually looks like it would give you the turn-by-turn list. Your "history" not only shows the names and address of the recent destinations; it also shows the recent searches. And when you go back to the "point of interest" search list, your last search item remains called up, so you can easily browse the other options without starting from scratch.
The map itself is a clean design, even if it's not exactly beautiful. But it also has a nice detail—zoomed in, it uses the 3D perspective, but once you zoom out past a certain point, the orientation shifts to a clear 2D bird's-eye view. The other apps ask you to choose which view you'd like. But the RoadMate, with this feature and more, just knows what you need it to do.
via Gizmodo.
[ios_app id="350665169" more_info_text="open in App Store..."]
Published: Mon, Jan 14 2013 @ 5:48:01
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