photo credit: Stuck in Customs

Well here we are again, and the market for iPhone-based navigation software keeps improving with a number of current titles having recently supplied updates. Let’s take a quick look at the latest updates and some new things on the horizon.

Navigon now allows for the purchase of a traffic subscription from within the application. This appears to be available in most major cities (in the U.S.), but I wish it would show any traffic events along your route. Instead it seemed limited to showing me events that were near my current position. Nice addition, though.

Sygic has provided a free map update recently as well as fixed a number of errors in the program. The program still isn’t flawless, but it gets better with each revision. When it was first released I said it was a program you should watch. With all the updates they’ve been providing, you really should take a look at this dark horse when you are considering your choices.

The folks at ALK (CoPilot Live) have brought us in-app access to your iPod controls, and provided a number of bug fixes and performance improvements. This title has been very popular due, in part, to it’s attractive pricing. They are planning updates that will allow for in-app purchases of live services, as well as partially muting your music when a navigation instruction needs to be said.

There have also been updates to some of the off-board navigation programs. Mapquest Navigator to fix a number of bugs. AT&T Navigator has improved its offering by adding landscape support, including iPod support within the app, making voice instructions clearer, and simplifying the sign-up process.

Recently all these apps have been joined by a program called NDrive. I haven’t had the opportunity to try this application yet, but it looks interesting with 3D building support – much as we see in iGo MyWay. This title has been available on other mobile devices for a while now, but it’s new to the iPhone. I think you might want to put this one on your “watch” list too!

Another new title is from the group at Magellan.  They’ve released Magellan RoadMate 2010.  It seems to visually follow the stand-alone versions of the Magellan products.  If you are a fan of those products you might want to check this one out.

Also of note, Telenav Shanghai seems to have released a Chinese language navigation program recently too.

There are going to be new players in this area soon. I know that PocketMap is planning some form of an iPhone app soon.   The really interesting event to watch will, of course,  be the effect that the new Google Navigator will have on the GPS navigation market.  For those who have not heard, Google has extending their Google Maps program into the navigation space with their Google Navigator program.   It is NOT currently available for the iPhone, but it is likely going to help sell Android-based phones.  Google Navigator is, however, an off-board application (meaning the maps are loaded on the fly, requiring a data connection to be operational) like AT&T Navigator or Mapquest Navigator.  Off-board navigation apps have two big plusses – they take up very little space on your device and the maps are always pretty fresh, because they are loaded as needed.   Sometimes they require a subscription service, but Google’s app appears to currently be free (like their Google Maps program).  But for long-distance travel, this type of application can be problematic if you travel into areas where your data connection becomes really slow or non-existent.   For long-distance travel, or if you simply want an increased comfort level, I usually recommend that you keep an on-board navigation product handy (like Navigon or iGo MyWay), even if you don’t want to use one as your primary navigation tool.  You never know when you might find yourself without the necessary data connection!

So as you can see, your choices keep growing.  If you are an iPhone user, there are navigation products for nearly every taste and budget now.  And as things progress, we will be keeping you up-to-date on the iPhone GPS space!

Related posts:

1. Update: Round-up of Recent Updates to Navigation Apps on iPhone
2. The iPhone Navigation Parade Continues: AT&T Navigator (Telenav)
3. Update: MotionX GPS Drive version 1.2
4. First Look: Navigon (Lite) for iPhone with North America Maps
5. iPhone As A GPS- The Good, The Bad and The Good Again