7 reasons the iPhone's a crap satnav (and 4 it could be great)

The thing that makes the iPhone brilliant is its ability, thanks to the tireless work of third-party developers, to transform into whole new classes of devices just by spending a few quid in the App Store. And yet when one of the most anticipated type of app – one that transforms your iPhone into a proper turn-by-turn satellite navigation system – arrived on the Store, we quickly realised that using your iPhone as a satnav has some fundamental flaws. Caveat emptor – know what these are before you click Buy.

1. Cradle
   Problem one is that you need to position your iPhone in your car comfortably, and in a safe position, so you can actually see it. Problem is, there are relatively few iPhone car mounts available, and those that we've tried are usually ungainly and inelegant. Hopefully, the upcoming launch of the TomTom car kit will be the start of a flood of innovation.
2. Want to do anything else? Quit your satnav!
   Because the iPhone only allows one app to run at a time – not strictly accurate, but good enough for our purposes here – as soon as a call comes in, you'll lose your satnav display. (It also means, of course, that you can't, say, easily glance at your email while you're stopped at the lights, but then we shouldn't be doing that anyway.) The good news, though, is twofold: first, folks always forget that you can, while on a call, tap the Home button to bounce you back out to your Home screen, from which you can launch any other application, so that you can easily talk on a call while using your satnav app; a pulsing green bar at the top lets you get back to the call with a tap. Second (thanks to the iPhone's assisted GPS?), all the satnav apps we've tested lock to your position very quickly, so even if you've had to quit, on relaunching, your app will lock to your position and recalculate your route (if necessary) within seconds.
   (Oh, and don't forget that you can control iPod playback with Voice Control or clicks on a remote.)
3. Power
   GPS uses a lot of power – man, my iPhone gets hot when I've got a satnav app running – and so does your iPhone's lovely big screen. Don't rely on your iPhone's battery to take you a long journey – and worse, when you arrive, your battery will be exhausted. No, you need power, and that'll mean trailing cables from your cigarette lighter. (A problem bedeviling traditional satnavs, to be sure, but then you don't rely on them to make calls and check email when you arrive at your destination.)
4. Screen size/brightness
   Though it seems generous in your hand, the iPhone's screen actually seems pretty dinky when mounted on your dashboard; you might find yourself squinting to read text. And even at full brightness, it can appear dim in bright sunlight. Voice prompts would seem to be the answer, but...
5. Volume
   The iPhone's built-in speaker is fine for speakerphone calls, but at volumes sufficient to be heard above engine and tyre noise, it can be prone to distortion.
6. We're spoiled by Google Maps POI database
   Because the database of points of interest, businesses and even residential addresses that Google maintains is updated far more frequently than the one in satnav solutions, we frequently find ourselves looking up addresses on Google Maps and then entering the postcode into the satnav app.
7. Maps are expensive
   ...but hardware isn't. It doesn't cost much for the TomToms and Garmins of this world to manufacture physical satnav systems in the far East, but what really costs is the map data that powers them all. And that's why satnav apps for the iPhone are so expensive. (And they seem so expensive because the other apps on the Store have defined an unsustainably-low price point.)
   

But there's good news! Not only are some things about the iPhone-as-satnav fundamentally brilliant – the fact that it's one device fewer to tote about with you; the fact that as you do have to power it, you arrive at your destination with a charged battery; opportunities for A2DP or even just FM streaming for audio on your stereo, and more – but everything will improve. Remember that we've only just seen the first round of satnav apps launched; there's room to evolve, and take advantage of the iPhone platform. Here's what can happen:

1. Persistent internet connection
   This is a no-brainer. The fact that the iPhone's always net-connected means we should be hoping the 1.5 or 2.0 editions of some of the better satnav apps allow for live traffic data, constantly-updated local fuel prices and more. Sure, we'll probably be gouged for the privilege – though what the justification will be, given that, at least in theory, the cost of such services on traditional satnavs is bound up in the cell data connection needed to push the information – but hey, it'll still be brilliant.
2. Updates
   Sure, satnav manufacturers occasionally push out updates for their physical devices, but it tends to be infrequent, and many folks don't even know it's possible given how infrequently they hook up their satnav to their Mac or PC. If the App Store prizes one thing, though, it's innovation through competition, and given that even at this early stage, there are four strong satnav apps to pick from, consumers should be the ultimate victors as they all compete for our money by making their apps better and better.
3. In-app purchasing
   iPhone OS 3.0 allows you to buy stuff from within applications, and while we usually think of level packs for games in this context, satnav app developers could use the framework to let you buy new voices, additional services and even complete maps and updates right from within the app. (It turned out not to be true, but before these apps launched, I'd expected the developers to adopt a business model where the app itself was free or 99¢, but then you used in-app purchasing to add maps for the territories you wanted; perhaps the inordinate size of this map data would have caused problems.)
4. Compass
   It's difficult to tell, but I don't think any of the current crop of apps takes advantage of the compass inside the iPhone 3GS. You might think that's a small thing, but while traditional satnavs determine your direction by comparing where you are now compared to where you were a few seconds ago – and often get very confused, especially when you're stationary in an area with poor GPS reception – using the compass data from the iPhone would make it much more accurate. You might think that because the iPhone would be upright when being used as a GPS would render the compass useless, but if you try using the Compass app with the iPhone held vertically, it seems to work fine; we can only assume the compass mechanism is on a gimbal or something.

Think we're being to harsh? Bought a satnav app, and love it? Whatever you think, pop us a note in the comments!

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