Offline navigation app?

[Gunslinger]

I'm looking for a fully offline navigation solution. I thought I'd post here, since I'm more likely to get answers from users with Simply Stunning (instead of other ROMs/phones).

I'm going to be activating an old dumb phone on my line, and using my Droid on Wifi only, which I'm OK with 95% of the time. I'm trying to trim expenses anywhere I can, and the VZW data plan is just about my last "luxury." The only time I'm going to miss having 3G data on it, is when I'm out and about and need to find/navigate to somewhere new. Does anyone have feedback on some of the offline navigation apps, like CoPilot, NavDroyd, or Navigon?

I tried a few (free) ones in the Market today, like Locus, Maverick and OsmAnd. None were very user friendly. Locus only lets you download a certain amount of data per day, OsmAnd is ugly as sin and complicated, and Maverick isn't for driving navigation at all.

I've heard people having issues with CoPilot (which is only $5) such as outdated maps and licensing problems. NavDroyd is only a little more (~$7), but I can't find anything that confirms you can search for addresses or businesses while offline. And Navigon is the priciest (~$40), but looks the nicest too.

Any input from users of the apps would be appreciated!

[techguru]

Although far from perfect, I think Navigon is the currently the best of the off-line navigation apps until Garmin gets off their asses and releases the app that is on the Garmin/Asus Nuvi-phone (android 2.1 T-mobile only...).

I reviewed it in a thread several months ago, and their update from last week fixed a couple of my complaints (like the inaudible volume) and added a couple more features. It is pretty pricey, but is also on sale until May 26 so now would be the time to buy.

(note: there is a big bug when running on Honeycomb tablets, but I expect a fix soon. Doesn't impact any phones though).

I also own NDrive, and it needs a lot of work to come up to par with Navigon, although the maps are more up to date than Co-Pilot and it is less expensive than Navigon.

Alan

[Gunslinger]

Thanks for the reply, Prof Frink One last question...does either Navigon or NDrive offer free map updates? I don't want to get stuck with outdated maps a few months from now.

[techguru]

Thanks for the reply, Prof Frink One last question...does either Navigon or NDrive offer free map updates? I don't want to get stuck with outdated maps a few months from now.

The update to Navigon last week included a map update. I don't know if they will continue that practice. I am not sure about Ndrive. Their web site just lists that they have the December 2010 version of Navteq (which is the latest full set). Doesn't say anything about updates though.

Navteq's licensing agreements are pretty strict, so I would expect that they will need to charge for major updates.

Alan

[BigRedGonzo]

I have purchased CoPilot Live from the Market (~$6.) It seems to work very well. I have found no map errors yet, but have found a spot or two where it thinks that the intersection has limited turns, i.e., no left turns. Had I followed its suggested route, I would have gotten to the destination just fine, but maybe not the most optimal route. The devs have a method for reporting bad map data and are supposed to fix it if it is actually wrong. I have turned in the intersections and am waiting to see how they react. Anyway...The app works well and runs smoothly. You can force the app to look for an update at anytime. It works well and does the job. It speaks the turns for you as long as you use the default voice. It has lane guidance where interchanges are confusing. Overall it seems to be a quite robust package. One main thing is its cheap.

Good luck with your search,
BigRedGonzo

[Gunslinger]

I have purchased CoPilot Live from the Market (~$6.) It seems to work very well.

Can you search for businesses or addresses while offline? This was one of the limitations in a few of the free offline apps I tried.