Garmin StreetPilot - Review

Garmin recently released StreetPilot over at the Windows Phone Marketplace. StreetPilot looks actually good, is feature rich but carries a healthy price tag ($39.99). While the loftier price might be justified, Garmin doesn't provide a trial version to StreetPilot to allow Windows Phone users a chance to try it out first before investing the non-refundable $xl.

Over the past few days nosotros've taken StreetPilot out for a test bulldoze and after tinkering with StreetPilot, it appears the navigation app is worth the $40 based on the number of features. Merely, is information technology worth the $40 with regards to performance? Well...that may exist a different story.

Ease on past the break to read more on StreetPilot and see how it measures upwardly to the sticker cost.

App Layout

Instead of launching into a map view, StreetPilot launches into a carte du jour layout. In one case you get past the "Warning" page (which yous can disable in the settings), you find yourself on a multi-page menu that covers:

Garmin Main Menu

My Locations: A list of favorite or frequently traveled locations. You will also come across a listing of recently found destinations and your Home location (can be established in the settings).

Where to?: This is a menu in itself giving you lot nine options to find your destination as well equally flight status. You can search past address, become home, search locally via Google, view recently found destinations, search by category (food, hotels, gas, banks, lodging, etc.), favorites, search by city, or search by intersection. The local Google Search pulls upward categories of local establishments (dining, gas, lodging, auto repair, etc.) or y'all can search by keyword.

In searching for establishments, y'all tin pull up details on the business that volition requite you the physical address and phone number. From this detail screen you lot can create a road, relieve the location as a favorite, view traffic around the location or telephone call the business. The "Where to?" page is a squeamish feature of StreetPilot in that it makes finding your destinations uncomplicated and efficient.

Garmin StreetPilot Flight Info

Traffic: Hither you volition discover whatever data concerning traffic delays in your expanse. From construction to accidents, this may give you a fighting take a chance to avert delays. In tapping the specific traffic outcome, you can pull upwards a map of the effected area.

Traffic data is also available equally a map overlay and from the destination views which details the traffic bug for that particular area.

Suggestions: Every bit you begin to use StreetPilot, information technology volition generate suggestions on places nearly you that might be of involvement. Just tap on a proposition to get a map view and more detail on the place.

On the top of the menu view is a keyword search field that you lot tin use at any time to search past address or keyword. At the bottom of the screen, you'll see two buttons that volition send you to the map view or settings.

Settings

Garmin StreetPilot'southward settings are spread out over several pages which includes:

General: Establishing your Abode Location, turning on/off the alarm page and location services.

Sound and Display: Here's where yous determine backlight settings (always on, on when map is displayed, etc.), map color (day, dark or automobile) and turning on/off the voice directions and speed limit alert.

Navigation: This is where you set up your navigational preferences such equally road manner (shortest or fastest), road optimization (car/motorcycle or walking), route views (second or 3D) and an choose your Avoidances (such as toll roads, traffic, car pool lanes, etc.)

Map Layers: Sets the information layers on your map and covers traffic, favorites, suggestions and points of interest. The POI layer likewise has a filter to limited what is displayed.

Locale: Here is where yous set how your distant units and temperature units are displayed (Majestic or Metric, Celsius or Fahrenheit).

As easy every bit StreetPilot is to option up and apply, it was a little strange not to run into a Assist Section.

Map View

Garmin's map view is fairly simple. You lot take 2nd or 3D views with your electric current position represented by a car. You have buttons to the right of the screen to allow you zoom in/out and center the map to your location. A push at the upper left pulls up your map layer options.

Garmin Map Views

The map is touch navigable in the general view (route not prepare) just when a route is fix, yous are restricted to zooming in and out. You can roam the map or pinch to zoom when the road is displayed.

One time y'all've set your road, navigational information will be displayed at the top and bottom of the screen. To the top you volition find your turn and location data. To the lesser, you'll see your inflow fourth dimension, speed and a pull upwardly card options (road overview, directions, walking mode, stop navigation).

To the bottom right corner the speed limit will be display (if known). As you are traveling, should your speed exceed the posted speed limit, your speed will be displayed in red and a tone will sound. You can disable to tone just your speed will go along to be displayed in red. It's a squeamish feature for those who are conscious virtually the speed limits.

The map doesn't have an automatic zoom feature, which was a little disappointing. Information technology would have been prissy for the map to automatically zoom out when you increase your speeds and zoom back in when you dull down.

Another issue I have with the map view is that the car symbol is a lilliputian on the big side and can obstruct your view of intersections or street names, peculiarly in the map view (the non-route view). The machine looks squeamish but needs to exist smaller or users given the pick to utilise a smaller pointer icon.

All in all, the map view volition do but, for me, it takes a little getting used to. Bing Maps but seems to have a cleaner appearance.

Establishing your route

Routing can be established many ways with StreetPilot. You lot tin can search past keyword or address, use one of the "Where To?" options or tap on a point on the map. While you lot tin search for specific destinations by keyword or accost, Garmin adds the functionality of Yelp! or Poynt past allowing you to search by various categories, returning results in your immediate expanse.

In the map view, you can tap on a map betoken, and an information bubble will pop for that betoken. The bubble volition accept the GPS coordinates of that indicate, an information button that will pull up the nearest address and intersection, a search button to find establishments in the surface area, and a weather button to pull upwardly electric current weather and a 6 day forecast for that indicate.

Garmin does a skillful job of presenting a lot of information on your potential destinations. Again, these features goes a long way towards the ease and efficiency of searching for destinations.

On the Route

I took StreetPilot out for a 45 mile road trip on a road I'chiliad familiar with. This allowed me to deviate from the route (without getting lost) and gauge route re-calculations.

StreetPilot was quick to establish the initial road. It is my understanding that StreetPilot downloads your road map to minimize the data connection dependence while traveling. Longer routes did take longer to establish only non painfully longer. The speed in which routes was created was impressive.

Street Pilot POI and Traffic Layers

Routes were re-calculated quickly and maps kept pace nicely while traveling. The only issue I had with routes was that StreetPilot relied a lot on u-Turns and circling the cake. Re-calculations also seemed to have the long way around things and at one case, directed me to a road that hasn't been in being for years. On the plus side, StreetPilot does allow yous to remove u-Turns from the equation in the settings carte du jour under the "Avoidances" button establish on the Navigation page.

Streetmap tracked my position and motility fairly accurately, maybe being only a hair off but not enough to get me lost. Every once in a while, my position went off route or stayed on route fifty-fifty if I wasn't. StreetPilot corrected things quickly but the deviations were noticeable.

Voice prompts were loud, clearly understandable but a niggling too robotic for my gustatory modality. Another plus for StreetPilot is that announcements not only informed me of the upcoming turn merely also the street I was turning on to. Voice directions also included directional references to help you lot place the correct road (e.g. get out right onto I 459 North towards Atlanta). This reduced the amount of fourth dimension looking at the map and permit you lot concentrate more on the road.

Overall, I was pleased with the "on the road" performance of StreetPilot simply unfortunately there wasn't a silver bullet to make StreetPilot a clear cut choice in a higher place other voice navigation apps.

Overall Impression

Garmin's StreetPilot comes close to putting the functionality of a stand alone GPS unit on your Windows Phone. The app ran smoothly with no bugs, glitches or crashes experienced and offers a ton of features. At that place is room for comeback which prevents the $40 app from being a articulate choice over the other less expensive alternatives such as Turn past Plough Navigation.

On one hand, none of the other gps apps matches StreetPilot's features. The search options, traffic data and weather forecasts assist gives StreetPilot a strong border over the contest.

On the other manus, a few of the alternatives match Garmin's performance as far equally routing, recalculation, and maps, dulling that edge slightly.

If you find yourself needing a vocalization navigation app on a twenty-four hours to day basis, Garmin is well worth the price. If your use is less frequent, I recall I'd accept to give one of the bottom priced alternatives a try commencement (unlike StreetPilot, they take trial versions).

Another thing to consider is that StreetPilot only supports English and is limited to maps of the U.Southward., Canada and Puerto Rico. If you are an International traveller, the alternatives would be a ameliorate option for the time being.

It is disappointing that Garmin didn't offer a trial version of StreetPilot. They could have easily provided a version that limits routes to twelve miles to give Windows Phone users a gustatory modality of what thier app offers. Specially when y'all're asking customers to pay $40 which is non-refundable.

Overall, Garmin'southward StreetPilot is a good vocalism navigation app. I remember if y'all brand the investment you lot'll be pleased simply if yous're still on the fence, requite the trial versions of the other vox navigation apps a attempt first. If yous discover yourself needing more features, then StreetPilot may exist the ticket.

You tin find Garmin StreetPilot here (opens Zune) at the Marketplace.

See our other GPS review round-ups for Windows Telephone seven:

Voice Navigation Round-up: GPS Phonation vs. Plow by Turn Navigation
Vocalism Navigation Round-up (part two): aSpass vs. Silvery Navigator

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