Google Maps on iPhone 3G

Google maps comes with all new iPhone's. I really got to use it this last time I was out of town and was very impressed. Especially with the GPS feature. I was traveling with by business partner who has a Blackberry and was comparing the GPS features. Now from the beginning the Blackberry seemed to be much better. But after a couple tries, we started to notice that Google Maps was sending us on a better route most of the time. Now, the Blackberry might have been sending us on a shorter route, but for the most part, the iPhone sent us on streets that made a whole lot more sense. Blackberry's GPS was constantly sending us down streets with a speed limit of 20 MPH and lots of stop signs. The iPhone or Google Maps, was sending us on routes that were much quicker and driver friendly. I can't speak for all users of both GPS systems, but during my last trip, the iPhone consistently outperformed the Blackberry.

iPhone 3G GPS

One great feature of the new iPhone 3G is GPS. It didn't take me too long to figure it out. The feature is used through the Maps application. You simply identify where you are going by typing in the address, then select, "Get Directions" which it will map out the shortest distance. When you are ready to go, select "Start" and the 3G network will locate you on the map using a pulsing blue dot. As you move, so will the dot. It's definitely pretty cool.

I did notice a couple fixes that would make it better. One would be a voice command to prompt the user to turn or when a turn is coming. Another would be to have the map rotate to that you are always traveling up on the screen. Currently, you have to turn your iPhone after you make a direcitonal change if you want to be moving in the same direction as the blue dot.

The commercial for the Instinct says that it has voice command GPS. At this point I would say that is its biggest competitve advantage over the iPhone 3G. It wouldn't take much for the Instinct's GPS to be more responsive than the iPhone's. I noticed that sometimes I would be passing streets that the iPhone GPS displayed I hadn't yet. I would say the feature is definitely useful, however, if I were planning a long road trip I definitely wouldn't trust it to get me there without a few mistakes along the way.