06.iPhone car GPS
A true car GPS on your mobile phone
Applications such as Google Maps are not as effective as using a dedicated car GPS when it comes to speed, voice instruction and planning features such as altering a route or logging a trip.
However, a new iPhone application from Tom Tom delivers most of the features and functions you would expect in a car GPS, for about $100 on top of the price of the iPhone itself.
CHOICE tested the iPhone application for ease of use and examined its performance around the city, and it scored among the top-performing dedicated car GPS units. We will conduct a full test of the unit for our next car GPS unit once we have the Tom Tom cradle made for the iPhone.
As with mobile phones, you cannot legally use the iPhone as a car GPS unless it is in a dedicated hands-free mount. There are several third-party in-car mount kits for the iPod, and Tom Tom has also just released a mount that includes a dedicated GPS chip which should improve the unit's overall performance. It also charges the unit and provides hands-free calling and music integration with the car's built-in sound system.