Satnav for android

[kalos]

hello!

I am interested in a satnav application for my android mobile

I opted for Google Maps, because it has the excellent feature to search for any type of word and return excellent results (like post codes, points of interest, etc)
for example searching for 'starbucks' returns starbucks stores starting from the closest, not starbucks of other countries like other GPS apps do
it corrects error spellings, it suggests brilliant results as you type, etc

so, is there any other app that uses the same or even better search? I don't want those GPS apps that you have to choose post code, then enter number, etc, I want to submit what I know about the location I want to go (eg, 2 EA4, and to understand and find the correct one, ie that 2 is the street number and EA4 is the first part of the post code, etc)

I would stay with Google Navigation, but unfortunately it speaks very fast and without any gap between words, so it makes it hard to understand

Also, it doesn't mention which side of the road to stay when you approach a division of the road and it doesn't repeat enough times where to turn, before you do the actual turn.

Any hints?

Thanks!

[CWuestefeld]

You might consider Waze. This was recently purchased by Google, and its search function now uses Google search, so you'll get the same search goodness.

But it differs from Google Maps in a few key areas. Most importantly, it's crowdsourcing data including traffic, accidents, speed traps, and other stuff, and using this to give you a route that's optimal given the actual conditions right now. They're also trying to stuff in some social aspects to the app, but imho that part is lame.

[Deozaan]

I would stay with Google Navigation, but unfortunately it speaks very fast and without any gap between words, so it makes it hard to understand

Also, it doesn't mention which side of the road to stay when you approach a division of the road and it doesn't repeat enough times where to turn, before you do the actual turn.

-kalos (October 14, 2014, 02:26 PM)

I don't know if it makes a difference if you're in a non-USA country, but my experience with navigation using Google Maps on my Android device(s) has been that it speaks clearly with one exception, and that it does tell me which side of the road/which lane to use, and I have found the warnings/reminders of when to turn to be adequate.

The one exception in the speaking is when there is a road (usually a highway) with several different names. Like US Hwy 301/Lassiter Junction/Hwy 309. (I totally made that example up.) It will speak all those names/words/numbers really quickly.

[eleman]

Give Yandex.navi a try. Google Maps does not speak in Turkey, so we use this one instead.

[kalos]

I used Waze today.
Initially I was amazed by the good amount of warnings before turns and the timing they occur.
However, I used the Serena voice, the only UK English voice that has 'street names' and it was awful!
The quality is so bad, that it is heard like she speaks from a bad phone line!
Also, it is not loud at all!
Compared with Google Maps' voice which is loud and clear.

Any hint?

[CWuestefeld]

Initially I was amazed by the good amount of warnings before turns and the timing they occur.
However, I used the Serena voice, the only UK English voice that has 'street names' and it was awful!
The quality is so bad, that it is heard like she speaks from a bad phone line!
Also, it is not loud at all!
Compared with Google Maps' voice which is loud and clear.

Any hint?

-kalos (October 22, 2014, 11:06 AM)

Well, you could use a USA voice.

Regarding the volume, there is a setting for that. Go to Settings -> Sounds -> Prompts volume. That's a slider that determines the voice volume (I think), so make sure the slider is all the way to the right.

[kalos]

You mean the 'voice volume' ? I have already set it to maximum.

But the USA voice doesn't say "including street names" below!
So it won't speak out street names! Which is an absolute no no.

Also, that Waze thingy, doesn't offer the ability to preview the voices somehow, which is bad

[Ath]

You should really try Sygic*, its partly free, and fully usable off-line (without internet connecton) if you pre-download the maps when still on WiFi.

* No connection to the company.

[mouser]

Sygic, Igo, Copilot, are all good and can all be used offline once you download maps.

[kalos]

but I need connection to tell me the best route after taking into consideration the traffic!

[kalos]

You should really try Sygic*, its partly free, and fully usable off-line (without internet connecton) if you pre-download the maps when still on WiFi.

* No connection to the company.

-Ath (October 22, 2014, 12:39 PM)

Sygic, Igo, Copilot, are all good and can all be used offline once you download maps.

-mouser (October 22, 2014, 12:44 PM)

thanks for your suggestions but I really need the excellent search feature of Google Maps, that you type anything (like petrol station, mcdonalds, partial post code, supermarket, etc) and it returns excellent local results

[KynloStephen66515]

Google Maps DOES tell you what side of the road to stay on...I remember quite clearly that it tells you to "Keep left" or "Keep right" or "Stay in lane" etc...

[kalos]

it seems that Google Maps does not suggest me the shortest (in time) way, but it navigates me via the way I followed few times in the past! it seems it identified that this way is the preferred and it doesn't change it to the shortest way! is there a way to fix this? I want to always navigate via the shortest in time way!

[kalos]

Also, I would like to say 'repeat' and Google Maps to repeat the last navigation instruction it said! is it possible? because sometimes I don't remember what it said!