Whereis navigates on Apple® iPhone™
Filed under: GPS, iphone, iTunes, navigation, Next G™, Sensis, WhereIS, Yellow Pages
Navigation apps have topped the iTunes app store for some time now. And there’s no denying they’re a very handy way to get from ‘A ‘and ‘B’ quickly.
So what features do people look for in a good navigation app? According to a recent Sensis survey of mobile navigation users most (seven in ten) want an app that offers turn-by-turn visual directions while more than half want one that offers audio instructions. Additionally, four in ten users find real-time speed limit info overlaid on their maps very appealing while around a third rate access to nearby fuel price information as very appealing.
So with interest amongst iPhone™[1]owners for apps with advanced navigation features running hot, Telstra is launching its first Whereis® Navigator app for iPhone™. Powered by Garmin, a world leader in GPS navigation, the new Whereis® Navigator app provides Next G™ customers with turn-by-turn spoken and visual directions, spoken street names, lane guidance and automatically updated Whereis® maps. It’s designed to run on iPhone™ 3, 3GS and iPhone™ 4 handsets.
Unlike other navigation apps, Whereis® Navigator features a broad range of local Australian content including Whereis® Maps and Garmin points of interest plus Yellow Pages listings.
Many features can be accessed without a subscription too – for instance you can search up-to-date Whereis maps, find your location and view nearby points of interest. Other more advanced features are available via a premium subscription.
Amongst many features, the premium subscription provides access to Australian Traffic Network data that allows you to stay ahead of the traffic by receiving live traffic alerts that help you avoid high-impact incidents. Cleverly, the app will even automatically route you around these incidents to get you to your destination as quickly as possible.[2]
The premium service also includes a speed alert feature which is designed to help customers stay within legal speed limits. It compares regularly-updated speed limit info for major roads (which it displays on-screen) with GPS data that calculates a driver’s speed. Audio cues then warn the driver if they are exceeding the speed limit.
There’s also a handy fuel price feature that displays prices at many nearby petrol stations so you can find a good deal.
Both the free and subscription services are unmetered for customers on the Next G™ network.
From Your PC/Mac: Whereis® Navigator can be downloaded from iTunes
From Your iPhone: Search for “Whereis Navigator” in the App Store (compatible with iPhone 3, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 handsets)
Once you have downloaded the app, data usage is free for standard and premium features.
You can access premium features via a monthly subscription fee ($9.95) or by purchasing a 3-month ($26.95) or 6-month pass ($49.95) inside the app. Purchases are charged to your Telstra bill.
Other Devices: Today Whereis® Navigator is also available on 50 Next G™ handsets, visit http://offboardnav.whereis.com on your mobile to see if your phone is supported.
Free Whereis® Navigator features include
You can access a host of mapping features through the Whereis Navigator app without purchasing a premium subscription. These features, which are unmetered for customers on the Next G™ network, include:
- The latest live, high resolution Whereis® maps updated over the Telstra Next G™ network.
- Integrated Yellow Pages businesses listings and points of interest from Sensis.
- 1234 integration so an operator can search for you and send directions (1234 charges apply).
- Locate yourself on a map using GPS.
- Find nearby ATMs, banks, and petrol stations.
- Play and change your music without leaving the map.
- Multi-tasking on iOS4 so you can navigate and make calls at the same time.[3]
Whereis® Navigator premium subscription features include, in addition to the free features:
- Accurate turn-by-turn voice guided navigation.
- Live traffic events.
- Petrol prices for many nearby petrol stations.
- 3D junction views.
- Pedestrian and car modes
- Navigation to avoid tolls, unpaved roads, highways.
- Alerts for some red-light camera and speed alerts.
- Flight information.
[1] iPhone is trademark of Apple
[2] Restrictions on driver use, including specific restrictions on L and P plate drivers, exist in some States and Territories and you should check local rules
[3] Check your local laws and always use a hands free device as it is illegal in all States and Territories to use a hand held mobile whilst driving
This would be great if the maps were up to date and kept up to date.
Living in the South West of WA I can assure you that there are many roads, both sealed and unsealed that are incorrect, do not exist, exist and are not in the maps system or have different paths even though they are 30 or 40 years old.
Yes our maps on our GPS and iPhone that both use whereis have been updated.
GW
hi GW
Rob from Sensis Whereis here. We definitely acknowlege that there is always room for improvement with our map data. But rest assured that independent consumer organisations such as Choice rate our map data as of the highest quality. Recently Choice provided a list of 9 top portable navigation devices – 8 of which carried Whereis maps. They also lauded the quality of our rural and regional map coverage over competitors (in partcular Navteq). Part of this quality is driven by a process of actively addressing anomolies identified by map users. If you could list some specific examples of map coverage gaps and/ or errors for us to chase up it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Rob
Yes I am sure what ‘cough’ Choice has to say all sounds great but in reality that all means little if your ‘consumer’ is saying otherwise. You only need to read some of the comments in here to see that others also have similar issues when using whereis.
If you can provide me with an off blog contact email address I will be happy to send to you the list of errors as I find them from now on… I cannot remember all the past ones as I did not record them at the time, but I can assure you that they were numerous.
Thanks
GW
It’d be really nice if these smart phone/tab device based navigation apps leveraged the in built accelerometers to maintain a high level of accuracy even when the GPS signal is lost. I find that my tomtom is so much more accurate than my iphone app (especially when in the city where 500m isn’t close enough) that I never both with the iphone apps except for suburb to suburb navigation.
Unless this app is better than the rest, the turn by turn may only be useful on the motorways or very open areas. I suppose time will tell. I’d love to see some feedback from users in different environments…especially crowded metro areas where rerouting around traffic efficiently is most valuable (to me).
It’s all very well developers pumping out app after app for iphones but I’d love to know how many iphones v android phones are now being sold? When is the android app coming out?
Although most of us android users try and steer clear of paid apps, if it’s good enough we will (maybe) buy them.
To be honest though, I think the price for whereis navigator will put many people off, especially when you consider OVI maps on Nokia phones provides pretty much the same but for free.
We’re going to get an N8 specifically next month (when current plan expires)for the maps and for no other reason. We use the free android app Mapdroyd on my Desire and also used it successfully in Europe last year.
pb, I think you answered your own question in relation to why only an iPhone application at this stage. Most iPhone users are happy or more inclined to pay a little for an application while as you say most that use Android try (or expect) to get everything for free. So if you are in the business of making money why provide it to those that expect it to always be free?
I do agree though that the price of this application premium is way too expensive and I would think that very little will pay it. As you say there are a number of similar applications that are similar or even better that are free or for a much smaller cost.
At the end of the day, and as my first posts suggests, I would not be prepared to buy something that is not kept up to date.
Cheers
GW
Hi pb, John,
We launched the Android version of Whereis Navigator in June 2010. More info here: http://exchange.telstra.com.au/2010/06/16/whereis-navigates-on-android/).
Kind regards, the Navigator product team
Google Maps offers the service for free, and the maps are pretty good!
What about Android? Apple isn’t the only game in town.
Tried it on IPhone4, slow response & unusable.
Having just purchased, a Samsung Galaxy S, I have trying the Navigator taking advantage of the 1 week trial of premium services. My feedback so far, it is huge drain on battery life(!), can be a bit slow in updating (my car has a built in GPS so it was easy to compare) when driving on a motorway, speed alerts are good, the real time petrol prices are really good, locating addresses, places are quite easy to do. Also agree some of the maps need some updates, so I will still not get rid off my UBD!
Sounds good. Can you advise when this app is coming out for HTC handsets?
This was available on android before it was for iphone.
GPS with voice-guided navigation is free through the built in maps application on my Desire, fairly accurate and up to date. Dont know about other android handsets but!
Hi – I tried this app as well & it provides far from optimum routes in metro Perth. EG. Tested on my way home & it suggested I turn left at a traffic light cotrolled T junction & then do a U turn rather than simply turn right in te first place. It has alos provided strange options on other test journeys.
I think still a way to go with this one. Great idea but not there yet.
PB/GW,
I disagree with the sentiment that Android users as a whole avoid paid apps/try to get them for free. Casting that kind of shadow over the Android user community only serves to re-inforce a negative stereotype. There are plenty of Android users who will pay for an app that is well made, and reasonably priced.
Is $9.95 unreasonable for a navigation app? Perhaps, I guess that depends on who you ask. CoPilot Live Australia is $51.55 in the market at the moment without the ongoing subscription fees, but you pay for any data used whilst not on wifi. Being able to just subscribe for a month whilst you’re on a trip can be a great way to take advantage of the Whereis cost model, and not worry about an epic data bill at the end.
I hope an Android equivalent comes out soon, so that we can try the app and see how it stacks up. A mobile phone GPS chipset will rarely stack up to a dedicated unit for signal retention and location times, but for general usage every now and then, it’s ideal.
My 2 cents on the matter.
… Did anyone test this app before releasing it?
On first use (iPhone 4), I punched in the destination address, and that was all good. About half way through the trip I decided to put my iPhone on standby (clicked on Home button and then Power button). Screen was black. I placed my iphone in the laptop bag. 30 min later I took the phone out of the bag only to be surprised how HOT it got. I ‘ve been using other SATNAV apps on iphone and never had this issue. It would be interesting to see if anyone else here had the same problem.
Also,
Get the price down before other people start loughing at this app. It is priced too high especially with the fact that it comes with a subscription fee. (Hint: check pricing for other iphone sat-nav apps, and as suggested by someone else here there are free apps available too)
I used my Samsung Galaxy S this morning on my way to work from home & used the Android Version of the whereis navigator App only (no phone calls, not listening to music etc) and I was very surrprised to see how HOT the phone got for the 20-25 journey. The phone was 100% full charged when I left home & it was around 79% when I parked the car.
My comment is directed to Rob from Sensis Whereis. This relates to the base map info provided by your company. The map info is also used by Garmin as an example on their Nuvi range of road GPS units. Outside Metro Melbourne and I suspect many other major metro locations, your speed limits are often incorrect and not even shown on major roads. I know you say you strive to “fix” these anomalies, but how does the end user at least have an opportunity to convey that information to you so that a timely update of the maps can be made? We can’t afford to wait 2 years plus for these form of updates if they come at all. Can you please provide a portal on your web site to accept feedback and suggestions (locations of errors at least) so that they may be followed up by your staff. Thanks.
hi all
There have been some requests made regarding how to raise map errors and anomolies to Sensis
http://www.whereismaps.com/report-map-corrections.aspx
You can do this via Whereis.com or alternately via the link above to whereismaps
regards
rob
Thanks Rob, start to expect more errors being reported
Cheers
GW
know Iphone app thread but a report on Whereis Nav as use gps everyday & had on HTC TP2 (Wm6.5) for about 10 months… in the main find very useable, (used tom Tom, Destinator, Garmin XT etc) the lane notifcations are good, re-routing is quick…Maps in Sydney west are good(only come across handful of closed roads/no right/left etc) the chicks voice is bearable …. the negs …dont trust the speed alert(as frequently wrong), Does not recognise NO school zones on holidays …speed alert has been ding ding ding all Jan. being offboard maps, had the ‘cannot connect message, try later or contact support’ (only ever rang support once
)… each time my mobile has had full signal…this has been the greatest bugbear (happened 2 -3 times in dec) ….going to a E7 when released as Ovi Maps are not only free but maps are ‘onboard’ so no need to wait for W Nav to verify subscription… but when working find in the main a good program & $9.95 amonth (was $14.95) is fair
Rob, Thanks for the link. A suggestion once again relating to map corrections. Your Home page link (on Whereis) should be called “Report Map Errors”, not Report Map Corrections. Makes more sense.