Requiem Tech

MotionX GPS Drive is one of the least expensive Turn by Turn apps out there. At $2.99 (the price at the time of this writing), it’s a good deal.

Full review and more screen-shots after the break.

Overall, I am fairly happy with the app. MotionX did a great job for the price. Here are the details:

1. Pretty darn accurate – Knowing how inaccurate the built-in GPS is, it has no problem tracking my moves through every twist and turn (see below for caveats).
2. Nice orthogonal view that rotates with your direction – Even though this is pretty standard for stand alone GPS devices, it’s very nice for someone who’s been using the built-in maps app for navigation.
3. Pleasing voice directions – There is no robotic voices here, the directions are clear, easy to understand and pleasing to the ear.
4. Least expensive full featured navigator app – It flat out beats the $9.99/mo for AT&T’s navigator.
5. Unlike some apps I know, you can listen to and even control the iPod app without exiting, therefore requiring another GPS fix. I know, double press the home button, but some people don’t know that trick.

That said, there are a few caveats, many of which I’m sure are shared between any turn by turn app that uses the built-in GPS hardware:

1. The app is slow – Loading up and getting a GPS lock takes more time than you would expect. Don’t try to set destinations or open the app at a stoplight. Pull over first, or do it before you head out.
2. The app loses GPS signal often – In certain locations in my car the app loses it’s GPS lock for minutes at a time. This can lead to missed turns. So far, I’ve found that near the dashboard or windshield has been working fine.
3. It costs $2.99 for each 30 days of real turn by turn functionality – In case you didn’t read the description closely, the purchase price includes only 30 days of full functionality. You must pay $2.99 again for every month you want to use voice over directions and the 3D view.
4. It drains the battery like nobody’s business – Don’t even think about using this for a medium to long drive without a car charger, or better yet, a car adapter (with FM transmitter and holder).
5. It’s often confusing with it’s directions – Often when it tells you to Keep right or keep left it’s more of a “turn right or turn left”. I have adjusted to this behaviour and it is less of an issue.
6. No way to easily precache map tiles – The way to precache a route is to simulate the route at a maximum of 8x speed. This can take a while for long trips. The reason to precache is in the event that you do not have data access for a leg of the journey.

Most of the caveats are really issues with the iPhone GPS hardware rather than the app and aren’t deal breakers if you only need turn by turn directions occasionally, but I would spring for a dedicated GPS device if you need it for daily use. I would stress that after I got my car kit and placed my phone in a good location in the car it was a great experience to have an affordable GPS navigator at a fraction of the cost of both a dedicated unit as well as other apps out there.

As for precaching, Fullpower had this to say:

Version 1.2 significantly improves map tile pre-caching along your route. We are working on even more pre-cashing for those borderline cases. That will be part of the next release and continued improvements. . . . We have a long roadmap of features that you’ll see added over the next several months with free updates.

Obligatory ratings

Screenshots

If you want to take the plunge on MotionX GPS Drive, head on over to to download the app.