Mar 23, 2007 05:30 PM
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We've been testing the TeleNav GPS Navigator software ($10/month for the service on Cingular with a data plan) on a BlackBerry 8800 for the past few days, and found it to be an impressive performer. It's extremely easy to set up, where as soon as it's downloaded into our Bluetooth-equipped BlackBerry, and after a few minutes of entering passwords and such, it was all ready to go.
The GPS-capable BlackBerry 8800, along with the TeleNav unit software was even able to receive signals from GPS satellites while it was indoors and away from any windows, a feat no other GPS receiver has been able to do. But the real wow factor is its performance, which we quickly discovered when we took it out on the road. Read more after this gallery:
Whenever we goofed and missed a turn, it quickly recalculated its directions, and we also appreciated the 10 million points of interest loaded on the server, not in the BlackBerry.
Our only gripe? It's not as easy to manually enter destinations as that task is when using full-sized GPS navigators, but then if you call the TeleNav toll-free number, you can just speak the addresses to the voice recognition server, and it'll enter those addresses for you. That feature actually works pretty well. Also on the plus side, it has excellent 3D maps that rival any GPS navigation system.
This is the best implementation of a GPS software and hardware system we've seen yet for smartphones. It calls out the directions loud and clear, complete with street names, without being too much of a drain on the battery.
That does it, we're taking this baby along with us on our next road trip. It's the first time we've seen a cellphone-based GPS system working just as well as our favorite Garmin StreetPilot c550 GPS navigator. Big thumbs-up.
Update: Let's make it clear that you don't even need that Telenav hardware unit shown in these pictures, because there's already a GPS receiver inside the Blackberry 8800. Cellphones not equipped with GPS need that unit, which costs around $100. CW
Product Page [TeleNav]
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