| One of the most innovative features on the iPhone | | | | around town or have a passenger in your car to help |
| 3G and the iPhone 3GS is the built in GPS capabilities. | | | | you, but if you are driving alone you need a more |
| This allows your phone to calculate your exact | | | | powerful solution. There are a few companies which |
| position on earth by analyzing the positions of | | | | have released such a solution, including: TomTom, |
| satellites in space. Although hundreds of Apps have | | | | AT&T, Navigon, and MotionX GPS Drive. These all |
| begun to implement varying degrees of GPS | | | | have strengths and weaknesses. |
| functionality, here are a few which are worth | | | | TomTom and Navigon's programs are by far the |
| checking out. | | | | most expensive upfront. For the U.S. version of their |
| 1. Google Maps | | | | programs, you should expect to pay at least $70. |
| This is an App which is already installed on your | | | | The App from AT&T is free to download, but it |
| iPhone when you buy it. On the original iPhone, the | | | | requires a $10 monthly charge. This could seriously |
| Google Maps program could triangulate your | | | | add up if you use it for more than a few months. |
| approximate position using surrounding cell towers. | | | | MotionX GPS Drive is only a couple bucks to |
| Unfortunately, the accuracy of this technique is not | | | | download and is free, but there is a $25 per year |
| nearly as good as GPS. Cell tower triangulation can | | | | charge if you want the voice prompting to be |
| only pin-point your position within a radius of a few | | | | included. Overall, MotionX GPS Drive is the best value, |
| blocks. The GPS feature can show you almost | | | | especially if you can live without the voice. It is just |
| exactly where you are. If you combine this feature | | | | as robust as the other programs. |
| with the turn-by-turn directions that Google Maps can | | | | 3. Where to Eat? |
| provide you, you have a very good navigational | | | | Where to Eat is a fun little program that can give |
| system. | | | | restaurant recommendations in your immediate |
| 2. Dedicated GPS Navigators | | | | vicinity by checking your location via GPS. This is |
| The only problem with the free Google Maps | | | | especially useful if you travel a lot and aren't familiar |
| program is that it doesn't automatically update each | | | | with the restaurants in the area. There are other |
| turn in sequence, and it doesn't provide audio | | | | programs similar to this which can recommend where |
| updates. This limits its use as a full-fledged GPS | | | | to shop, where to get gas, etc. |
| navigation system. It is great when you are walking | | | | |