Google Maps Navigation

It's still in beta form, but Google's free GPS app is already so good it could take over the entire GPS app market, reviews say -- if it becomes widely available. For now, Google Maps Navigation is only available on certain Android phones, although Google says it would like to bring the app to the near-ubiquitous Apple iPhone. Experts are impressed with Google Maps Navigation's full, advanced feature set, including spoken street names and live traffic information -- and especially the voice-search function, which you won't find on any other navigation app or device. Google Maps Navigation understands phrases (like, "Navigate to Vista Donuts in Attleboro.") impeccably in tests, eliminating the need to type in an address or point of interest. Testers say entering text by hand on this app is indeed laborious and confusing.

Other flaws include a robotic, hard-to-understand synthesized voice (one tester says that's Android's fault, not Google's) and some flubbed directions (the app tries to send one tester the wrong way down a one-way street). A couple of the app's unique, Google-related features aren't really helpful in tests: Satellite view makes the maps hard to read, and street-view photos can be confusing because they're often wrong. For now, some experts say more established apps like Navigon MobileNavigator (*Est. $90) for iPhone work better, but they do predict that Google Maps Navigation will improve and possibly surpass other apps.

Experts have been eager to test the free Google Maps Navigation app. ConsumerReports.org, Gizmodo.com and the Chicago Sun-Times all compare it with other GPS apps to some extent. Although the app has some flaws, testers at Phandroid.com (a site dedicated to Android phones) and iSmashPhone.com (an iPhone site) both find a lot to like.