|
Kermit power
Original Poster
14,867 posts
82 months
|
Hi all,
I'm looking at ways of using my HTC Sensation for music and satnav in the car. I've got the phone hooked up to the Aux-in on the stereo, so all good on the sound front, but I'm struggling to find a satnav app that gives me everything I want. The features I'm after are, in order of importance, the following:
Decent voice instructions! This and this alone rules out Google Navigation. In so many other ways is does everything I want, but the voice commands are just unintelligible. I can't remember ever having heard anything quite so crap. Far too quiet, and extremely stilted. N
Keeps running in the background. From what I can tell, Mapquest and Navfree seem to shut down as soon as I go to anywhere else on the phone. This means if I want to change the music, I then have to enter my destination all over again in the app. Google doesn't do this, but has already ruled itself out with its hideous voice.
Pausing or muting of music The voiced instructions in Mapquest are a lot better than Google (not managed to get them to actually work in Navfree yet), but they still (like Google) play over the top of the music instead of pausing or muting it. Navfree claims to do this, but as I haven't actually got it to talk to me yet, I can't check!
Offline maps Both Mapquest and Navfree use downloadable maps. I'm not bothered about data use, as I've got completely unlimited data including international roaming, but don't really want to be in a situation where I can't get a route started as a result of having no mobile signal.
Any recommendations? I don't mind paying a reasonable sum (up to £40 or so) so long as I know it's going to work perfectly, and I won't have to pay for map upgrades in the future.
I'm running on the accursed Ice Cream Sandwich if that makes a difference.
|
|
|
Kermit power
Original Poster
14,867 posts
82 months
|
Quick bump for the diurnal amongst us.
|
|
|
Kermit power
Original Poster
14,867 posts
82 months
|
Just tried Navfree, and got no voice commands at all. Bloody annoying, considering that's the one which specifically claims to mute music!
|
|
|
Kermit power
Original Poster
14,867 posts
82 months
|
Are there really no Android satnav users on here? 
|
|
|
LouD86
1,210 posts
22 months
|
Im android, using google maps for mine. Seem to get pretty clear instructions, including road names which is nice. It plays over the music though, which is a tad annoying, but my phone is hooked into the cars multimedia system, so not too bad via bluetooth, so I can change music whilst having map on screen.
But, would be very interested in something identical to what your after!
|
Advertisement
|
|
|
Kermit power
Original Poster
14,867 posts
82 months
|
LouD86 said: Im android, using google maps for mine. Seem to get pretty clear instructions, including road names which is nice. It plays over the music though, which is a tad annoying, but my phone is hooked into the cars multimedia system, so not too bad via bluetooth, so I can change music whilst having map on screen.
But, would be very interested in something identical to what your after! Oddly, I think Google nav was another victim of the upgrade to ICS. I'm absolutely sure the voice was more intelligible and much louder on Gingerbread (or whatever the previous phone version was called). I can't now hear it over the music, and there isn't any separate volume control. The only one which does have separate volume control for the nav that I've found is Navfree, and the sound doesn't want to work at all on that! 
|
|
|
Mattt
14,784 posts
87 months
|
Not tried it on Android, but I used to use Copilot on Windows Mobile and was quite impressed. Might be worth a look?
I used to like the 'Live' features where you could login to a website (with username/password) and view position/speed of the car and send new locations or ask questions to the user (with a handy multiple choice answer box).
|
|
|
shandyboy
113 posts
23 months
|
Sygic fits your bill pretty well.
It has text-to-speech, so it can read out directions as well as road names on the route.
It runs in the background too, so when you answer a call or run another app, you just get a notification in the top bar that it's still running - click it and it's back full screen again.
It has offline maps, and has nice 3D buildings on bigger cities.
You can search by postcode, address, or nearby POI. It also does the usual speed camera warnings and speeding notifications.
Only downside I've noticed is that it kills your battery - you'd need a car charger to use it for any length of time.
|
|
|
Kermit power
Original Poster
14,867 posts
82 months
|
I've just taken a look at the Sygic trial version. It's pretty decent, except it doesn't mute the music either.  I would've thought this was pretty fundamental, so I'm starting to wonder if it's yet another thing that has been buggered up by ICS, stopping all satnav apps from suspending music rather than just one? I just can't remember if Google Nav used to pause the music or not before I "upgraded" to ICS.
|
|
|
LouD86
1,210 posts
22 months
|
I dont know what operating system im on, its a cheap android Huawei phone I brought in Tesco. Ill try that Sygic thing though, could be worth a shout!
|
|
|
Kermit power
Original Poster
14,867 posts
82 months
|
Mattt said: Not tried it on Android, but I used to use Copilot on Windows Mobile and was quite impressed. Might be worth a look?
I used to like the 'Live' features where you could login to a website (with username/password) and view position/speed of the car and send new locations or ask questions to the user (with a handy multiple choice answer box). This is about the only one I've not tried now, I think. It's pretty expensive though for the European maps version, and there doesn't appear to be a trial version?
|
|
|
Kermit power
Original Poster
14,867 posts
82 months
|
Ooh, I'm getting closer!
I've just discovered the ability to replace the default text to speech engine on the phone, and this seems to be doing a lot to get Google nav working better. I can now use a louder, clearer, more human voice, and it also makes it more apparent that whilst Google Nav doesn't actually mute the music, it does attenuate it, thus making the voice more audible.
|
|
|
Kermit power
Original Poster
14,867 posts
82 months
|
I'm a happy bunny now! Oddly, changing the text to speech engine has got the speech working in Navfree. I say oddly because it's not using the new TTS I downloaded.  Whatever the reason, I now have my phone playing music through my car stereo system, cutting the music for satnav instructions (could only be better if it actually paused rather than just silenced playback) and doing it from downloaded maps, so no need for a constant data connection. It even gives me hands free phone. I had assumed that running a wire from the headphone socket to the aux in on the stereo would cut the mic on the phone, but it doesn't, and it doesn't create feedback on the other end either. Couldn't be happier with it really!
|
|
|
JPJPJP
2,244 posts
37 months
|
not sure it ticks all your boxes but Waze is free and worth a look
|
|
|
woodlands
187 posts
122 months
|
Copilot available on android for free download. You can download one map free, but voice guidance is an upgrade.
I hope that helps.
|
|
|
sgrimshaw
3,074 posts
119 months
|
I use CoPilot USA on my HTC Sensation.
Maps are on the phone so no data connection required.
Just as good as a standalone device in my book.
|
|
|
Nimby
260 posts
19 months
|
sgrimshaw said: I use CoPilot USA on my HTC Sensation.
Maps are on the phone so no data connection required.
Just as good as a standalone device in my book. Another vote for Copilot -I have the UK version on an HTC Desire. Can anyone explain why Live Premium with USA maps is half the price of UK+Ireland?
|
|
|
lescombes
806 posts
79 months
|
NDrive 11... superb.... Navteq maps.. plus you can add live traffic too & add Pocketgpsworld speed cams... versions from UK to Usa...inc EU etc Routing is great too battery use is okay but I use my charger anyway...
|
|
