Just-Mobile Xtand Go Give-Away

Rules for Give-Away:
1. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel
2. Visit Just-Mobile.com
3. Email Sales@Just-Mobile.com
4. Tell them your favorite product
5. Winners will be picked at random on May 1st

Video Review: Just-Mobile Xtand Go

Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Very versatile, includes a built-in Allen Wrench, .
Cons: It would be nice if the holder could work with an iPhone in a case.
Overall: I really liked this car mount. It was very flexible and easy to find a good sweet spot for positioning the iPhone. I also liked how it includes extra mount discs in case you want to secure it to your dash or place on your iPhone case. The only thing I would like to see added is maybe an adjustable mount to use it with your iPhone while it’s in a case. I think most people, including myself, probably won’t want to stick the mount disc on the back of  their case. I liked this product so much that I decided to award it our Editors’ Choice Award.

You can purchase this product from MyGearStore.com for $39.95. If you use our promo code “BuyMeAniPhone” you can receive 10% off.

GPS App Review: N Drive

Rating: 5 out of 10
Pros: Multitude of purchase option: purchase the whole country or only major metropolitan areas, decent user interface.
Cons: Navigation is a bit spotty as it usually ads a few blocks and instructs you to make unneeded U-Turns, not as clean and vibrant as other GPS applications on the market.  Putting in destination is clunky at times.
Overall: The N Drive application falls short of the other GPS applications available.  I had high hopes for this app and although I can’t point out glaring shortcomings the overall finish of the application fails to live up to standards.  Map accuracy is sub par although it does get you from point A to point B although sometimes in a roundabout way.  With a little work in numerous areas this app can be a contender but until then I would go with another solution.

If you would like to learn more about Ndrive United States you can check it out in the iTunes App Store by clicking here.  United States purchase price is $32.99.

AT&T Navigator powered by Telenav

Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Very accurate, simple easy to read user interface, powered by a respected name in the navigation industry; Telenav, live traffic alerts.
Cons: Maps not stored on phone and is real time over the cellular network so if you have no cell service you are out of luck, subscription based at $9.99 a month if you choose the monthly billing, charged to your AT&T bill.
Overall: AT&T Navigator performs quite well on the road and is extremely user-friendly and pleasant on the drivers eyes.  I thoroughly enjoyed using this application and service but there are a few things that are a bit of a concern.  First, as mentioned above, the maps are dependent on cellular service which means no cell service equals no navigational application, the other is the monthly or yearly subscription fee.  At $119.88 a year if you choose monthly billing or $69.99 for the yearly subscription you can purchase a navigational app with maps loaded on your phone and only pay a one time fee.

This app performed very well and if you don’t mind the cons, is a very viable well thought out navigational unit.  Learn more about Telenav by clicking here and visiting their website. You can access the application in the iTunes App Store by clicking here.

App Review: TomTom US & Canada

Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Looks and feels just like a stand alone portable TomTom unit, simple and easy to use, clean user interface that is detailed yet uncluttered, text to speech, super cool looking lane assist.
Cons: Unless you find it on sale, it is an expensive app. The POI icons on the map are in black and white and not color so they seem like an afterthought. Text to speech only active on certain voices.
Overall: The TomTom GPS app for the iPhone looks amazingly similar to stand alone GPS units, so much so that sometimes I forgot it was on my iPhone. The accuracy was right on target and there were plenty of options to give you flexibility to program via points amongst others but not so many features that you actually need a users manual to figure them out.  This is the perfect app for the tech savvy mobile user as well as the user who simply wants their phone and GPS app to work.  TomTom is such a user friendly app I am awarding it my Editor’s Choice Award.

To learn more about this and other GPS apps see my article in the Winter 2010 issue of “iPhone Life Magazine” you can subscribe by clicking here and being directed to their website.

As of this writing (December 20, 2009) TomTom US version was on sale for $49.99 until December 28, 2009, the regular price is $99.99 while the US & Canada Version is on sale for $69.99 regular price $99.99.

You can learn more about TomTom from their website by clicking here and if you click here you will be directed to the TomTom US & Canada page in iTunes.

Video Review: Contour rE-charge USB & Car charger

Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: 2 USB ports for charging 2 devices at once, comes with iPod/iPhone connector.
Cons: It’s a bit large and may stick out too much for some vehicles.
Overall: I really liked this product and it definitely is the best solution for those that travel a lot or for those that always need to have a Car and Wall charger with them.

You can purchase this product directly from Contour for $39.95

Video Review: Griffin PowerDuo charger

Rating: 9.5 out of 10
Pros: LED’s to show charging status, 2 Chargers and a USB cable for $40 makes for a great value
Cons: Green LED is both for Idle Status, and Fully Charged Status
Overall: This is a great charging bundle for $40. Much better Apple’s chargers, and you get more for your money. The only downside is if you bump the cable you’ll risk the status LED going green because it’s idle, leading you to believe your device is fully charged and ready to go.

You can purchase this product directly through Griffin for $40.

Video App Review: iGo My Way iPhone GPS

Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Very easy to use interface, choose your vehicle, uncluttered navigation screen, reasonably reliable, non technical people will be comfortable using this as there are not a ton of options to confuse them.
Cons: Hangs when you try to re-enter app while on a phone call, when on Highway sometimes thinks you are on parallel surface streets, pricey compared to other navigational apps and what you get.
Overall: The iGo My Way app has a strong start in the GPS app world.  It did get me from point “A” to point “B” but I do think it needs some refinements in the next update most notably the incoming phone call issue when you attempt to re-enter app and continue to navigate.  Accuracy was right on in both the city of San Francisco as well as the vineyards of the Central Valley within about 10-20 yards.

You can purchase the North American version for $79.99 by clicking here or visit the iGo My Way website for more information by clicking here.

Video App Review: Sygic Mobile Maps GPS

Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Sygic paid attention to detail in making the user interface look and feel just like a stand alone GPS unit.  Reasonably priced.  Very intuitive, easy to read menus. Lane assist is very useful especially in highly congested areas.
Cons: The letters for when you are inputting destination information is a bit cramped and I missed the appropriate letter sometimes, home navigation screen has a lot of information but the data is a bit small to read comfortably while driving.
Overall: A very solid application for GPS navigation on the iPhone.  If you have been a portable GPS unit user you will be very satisfied with the menu system and overall navigation.  I would like to see a few adjustments to the size of data displayed on the main navigation screen.  Sygic got me from point “A” to point “B” with no problems and the US Maps are reasonably priced.

The US Sygic Mobile Maps are on sale (at the publishing time of this article) for $39.99 with a regular price of $59.99.  Click here to be brought to the Sygic Mobile Maps US version in the iTunes App Store.

App Review: G-Map by Xroad GPS

Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Simple easy to use interface that gets you from point A to B very nicely.  You can customize your route and put in as many intermediate destinations as you would like.  Very nice lane assist that encompasses half the screen for junctions on the highway and full screen for junctions in town.
Cons: No landscape at this point but the developer says that will be changed in the next revision.  Voice is a bit low on the volume so when the kids are loud and the air conditioning is up it becomes hard to hear.  Can’t change time from military time to 12 hour time. Need to purchase the Eastern half of the US and the Western Half. 
Overall: G-Map for iPhone from Xroad is a good, simple, easy to use GPS App for the iPhone.  There are a few things mentioned above that will make it even better mainly the landscape mode and a louder voice for directions but all in all a good product.  The G-Map for iPhone is very competitive in price.  It can be purchased  by eastern US or western US for $34.99 or you can purchase some of the larger states alone for $19.99.  This is good for folks who may not travel outside their home state but still want navigation for intrastate travel.

You can purchase G-Map for the iPhone by Xroad for $34.99 for either Eastern US or Western US or select states for $19.99.  Click here to be brought to the western US page.