Voice Navigation Round-up (part two): aSpass vs. Silver Navigator

In the second part of our Windows Phone voice navigation round-upwards, we ready our sites on aSpass and Silver Navigator. In part ane of the round-upwardly nosotros took a wait at GPS Vocalization Navigation and Turn by Turn Navigation. Both were very good navigation apps just we gave the edge to Turn by Turn Navigation.

aSpass and Silverish Navigator aren't as feature heavy as GPS Voice or Turn by Turn nor are they as expensive. aSpass is running $3.99 while Silver Navigator runs $2.99.

Over the by calendar week nosotros took both vocalization navigation apps on the road to see how they performed. We striking neighborhood streets, highways and by-ways. Areas where signal strength was strong and where it was dismal. Does the lack of features hurt these apps or is simpler better? Nosotros'll break things down after the break.

Silvery Navigator

General Layout

Silvery Navigator has a basic map layout with navigational stats at the superlative of the screen and control buttons to the lesser. Silver Navigator utilizes Bing Maps with support for hybrid (satellite view) and road maps.

Controls at the bottom of the screen comprehend route planning (the Become To button), map link (locks your map to your position), close look button (zooms into your location) and a Where am I? button (popular-upward window appears showing your electric current location).

The three-dot menu covers route details, settings, a aid section and information about the app and developer. Settings cover your units, map rotation, hide/show zoom buttons and other basic functions.

Route Planning

I of the nice features of Silverish Navigator is the road planning options. When you tap the "Go To" button you will pull upwards four options or means to set your destination. You lot tin search destinations by address search, keyword search (east.g. business name), recent destinations, and past map point.

Once you detect your destination, yous tin can choose to plan your route by motorcar or walking. In one case the route is generated y'all are returned to the map view where your plough information sits at the top of the screen forth with speed and time.

Once the route has been established, you can pull up turn by turn details from the iii-dot menu. Yous as well clear your route from the Route Details feature.

Performance

While Silver Navigator's layout is overnice, the interface decent, the app falls short with regards to performance. I don't mean to exist harsh but the app actually needs some fine tuning.

Silver Navigator has a handful of quirks with respect to performance on the road. Starting time, I take to say it re-drew maps very proficient. Where other voice navigation apps lagged at times, Silver Navigator maps were dainty and clear.

While they clarity of the maps were good, I couldn't zoom in enough to go detailed data on the roads. It was every bit if yous were property a map at arms length trying to read street names.

Remember the teacher's voice on the old Charlie Dark-brown cartoons? The ane's that went "Wa, wa wa, wa wa"? Silver Navigator's vocalisation commands were simply a smidgen better. I could pick up on the general text of the commands but I was driving familiar roads. In an area where the roads aren't every bit familiar, I could see the lack of clarity in the vocalism commands to be a problem.

GPS accuracy was good with regards to positioning and speeds. Everything was within 10 yards and a few miles per hour of bodily performance.

I deliberately missed turns to come across how well Silver Navigator re-calculated routes. While Silvery Navigator re-calculated things, the brandish maintained the former route, suggesting yous turn around. Routes were re-calculated at various speeds ofttimes not being consummate until I had passed several alternate turns. Irksome would exist an appropriate description.

As maps reload or routes re-calculated, a foursquare download windows appears in the centre of the screen. Where other apps put a "re-calculating" bubble in a detached location, Argent Navigator plants is foursquare in the center of the map. Information technology obstructs the view of the map while you wait for things to re-calculate.

Overall Impression

Silver Navigator is a nicely laid out vocalisation navigation application. While it has a overnice foundation, information technology really needs some work for us to recommend information technology. Voice directions need to exist more understandable and routes need to exist re-calculated faster. Also the download square has to go.

Silverish Navigator has potential but until a few updates hit to meliorate navigation, take advantage of the trial version. The full version runs $2.99 and both tin exist found here (opens Zune) at the Market.

aSpass

Quick footnote on aSpass. The application was recently updated from version ane to version 1.1. The update noticeably improved overall performance but scrapped a feature that I found useful (more than on this in a minute). I have tested both versions and the review comments are based on version 1.1. Additionally, there'southward another update in the works, version 1.ii, and I'll touch on this in a scrap.

General Layout

aSpass, asides from having the odddest proper noun of the bunch too has the flashier appearance.

While others voice navigation apps become straight to the map view, aSpass opens up to a Main Menu. From the menu you tin become directions, admission options, prove the map, and admission the help/about department.

Establishing directions has three choices, search for the address of the destination, cull from favorites, or select from last search results. There is no support for keyword searches just you lot can fix your destination past tapping on the map.

Map layout is your typical navigation information up tiptop and push button controls on the bottom. Button colors lucifer your Windows Telephone Theme and at that place is no iii-dot carte du jour to pull up push button descriptions or additional items.

The Help/About section does a nice job of detailing what all the controls represent merely you have to get out the map to access that information. Non exactly the best choice while on the road.

The buttons control:

• Stopping your routing
• Refresh your route
• Map zoom in/out
• Access settings
• Adding to your favorites

Settings for aSpass encompass a wide multifariousness of settings including distance unit choices, map auto-zoom, vocalization quality, map caching, and map type. aSpass gives you the choice between Bing Maps and Openstreetmaps. Openstreetmaps can be cached to improve re-drawing rates and for those times y'all observe yourself in a poor reception surface area. Bing maps can't be buried.

The cache feature is squeamish in that it downloads larger sections of the maps to minimize the frequency in which aSpass has to refresh the map.

Voice instructions can be set up to loftier quality or low. High quality just supports English but low quality will automatically set itself to the phone's language settings.

Route Planning

aSpass lets you found routes two means; from the Primary Carte and past tapping on the map. From the Main Menu you can search past address, choose a favorite, or go into the map view and tap on a point. If yous choose the search by address option, yous'll take the additional options to choose the fastest/shortest road and whether or not y'all are driving or walking.

From the map view, simply tap away and a popular-upwards window appears with the address details and a choice to "calculate route".

In one case you've established the route, you tin can tap on the More Options tab and download the map of your current road. Y'all as well have the options to choose the detail level of the map.

When all is said and done, your routing information is displayed at the meridian of the map that shows you the nature of your next plow, speed, distance, and estimated time of arrival. You as well take a text clarification of your electric current location.

aSpass does not provide a route particular summary or listing.

Operation

On the road, aSpass performed nicely but there were several glitches that gave me pause.

Map re-draw/reload times were actually good with or without the caching turned on. The cache feature downloads your map in tiles/grids/sectors and every now and once again, one of these squares would come up upwardly missing. It was noticeably worse with the previous version (v1.0) and the recent update to version 1.1 has minimized this problem greatly.

Accuracy was a niggling bit of a trouble. With regularity, I would find myself stopped at a plough and aSpass would tell me that I was 100 anxiety from the turn. At times, the distance would be as keen as 500 feet.

Voice commands came across loud and clear but ane feature that was nowadays with version 1 has been removed with version ane.1. With version 1, voice commands would not only alert you lot of an upcoming turn but too tell you what street/highway/exit your were turning onto. For case the voice command would say, "Plow right 100 yards on to U.S. 280 East toward Childersburg". At times it would add together the directional reference and tell you when the name of the road changes. I could nearly navigate solely by the phonation commands.

With version ane.1, the voice commands simply state your upcoming plow with no street data (east.grand. Turn correct 100 yards). This feature comes in handy to give you a indicate of reference equally yous travel on uncharted roads. A feature that should accept stayed in place.

Route re-calculations were decent with regards to speed only aSpass relies too heavily on U-Turns. The first re-calculation comes in quick simply always involves making U-Turns. I found myself passing 3 or iv alternate routes earlier aSpass would requite upward on directing me to make a U-Turn.

Why is this an issue? On some roads, in some jurisdictions, U-Turns are prohibited and will effect in a costly traffic ticket. If you lot are inclined to turn around and resume the original road, do so safely by turning around in a parking lot or circling a block.

Update in the works

In that location's yet another update (version 1.2) in the works with aSpass that will bring two central features to the awarding. The update volition bring map downloads and keyword or point of interest searches to the app. Map downloads will allow you lot to download the route map. It gives you a variety of map quality choices and will help reduce the dependence on data while traveling.

Finding your destination by keyword or point of interest is another bonus heading to aSpass with the version 1.2 update. Not sure of the accost, fundamental in the business proper noun and if information technology'south in the map database, you'r half way at that place.

Overall Impression

aSpass is a nice voice navigation app for your Windows Phone. With each update it gets a little ameliorate simply at that place'south even so room for improvement. Maps redraw nicely but there are yet a few blank spots at fourth dimension. Accurateness of location has gotten ameliorate but being 100 anxiety behind your bodily location is significant. I besides non certain if route re-calculations relying and so much on U-turns is a good thing.

I wouldn't mind seeing a 3-dot menu that would at least pull up the push details. The card layout takes a petty getting used to but it does grow on you lot. aSpass does take a trial version bachelor with the full version running $three.99. You can find both here (opens Zune) at the Marketplace.

Summing it all up

Nosotros've looked at four voice navigation apps for your Windows Phones. The apps range in prices ($half-dozen.99 to $2.99) as well every bit features and performance.

The biggest challenge with any of these apps is the dependence on data. Because of that, these apps will be hard pressed to knock TomTom off my dashboard. That's non so say that a Windows Telephone navigation app volition ever suck current of air.

Iii of the four apps I've looked at accept made improvements to minimize the dependence on data. Either by downloading maps outright or downloading a larger map that your route goes through, you can find yourself in a weak betoken area and not loose your maps. If they could find a way to minimize the data needed for route calculations, the efficiency would improve greatly.

Each of the voice navigation apps have a certain amount of appeal and each have room for improvement. Some, more than room than others. The developers are open to suggestions and feedback from users with some of the updated features coming from this feedback. The nice affair nigh it is that each has a trial version to allow you to test it out before purchasing.

Here's how they break down.

Plow by Turn Navigation ($4.99): Overall, this was the best performer. I wish the navigational header was a little less cluttered to go far easier to pick up the details just the downloadable maps, keyword searches, and favorites make up for it. Rating: eight.5

GPS Voice Navigation ($6.99): Another fine voice navigation app for your Windows Phone. Contempo updates take improved the performance of this app but I would hands trade multiple map sources for downloadable maps or keyword searches. The routing header is easy to read and the increased download cache for maps helps the map go along pace with your travels. Rating: seven.5

aSpass ($3.99): aSpass is a dainty voice navigation application with a lot of potential. The contempo update pushed things in the right direction but there withal needs to be a little work done on the accurateness of your location, stop defaulting to a U-Turn for re-computing routes, and bring back the old voice commands.

Had the voice commands stayed as informative with version 1.0, I would phone call it a necktie between GPS Voice and aSpass. Without the old vox commands, I've got to put aSpass slightly backside GPS Vocalization. Rating: 7

Silvery Navigator ($two.99): I like the design, user interface and features but the commitment falls way short. Argent Navigator shows promise but even as the lower cost selection, you actually should give the trial version a go before buying.  Silver Navigator has potential just it's a couple of updates behind the rest of the pack. Rating: five.five

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/voice-navigation-round-part-two-aspass-vs-silver-navigator

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