Google Nav or Sprint Nav...which is better?

[DirkBelig]

What version # is Sprint Nav on the EVO? One video I saw sorta looked like it was v.2.8, but it was a quick blurry glimpse. The Sprint Navigation site doesn't list the EVO yet and they've trimmed down the listed version from the 7 or 8 before to just three, topping at 2.1.

The Pre came with 2.1 and I liked it until one day, eight months to the day after getting it, it popped up an "Account expired. Please contact TeleNav..." error that after 3 months of futile arguing with the morons at Sprint - I wasted over EIGHT HOURS on phone calls and online chats trying to get them to understand that it wasn't the phone, but their accounting system at fault - I never got resolved because the ONLY thing they said would work would be to restore the phone to factory state, thus losing all my texts, customizations, three dozen apps, etc. What a frigging joke. I've just done without and am starting anew with the EVO.

 

[Caitlyn McKenzie]

You could just doctor it like they said, and restore it. Your apps should automatically redownload, and Save/Restore will keep track and help you restore just about everything else, with Preware.

 

[Jordus]

im really surprised at the almost tie between the two. I can't say im an overly huge fan of the Sprint GPS (although I used it in a Pre, where it would hardly ever connect)

 

[Fitz1015]

I cant stand sprint nav. i got me lost more then i would like to be. been using goole and loving it.

 

[DirkBelig]

You could just doctor it like they said, and restore it. Your apps should automatically redownload, and Save/Restore will keep track and help you restore just about everything else, with Preware.

Unacceptable. It'd be like having a problem with the password to your bank's web site and the only way to resolve it is to erase your computer and reload Windows. Would you do that? Didn't think so. So why I am I being treated as if I'm the one being difficult? There's no way to save texts; I have plenty of beta apps which then went paid meaning nuking the phone means permanently losing those; just a slew of custom ringers and Preware patches wiped away over ONE STUPID THING. I looked several times for backup apps and nothing was final; saw one thing in alpha, but didn't help.

Some cookie or something got set permanently in SprintNav and without a way to reinitiate the first logon, I'm screwed until I wipe the phone. There's no way to redownload the app and the hapless "tech support" people were so clueless as to how the Pre worked - and I mean ALL OF THEM - that they kept asking me to go to non-existent menu because it was what it said on the web site. (I had one "tech" actually C&P the advertising copy from the web site to me in a chat.) I finally got a woman who understood that it was an accounting glitch and she tried her darndest to get it sorted, but it still came down to wiping the phone.

Believe me, if it didn't mean doubling my phone bill to jump to Verizon, I'd be gone like a shot and praying for Sprint's demise. As it stands now, whenever the ads with Dan Hesse come on, I usually yell the twelve-letter obscenity for some someone who engages in incestuous congress with his maternal parent. I want to punch him in the junk and toss him off the Guggenheim.

As to my question, what version of Sprint Nav is loaded on the EVO? Anyone? Bueller?

 

[Mustachio]

Is there a way to replace the default speech voice with a new/better voice? I think the default voice sounds like utter crap.

 

[freeza]

Sprint nav (telenav) is awesome. Haven't tried google nav on my evo yet.

 

[Dukins]

Honestly I like Sprint Nav better. It's built as a true navigation GPS whereas Google Maps is mapping software first and foremost.

It takes more clicks to start navigating on Google Maps, and I much prefer the voice in Sprint Nav. But they are both really good overall.

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Sent from my HTC Evo 'cause that's how I roll.

Ditto! I can type in the same location with both GPS's but the Google Nav can never get me to the desired location of a particular Fedex. I type in the same location for Sprint Nav and it takes me directly to the doorstep. From then on I stopped using google nav.

 

[DirkBelig]

Whoever decided the distance to next turn info in Sprint Nav should be no-contrast white on yellow should be punched in the junk. How did that get out of testing?

As for Google Navigation, I tried it last night for the trip to my girlfriend's - it's always wise to test where you know where you are before relying on it for unfamiliar areas - and to my surprise it attempted to route me the wrong way down a one way street! WTF?!?

 

[DirkBelig]

Egads! I just used Google Nav to bring me home from across town and as I approached a freeway interchange before my exit, it tried to direct me onto the other freeway. Sometimes the program's idea of shortest in distance doesn't actually equal fastest. No problem, so I drive past and let it recalculate, but I could tell by the track it wanted me to get off the freeway, loop around and head back on the freeway. Huh? As I kept driving home, it kept re-routing and re-routing until I was sitting in front of my place and it was still telling me to keep driving, as if it was trying to take me to the East end of my street instead of the West side I live on. I halted the nav and relaunched it and it had me 100 feet away from the destination. Street View showed houses about five down the block. Use caution with Google Nav!

 

[JrD#AC]

Prior to this phone, I only used Sprint Nav, or my actual Garmin GPS. I didn't like using Google for navigation before this phone. It is much improved now, but I still prefer Sprint Navigation for most things on the EVO. It is geared much more towards being a GPS like system clone. There may be sometimes when I will use Google's version, for specific things.

I'll keep them both, and see what kind of improvements Google brings to its app down the road.

 

[yourownfear]

Sprint is better, when you get service... My friend has the droid and I have the palm pre (I know, I'm upgrading when the Evo comes out, have my pre-order on hand) and we were coming back from South Carolina, Google took us all these weird places trying to avoid I-95 (We're from Jersey) while Sprint was trying to tell us the quickest way to get to I-95. I don't know if he had his settings crossed but I swore that was his supposed fastest route. Long story short, we used Sprint Nav until my Pre died, thankfully by the Google Nav couldn't mess it up cause we were literally right down the street from I-95, lol.

Well if it took you to I64 through Norfolk/VA instead of Richmond for 95 then it would have been to put you on US13 then to RT1 then 95 which is about 2-3hrs quicker than 95 to 495 to 95 (taking 95 is just 10 dollars cheaper).

Anyways Google is so much better than Sprint Nav. They both have the same functionality GPS wise. Ive tested on what route I get from both during traffic and there identical for me so that leaves us with the extras. Google has street view, sat view and night view. The audio isnt a factor for me and I dont think it should be for others cause who can honestly say they dont listen to music while driving? I never hear the voice anyways.

 

[QuasarZ]

The Google voice is terrible. I prefer sprint nav but the only complaint is that it is a bit slower to load.

 

[DirkBelig]

Anyone else having problems getting Sprint Nav to open an address launched from a Contact? I select that and nothing happen, even if Sprint Nav is already running. (SN also doesn't seem to want to search my contacts from within the program.) If you ask it to show the address on Maps, it works and hands off to Navigation just fine.

 

[drnez]

Honestly I like Sprint Nav better. It's built as a true navigation GPS whereas Google Maps is mapping software first and foremost.

It takes more clicks to start navigating on Google Maps, and I much prefer the voice in Sprint Nav. But they are both really good overall.

--------
Sent from my HTC Evo 'cause that's how I roll.

I think you're confusing Google Navigation with Google Maps. They are different products. Google Navigation was built from the ground up to be a fully functional navigation application powered by Google Maps.

That being said, I tried Sprint Navigation for a little while this weekend, and while the interface is nice, the directions were not that good. I also tried Google Nav and was impressed with the good directions it gave me. Also, Text to speak is awesome.. I went to a restaurant for dinner last night that I couldnt spell (some indian place), Google navigation was able to find it

 

[drnez]

Egads! I just used Google Nav to bring me home from across town and as I approached a freeway interchange before my exit, it tried to direct me onto the other freeway. Sometimes the program's idea of shortest in distance doesn't actually equal fastest. No problem, so I drive past and let it recalculate, but I could tell by the track it wanted me to get off the freeway, loop around and head back on the freeway. Huh? As I kept driving home, it kept re-routing and re-routing until I was sitting in front of my place and it was still telling me to keep driving, as if it was trying to take me to the East end of my street instead of the West side I live on. I halted the nav and relaunched it and it had me 100 feet away from the destination. Street View showed houses about five down the block. Use caution with Google Nav!

Was your GPS turned off? It may have been using cell tower triangulation instead. It seemed pretty accurate from my testing.

 

[NicksGarage]

Here's what I've found after using both on the EVO. I've used Sprint Nav on my previous phone.

Sprint Nav seems to give better directions. Google seems to want to go on strange routes that get you there but not really logical. The voice in Google is annoying as others have said. It is really easy to find and address on Google by just using the microphone. You don't have to give as much information as you do with Sprint Nav. As said above, the Sprint version is more like a real navigation program. I haven't really found the street view that useful in Google. A couple places the picture was the wrong building which could get someone lost. It's more of a novelty than anything else.

I did like that Sprint Nav already had all my previous navigation information available. I never realized that all my favorites were saved online and not on my old phone. And Sprint Nav does have a night view on my EVO. Not sure why other people don't see that.

I'll probably use the Sprint version more but it's good to have a choice.

 

[DirkBelig]

Was your GPS turned off? It may have been using cell tower triangulation instead. It seemed pretty accurate from my testing.

Yes, the GPS was on. Duh.

The problem was that despite the fact I have my address properly set as being on the West leg of the road, Navigation was militantly convinced that I lived on the East leg. On the attached map, the path I should've taken to my home is indicated in red; where Google wanted me to go is in pink, approximately 2-1/2 miles away, literally on the opposite side of town. It wasn't confused as to where I was; it was totally high as to where I was going. After canceling and restarting the route, it got it right, but I don't understand how it blew it the first time.

Combined with yesterday's directions that would've put me the wrong way down a one-way street a mile away from my destination. Yeesh. Further testing will have to be done before I'll trust it in strange territory.

 

[Caitlyn McKenzie]

That's often to blame because of zoning/postal address issues. Google Maps and their map provider have to make assumptions based on what the government data says the street addresses are laid out as. And they're not always right (as the government can make it up as they go along sometimes).

 

[Gmaxxx]

I used the Sprint Nav today just to see what it was like and did a 20 mile drive I do all the time. It was on point at all times. Although once I notice that I was already on the entrance when it was telling me to lookout for the entrance ramp. One thing on the downside is it drains the battery like hell.