Google Maps Nav versus iPhone GPS: A Head to Head Comparison of Features

It seems like everyone has their own navigation tools available. While all of these choices can be a good thing, they can also lead to confusion. In the end, too many choices will be just as bad as too few if it leads you to making the wrong choice. That is why today we are going to look at two of your options and examine which one may be best for your needs. Since GPS is an on-the-go product, we are going to be looking at two of the most portable options. Google Maps Nav and iPhone GPS. No fuss, no muss, no expensive extra devices. Just you and your trusty cell phone.

Both pieces of software will do the job serviceably. That is, of course, provided that you have a good signal. Things like even heavy cloud cover can effect the quality of either device. This, of course, is not any different than any other GPS device. Just be aware of it. Then again, since we all know that service is a wash, we can move onto what will be the real deciding factor: the features. Let's take a look at what each of these services has to offer in that department.

Searchable Business Listings

If you are in need of a gas station, a coffee shop, or even an electronics store, you can find it with the business listings feature.

Walking and Mass Transit Direction

If you are an urbanite on foot or if you need to get on a train, then the walking and mass transit features are for you.

Latitude

This feature allows you to stalk your friends' locations. This is a feature that you have to opt into.

Traffic

A route with three hundred stopped cars on it? Real time traffic will right this wrong. Adjust to the world as it is instead of how it may be.

Location Sharing

Once you drop a digital pin on your map, you can share the location with your friends via either email or text message.

Detailed Traffic Information

See traffic in real time with estimated speeds of traffic. You can also assign green, yellow, and red icons for traffic.

Multiple Views

They have a map view a satellite view or a hybrid between the two.

Compass

Granted it won’t be handy in every situation, but when you are really lost, knowing northbound from southbound can be handy.

Walking and Mass Transit

This software has the capability to give you walking directions and mass transit schedules.

Search for Locations by Category

You can find a dry cleaner or just about any type of business by category.

Being able to input your custom locations is probably one of the biggest sellers of the GPS system, even more so when it comes to cell phone based GPS. Both of the models give you this option, but they do so in very different ways. Google Maps allows you to give custom locations from your Google Business listings. The iPhone allows you to drop pins onto any point on the map. The pin system is far superior to the Google version because you can choose anywhere on the map and because you can share those pins with other iPhone users. Sure, you can find a listed restaurant on you Google phone, but you cannot share one that is not listed on the site. With an iPhone you can share that hot new place that you just found.

The traffic feature on the iPhone is far superior to the one on Google Map Navigation. That is because it gives you not just a generic look at the traffic, but it also give you a look at the traffic lights. That way you will know if you are coming up on a long line of red lights that will impact your drive time.

Both GPSs have a robust set of features, but the iPhone does traffic better, and the extra location sharing compass features make iPhone a better choice for most end users. Not to mention that the hybrid maps give you a chance to see what you are looking at with more then juts lines on a map: A very good thing if you happen to be lost in an urban area, where things are very tight provided that you do not have any major contract issues. However, iPhone GPS is only available for iPhone users while Google Maps can be loaded onto almost any cellphone.