Garmin was once the king of the GPS
systems, but they’ve seen their user base steadily eroded by phone
mapping systems that, while not as full-featured, are “good enough” for
their users. So if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em; Garmin’s Viago app has
been updated with a suite of in-app purchases and features to compete
with the big boys.
Turn By Turn, Point By Point
The basic app is actually pretty full featured and costs just $1 on
the Google Play store. You get pretty much what you’d expect; online
maps, turn by turn navigation, “photorealistic” views of junctions so
you can properly get your bearings, and a display of the current street,
your speed and the speed limit, useful for avoiding tickets. The
question, of course, is what else you can get.
Add-Ons
A nice touch is that other features can be bought separately,
although the pricing leaves something to be desired. They range from
reasonable at a dollar or two to ridiculous at $20. Especially
considering that Google Maps offers downloadable maps to use offline
free of charge, demanding money for that feature seems a bit much. Other
features, though, are a bit more useful, like live traffic updates and
Garmin Real Directions, which guide you based on landmarks. It’s a nice
touch that you can configure the app the way you want it, and only pay
for features you’re going to actually use.
Directions Worth Paying For
It’s a given that Google Maps is “good enough” for what you’re using
it for, and we suppose Apple Maps might eventually be a tolerable
alternative. But, some want full-featured navigation, or at least more
control over what features they have, and right now it appears Garmin is
offering the best app for the money. And hey, at least it’s only a
doll
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