Ever found yourself lost in the dense population of a city? Sometimes you are visiting a new place and looking for a specific street or a crossing and nobody is around to provide a reliable information? One time or another, almost every one of us had to face the similar situations and thanks to modern technology, we have a perfect and usable solution, GPS. GPS or Global Positioning System is a worldwide navigation system based on satellites which provide fantastically accurate position information anywhere on earth having a unobstructed connection to four or more GPS satellites.
Leaving the tech jargon behind, it essentially means that you can have your precise location pinned within seconds with the help of GPS and can easily discover your necessary route. Today’s smartphones are all equipped with GPS. Here is a list of 10 best android GPS apps.
Google maps navigation
Undoubtedly the best of the available apps on Android platform comes from none other than the creators of Android itself, Google. Google Maps Navigation is a GPS navigation system simultaneously connected to internet for the best available information and also contains a voice based guidance system. From searching in plain English text to voice based searching and all the popular features of Google Maps like Traffic View, Satellite View, Street View etc are available on this app. Looking for a specific location you need to drive to? Just ask the app for a route and it will show you the best possible route having least traffic congestion and less distance, just like that. Surprisingly enough, the app also offers guidance for walking navigations.
CoPilot Live
CoPilot Live is a paid mobile navigation system available across many mobile platforms and offers a huge number of features that even Google Maps Navigation do not contain. It is also incredibly easy to use and offers a lot of advanced features like tracking your current speed and showing routes based on personal preferences. Unlike Google Maps Navigation, CoPilot Live downloads and stores maps on your device so that even in case of a failed internet connection, it will not hamper your navigations. Although not available worldwide, CoPilot Live is a pretty good choice if you live Stateside, Canada or some parts of eastern Europe and do a lot of travelling.
TeleNav
TeleNav was the biggest name in Android navigation before Google Maps Navigation came into prominence, it is a power packed app with many advanced and helpful features. Apart from usual GPS navigations, you can also search for nearest shops for fuel, grocery, lodging, foods, clubbing, parking, general shopping or even Wi-Fi hotspots! It also uses the voice recognition feature of Android platform and uses it efficiently to recognize your voice based commands to search for a place or directions.
RadarDroid
RadarDroid is not just a GPS app for Android, it packs a rather unique feature that sets it apart from the rest. It contains a database of speed traps or speed cameras, installed in certain places around the world and warns you if your current speed is over the limit and you are approaching one of them. It has voice, audio-visual and vibrator warning modes so that it will not go unnoticed.
Loopt
Loopt is another unique Android GPS app that lets users share different maps among other US telecom carriers like AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, Boost and MetroPCS networks. You can also interact with your friends on different social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook and share traffic information, location, and maps.
Glympse
Glympse is a cross platform app that lets you share your location, just like other GPS apps but there is a catch. It shares your location for a specified amount of time and to a pre-selected person or a group so that your information is not mishandled. Anyone having an internet connection on any devices can receive a Glympse without using any specific apps and it is definitely a very important feature of the app.
Locale
If you are really looking for something different and innovative for your Android device, Locale is just for you. Using Locale, you can create situation-specific settings for your phone and upon arriving on the predetermined location your phone will automatically perform the preset task. The app is also ‘Grand Prize Winner’ of Android Developer Challenge.
WisePilot
Wisepilot is another app for Android offering GPS navigation and has all the standard features other prominent GPS apps offer. It has a price tag of USD 69.95 a year which is ridiculously high even if you consider the unique feature it offers. If you are going for a long trip, you can actually plan the bits and parts of the trip using WisePilot, it lets you set a number of places to stay and eat and also the primary visiting places on the trip, all at one place using the app.
Waze
Waze is much of a social networking app based on GPS navigations. You can catch up with your Twitter friends and share your stuffs on Google Buzz using Waze. Other users using Waze is called Wazers and you can share almost anything from videos, pics, soundtracks to traffic congestion warning and speedtrap locations at one place.
Places directory
Not strictly a GPS navigation app, as the name suggests, Places Directory allows you to look for nearby points of interests like movie theaters, hotels, restaurants, parkings, banks etc. According to your location, it will suggest the distance and possible routes. It also has a review or ranking system to show the popularity of a certain place.
