Hello Everyone, 

OK.  We have just concluded Round 2.

In Round 2, I compared which app had a more accurate list of POIs (Points of Interests). 

The Test:
From three various locations in Orange County California, I performed three POI searches in each app including the lookup of 1 restaurant, 1 bank, and one general purpose shopping location.

+1 Point:  Audio virtual keyboard feedback was definitely more fluid and natural in A T & T Navigator than in Mobile Navigon.  While a confident VoiceOver iPhoner can enter text easily enough in Mobile Navigon, it is very easy to lose one’s place due to just a little too long of an audio feedback delay from VoiceOver.

+1 Point:  A T & T Navigator was much more accurate in it POI listings than Mobile Navigon.  In fact, while it took me less than 60 seconds to locate the Bed Bath and Beyond store that was located near the end of the strip-mall in which I was parked, after over 20 minutes, I was not able to locate that store in Mobile Navigon.  It should be noted that other stores in the strip mall were found but not the Bed Bath and Beyond, one of the largest businesses in the area.  For those of you who want to know, this particular Bed Bath and Beyond store has been in its current location for over 7 years with no closures. 

+1 Point:  One very nice feature of Mobile Navigon is that it reports reasonably close distances to businesses in feet rather than miles.  Thus, with Mobile Navigon, one gets “Destination in three hundred feet” while in A T & T Navigator one hears “Destination in 0.1 miles.”  I don’t know about you but three hundred feet has more meaning to me than does 0.1 miles.  So, I give this point to Mobile Navigon. 

In my previous report on these two programs, I stated that I liked the fact that one need only Double-Tap the iPhone’s display screen in order to have Mobile Navigon repeat any instructions.  Apparently, in this version, this VoiceOver accessibility feature only works when Mobile Navigon is being used in Pedestrian Mode.  I was completely unable to get Mobile Navigon to repeat any driving instructions while in Car Mode.  I was extremely disappointed to discover this.  As a new user of Mobile Navigon, it is quite possible that I over looked some strategically placed control but I don’t think so.  While I could touch areas of the iPhone’s display in order to have VoiceOver announce the current street, miles per hour, etc, the fact that I could not get driving directions to repeat made them all meaningless, as far as I’m concerned.  Conversely, while seated in the car, it was remarkably simple to have A T & T Navigator repeat driving instructions.  Once I turned VoiceOver off, I simply left it off and kept my thumb near the upper left side of the display, gently touching the screen to hear repeated driving instructions with updated distances.  So, +1 Point for A T & T Navigator. 

The Tally:

Mobile Navigon scores 1 point.

A T & T Navigator scores 3 points. 

Thus, Round 2 goes to A T & T Navigator.

Mark