reviews
* ViewRanger on Nokia N82 review
* CoPilot Live on HTC Touch HD review
* Telmap Navigator on BlackBerry review
BlackBerry navigation app
Telenav on BlackBerry smartphone
* £23 (US$38) for 3 months/£69 per year
We were given a 30-day trial of the Telenav satnav software with the T-Mobile Pay Once BlackBerry Pearl 8110 handset. If your handset doesn't come with the link preinstalled on the handset, it can be downloaded from ota.telenav.com/ota/europe.
Downloading over 3G took around 5 mins; we then accepted the licence agreement, entered our mobile number (including international dialling code) and created a PIN code to access it. All rather long-winded.
However, it is a comprehensive satnav program with more than 10 million POIs, over the air updates and a solid built-in search function that helped us find specific hotels and businesses.
We also liked Telenav for its waymarking options and swift rerouting. We used it to guide us on foot to a BlackBerry event and tried to fox it by deviating down side streets. It had our number, and soon corralled us back to where we should be.
BlackBerry AppWorld is the name of the download store for BlackBerry users. On a large-screen device such as the BlackBerry Bold, which we used to try it out, it's a model of simplicity. There's a link straight to the App Store, and you can browse recommended apps and read reviews of them as well as searching by keyword.
It takes quite some time to load up the reviews, so it's helpful that there are also star ratings alongside each. By comparison, you can scroll through comprehensive product details and user reviews about iPhone apps very efficiently.
Verdict: Setup feels like a needlessly lengthy process, but this is otherwise a quick and competent navigation app.
Desktop navigation app
WalkIt
* Free
Walkit, described as an 'urban walking route planner', is designed to encourage those of us who'd happily dump public transport and switch to foot power. You can check how far and how long you'll be walking, not to mention the number of steps involved (the NHS recommends 10,000 per day).
Walkit currently works in 14 UK cities, and you can ask for routes that will be most direct, least busy or best for avoiding pollution.
Suggestions for interesting walking routes and sights worth a quick detour are also included.
We're not convinced it knows all the best routes, so it's worth dropping the site creators a line if you know of a handy shortcut. A response came back in no time when we emailed some questions and suggestions. A smartphone version is high on the priority list.
Verdict: It's still a work in progress, but we're keen to see how Walkit will develop. You may find yourself tempted to try new routes, now you know what you're letting yourself in for -- and the health benefits you're likely to get.
Apple iPhone apps
The Apple iPhone doesn't do satellite navigation as such -- it offers Google Maps but not real-time turn-by-turn navigation. This is because Apple's Google Maps licence doesn't currently allow for turn-by-turn navigation.
The handset is location-aware (take a photo and it will ask your permission to geo-tag the shot) and has an accelerometer that knows the angle it's at.
We're eager to learn how much the likes of TomTom, Garmin and others will charge for their satnav apps via the iPhone App Store. Of the 20 or 30 GPS apps already available for the iPhone, some basically take advantage of the magnetometer in the handset and let you tilt the screen to various effects -- a flight sim
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