Do i take the first left or the one after that? What then, do i go up the bridge or take the underpass to the right? This bridge was supposed to end now, where is the service lane? I guess we took a wrong turn and now we can only retrace after 20 more kilometers?
Are you over familiar with these lines? If yes, then the gps navigation apps given below will make your life easy. These apps are the best gps apps for your android phone. We at TechAmiable have picked these navigation apps for android from Google Play Store by testing and analyzing the performance of the apps. Most of the gps navigation apps given below are free of cost. However, some cost a few bucks.
So, If you are somebody who has never enjoyed driving along the sea-coast just because you were to busy looking for that one turn that you missed anyways, you are in luck. Gone are the times when you had to stop by a street vendor and bombard him with all kinds of questions about the whereabouts of your destination. The world of android brings power to your palms to follow the road not taken!
Your android device supports GPS Navigation applications that have pre-embedded maps. They can pin-point your place on these maps, find out the paths between different destinations, let you know how far it is and give you statistics on the terrain, road condition and even real-time data such as traffic alerts. They can chalk out the best possible route from your present location the the destination of your choice. And they can do all of that for free and with precision like you had always wanted. What is interesting is they are as useful through suburbs as they are in the complex web of urban cities, as accurate on the country side as they are in the metropolis. So get ready to embrace technology to lead a much simpler life!
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In this piece, we review the best 10 Android GPS Navigation applications that can make life simpler for you. Be sure to download any of these on your phone and hit the road right away to places unknown and paths unfamiliar.
A List of Best GPS App for Android
Can you ignore a service when it comes under the brand name ” Google”? You simply can not. Google navigation is a stock android application that your phone comes pre loaded with. It is an application where all functions have been optimized, they have been kept simplistic, up to the point and usability focused. This application has a simple interface but is supported by thousands of extremely accurate maps powered by a technology that integrates them into a holistic driving experience. That’s the Google advantage for you. It can lay down the terrain, give information on traffic, estimate the time taken and clearly differentiate between the condition of roads. This application, in the blink of an eye, can lay out a clear map from your present position the wherever you want to go. This experience is augmented with clear voice navigation that works just as it is supposed to. A big salute to Google for getting all the necessary parts together and integrating them into something as simple, clear and productive as this. It will always find the shortest path how so ever, but be careful, the shortest path might not always be the most comfortable one.
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Sygic – Free – Offline GPS App
We know how internet connection on our phone really works. While it might be running smoothly in the cities, we have been frequent victims of network disappearance in the country side. But what to make of your navigation application then? The very purpose of having a navigation is defeated when you do not have any internet to support it. So is it the end of navigation in the times that we need it the most?
Luckily, no it is not. Sygic is an offline navigation application that lets you tour the country in the most complete way possible. The application gives you access to all the basic features of navigation but if you want live feed of traffic and instructions, you will have to make in app purchases. One can download the required set of maps of the place you are in. The maps are high quality with good orientation. One interesting feature is the app tells you about speed limit change, sharp curves, toll roads and road blocks. It also supports Geo Tagging and the voice navigation is pretty elaborate so that you never get lost.
Waze – Free & Social
Androids have made it possible to stay connected to our social life even on the go. You might be in the saloon or out on a date, there is nowhere you are away from your social contacts. But hey have you ever given a thought to driving? Is that the one place where you have to sadly say goodbye to your friends while you’re at it?
This would have been the case up to now but not anymore! The question was simple, how can you stay online when you’re busy navigating your way through ? The answer was even simpler, let’s try to integrate the social life with navigation!
Here is the real outcome of that, WAZE GPS Maps, a social navigation application of the first kind that let’s you stay in touch with your social network and use it to find your way around like never before. You can keep tabs on different avatars and your friends will be allotted here. Also, you can keep looking out for places of interest like hospitals, restaurants, bars and what not. It gives you a clear idea of traffic jams, transportation build-ups and parking areas and this information stays updated with inputs from people like ourselves. This app is linked to Facebook and foursquare and you know where your friend exactly is so that you can avoid that one guy. Your Facebook events are also marked here, so that you don’t miss out on any of them now. Social Navigation at it’s best.
BackCountry Navigator – Paid but Worth Paying For
Price-Rs 699
The world is all concrete and beams, pillars and bricks, mortar and cement. When it comes to navigating through the cities, there are a host of applications to aid to us. But what about the times when you are in the countryside and you are forced to go off the road for some reason? Also the very idea that off-roads can be misleading can make your worries go up.
But no problems readers, we have just the right application for you. BackCountry Navigator comes loaded with topographic maps. Yes, it allows the user to navigate beyond the paved roads and helps in exploring, real-time. This application is recommended to use while hiking or kayaking or making your way through a dense jungle. Though, it is just a 21 days trial, but that can be used smartly. This application can specify the GPS coordinates using the latitude and the longitude. This application can be used for all the activities that don’t happen on the roads, camping, marine activities and all terrain activities. This is the application for adventure lovers.
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Most of the people travel just because they have to, as a compulsion and a necessity. While they are some of us who enjoy every bit of travelling. They love the excitement of being lost in the woods, taking unconventional routes, waiting by the seaside and hiking to mountain routes erstwhile undiscovered. And this where the navigation applications fail, however utility based they may be; irrespective of how well laid out the maps are. This is where GPS Essentials takes the baton forward. The customizable dashboard consists of around 45 widgets that can be used for an enriching outdoor trekking experience. The widgets include altitude, distance to latitude, longitude, sunrise, altitude and much more. The best application to make the most of your outdoor navigating experience. Download this application and survive the wild, unscathed.
For those of us who are habitual of doing everything in style, Polaris is the answer to all your prayers. It is a relatively new navigation application but indeed a promising one. The classy interface caught our attention the very first time we used it. And guess what, it is as useful as it is stylish. Pep it up with offline navigation and what else do you need. This application reminded us of that infamous compass of Captain Jack Sparrow, Do you know what you want?
Another advantage is that this application is free. So now you can record your recent trips and can view them anytime you feel like.
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We have come a long way as far as offline navigation is concerned. What started as a uncertain quest is now tapped by some exhaustive applications that have made life easier for us. Maverick is another offline navigation application that has the advantage of simple and effective navigation. It does not boast of an array of features but does what it is supposed to do, satisfactorily. Your trips can also be recorded with a single tap and the maps are just what you need. So if there is some particular route you need to follow again, just save it. It supports foursquare too, more juice for you.
MAPQUEST -Free & Most Popular
Used by over a million people, mapquest is one utility android application that is one of the most complete ones. It is a compendium of user-friendly features like hands-free navigation, traffic updates, places of interest and route recording. The map itself is highly accurate is constantly updated. This application gives you a tab on the gas prices too. One can toggle through several views, zoom in and out and share your location with your loved ones through messages and Facebook too.
MAPFACTOR – All in One
Times may change, people may come and go but what’s simple goes on forever.
Mapfactor is one of the simplest navigation applications that we definitely wins a place in our top ten. The features comprise of everything that is essential- pre loaded accurate maps, different views to choose from, route information, my places, audio navigation and day and night switching facility. For people who like to stick to the utility, no glam or sham, we would recommend this app. The one thing that we really love about this application was that one hears warnings when one approaches speed camera and speed guns. Now that’s what we call utility.
You can look out for several locations that might interest you and save them for future reference. You can even choose between many languages.
As the names suggests, this application takes care of everything a traveler needs. Regularly updated maps, different viewing angles, marking old trips, distance and speed estimator. It also comes bundled with speed camera notifier, 3D worldwide map and to top it all up, a fie day weather forecast. This is one application that we would highly recommend to people who can not leave anything to chance and want to be abreast of everything before their travel. A must have application when you are going out with your family. Another interesting feature is that all downloaded data can be stored on the cloud in order for it to be used with other people and accessed whenever required. This application is good enough to feature in the list of top 10 navigation applications by us.
Final Thoughts
As the world is getting more and more complex, the routes and roads are not far behind. It has become almost impossible to find one’s way through the jungle of ever-expanding cities without the help of a navigation and gps apps for android. While some of the applications are extremely good at the job, they seem paralyzed by restricted internet access. For those times, we have the offline applications that provide the same utility without the internet. What we mean to say is, one needs to find the best application for his travel requirements. So give a shot to all these applications that we have listed above and choose the one that suits you best.
The best gps navigation and the only one that are eally up to date with the street and everything else is freenav. The, like the name suggest, free navigation application, where the maps are made by geolocalisation.