Grandma Discovers Google Navigation for Her G1 Cell Phone

I discovered an amazing feature of my cell phone recently. It has taken me a couple of months to discover navigation on my G1 cell phone. You know us older people, we just don't catch on as fast as some of you youngsters.

Apparently, when I updated my Google maps I somehow downloaded their free turn by turn navigation with voice guidance. At first I didn't think anything of it, and then it hit me right between my bifocaled eyes. Navigation that means GPS. DUH... I use a Garmin GPS all the time. In fact, when travelling, I don't leave home without one.

I fired up the navigation app, and low and behold did I find a gem of an application. There are as many or more features on this FREE application as there are on my Garmin. For instance, it has voice search. I decided to try it out by searching just for toys. On the Google navigation website it said that you could search by address or business. I spoke toys into the voice search. It came up with about ten stores in my area. Including stores like, Toys R Us and Babies R Us. Totally awesome. You can also type your destination in case the voice recognition does not work for you.

This does not yet take the place of a GPS. Mainly because if you lose reception you will also lose your maps. I tried the Google navigation going from Columbia, South Carolina to a residence in the Hilton Head area, and didn't have any problems. That's about a two hour trip. I'm going to try it out later this summer on a cross country trip and see how it works. This application, however, did find the address to the location in Hilton Head that I was going to. Neither of my Garmins were able to find the address.

Another very cool feature that I like is the satellite and street views that you get. Just like Google maps on your PC you can view the maps in satellite view, and you can go all the way down to street view. Of course these types of features are battery intensive. You will need to have a car adapter or an extended battery. Google suggests that when you are using navigation for more than 30 minutes that you plug the phone in to your car charger.

I watched the demonstration video on the internet of the navigation application. I thought the guy in the video was exaggerating when he was talking about the voice search capabilities. He said if you were going to a museum to see a particular exhibit that you could just say the name of the exhibit, and the navigation program would find it for you. He had an example of the King Tut Exhibit that was at one of the museums in San Francisco. I decided to do my own test. I know that Madam Butterfly is playing in Central City, Colorado. So I spoke into the voice search just Madam Butterfly, Central City, Colorado. The search came up with the Central City Opera House. I was amazed.

This Grandma will never be lost again. By the way if you are interested in my previous article about, Grandma Goes G1, Cell Phone that Is, please feel free to check it out. This is one Grandma that loves technology

Sources:

Personal Experience

http://www.google.com/mobile/navigation/index.html#utm_campaign=en&utm_source=gh0smm&utm_medium=ha&utm_term=google%20navigation&dc=gh0smm

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2835854/grandma_goes_g1_cell_phone_that_is.html?cat=15