Sygic Mobile Maps: A Worthy Competitor Of Nokia Ovi Maps & Google Maps

Mobile navigation has become an integral part of GPS enabled devices. Nokia’s OVI maps and Google Maps are the 2 most widely used applications in mobile navigation. Sygic Mobile Maps is a similar mobile application which provides navigation facility on the mobile devices and is one step ahead of OVI Maps and Google Maps in terms of features (You’ll know why after reading this review).

I have been using Google Maps as well as Nokia OVI Maps since the time they both were introduced (or made free ;)). The former lacks voice navigation and the latter needs more POI’s (Point of Interest). Sygic, it seems, has kept an eye on the developments of these 2 applications and developed a mobile navigation application overcoming the features these 2 applications lacked. I have been using Sygic Mobile Maps 10 on my Nokia 5230 for quite some time now and here’s my review:

Sygic Mobile Maps Review

Starting with the installation procedure, everything is pretty easy. Download the core application and get the map(s) of the desired country on the memory card via wifi/3G/EDGE(very slow) or just transfer using Nokia pc suite. The core application has a very small installation size of just 1 MB (approx) well below Nokia’s OVI Maps or Google Maps. Sygic Mobile Maps boasts an attractive User Interface easy on the eyes and has a lot to offer. The home-screen has icons neatly categorized allowing the user to easily navigate in the application. The basic function of navigation is served very well by Sygic Mobile Maps. Which ever country you may use it for, all the POI’s are organized perfectly, In my case India. In order to select a particular POI instead of searching you can follow a step by step procedure viz. Select State/City –> Select Area –> Choose the appropriate location and get the directions! Moreover if you want direction to the address of anyone in your address book (Provided you have entered the address in right format) that too ca be done right from the application itself.

Adding to all this Sygic Mobile Maps has navigation settings which gives you the option to determine your preference while choosing a route. These include Avoiding U Turns, Lane Assistant, Ability to choose between fastest route, economic route, shortest route, pedestrian route, etc. As fas as the configurability of the application is concerned, you can change every bit of the way Sygic Mobile Maps serves you i.e:

• Can choose between 2D/3D map mode,
• Adjust volume,
• Online settings (very helpful when roaming, avoids data charges),
• Toll Charge settings (Alternate route to avoid Toll tax, saves money),
• Voice naviagation settings (You can choose/download different voices),
• Back light control (Saves battery when set at minimum), etc

Other than the above mentioned features and as mentioned by me above, Sygic Mobile Maps offers much more in terms of additional usable extra’s like World Clock, Calculator, Weather, etc. These can be of great use when you are travelling. In my opinion Sygic Mobile Maps is a true companion for any traveller providing a huge number of POI’s along with these add ons.

The only downside of this wonderful application is it’s price tag which differ’s for different platforms and costs 39.99 EUR for Symbian devices. Though I am not complaining about the price tag and believe that a feature rich application like this deserves to be paid for but then again why would a person spend so much amount for a mobile navigation software when he has the free option of Nokia OVI Maps (for Nokia users) and Google Maps?

Sygic Mobile Maps is available for Symbian, iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile and Maemo. The latest version of Sygic Mobile Maps can be purchased from Sygic’s official website.