Top mobile sat nav software

Google maps sat nav mobile

Most high-end business phones come with GPS and a navigation application pre-installed, but what are the top 10 out there? Does Blackberry Maps beat Nokia Maps? What are the advantages of using Google Maps over paid-for satellite navigation software such as TomTom?

With GPS appearing on more and more devices, it's important to find the right software to use it, especially if you travel a lot in your job and need to find your way to meetings frequently.

If you use a satellite navigation system currently, it could be time to scrap the bulk and invest in one of the software programs that include voice directions, otherwise, just stick to free software readily available preinstalled or to download on the internet.

We take a look at what's hot in the world of mobile navigation so you can find your way quickly to your next meeting.

Free software

If you're looking for a venue to meet up with a contact, you can simply enter a keyword, such as coffee' into the search engine and it'll come up with a list of coffee houses within 30KM of your current location, plus you can request step-by-step directions to get there and send the route to your contact so they can find out how to get there.

If you're meeting someone at their office, you can view where their office is, because the application syncs with your phonebook to display names and addresses of everyone in your phonebook on the map.

Once you've found your destination, you can bookmark these on the application too so you don't need to search for them again.

If you're walking to a meeting, there is an improved engine for Walk mode with shortest route option and maps detailed enough to show multiple entrances to underground stations.

Other useful additional options include access to real-time info such as traffic alerts, safety camera locations and city event guides that provide access to events and film listings in more than 450 cities.

Clare Hopping
Freelance writer

Clare is the founder of Blue Cactus Digital, a digital marketing company that helps ethical and sustainability-focused businesses grow their customer base.

Prior to becoming a marketer, Clare was a journalist, working at a range of mobile device-focused outlets including Know Your Mobile before moving into freelance life.

As a freelance writer, she drew on her expertise in mobility to write features and guides for ITPro, as well as regularly writing news stories on a wide range of topics.