Navigating through China, part 1: Know thy enemy!

Have you ever tried to find a needle in the haystack? Well, neither did I, but here's the second best thing for you: Finding some place in China. Speaking the language does help a little. You see, they have, like, a dozen dialects only around Ningbo. So when you say something you can't be sure that the driver has got it right. Sheraton may be heard as Shangri-La by them (which happened to me – just when I was running late, obviously). Solution? Get yourself a GPS!Well, as the post is tagged 'Rants' you must have guessed already that it's not tрat easy. In that case, you're perfectly right. It's the story of my quest to find the perfect... well, at least usable, GPS software for iPhone.

First of all, I needed to decide on features. App needed to provide the following features:

• Up-to date and accurate street map, including maps of Ningbo and surrounding area;


• Accurate positioning;


• Ability to store favorite destinations – factory addresses and coordinates, mostly;


• Walking directions are a must;


• Extensive list of POIs (Points Of Interest) – shops, bars (a must!), banks and so on;


• Dynamic routing;


• Public transportation routing is a plus;


• Free apps were preferred for obvious reason (I'm not printing these money!).

There were several choices:

Software	Price	Pro	Contra
Built-in Maps.app (Google maps)	Free	Comes pre-installed on the iPhone Good search function Good routing function Public transportation mode Good price (FREE!) Good map coverage	Needs data connection Slow map downloads while moving (actually a GSM network limitation) Map position is off 200~500 meters No automatic rerouting while moving
MotionX GPS Lite	Free	It's free Includes compass and other displays Can use several map sources Can save map cache for faster access Can save routes ("tracks")	Needs data connection Search function useless in China Lite version limited to 1 track and 3 waypoints
MapABC	Free	Made in China Free	Needs data connection Map loads forever Search function useless
Destinator 9 for China, Standard edition (Chinese)	$19,9	Works offline Dynamic routing Pedestrian mode Good search function Good POI database	Paid app Talkative (can't turn off voice prompts, maybe it's just me) No public transportation — app is a car navigation aid Voice prompts in English. Would have to translate for Chinese drivers.
凯立德移动导航系统 Careland Navigator	$15,99	Produced by leading navigation software developer in China Good routing capabilities (at least in Win Mobile version)	Paid app Maps are outdated Users report frequent crashes

In the following posts I will look into features of each app I have tried and compare them. Stay tuned!