Any half-decent smartphone can pinpoint your location and give you a map to your destination. But that’s not navigation. What you want is a real co-pilot that gives you turn-by-turn directions as in, “In 300 meters, take a left.” An iPhone app like TomTom Thailand will do just that for around B1,800 but Nokia includes a navigation device for free in its better phones. To test Nokia’s Ovi Map, we put it up against a dedicated in-car GPS device, the WayWay.

Nokia Ovi Maps

maps.ovi.com
Ovi features real-time navigation on its frequently-updated maps. As well as road and street names, they also include restaurants, schools, malls, hospitals, and hotels. There’s even a 3D mode for those that can’t read maps. Plus, additional content from Lonely Planet and Michelin on certain models.
The good: Easy to use and with specific modes depending on whether you’re on foot or driving. Ovi Maps also offers a lifetime of free updates, unlike car GPS systems. You can also share your location to Facebook in the same way as Foursquare (when Facebook actually starts offering the service in Thailand).
The bad: Even with Nokia’s biggest touchscreen phone (the N97, for example), it can still be quite tricky to see what’s going on while cruising at 120kph. And even though the map is free, you still need to pay for EDGE/GPRS internet while using it.
Price: Free with your Nokia X series, N series, E series, 67XX series, 5800, 5230 and 2710 Navigation Edition. www.nokia.com

WayWayQ5031

www.wayway.com.hk
This is a proper GPS navigator that can be placed on the front windscreen. It features a 5” TFT touchscreen, an audio-video player, a speaker and 8MB memory card.
The good: The big screen offers a clear view of the map and the touchscreen function makes it easy to navigate. This all works directly with a satellite so there are no extra internet costs. The 3D view looks very cool, even though it tends to lag a bit.
The bad: In Bangkok, the map is still unaware of a few one-way streets, which can really confuse it.
Price: B9,900 at Powerbuy (5/F, Central Chidlom, Ploenchit Road.
02-655-7691).

The Verdict

Nokia’s Ovi system works much better than what comes free in other phones (although that can be corrected by buying an app). Still, it’s no match for a dedicated GPS. If you drive a lot (or just get lost a lot), get the real thing.