TomTom’s iPhone GPS Navigation App has a lot functionality but, lacks the accuracy and weak GPS signal acquisition capability of a dedicated GPS navigation device. The GPS receiver chip and antenna in the iPhone are also no match for the hardware contained in TomTom’s Car Kit for iPhone. We compared the GPS hardware in our recent review of TomTom’s Car Kit for iPhones.

Some may also consider the 3.5 inch display provided by the iPhone to be on the small side for automotive navigation especially as most recent GPS navigator releases are 4.2 inches diagonal up to even over 5 inches. Users need to resist using the finger pinch to control zoom as it isn’t supported by TomTom’s App. The familiar, standard soft keyboard is used for address input.

The TomTom iPhone navigation app is based on IQ Routes - a much more robust platform than the native iPhone navigation application. IQ Routes bases routing calculations upon a database of speed measurements from user data (not road speed limits) which TomTom has claimed produces routes 35 per cent faster.

Map coverage it available for the following geographical areas; U.S & Canada (United States, Puerto Rico, Canada), Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

As mentioned, the TomTom iPhone App has a good range of features – as listed below.

• Navigate to home
• Navigate to favorite
• Navigate to address
• Navigate to recent destination
• Navigate to Point of Interest
• Navigate to my location
• Navigate to point on map
• Navigate to contact
• Find Alternative
• Route demo
• Clear route
• Show route as text instructions
• Show map of route
• Mute sound
• Change day/night color
• Change 2D/3D map
• Browse map
• Manage favorites
• Change voice
• Change miles/km setting
• Set day color
• Set night color
• 2D map North up
• Show streets on map
• Show POIs on map
• IQ Routes
• Zoom buttons in driving view
• Landscape menu support
• Contact book navigation
• Call POI
• Advanced Lane Guidance
• Text-to-speech
• iPod player control
• Help me! emergency menu